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June 21, 2007

Kaufman's Flatiron to Rise Behind Meier's OPP

The upscale modern makeover of the park-end of Prospect Heights that began with the Richard Meier-designed On Prospect Park will continue with the construction of a 10-story triangular wedge of a building designed by Gene Kaufman on the site of an old laundromat on the corner of Underhill and St. John's Place. Plans for the structure (which is technically an alteration not a new building) have been approved for over a year but work won't begin in earnest until the Fall. Here's the blurb from Kaufman's website:

This triangular lot was actually so small that new development was prohibited, but through a complicated process, approval was obtained to enlarge an existing laundromat to ten stories for residential use and the full floor area allowed by zoning. The core was set against the inner wall, with one unit per floor in the base and duplexes comprising two full floors in the tower of the setback upper floors to take full advantage of the two long street facades. The metal panel clad apartments and the brick service core provide an exterior reading of the plan and a dialogue between closely nested elements on a vestigial slice of land.

It would certainly be interesting to know more about the "complicated process" by which approval was obtained. More renderings on the jump. GMAP P*Shark DOB

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holy canoli

Posted by: Anon at June 21, 2007 9:40 AM

nice

Posted by: Anonymous at June 21, 2007 9:43 AM

Same guys who did Das Haus in Fort Greene. They are planning an hotel downtown too.

Posted by: Aida at June 21, 2007 9:46 AM

So is the future plan to put a holographic billboard in the open grid space?

Posted by: Anonymous at June 21, 2007 9:48 AM

pretty cool. by my math, and the rendering seems to bear this out, only nine units. speaking of the renderings, the one on the left makes the building look like it's perched on the edge of the gulf of mexico.

mr. b keeps referring to this as the site of a laundromat, and i understand why, but isn't (wasn't) there (also) a jewish center in that building?

Posted by: Anonymous at June 21, 2007 10:15 AM

There goes a home for our wonderful Chabad!

Posted by: Anonymous at June 21, 2007 10:17 AM

I really like OPP. I don't know why.

Posted by: Anonymous at June 21, 2007 10:18 AM

the overhang looks like a terrific place for the hoods dealers to conduct business

Posted by: Anonymous at June 21, 2007 10:20 AM

Looks nice. Sometimes Kaufman surprises... Apparently Sam Chang hasn't ruined him completely... yet...

Posted by: jtg at June 21, 2007 10:21 AM

i live around the corner on Sterling -- this is briliant. South Pros Hts should eclipse most of PS (e.g. South Slope, and blocks below 7th) as a destination

Posted by: Anonymous at June 21, 2007 10:25 AM

I had heard they were planning something for the site, and feared it was going to be hideous (i like the laundromatte building), but I think this looks great.

Posted by: mudskipper at June 21, 2007 10:32 AM

Crap on a cracker!

Posted by: Atomische at June 21, 2007 10:40 AM

I have to say, our little slice of propsect heights is doing well in the new development department. The Richard Meier building, the new building on Sterling between Washington and Classon, and now this...let's hope the developers continue to try to outdo one another in the design department, instead of racing to the bottom of the barrell like on 4th Avenue.

Posted by: chip at June 21, 2007 10:42 AM

Nearby and further up on Underhill is the back of an apt building with all kinds of strange angles and a chainlink fence along the sidewalk I think so another bizarre structure will fit right in. Not a nice area though. Has a real scuzzy bodega across the street if I remember. Being near the park is great but these blocks do not have a nice feel to them.

Posted by: Anonymous at June 21, 2007 11:25 AM

Why do these architects do these renderings without any context? The renderings are attractive but this building is not in a field or floating in the sky on a magic platform.

Posted by: JGNY at June 21, 2007 11:27 AM

The general area is very attractive, but I agree with the above poster that the immediate blocks, especially St. Johns and Lincoln Pl., are still loud, dirty, and (somewhat) unsafe. Hopefully, buildings such as this one will accelerate the gentrification of said blocks.

Posted by: Anonymous at June 21, 2007 11:31 AM

Atomische, I would but I'm not that accurate.

Posted by: Anonymous at June 21, 2007 12:01 PM

I live up on Lincoln around the corner from here. I'm happy to see this go up, as it means we won't have the closed laundromat full of pitbulls anymore. On the other hand, I have to wonder how much people are going to pay to live on this corner. It's not unsafe, but it's got a shady feel, probably the sketchiest corner in the whole neighbourhood. Will people pay millions to live facing the A_s__iat_d deli of missing lettering? Time will tell.

Posted by: ed at June 21, 2007 12:25 PM

People are already paying millions to live one block away... Underhill is up and coming and I bet these will sell easily if well done

Posted by: Anonymous at June 21, 2007 12:30 PM

true, st. johns and lincoln towards washington are a still a little hot, but not too hot. besides, everything in the opposite direction is nice. st. johns between plaza and underhill is lovely.

what's the deal with the one story row of garages across from sepia and cheryls? do they belong to coopley?

Posted by: Anonymous at June 21, 2007 12:40 PM

This looks great super modern so close to the park can't wait for the first open house. If it is the same person who worked on the project on Clermont Ave "Das Haus" it will look fantastic!

Good luck

Posted by: Monica at June 21, 2007 12:51 PM

I've been wondering for several years now how long it would be before the garage lot across from Sepia would be developed. The diagonal sawtooth lot with chainlink sidewalk is too small for another building. Those existing buildings need a required setback on their back sides.

I'm not at all enamored with the tower on Underhill across from smellycat bodega. Mishmash of vericals with no coherence. Only good thing is it looks like the first floor will be commercial/retail.

There are 2 large apt buildings on that stretch of underhill that are predominantly rent controlled so don't hold your breath for them to "gentrify".

Posted by: Anonymous at June 21, 2007 2:33 PM

Monica - do you have a financial interest in this site or do you just tend to get overexcited about things in general .

Posted by: Anonymous at June 21, 2007 2:34 PM

Kind of sad. Prospect Heights has become worse than Park SLope. Atleast there isn;t all this new yuppie building going on in Park SLope. Prospect Heights is dead. It is just another enclave of rich. All you psuedo hipsters should wake up.

Posted by: Donald Frump at June 21, 2007 4:11 PM

Thing is, you all applaude these two buildings in this area but cry about teh Ratner delvelopment. Get real. Thee is no difference except you want snobs want to keep oters from your hood (e.g. the people who will attend Nets games and concerts). So bugger off and shut up. You saw this coming and you shoudl just zip it.

Posted by: Arctic Monkey at June 21, 2007 4:18 PM

Thou art right. Otters get thee hence!

Posted by: Anonymous at June 21, 2007 4:50 PM

the reason architects do renderings without context is because it takes a long time to model and render the context and/or place the model in a photo

Posted by: g architect at June 21, 2007 9:46 PM

are humans actually going to live in that thing.
i can't believe the monstrosities being built all over the city.... very dubai-ish.

Posted by: adriennui at June 21, 2007 9:48 PM

this is gross. like all of those metal-sided "luxury" condos in williamsburg, only in an all brick and brownstone lo-rise neighborhood (barring OPP). i live right across the street from this and am rather appalled.

Posted by: lizard at June 22, 2007 11:26 AM

I like the staccato contrast of the old and new...

I mean come on... all the cool European cities are doing it.

Posted by: time stands still for no man at June 22, 2007 1:56 PM

can you believe the developer is rich and black.

Posted by: inyourfacekkk at June 23, 2007 1:00 AM

Just walked by there again this morning, and don't see how the building in the rendering could possibly fit in that space. Unless the cantilevered portion hangs out over the sidewalk.

Posted by: Atomische at June 23, 2007 2:20 PM

Excellent news...and this block on Underhill is already on the upswing because of Sepia and Cheryls restaurant. Fifteen years ago,5th Avenue in Park Slope was dirty, noisy and unsafe. Now, it's a prime real estate.

Posted by: Brooklyn Mark at July 23, 2007 4:57 PM

WHy isnt the community ever asked about these things This couldnt have been an "as of right" building. I have lived across the street for 21 years and no one form the Community Board
( who had to be involved on the complicated process) ever talked to anyone.

Has anyone found out about the "complicated process"?

Posted by: jmd at July 26, 2007 7:04 AM

All of this yuppie propaganda is kind of sickening. You come in with your big money and start talking shit on the locals who have been here for 40 years??! The guy who has the dogs (not pits) on the corner of St. Jonh's & Underhill happens to be a great guy and the dogs are sweet as well. Check yourself before you start posting negative things about the people that are the very fabric of this neighborhood- good or bad. It's people like you that are going to ruin this neighborhood. It has the potential and resources to be an amazing hood but yuppies come in in droves and want to turn it into Massachusetts. Hopefully you get jumped and head back to the slope cause you don't belong here..

Posted by: St. John's Youth at July 28, 2007 2:47 AM

I have lived in this neighborhood all my life and i grew up on Lincoln place and I must say that I like the improvements I've seen in the last 10 years , Prospect Heights is really getting on the map! It is thou very unfortunate that a lot of good people are going to be priced out of this neighborhood including those first brave souls who came into this neighborhood in the early nighties and helped start the revival process they made this neighborhood cool ,and now there richer cowardly counterparts are now flooding the neighborhood . You will know when the neighborhood has completely gone to crap when God forbid a star bucks opens up on Washington ave then its game over. Oh by the way Lincoln place is no way shape or form hot , nothing happens on this block anymore its become pretty gentrified and getting more so everyday,don't get me wrong most of these buildings are rent stabilized so the racial mix will be balanced for years to come so if your looking for a future Caucasian utopia this is not the neighborhood for you but if you want to live in a neighborhood with a diverse racial mix with good relations amongst the groups plus easy access to the parks , library, museum, Manhattan etc... then Prospect Heights maybe your cup of tea. I just wanted to say one more thing ,that new building there going to build on what is now the old laundromat site looks like crap its so out of character with the neighborhood very sad indeed.

Posted by: morpheus928 at August 10, 2007 2:40 AM

hey you assholes out there.
a/ so what the guy is black and very wealthy one up for us.
b/ these blogs just help to show that white americans are still the most racist people in the world,remember your place on the totem pole (last race not first)
c/this neighborhood does not need you in it. this area or any other in the immediate brooklyn area is not Iowa,Oregon,Texas are any other suburb you may be dreaming it to be.
d/I wonder with all these comments you make when you see everything come to homogenization will you still want to follow us for culture because its obvious you have none and as you still want to be like us when we go everything goes with us.
e/ get a life-you are not special anymore.
hurray for that wonderful guy. the black millionaire

Posted by: guest at September 1, 2007 5:28 PM

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June 21, 2007

Kaufman's Flatiron to Rise Behind Meier's OPP

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