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October 19, 2007
Unfortunate New Neighborhood Name: Sun Slope
Desperate times call for desperate measures...When you're trying to market a building with as dodgy a past as the one at 639 6th Avenue, who can blame a broker for getting creative with the marketing spin. After pleading hardship to the BSA, illegally cutting trees and suffering a tragic worker accident, the 6-unit condo known as Six on Sixth is now on the market and the listing verbiage is just too precious to pass over:
Some call it South Slope. Some insist it's beyond the boundary with Sunset Park. Others are beginning to call this quiet, tucked away neighborhood Sun Slope. Stop by and decide on your own. We're sure you'll love it.
And still others call it what it actually is—Greenwood Heights.
Preview of 639 6th Avenue [Brownstoner] GMAP P*Shark DOB
Tragic Construction Accident at 639 6th Avenue [Brownstoner]
Where Does a Tree Stand in Development Hierarchy? [Brownstoner]
BSA Makes a Mockery of Itself in Two Rulings [Brownstoner]
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Comments
To be fair, the term Greenwood Heights was made up by realtors too. Trust me, when I was growing up here, that area was considered Sunset Park. I won't dispute it needed a different name b/c its not really Sunset Park either but credit where credit's due.
Posted by: Mrs. Limestone at October 19, 2007 9:14 AM
Bad name! What's wrong with South Slope and Greenwood Heights? Where is it exactly? I'll come up with something better. Why does everyone want to keep the word Slope (yes, I actually know)? It was dumb when the neighborhood was first named a bazillion years ago.
Posted by: guest at October 19, 2007 9:20 AM
I live here and I think just Greenwood sounds better than Greenwood Hts, and definitely NOT Sun Slope.
Posted by: guest at October 19, 2007 9:36 AM
how about calling it South Brooklyn?
Posted by: guest at October 19, 2007 9:42 AM
From the Concerned Citizens of Green-Wood Hts. website ( I have see similar definitions on wikipedia and other neighborhood sites:
"Where is Greenwood Heights?
Good Question! Depending on who you speak to, how long they have been in Brooklyn or even do some digging on the web, maps, etc., you may get several answers. Loyalists from Sunset Park say this is part of their community. Those farther north may call this South Park Slope (its own questionable name). Old timers in the neighborhood may just call it South Brooklyn, fuhgebbaboubit! According to articles in the MSM, maps dating as far back as the Battle of Brooklyn, the area surrounding what is now Green-Wood Cemetery, our illustrious neighbor, was called the "Heights of Greenwood" or "the Greenwood" (even at times "The Heights of Gowan).
Since the 1970's-80's, depending on what paper you believe, the name "Greenwood Heights" made it into print officially in the New York Times and since the rezoning "South Park Slope ULURP' in November 2005 (pdf) and being added to Community Board 7's official neighborhood roster, the area is loosely defined from the Prospect Expressway to the north, 38th Street to the south, 4th Avenue to the west and 8th Avenue/PPW to the east. But heck, what's in a name? It more about the neighborhood and community! Just don't call us late to dinner. ;)"
http://www.ccgreenwoodhts.com/
Posted by: Action Jackson at October 19, 2007 9:56 AM
You could call that building Highway Cliff.
Sun Slope? Give me a break...
-greenwood slope
Posted by: guest at October 19, 2007 9:57 AM
Its "Prospect Expressway Heights"
Posted by: Emigre at October 19, 2007 10:08 AM
That building is right next to the Prospect Expressway. Constant hum of traffic 24-hours a day. Are the windows soundproof?
Posted by: guest at October 19, 2007 10:13 AM
South Brooklyn is the older accepted name for the area of Carroll Gardens/Red Hook. Still used, but mainly before the BQE dissected the neighborhood in two.
Posted by: 1910 at October 19, 2007 10:27 AM
What I love is that everyone was ragging this building's original fugly design with its balconies overlooking 6th Ave and the expressway, where the heck did they disappear to?
I hear the developer (working with the Developers Group) was from Seattle, thus the white, silver and blue stucco facade. Could not believe how ugly it is when I drove by the other day.
Go Seahawks!
Posted by: Action Jackson at October 19, 2007 10:28 AM
Robert Moses Valley
Posted by: guest at October 19, 2007 10:32 AM
Slippery Slope. Say it. Love it. Be it.
Posted by: guest at October 19, 2007 10:39 AM
Talk about living on the edge.
This building might as well be on the edge of a cliff. In fact it would be better off there. At least it would be quite. No rumbling highway out the window.
As for the area.
I grew up there and it had no name. Just someplace between the rich of Park Slope and the poor of Sunset Park.
Working class people don't have time to be naming there nabe.
Just "Home".
Posted by: guest at October 19, 2007 11:10 AM
The architectural rendering last year looked great.
the final product is just so...
sad.
Posted by: guest at October 19, 2007 11:12 AM
$825,000 and $757 cc for one bedroom.
There.
It is to laugh, hah hah!
Posted by: guest at October 19, 2007 11:29 AM
Sun Slope is what the folks at City Hall are calling this neighborhood. The building is not in Park Slope which officially ends at 15th Street where Sunset Park begins.
As for Greenwood Heights - yea, the broker should have given the neighborhood the same name as the nearby cemetery. Good thinking!!!
"I see dead people"
Posted by: guest at October 19, 2007 12:48 PM
I prefer to call the neighborhood Park Slump.
Posted by: guest at October 19, 2007 12:53 PM
oh yeah, we've been calling it sun slope for while now. there's also ridge-slope, benson-slope, flat-slope, hook-slope, coney-slope...
Posted by: pfa at October 19, 2007 1:02 PM
Friends who live a few doors down from this building (which is REALLY ugly) refer to the neighborhood as SOPEX - South of Prospect Expressway.
Posted by: guest at October 19, 2007 1:15 PM
SOPEX sounds like a feminine toiletry article...Ugly sounding. I'll take Greenwood any day over that.
Whatever happened to the injured construction worker at this site? What is his condition?
Posted by: guest at October 19, 2007 1:27 PM
Boneyard Heights.
Posted by: guest at October 19, 2007 1:28 PM
Boneyard Heights! Love it!!
Posted by: guest at October 19, 2007 1:40 PM
I love that this has been on the market for 2 months and not one sold! The developers group has to be the worst marketing firm of all time!!
Posted by: guest at October 19, 2007 1:58 PM
Nothing has sold because it is possibly the ugliest building in the area (though that's debatable) and it overlooks the expressway. The lovely (ha!) white stucco is already covered with graffiti.
Posted by: guest at October 19, 2007 2:15 PM
"As for Greenwood Heights - yea, the broker should have given the neighborhood the same name as the nearby cemetery. Good thinking!!!"
guest 12:48,
When you get your head out of your ass (how you can see to type, I have no idea), read my post from earlier in the day.
Been called Greenwood even BEFORE the cemetery, which BTW was rated the #3 top open green spaces in NYC by TONY this week.
You ought to take a stroll someday, you might be surprised at the beauty of the architecture, greenery and the oasis it really is in our lovely borough.
Guest 1:27,
The CB found out he was very badly injured, 4 story fall, went to Lutheran Medial but never anything beyond that. Me thinks the worst.
But that's the way developer's kick-it in SunSlope.
Posted by: Action Jackson at October 19, 2007 3:40 PM
i once saw a condo ad describe this area as South South Slope.
teehee!
Posted by: guest at October 19, 2007 4:31 PM
How about SOSS!! (South of South Slope, pronounced SAUCE)!
Ok, I will stop.
Posted by: guest at October 19, 2007 4:38 PM
I was told by someone who lived in Sunset Park when it was still a Scandinavian neighborhood that Sunset Park is itself a new name for the area, that prior to the 1970s (when the area was red-lined by banks), it was just thought of as part of Bay Ridge.
Posted by: guest at October 19, 2007 4:55 PM
NFN: the Brit map for the Battle of Long Island (now that had to be changed too) identified the heights as the Hills of Guam. No, I'm not kidding! It was on the map at the NYPL exhibit early this year. The high area to the east was the Woodsy Hills of Guam. Brokers: go with it. If you put a posh accent on it, like they do with the Hampton's, it'll sell!
Posted by: guest at October 19, 2007 5:12 PM
As far as naming the nabes, there was an excellent history - with newspaper clippings for source material - on Icky Brooklyn blog a few weeks ago http://ickyinbrooklyn.livejournal.com/14115.html
Greenwood Heights is not new, and the boundaries were ever fluid and changing depending on the developing areas
Back to the monstrosity we call the "cruise ship" on our street (and unfortunately we must share our street with the cruise ship), it is horrid looking, the walls already have graffiti and the bottom windows are busted out. I know that they originally said they needed to get 1 million a floor for the place, my how times have changed.
Posted by: wagongrrl at October 19, 2007 5:18 PM
These marketing people are awful, do they know what neighborhood they are in? Their pricing finishes and marketing campaign are awful, what market do they think was buying here, this isn't Williamsburg!! They must be feeling pretty stupid right now except they did the same mistakes on the other project on 16th street. The developer would do good to fire these clowns!
Posted by: guest at October 19, 2007 6:33 PM
If you are talking about the large building that took what seemed like too long a time to complete at about 300 16th st. ....
stand in front of that building and look at it. I swear it looks crooked (besides looking shabby and poorly contsructed). I know the street is not level, and perhaps it is an illusion, but the lines are not parallel and it just gives the place an unsettling feeling.
I read somewhere recently that most of the people buying these new condos only plan on living in them or in the area for 3 or 4 years.
Too bad, since many of us have plans to be here our entire lives and we have to live with the ugly monstrosities they leave behind.
Posted by: wagongrrl at October 20, 2007 5:26 AM
Some realtors were trying to implant the name SoSlo on this area. Nice, in an ironic sort of way, but Boneyard Heights wins hands down.
Posted by: guest at October 20, 2007 10:52 AM
Slippery Slope Slippery Slop Slippery Slo Slippery Sl Slippery S Slippery Slipper Slippe Slipp Slip Sli Sl S...
Posted by: guest at October 20, 2007 10:18 PM
Slop Slope? ( I really don't like that new building much.... does it show? )
Posted by: bren at October 21, 2007 10:23 AM
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