« The Be@Schermerhorn Price Cuts We've Been Waiting For 9th Street Fire Guts Grace Cleaners »

March 26, 2009

Olive Park Condos to Host New Montessori Preschool

olive-park-condos-0309.jpg
Olive Park, the newish (circa 2007) condo development at 100 Maspeth Avenue in Williamsburg, has gotten creative succeeded in its efforts to lease its commercial space: Starting next fall the Carrig Montessori School will open two classrooms on the ground floor of the 87-unit building; build-out starts next month. The new preschool will also have use of a private patio for play space. Applications for the 40 spots are now being accepted. GMAP
Photo by berzerkgirl




Posted by Brownstoner at 10:00 AM | Comments (17)
Categories: Schools, Williamsburg

Trackback Pings

TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://www.brownstoner.com/mte/mt-tb.cgi/9002

Comments

okay why would someone want to live above a pre-school!?!? especially one where the kids are outside! ahhh! that sounds like torture. i guess it could be worse, it could be a middle school.

*rob*

Posted by: PitbullNYC at March 26, 2009 10:05 AM

Sounds like the back story to an episode of Law and Order SVU

Posted by: dirty_hipster at March 26, 2009 10:08 AM

Every condo should have an exoskeleton.

Posted by: SnarkSlope at March 26, 2009 10:08 AM

Maybe the kids will get architecture lessons from whoever designed this building. (It's the one that has an extended superstructure to get around zoning requirements. Yuck.)

Posted by: zinka at March 26, 2009 10:10 AM

They're not being creative, they're just following the law - the first floor is reserved for "two ambulatory diagnostic or treatment health care facilities". In other words, they got an FAR bump for including a community facility. (I don't know if a Montessori qualifies as a health care facility - it may fall under the same use group.) Their CO is here:
http://a810-cofo.nyc.gov/cofo/B/301/833000/301833791.PDF

Posted by: WBer at March 26, 2009 10:11 AM

Catherdral of Notre Dame has flying buttresses. Exoskeleton is the same idea, although not likely to be included in Art History 101 any time soon.

Posted by: slopefarm at March 26, 2009 10:16 AM

We all know that most scaffolding in NY once up, becomes a permanent structure but isn't this taking it just a little far?

Posted by: TownhouseLady at March 26, 2009 10:18 AM


Zinka: in what way does an extended superstructure get around zoning requirements? Thanks.

Posted by: YngRntr at March 26, 2009 10:18 AM

Daycare meets the community facility requirement.

Interesting philosophical contrast between architecturally superfluous exoskeleton and Montessori functionalism.

Posted by: IMBY at March 26, 2009 10:21 AM

just a guess...

superstructure could be used to comply with street wall location if it is a contextual district...

i like the superstructure

Posted by: young archi at March 26, 2009 10:32 AM


thanks for the guess, young archi, but i think it's safe to say that the only time the terms Williamsburg and contextual-district have reason to be used in the same sentence is when citing the goings-on in the former as reason for implementing the latter in another area.

and i agree: the building isn't the worst. it looks like something one would see in Portland. And given the cultural similarities between Willy B and PDX, why not.

Posted by: YngRntr at March 26, 2009 10:49 AM

Yep, it counts as street wall to qualify for "quality housing", thereby providing an extra FAR bump. Clearly not what the law intended.

Posted by: zinka at March 26, 2009 10:51 AM


spoke a wee-bit too soon it seems:)

thanks zinka and archie.

Posted by: YngRntr at March 26, 2009 10:53 AM

Wow I wish I was a pidgeon I would poop all over those i beams.

Posted by: billyboomer at March 26, 2009 11:05 AM

the bigger point is that this is representative of the growth of families in williamsburg. This is a good location for a pre-school as this is right on Cooper park which was totally re-done a year ago or so and has a really good little kid playground including big drums and other interesting stuff.

Meanwhile, there is also a new charter opening this fall in Williamsburg: The Ethical Community - http://www.teccs-ny.org/. Other good school news includes the addition to PS 84's successful bilingual classes where the kids learn everything in 2 languages.

Posted by: wine lover at March 26, 2009 12:11 PM

Typically, preschools operate M-F, 8 to 6, with quiet time between 1 and 3. It might be inconvenient for people who work at home, but it wouldn't bother people who work out of the house during regular hours. It's not like the kids would be whooping it up outside 24/7. And it would be a great amenity for families with children.

Posted by: Brooklyn Chicken at March 26, 2009 1:43 PM

It's great there will be a progressive school like The Montessori school in this part of East Williamsburg, but it probably would have been way cooler if The Montessori School or even a Waldorf Boarding School had renovated and bought the Peter Cooper Building, but then again, a woman was knifed in the chest on Orient Street this Past Sept, at 7:30pm when coming home from work. I wonder, did The Montessori people check out how many sex offenders are in the near vicinity? There are several in the Halfway house which occupies the Old Greenpoint Hospital. Not sure what to think, good for the hood, but questionable in responsibility...yet, there sure are a lot of rugrats in the park on the weekends.

Posted by: Heyitsme at April 5, 2009 10:53 PM

Post a comment

Please be patient while your comment is published. It may take a moment.

Latest Restaurant Additions