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April 3, 2009

Another BAM Building Gets Tabled

danspace-0409.jpg
The vision of a sweeping BAM Cultural District took another hit yesterday with the news, reported by the Brooklyn Paper, that a large mixed-use project slated for the southwest corner of Fulton Street and Ashland Place was being put on hold. "The mixed-use developments are feeling the most from the current economic situation," said Kate Dixon, director of planning and development for the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership. The tower was supposed to contain 187 residential units (100 of which were to be "affordable") and be anchored by Danspace. Big bummer but not that surprising, we guess.
BAM! Housing Project Out of Cultural District [Brooklyn Paper] GMAP
BAM Cultural District: Alive If Not Exactly Kicking [Brownstoner]




Posted by Brownstoner at 9:30 AM | Comments (17)
Categories: BAM Cultural District, Development, Fort Greene

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DANSPACE is sorta like PETSMART... Is it Pet Smart? Pets Mart? Dan Space? Dans Pace? (Their logo suggests Dan Space... who's dan?)

Yes, I'm just being a smart ass. But it just doesn't seem like a "best practice" to create a clever name that forces someone to stumble over it. Right?

Obviously this has nothing to do with the demise of the BAM area development plans... but perhaps someone reading this will say, "Hmmm, maybe I shouldn't try to be so 'clever' with my new company's / organization's name... that might be a small obstacle for patrons / donors."

(This public service announcement brought to you by Tybur6)

Posted by: tybur6 at April 3, 2009 9:40 AM

Down goes Brooklyn (the market that is).

***Bid half off peak comps***

Posted by: Brownstones Half Off at April 3, 2009 9:46 AM

PETSMART works - the trip from dance space to DANSPACE (that's the concept?) is too long and it dies.

Posted by: jawbreaker at April 3, 2009 9:49 AM

And the Forte condos will now drop ___________________%

Posted by: Prodigal_Son at April 3, 2009 10:06 AM

I don't think this necessarily means that the BAM cultural district is hindered in the long term sense. Certainly for now it makes no sense to try to build such a building as described above but there are already so many arts facilities in the area that I feel confident that the notion of a cultural district will remain in the minds of planners moving forward. Hopefully this development will uncouple the cultural aspects from hi-rise developments.

Posted by: wasder at April 3, 2009 10:11 AM

I was at this meeting. The hiatus for this project only means that that shell of a liquor store will remain there even longer.

On a positive note, renderings and schematics for the Strand theatre were on full display. The front space that is cemented over will be all glass with an inside/outside feel with works from the glass blowing studio on display. As well as news of a street scape project for Ashland place, btwn Fulton and Hanson.The ideas presented were 1/2 spaced one sided cobra lighting on the east side of the street and cemented manhole rings creating a pattern in front of each attraction.

Unfortunately the Grand Plaza and arts plaza in front of TFANA are directly linked to the buildings so are delayed until construction begins.

Posted by: ReMiXxd at April 3, 2009 10:18 AM

Prodigal Son - I think this will actually be good for Forte. First of all, that building would have blocked the views from alot of Forte's units. And views are the main reason to buy into that building in the first place.

Posted by: bkre at April 3, 2009 10:31 AM

Bummer - I was excited about this building - something to counter the total blandness of the Forte.

Posted by: pHdesign at April 3, 2009 10:56 AM

Danspace has been around for over 30 years, does very good work and has a staff that's been working tirelessly on this project for several years, so this is unfortunate news. would have been a real asset to brooklyn.

Posted by: oneasternparkway at April 3, 2009 11:19 AM

One wonders why danspace has to be attached to a highrise condo development though?

Posted by: wasder at April 3, 2009 11:26 AM

"And the Forte condos will now drop ___________________%"

0%. Forente'. I'm having the damnest time finding this place at night. Is it on the north side of Fulton or the south side?

***Bid half off peak comps***

Posted by: Brownstones Half Off at April 3, 2009 11:39 AM

"I don't think this necessarily means that the BAM cultural district is hindered in the long term sense."

Short term neither, right? It was lovely even before prices skyrocketed out of control. It's appeal will be sustained.

***Bid half off peak comps***

Posted by: Brownstones Half Off at April 3, 2009 11:43 AM

I'm not exactly sure how Danspace got attached to the development, but my understanding is that the city brought them in. they have operated for several decades out of St. Marks' church in the East Village and have a tenuous lease situation there, so this move made sense in a lot of ways for them. also because the majority of dancers and people who watch dance now live in brooklyn.

Posted by: oneasternparkway at April 3, 2009 11:56 AM

"Short term neither, right? It was lovely even before prices skyrocketed out of control. It's appeal will be sustained."

On this we are in agreement. BAM the institution is already enough of a force in the area to sustain the notion of an arts district, and with Mark Morris already there and the HARVEY theater restoration etc, there is momentum and actual artistic activity already on the ground. Why a dance theater needs to be part of a huge condo complex is what I don't understand.

Posted by: wasder at April 3, 2009 12:10 PM

Wasder - the whole concept of the BAM cultural district is to increase the number of arts related facilities in the area. Generally these institution do not have either the capital of fund-raising ability to pay the costs of building these new facilties. Therefore the decision was made to offer many of these sites for private development, but to require that each one of them included an arts related use. So (in theory) it would be win-win. THe developer would still make a profit by being able to build in an up and coming area, and the arts group would get cheap new custom built space without having to pay for most of the construction cost - just the fit out costs.

It would be disingenuous to say that danspace shouldn't depend on the residential building, because if not for the residential building, danspace wouldn't even have a shot in hell of getting a new facility.

Posted by: bkre at April 3, 2009 2:02 PM

"It would be disingenuous to say that danspace shouldn't depend on the residential building, because if not for the residential building, danspace wouldn't even have a shot in hell of getting a new facility."

Fair enough when you put it that way. They seem to be strange bedfellows but I can understand that many of the arts organizations don't have the capital to go it alone.

Posted by: wasder at April 3, 2009 2:18 PM

Well, I must say by the time the BAM PR machine was in full gear canvassing these huge projects, it was clear to me they weren't going to happen. Too late and too ambitious.

It was too late in the game...it was clear to some of us many years ago when the bubble was starting to inflate that it would pop and the economy, esp. construction, would be impacted. To be honest, I didn't realize in 2000 HOW big the bubble would get before it popped. I kept telling the husband unit in 2001 and even into 2002 that the bubble was unsustainable and we had better sell finally and get out.

I have to say, I do hope the new BAM buildings get built over time, maybe at a little bit lower scale. Anyway, we'll see...it will take years of eking by on their existing budget for BAM to start upping their donations/endowment.

My prediction is we'll have sold and left Fort Greene for pastures greener (and stairless!) by the time BAM finally breaks ground on something. I *would* be interested to see what they finally are able to build. I wonder if I'll be alive by then.

A LOT has changed in Fort Greene since we came here...don't get me wrong...I'm certainly NOT anti-change. I just think BAM was a bit overambitious this time 'round. My impression is they put all these projects on the front burner nearly all at the same time, biting off more than they could chew.

I wonder if they had focused on getting just one building built initially if they could have pulled it off these last 5 years.

Posted by: BrooklynGreene at April 3, 2009 6:28 PM

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