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April 10, 2009

St. George's Mosaic Demolished

st-george-mural-0409.jpg"It seems odd that in a neighborhood known for its fierce defense of architecture and craftsmanship that it was so easy for workers at the Hotel St. George to demolish the mural that adorned one of its walls for decades so quickly," wrote the Brooklyn Heights Blog yesterday after spotting chunks of the mural in a dumpster. Why did this happen? Safety.




Posted by Brownstoner at 10:19 AM | Comments (16)
Categories: Brooklyn Heights, Preservation

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Comments

Sad.

I hope that they at least pulled some out of the dumpster for repurposing. I'd at the very least try to make an art piece out of the salvageable tiles.

Posted by: TownhouseLady at April 10, 2009 10:30 AM


Anyone know where that dumnpster is?

Posted by: East New York at April 10, 2009 10:43 AM

Why didn't they at least sell it on to a salvage company?

Posted by: Architerrorist at April 10, 2009 10:46 AM

My only guess would be people were upset about it coming down so they tried to do it under the radar in the hopes nobody would catch it.

Posted by: TownhouseLady at April 10, 2009 10:49 AM

Stop crying Assheads! This part of the Mutant Asset Bubble! You want shinny new Condos?!! You want new buildings??!! We you have to break a few eggs to get omelets!

The What

Someday this war is gonna end...

Posted by: Return of The What at April 10, 2009 11:03 AM

Sounds like they came up with the safety justification as an excuse that they thought no-one would question.

Posted by: etson at April 10, 2009 11:09 AM

No, What, we do not want shiny new condos.

Posted by: mopar at April 10, 2009 11:22 AM

I'm sure they had no idea anyone would care because they do not value old murals.

Posted by: mopar at April 10, 2009 11:23 AM

I hope, What, that your comment was meant as sarcasm. Part of the MAB is caused by the destruction of perfectly good buildings, or parts of such. To do what? Put up a sheetrocked wall or ceiling, no doubt. This must have been a sneaky, under the cover of night job, because the St. George Hotel is one of the grand dames of Brooklyn architecture, and I would think someone would have tried to stop it, or LPC would have been notified, or community preservation groups. They picked a perfect time, people are out of town, closed or involved in family time for Passover and Easter weekend.

I hope someone was able to salvage some of it, a lot of it. I'd be digging through the dumpster myself if I could. What a shame.

Is there a photo of the mural in its original state?

Posted by: Montrose Morris at April 10, 2009 11:31 AM

I just got off the phone with the architect (on another issue). He informed me that the wall was unsafe and not salvagable. The mosaic will be reconstructed using new materials to match the original design, he told me.

Posted by: Robert Perris at April 10, 2009 11:41 AM

" hope, What, that your comment was meant as sarcasm."

Nope!

"art of the MAB is caused by the destruction of perfectly good buildings, or parts of such. To do what? Put up a sheetrocked wall or ceiling, no doubt."

And the destruction of perfectly good neighborhoods! Hey don't cry for one part while ignoring the other!

"St. George Hotel is one of the grand dames of Brooklyn architecture, and I would think someone would have tried to stop it, or LPC would have been notified, or community preservation groups. They picked a perfect time, people are out of town, closed or involved in family time for Passover and Easter weekend."

My Father and I used to go swimming there every Sunday. The St. George had a saltwater swimming pool and it was good for his back. The Architecture was something to die for and it's a damn shame the wall was torn down. I remember a few years ago the Asshats was tearing out details for Brownstones and replacing it with the "Home Depot" specials!

All I'm saying is stop crying!

The What

Someday this war is gonna end...

Posted by: Return of The What at April 10, 2009 12:03 PM

I love when you get all sentimental What

Posted by: boofer at April 10, 2009 12:44 PM

"My Father and I used to go swimming there every Sunday. "

I bet we saw each other there What!! : )

Posted by: cobblehiller at April 10, 2009 2:41 PM

See, THAT is why I always, always peek into dumpsters!!!

Posted by: Brenda from Flatbush at April 10, 2009 9:08 PM

I took the picture at the head of this article at the St. George this past weekend along with about 30 others of the pool area that is being renovated and original remnants of the old pool throughout the health club. The lifeguard told me to be sure and photograph the mural because it is coming down soon. I grew up in Bklyn Heights and graduated PS8. My family owned 3 properties, two on Clark Street which were torn down by the city for "urban renewal" and I swam weekly at the St. George. It was a coincidence that I was there right before the destruction of the Art Deco mural and I did alert the community, but it was obviously too late. I had hoped that someone could step in an find another home for it. I have posted my pictures on line. If anyone is interested in looking at them, please let me know. I have several of the mural.

Posted by: benitaberman at April 10, 2009 10:50 PM

Sad.

Posted by: mopar at April 10, 2009 11:07 PM

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