Tonight: Extending the FG/CH Historic Districts
Tonight’s joint meeting of the Society for Clinton Hill and the Fort Greene Association should be particularly interesting. Historian Andrew Dolkart will be giving a presentation about the number of historic structures in the area that aren’t currently protected by Landmark law. The groups have proposed expanding the Fort Greene Historic District three blocks east…
Tonight’s joint meeting of the Society for Clinton Hill and the Fort Greene Association should be particularly interesting. Historian Andrew Dolkart will be giving a presentation about the number of historic structures in the area that aren’t currently protected by Landmark law. The groups have proposed expanding the Fort Greene Historic District three blocks east as far as Ashland Place, to the far side of Fulton Street to the South and all the way to Myrtle Avenue to the north (see map on the jump). One of these structures is the Paul Robeson Theater (originally the Fourth Universalist Church) at 40 Greene Avenue, which happens to be where the meeting will take place at 7:30 tonight. Also on the agenda: Details on a plan put together by a coalition of community groups that DOT doesn’t want to give the time of day.
I beg to differ. I can site several examples (e.g. the recently landmarked mansion on Lefferts Place) where developers have planned demolition, or demolished, or destroyed the facades of, beautiful old buildings or built large, cheap, out of context, poorly designed buildings on random lots on otherwise preserved streets. I live in a transitional neighborhood (more gentrified than not in C. Hill now I’m afraid) and can say that even the old timers on my block are for landmarking the street to preserve its character, prevent demolition to put up multiunit cheap fedders buildings and to prevent out of context development on vacant lots. At least where I live there is consensus that landmarking is desired, and not just from the half of the residents that have moved here in the last 15 years but from old timers too.
Just a quick comment on the supposed elixer of the problems of urban “development” in Brooklyn and other areas – the expansion of Landmarks status of neighborhoods. As an architect with great appreciation for original and “contextual” architecture, the expansion of Landmarks status to neighborhoods that cannot afford expensive and lengthy repairs and maintenance, not to mention exhaustive reviews by “experts” without relation to a neighborhood, is a useless and I would argue a detrimental endeavor.
If a neighborhood is in the process of gentrification, money is flowing into the area and little to no regulation is necessary. How many times have you seen a recent renovation in Fort Greene with aluminum siding?
The Landmarks committee does not in fact have much to say about new buildings which is the real problem in my opinion.
I’m with 5:33-
1. Went to DC; wanted to eat in Adams Morgan; drove around for half-hour looking for a non-resident space; found one just as we started considering Plan B.
2. Went to Boston; got overnight parking near hotel; had to move car before 9 am; even though it was the Friday before Labor Day, settled for a broken meter after twenty minutes; went back to hotel; told companion to pack fast.
Yeah, could of taken the train to both places but then couldn’t have toured areas outside the cities. Yeah, could of paid for a garage, but I would have gone to another city if I had to.
12:35 PM,
as i understand it national and state landmarking are the first stages of landmarks process. they are not very strict in what they will designate as landmarked and they do not pose any restrictions on the homeowner, who can still do whatever he/she wants with their facade. they also often provide for tax breaks. city landmarking is a different story however, and it is much harder to get. city landmarking also restricts certain changes to facades, etc. so state and federal landmarking are good things for everyone and city may or may not be, depending on how you view things.
Residential Parking permits have NOT worked well in the communities mentioned!!!
Have you ever lived with Residential Parking!!! I have. It’s the worst. Suddenly, you can’t park in ANY other neighborhood!!
Residential parking is great for when you want to park near your house, after circling around a restaraunt in another neighborhood for hours, then deciding to forget about it and just going home.
If other people are parking in your neighborhood because you have such good public transportation, maybe you should get rid of your car!! (because you obviously have good public transportation).
I don’t care how much you overpaid for your property. You don’t own the street.
anon 12:40
This is what’s going on.
http://belltellofts.blogspot.com/2007/03/avalonbay-communities-to-build-42-story.html
http://dbpartnership.org/lookingahead/development/residential
Anonymous 12:35, isn’t sort-of landmarked kind of like being a little bit pregnant?
Does anyone know what’s happening on Myrtle Ave between Flatbush and Ashland?
12:28, a good place to start is with the people working on the Bed Stuy house tour. Those people are generally in the know or are at least interested in such topics. The phone number for the house tour which is in Oct. is 718-574-1979 or 718-919-4509. And, yes there are some beautiful blocks in that area that need to be protected. I wish they could be part of the Clinton Hill district, but it seems to be technically part of B-S.