A Mediterranean Makover
We spotted this building on West 9th Street, near Smith, the other day. Before its makeover, it was just a humble but proud Italianate townhouse like its brothers and sisters on the block. Now, well, we can spot several influences: some Spanish tile for the roof; a stucco-looking facade reminiscent of Greece; coral-colored Doric-ish columns,…
We spotted this building on West 9th Street, near Smith, the other day. Before its makeover, it was just a humble but proud Italianate townhouse like its brothers and sisters on the block. Now, well, we can spot several influences: some Spanish tile for the roof; a stucco-looking facade reminiscent of Greece; coral-colored Doric-ish columns, and those mini-balustrades. Looks from this DOB file that they added height and depth to the building back in 2007, and decided to make it stand out from its neighbors as well. Your reviews? GMAP
Photo from Property Shark.
i stumbled upon this while walking and literally stopped in my tracks with that ‘wtf?!’ stare, then noticed others stopping to stare in horror as well, some laughing.
believe it or not its worse in person.
I’ve changed my mind. If it brings good spanakopita and saganaki to that area I’m all for it.
There are already grotesque new houses just like this in other parts of Brooklyn, and if that’s what they wanted, why didn’t they buy one of those? What would possess someone to do this to a classic row-house? It’s bad enough that they probably spent a hundred thousand dollars to devalue their own building by 3 hundred thousand, but they took all of their neighbors down with them!
i don’t think it’s so bad. plus this isn’t exactly a classic block in any event — it’s basically wedged between the train and freeway, and the existing houses are nothing special.
‘I say we take up a collection and move it to East New York.’
I say we take up a collection and by day’s end, print out this thread the width of the house X the height of the house and drape it down from the roof. Stick a cardboard cut out of Papaoulias by the front door.
If I were a rich man,
Ya ha deedle deedle, bubba bubba deedle deedle dum.
All day long I’d biddy biddy bum.
If I were a wealthy man.
I wouldn’t have to work hard.
Ya ha deedle deedle, bubba bubba deedle deedle dum.
If I were a biddy biddy rich,
Yidle-diddle-didle-didle man.
I’d build a big tall house with rooms by the dozen,
Right in the middle of Brooklyn.
A fine tile roof with real wooden floors below.
There would be one ugly balcony on every floor,
And a bunch of ugly columns,
And paint it blue and white, just for show.
I’d fill my yard with chicks and turkeys and geese and ducks
For the town to see and hear.
Squawking just as noisily as they can.
And each loud “cheep” and “swaqwk” and “honk” and “quack”
Would land like a trumpet on the ear,
As if to say “Here lives a wealthy man.”
If I were a rich man,
Ya ha deedle deedle, bubba bubba deedle deedle dum.
All day long I’d biddy biddy bum.
If I were a wealthy man.
I wouldn’t have to work hard.
Ya ha deedle deedle, bubba bubba deedle deedle dum.
If I were a biddy biddy rich,
Yidle-diddle-didle-didle man.
“I envision a psychic sitting in that 1st floor window.”
I was thinking more of beautiful Nymphs in white gowns and decked out with garlands of flowers floating from room to room and tending to the owner’s every whim. But I digress…
I don’t get why they changed the outside? The older phot makes it look pretty nice, save the fire escape – which is at least more practical than the balconies. I mean why spend the money? [puzzled]
Can the neighbors sue for emotional distress in addition to the reduction of their own house values?