City Cracking Down on Historic Sidewalks
Here’s some news sure to be divisive. According to a Brooklyn Paper article, 27 homeowners on one stretch of Fifth Street in Park Slope are being forced by the city to pony up $2,000 apiece to finance the restoration of the sidewalk. The block was initially flagged because of a potential trip hazard, and that…
Here’s some news sure to be divisive. According to a Brooklyn Paper article, 27 homeowners on one stretch of Fifth Street in Park Slope are being forced by the city to pony up $2,000 apiece to finance the restoration of the sidewalk. The block was initially flagged because of a potential trip hazard, and that spread to a block-long mandated clean-up. Because of the historic nature of the block, the city is requiring the use of historic bluestone or tinted concrete, depending on what was originally there. Predictably, some owners are grousing but we’re all for it. If you’re going to designate certain areas as historically significant and tightly control what the exterior of houses can look like, it’s kind of ridiculous to have ugly new sidewalks running in front of them. That’s why we just completed restoring the sidewalk in front of our brownstone—voluntarily—with bluestone following some underground plumbing work. (We also expanded the tree bed a bit as well.) You can see the before and after photos above. Price tag: $2,000, or about what the city’s contractors are going to end up charging one of the most vocally opposed homeowners on Fifth Street. Incidentally, we’d argue that the value of the house went up by at least $2,000 with the job. We’d also argue that neighbors who put in ugly sidewalks don’t only drag down the value of their own homes but that of their neighbors, another reason why it’s reasonable to extend Landmarks’ purview to the sidewalk. (By the way, we ended up using a mason named Lascelle Edwards, who did a great job and can be reached at 917-640-0928. We’d also like to thank the handful of readers who donated their spare bluestone to the project!)
See, the problem with wooden sidewalks, as my grandmother explained, is that it’s all too easy to lose a nickel between the cracks.
I had the City here to fix my sidewalk w/in 2 weeks of the tornado & consequent damage. It’s why I rushed to get the pavers reset myself.
No doubt I’m a total philistine, but bluestone sidewalks don’t do anything for me. Bluestone, concrete — all looks the same to me. Concrete is not a new invention either.
My grandmother spoke of wooden sidewalks in Springfield, Mass., when she was a girl. She walked on them down to the corner to fetch her father beer in a pail. Or was it a poke?
Joshi, good for you standing up for yourself!
Be prepared to wait two or more years for the city to get around to repairing cracked pavements due to tree roots. They will inspect, then put you on an interminable waiting list based on the “severity” of the situation. CIty will fine you for cracked pavement while you wait. Take it from one who has been there.
I find the landmarked sidewalks thing to be oddly administered. I’m across the street from the Vermeil and that other newish building on 7th and Sterling, all within the landmarks district, which ends at our rear property line. The newish building have plain old white concrete. We had to reset exisitng bluestone and fill in old concrete squares with tinted concrete. Our end product is an uneven mix of the tinted stuff since the 120′ + job was done in 3 sections. Now 3 corners have white concrete and mine has this bluestone patchwork with a concreate apron. I don’t think it looks great and since we’re on a hill I can already see some erosion due to settling of the bluestone.
We had to do the replacement for our insurance to continue. Some of the damage was caused by DEP, some age and erosion. The job ran about $7,500.
At some point, we have to acknowledge that we’re not living in the 19th century, and that we’ve developed better and more durable paving materials.
Bluestone is heavy, fragile, expensive, hard to find, and a technologically inferior product to poured concrete.
Time for landmarks to give up on this.
Concrete pavements heave just as much as bluestone & sometimes more because it cracks more easily.
I’d just had mine done last year but the tornado uprooted a tree & tossed my pavers again so I’ve just had it redone again – at my own cost since City might’ve put in colored cement. City arborists told me the new tree pits are 40 sq. feet so I had mine enlarged & hope to get a new tree. The guideline for a “hazard” is 1/2 discrepancy between pavers.
fsrg, check out the tax rates on coops/condos vs 1-3 families, make your toes curl.