City Ripping Up South Portland Bluestone
This photo was sent in earlier this morning by a resident of South Portland Avenue alarmed by the sight she woke up to this morning: A crew from the city’s Department of Design and Construction tearing up of the landmarked bluestone sidewalk at the corner of Dekalb Avenue as part of the citywide effort to…
This photo was sent in earlier this morning by a resident of South Portland Avenue alarmed by the sight she woke up to this morning: A crew from the city’s Department of Design and Construction tearing up of the landmarked bluestone sidewalk at the corner of Dekalb Avenue as part of the citywide effort to build out the traffic bumps on many corners. From her email:
Officially the city agency in charge of doing this work isn’t allowed to destroy what is considered landmarked material (bluestone), and I’ve confirmed with LPC that the city has an LPC-approved permit requiring them to pour a dark (slate colored) concrete where they are creating the new bump out. What I was NOT expecting was what I saw this morning: the cherished bluestone slabs broken and destroyed, in the ACTUAL sidewalk, as they dig up the sidewalk to match the new higher height of the bump out curb. If I’m not mistaken, they have to put back whatever bluestone slabs they are forced to remove. (Still waiting from confirmation of this from LPC). I can only imagine that carefully removing and resetting old stone slabs is a very expensive and time consuming process, so I supposed “accidentally” forcing them to be chopped up and trashed is an easier solution. Man this makes me mad.
The on-site supervisor she spoke to told her DDC would reset whatever pieces of bluestone were still intact when all was said and done. From the looks of this photo, that’s not a very encouraging prospect. What a botch! UPDATE: We’ve received word now that the FDNY is on the scene because of a gas leak relating to the removal of a lamp post on the corner yesterday. Developing…
“There’s Brownstoner (and FNY) readers who care about bluestone sidewalks, and then there’s the construction crews and likely the vast majority of New Yorkers, who either wonder what the fuss is about when they hear about people making a fuss, or are contemptuous of the fuss.
That’s why landmarking laws should be even ore restrictive, because most people are blissfully unaware about NYC’s history– and guess what, when informed about it, could care less.
http://www.forgotten-ny.om
Posted by: Kevin Walsh at December 4, 2009 12:13 PM”
I give Mr. Walsh credit about one thing. Unlike most Brownstoners, he is quite candid about his contempt for the wishes of the majority of his fellow citizens.
colonel:
You want continuity? They’d have to pour that same concrete up and down the entire length of dekalb. Not just on a bump!
Also I have no problem seeing slate combined with matching colored concrete. Problem is that years ago they just patched it up with what was basically a concrete/gravel mush. That’s what makes the combo look so hideous and patchy.
Keep the bluestone. Match the concrete in color.
And yes, while you’re at it, correct ALL OF THE HIDEOUS CONCRETE up dekalb. Make it “continuous”. Please!
Kevin, you folks can be real short sighted. One bluestone piece is cracked and that’s fuss worthy? I’m not contemptuous of the fuss. I’m just looking at the big picture…
These traffic bumps are being put in all around FG.. Dekalb/ Adelphi and Fulton/Hanson to name a couple, to compliment ones already in the neighborhood. When all is said and done there will be a certain amount of continuity in the neighborhood. This will enhance the overall appearance of things as folks stroll through FG.
Symmetry and continuity is what makes FG so nice, not a bunch of old pieces of bluestone. Especially when they’re mismatched between poured concrete.
couldn’t care less you mean.
While I find continuous bluestone attractive, I find the Landmark’s administration of requirements for maintaining spotty bluestone and tinted concrete where all adjacent property has plain grayish tan concreate ludicrous. Half of my corner place has concrete, half bluestone. Half of the bluestone is in crummy condition. All of the bluestone is surrounded by a concrete band (it looks like years ago the city widened the sidewalk.) The other three corners, all in the landmark district, have neither bluestone nor tinted concrete. I would think the better aesthetic solution would be to have all four corners the same color.
There’s Brownstoner (and FNY) readers who care about bluestone sidewalks, and then there’s the construction crews and likely the vast majority of New Yorkers, who either wonder what the fuss is about when they hear about people making a fuss, or are contemptuous of the fuss.
That’s why landmarking laws should be even ore restrictive, because most people are blissfully unaware about NYC’s history– and guess what, when informed about it, could care less.
http://www.forgotten-ny.om
Colonel Austin has a point, it was a mish-mash of both concrete & bluestone, including some patches. In the OP post you can see the patch by the mailbox.
Why should they care about your bluestone when there’s a world class arena coming in down the street?
Is there a way to pull up the bluestone without damaging it?