Closing Bell: More Architectural Regrets in The Slope
The blog Save Park Slope has the second in its series on architectural eyesores that could have been prevented if the Park Slope Historic District were larger; the first post is here.
The blog Save Park Slope has the second in its series on architectural eyesores that could have been prevented if the Park Slope Historic District were larger; the first post is here.
Here’s what you do — make half of Brooklyn part of the park slope historic district, that way everyone can: i) honestly say that they live in park slope and ii) live in a brownstone. A committee of amateur architects will come and tell you what to do with your house and the commenters on brownstoner can write about how “in character” everything is.
There comes a point where enough is enough — and that website is obnoxious.
Where are people supposed to shop if there are no key foods or rite aids?
Two of my faves showed up on the link. 6th Ave @ 13th Street — house used to look like the one next door. That is not infill construction — they busted open the brownstone facade, put in a front extension with a stone face, and stuccoed up the rest of the exterior. Marred an otherwise neat row of small brownstones.
12th St. brutalist butterfly — we’ve all commented before. Truly awful, but hard to envision landmarking that stretch of 12th Street. A few historic homes on the block but a lot of junk and infill.
My house is the little one on the left. I agree that it’s not landmark material but the building next door is more than just an eyesore. Part of the reason for keeping neighborhoods a particular height is so the large building next door doesn’t dump it’s full water and snow load on a small house not ever meant to absorb that kind of load. We have to get roof work done every year. And that’s just one of many problems. These large buildings don’t belong next to small ones-historical or not.
there are some truly hideous buildings on this link.
this is why I really prefer to work in Landmarks districts – you’re somewhat constricted by historical precedents but your client is required to match your detailing and not cheap out too much!
That said, I think pharmacies and grocery stores – no matter how ugly – are part of the fabric of any neighborhood. I know they aren’t doing this, but the presentation somewhat implies that Landmarks is against necessary services like supermarkets and drug stores…which it obviously is not…
or if someone with photoshop talent (or not) can cut out all these new buildings and place them next to each other and create a big new neighborhood of all these kinds of buildings, next to each other of course, so they are all in context.. and then youd get a glimpse into the phoenix mentality that is in the these architects’ minds and see these buildings for the true archietctural gems they are!
im being serious btw, it would be an awesome projects that i would totally do if i had photoshop or any kind of artistic motivation.
*rob*
I think Mr. B should do a series on these types of new buildings…
WAIT, he does everyday, there are so many of them effing up every ‘nabe, mixed housing stock or not.
Was a good idea, though.
Oy, the tall building is down the street from me (on another block), and the “Juliette” (WTF?) is one street over…
I’ll just walk over to the building in the right photo, peer down though the ground-level slanty-glass wall, and gaze at someone else’s navel (etc).
oh benson – saying out loud what everyone is thinking! that block is a total snore. historic district! omg. it’s just too much.