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Another grotesque conglomeration of the old and new is planned for 533 Leonard Street in Greenpoint. A rendering on the construction fence shows an attractive red brick 19th century school building apparently being eaten alive by a “dark ‘n’ boxy Transformer” (Curbed’s words) clinging to its backside. The “Transformer,” aka the new addition, will house 13 apartments and be 50 feet tall.

Philip Toscano is the architect, according to Curbed, which was the first to publish the rendering. Click through for a close-up. At least they’re not demo’ing the old building, is all we can say.

New Greenpoint Building Looks Like a Transformer Ate It [Curbed]
Photos by Curbed

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What's Your Take? Leave a Comment

  1. Unless I have really gotten things wrong here, this building was NOT an industrial structure but an old, late 19th century, public school that for many years served as the headquarters of a Polish Veterans organization, which included former members of both the Polish and US military. My father was a member of this group for a few years and I definitely remember attending many social – mostly heavy drinking – events here. Also, this building is situated between Driggs and Nassau Avenues, which places it firmly in Greenpoint, not Williamsburg.

    As the pool of local Polish veterans ran dry, the remnants were absorbed in the St. Stan’s American Legion Post, which is currently situated down the block in a former protestant church. This building was vacant for a number of years.

    While the new additions to the old building are pretty awful, at least the original structure will remain. In this age of radical development in non-landmarked Greenpoint, this may be a good as you can get.

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