Time Puts Its Stamp on South 4th Street
When we first moved to Brooklyn in 2003, we lived in the upper duplex of the yellow house on the far left of the top photo. We stayed there for two years; the second year was when we were doing the renovations on our newly purchased house in Clinton Hill. When we lived on the…
When we first moved to Brooklyn in 2003, we lived in the upper duplex of the yellow house on the far left of the top photo. We stayed there for two years; the second year was when we were doing the renovations on our newly purchased house in Clinton Hill. When we lived on the block, neither the heinous new building in the top photo or the super-modern building in the second photo existed. We walked down the street a couple of weeks ago for the first time and struck by both of them. While we hope there’s some utilitarian reason for the tiny windows in the latter, we find it interesting; the former has no business ever having been built. Anyone like the modern one?
99 South 4th Street: GMAP DOB
107 South 4th Street: GMAP DOB
the cylons have an expression that applies to the fedders building: “all of this has happened before. and it will happen again.”
Montrose – your Cylon reference elevates you in my mind – best show ever.
The building – its horrible – at least a Fedders building looks like a residential building – this looks like a subway vent with a parking spot.
I think the new one looks like Gort from the original ‘Day the Earth Stood Still!’ Rays could shoot out of that window-slit!
eastriverman, nice link. Looks like we were right about the large windows at the back and the skylights. I still am not crazy about the tiny windows in the front. One of the bedrooms in the pics seems very jail cell-like.
One wonders why as a society we have lost all talent for designing small urban buildings. Both of these specimens are poor reflections of the architectural profession. The more modern one is humorous as it looks like a reduced, squeezed verison of the Whitney musuem on Park Avenue.
It is the Whitney’s evil “Mini Me”.
Mostly agree with everyoneo so far the modern one. I like the way it looks but I hate small windows and if the back has glass-wall style windows, I dig the design.
exactly biff, and seriously who wants nosey neighbors looking into your house anyway!? much better to have open viewing access to space aliens from above!
*rob*
Funny, I took pictures of these a while back because I was struck by the contrast too. The modern building has a garage, or open-air driveway behind that honeycombed mesh. (When I walked by there was a car parked inside) The effect really made me think about how the new modern architecture is quite close to the old, grim soviet bloc-like architecture. It looks designed enough to make me think someone did it all on purpose, and I’m sure the interior is fabulous, but it is pretty grim. All of the elements that face the street together — small windows, secure car parking — make it look like the inhabitants are scared of their neighbors.
The Fedders building may actually weather the times better, I think. It needs some ivy or something, but mostly just reminds me of a lot of the buildings in Italian Williamsburg (which this is not). If the brick was darker it’d almost blend into the block.
In addition to possibly having large windows at the back, I’m guessing the modern building also has a large skylight or two, which seems to be more and more common in new buildings and renos. That would provide a lot of additional light, especially if it is an open concept layout inside.