Boom Spawns New Mutant Form of Architecture
We discovered a new hybrid genre of house on Putnam Avenue in Bed Stuy this weekend. Call it the Fedders Sliver. And, as the sign says, it can be all yours for only 3% down. Any takers?
We discovered a new hybrid genre of house on Putnam Avenue in Bed Stuy this weekend. Call it the Fedders Sliver. And, as the sign says, it can be all yours for only 3% down. Any takers?
Oops.. on January 27th
I wrote to “Representative” Al Vann on January when I first became involved with these discussions. I still await a response. This is why a always vote for the other guy.
If people were actually doing something about it other than just complaining anonymously on a blog, I wouldn’t have a problem with that. The superiority approach isn’t working for me though.
I think the bottom line is they don’t have to be so ugly. It’s not an either/or situation. You can have affordable buildings that aren’t ugly.
I don’t want to try to ‘zone’ good taste, but, ya know, in the old days even tenements looked cool on the outside. Brownstone rows weren’t zoned, their was a social contract or something working to make nice looking buildings.
Today in New York part of the problem is probably EXCESSIVE building rules & regulations, that cost the builder too much time, money and effort for no real reason. I know there is an effort to get NYC to reform its building code:
http://www.gorr.state.ny.us/buildingcodereform.htm
But,
Why not complain, and even try to put some social pressure on builders and architects to not make such ugly stuff ?
There have been sliver buildings for a long, long time. I haven’t encountered them in Brooklyn, but in Manhattan and in Jersey City there are a lot of brownstones and even older frames that are 12&1/2 feet wide. They still sell well today. Supply and Demand.
I was the one who said “Don’t buy on a block with empty lots.” I don’t like the look of these houses either, but I don’t understand what the obsession is. One of the deciding factors in choosing our house was that we wanted to be on a tree lined, strictly brownstone block. If it matters so much to you, you should’ve done the same. 6:41pm, sometimes the best decisions are made when you have to be resourceful. Up and coming neighborhoods or suburbs, fixer uppers and homes with rental income are all blessings in disguise. Trust me, I’ve been there…and I still am, because I refuse to pay top dollar for anything!
I disagree. I certainly don’t think that such structures “drive up housing costs on newly-built and even existing houses/apartments in the area.” On the other hand, you also argue that it will harm the neighborhood down the line, which I also don’t buy.
At the end of the day, NYC has a supply problem, which is one of the many many reasons housing is so expensive. I think more supply is desperately needed. Not only for the very poor, but also for the middle class. The truth is, I see many maligned ‘luxury condos’ being discussed and I tend to accept the criticism, because at that price people should demand more. I also happen to think peopel should get more for 400k…
But we have to live in reality, and what else are people going to buy for 400k? Tell me what they should do! I get a little tired of every middle class-looking new structure being criticised on this board. What do you want– everyone to stay in their crappy rentals and be priced out?
I make less money than a lot of people on this borad, and when I buy my next place, I will face a bunch of difficult trade-offs– one of which may be looking at places that I find unattractive, but which meet other needs of mine, including price. You can tell me as much as you want that this ain’t about money, but as a person without a lot, it kinds sounds the same to me.
Anon 3:29–I think anybody defending these ugly/cheaply made houses on the grounds that poor people need housing too is living in cloud cuckoo-land–too many of these buildings are not rentals, but co-ops or condos selling for $400,000 or more–You can make a nice living in Brooklyn and not have the downpayment for that, and you obviously know how it is for the people who aren’t making a nice living here. The problem is, crap is being built and sold for an awful lot of money, and EVERYONE deserves better for their hard-earned money–the folks buying and the homeowners on the block. Some of you guys say, Well, don’t buy on a block with an empty lot–but how can you know that people are going to sell their sideyards, and even their frame houses as teardowns. These houses look crappy and far from satisfying the urgent need for quality low-income housing, they just drive up housing costs on newly-built and even existing houses/apartments in the area–at the cost of getting your money’s worth, aesthetics and even security–because, when the bubble bursts, houses will go into default and when it’s a buyers market, crap will look like crap and be the rundown housing of the near future.
Two questions: How wide is this house?
What does the ground floor look like, or was the plywood wall all around the floor? ok, that’s three questions.