Development Watch: 196 South 2nd Street
This baby’s been a long time coming. We took a look at the 10-unit, Scarano-designed development back in September of 2006 when it appeared to be well on its way. From what we can tell, there was some kind of DOB audit that took place last April, most likely in connection with Mezzanine-gate, which probably…
This baby’s been a long time coming. We took a look at the 10-unit, Scarano-designed development back in September of 2006 when it appeared to be well on its way. From what we can tell, there was some kind of DOB audit that took place last April, most likely in connection with Mezzanine-gate, which probably explains the hold-up. (The plans now reflect that three of the four floors include mezzanines.) We’ve seen Scarano buildings similar to this before, but those small mosaic windows are a new touch. Thumbs up or down?
Development Watch: 196 South 2nd Street [Brownstoner] GMAP DOB
4:40, thank you for your thoughtful contribution to the annals of real estate broker-written drivel.
i live in a brownstone now and like it, but i also like these modern buildings. i get that they’re not to everyone’s taste though. “beauty” and “ugly” are in the eye of the beholder after all, and one person’s beautiful brownstone is another person’s plain ugly brown building.
4:21
you know what, even when new buildings are done out of brick which relates to the existing area, people complain anyway. there is just a weird, in may opinion, hatred of new buildings on this site.
i personally have lived in a whole brownstone (see 1st marriage) and in prewar for most of my time in NYC – (going on 20 years). but, since i moved to a brand new condo, i am sooo much happier.
you simply cannot get the open, clean, light space in a brownstone – my main living level is 1000 sq. feet and features a big kitchen/dining room, full bath, office/guest room and a giant living room that leads to a patio that then has stairs down to a really good sized garden which we landscaped. (bedrooms are on a second level).
throw in central a/c, high ceilings, full laundry in the apt and storage, and i am just damn happy.
in my search for a condo, i really totally ignored the exterior – because finding the interior that i wanted so tough. if the building is well built – hire an inspector and find out – people will continue to flock to these new spaces just as i did for similar reasons.
honestly, so many new condos could be decorated to go any direction you want. mine is fairly contemporary, but my neighbor’s is entirely antique/flea market/chandelier and even though we live in similar apartments – they look totally different.
prior to reading the posts on this site, it never occurred to me that people would be more wrapped up in the exterior than how they decorated the interior.
anyway, point is, the whole world is not dying to live in a brownstone. some people will prefer new.
I like the mosaic windows, but I don’t like the all-silver pale look of the thing. Do they ever vary the metals used, or darken the metal like bronze or an onyx grey? It seems it would blend better with surrounding brick and brownstone facades. And why not do a surface treatment to the metal? Something dappled or dented. It would be more interesting. The pale smooth silver steel makes it look like a kitchen appliance.
Are there any architects/builders out there who can explain why many of these new condo buildings use a similar ugly, flat battleship gray? I guess it’s a minor point in the grand scheme of things but maybe something else would blend a little better with the old brick and brownstone buildings.
3:44 – Now THAT’s a price chopper!
3:44=broker
3:15-
Here you go: http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y48/davidt2/1metroplex.jpg
This would be way cooler.
/not a broker/
Considering it probably replaced something REALLY ugly, this is not bad.