Kaufman's Flatiron to Rise Behind Meier's OPP
The upscale modern makeover of the park-end of Prospect Heights that began with the Richard Meier-designed On Prospect Park will continue with the construction of a 10-story triangular wedge of a building designed by Gene Kaufman on the site of an old laundromat on the corner of Underhill and St. John’s Place. Plans for the…
The upscale modern makeover of the park-end of Prospect Heights that began with the Richard Meier-designed On Prospect Park will continue with the construction of a 10-story triangular wedge of a building designed by Gene Kaufman on the site of an old laundromat on the corner of Underhill and St. John’s Place. Plans for the structure (which is technically an alteration not a new building) have been approved for over a year but work won’t begin in earnest until the Fall. Here’s the blurb from Kaufman’s website:
This triangular lot was actually so small that new development was prohibited, but through a complicated process, approval was obtained to enlarge an existing laundromat to ten stories for residential use and the full floor area allowed by zoning. The core was set against the inner wall, with one unit per floor in the base and duplexes comprising two full floors in the tower of the setback upper floors to take full advantage of the two long street facades. The metal panel clad apartments and the brick service core provide an exterior reading of the plan and a dialogue between closely nested elements on a vestigial slice of land.
It would certainly be interesting to know more about the “complicated process” by which approval was obtained. More renderings on the jump. GMAP P*Shark DOB
true, st. johns and lincoln towards washington are a still a little hot, but not too hot. besides, everything in the opposite direction is nice. st. johns between plaza and underhill is lovely.
what’s the deal with the one story row of garages across from sepia and cheryls? do they belong to coopley?
People are already paying millions to live one block away… Underhill is up and coming and I bet these will sell easily if well done
I live up on Lincoln around the corner from here. I’m happy to see this go up, as it means we won’t have the closed laundromat full of pitbulls anymore. On the other hand, I have to wonder how much people are going to pay to live on this corner. It’s not unsafe, but it’s got a shady feel, probably the sketchiest corner in the whole neighbourhood. Will people pay millions to live facing the A_s__iat_d deli of missing lettering? Time will tell.
Atomische, I would but I’m not that accurate.
The general area is very attractive, but I agree with the above poster that the immediate blocks, especially St. Johns and Lincoln Pl., are still loud, dirty, and (somewhat) unsafe. Hopefully, buildings such as this one will accelerate the gentrification of said blocks.
Why do these architects do these renderings without any context? The renderings are attractive but this building is not in a field or floating in the sky on a magic platform.
Nearby and further up on Underhill is the back of an apt building with all kinds of strange angles and a chainlink fence along the sidewalk I think so another bizarre structure will fit right in. Not a nice area though. Has a real scuzzy bodega across the street if I remember. Being near the park is great but these blocks do not have a nice feel to them.
I have to say, our little slice of propsect heights is doing well in the new development department. The Richard Meier building, the new building on Sterling between Washington and Classon, and now this…let’s hope the developers continue to try to outdo one another in the design department, instead of racing to the bottom of the barrell like on 4th Avenue.
Crap on a cracker!