Lost Opportunities: More Butchering of the Hood
In our rant about 1067 Fulton yesterday, we mentioned how we had hoped the building would have been able to raise the bar a bit for new developments further east. In this post, we’ll look at little further east–into the center of Bedford Stuyvesant–to show how quickly and on what a scale the neighborhood’s architectural…
In our rant about 1067 Fulton yesterday, we mentioned how we had hoped the building would have been able to raise the bar a bit for new developments further east. In this post, we’ll look at little further east–into the center of Bedford Stuyvesant–to show how quickly and on what a scale the neighborhood’s architectural future is being squandered. In particular, we’ll look at the area surrounding Tompkins Park, which we would think would hold great potential (despite the existence of communist-era-looking projects).
260 Tompkins GMAP
352 Lexington GMAP 53 Van Buren GMAP
697 and 699 Lafayette GMAP
Are we going to start a group to address the issue of ugly buildings sprouting up in our neighborhood. Lets do this.
I would be interested in joining a group to address this issue.
I will gladly join you Clinton hillbilly.
As I walk by these monstrosities, I often try to imagine what it would take to fix the facades (not to mention the shoddy work inside). Would it ever be worth it to buy one and fix it up???
As for decent looking new construction, there is a short row of brick houses on Gates bet. Classon & Franklin that looks halfway decent. According to friends who live on the block, their block association actualy contacted the developer and advised him on the look of the facades. He was quite open to considering their opinion and the project was a success.
Atlantic Commons and the row of brick townhouses on Greene bet. Washington and St. James are also fine. They are generic, but not offensive.
If a groups wants to get together, I would be happy to try to get on the agenda of the next CB3 meeting to discuss the issue. The photos on brownstoner would help. Perhaps we coud create a set of guidelines for use by the community board. Seems like a great project to work on with Pratt, Bed-Stuy Restoration Corp. or PACC.
In other communities outside of NYC, don’t housing designs have to go before committees that grant approval not only on zoning issues but on aesthetic choices? Can’t our community boards encourage basic standards and architecture styles, type/color of bricks, window styles, no fedders or meters in front… etc.
I think this trend is also encouraged by a couple of things. 1) Cheap cad/cam programs where anyone can “design” a building by stacking rectangles on top of each other, find the cheapest building materials available, put in the fewest, cheapest windows possible and put it on the market. 2) And can you really blame them, when the top down examples of major developers is so horrendous and approvals are granted for abominations like the Atlantic Center and most of the drugstore and bank boxes that get built and ruin retail strips like Smith Street or 5th Avenue or even Hudson Street in the Village.
There is something seriously askew with the whole new construction value chain – from developers through architects, through city agencies… and its going on at the largest developments and buildings in the city as well the kind on brownstoner this week.
I am new here and I am soooooooo glad that to know I am not the only one who think these houses are hideous. I live near Malcolm X and I’m totally disgusted with the construction that is going on over here. In Staten Island a few years ago I remember there was a moritorium on the over developement of buildings. The crazy thing about this is there are still brownstone buildings vacant in the area. why don’t the architectural companies buy these buildings and enhance them. Maybe we should rally at the community board 3, I’m sure they have a hand in this.
As residents here we owe it to ourselves to make our voices heard. If this were Park Slope they would do it.
I hear you Bunky. I’m not casting aspersions on you at all.
To anon 12:29, one vacant lot per block, ok. I agree, clean it up, or make a community garden. That’s great. But I remember blocks over near the park that had maybe 4 lived in homes, and the rest of the block was an overgrown forest with dead cars and old mattresses. Even if you worked at it full time, you and your neighbors couldn’t keep that clean. As much as I really hate Fedders houses, I find them preferable to urban wastelands. It’s a tough call, even writing this is causing me conflict. In the long run, I don’t think this kind of housing does anyone other than the developer any favors, on the other hand, who am I to deny hard working people a chance of home ownership, especially since standards are not going to change overnight.
Yea, I know it’s Clinton Hill….I was attempting to make a joke, a goof actually, about developers who advertise their new construction in “Clinton Hills.”