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When we wrote about 330 Park Place back in January, we tried to retain a glimmer of hope that the developer, who’s bulking the building up from 2,500-square-foot one family to a 6,300-square-foot five-family, might not completely destroy the streetscape in the process. We stopped by last weekend and, needless to say, those hopes were unfounded. Not only does the building feel more out-of-scale in person than on film, one can also see certain details which reveal the extent of the developer’s slavish devotion to FAR maximization at the expense of proportion, design and neighborliness. The crowning jewel? He’s built the right side of the building out by a foot or two into the alley way on the west side of the house, so that the body of the house no longer lines up the the edge of the porch molding. Check out the photo on the jump. It’s ridiculous! GMAP P*Shark DOB
330 Park Place: As Bad As Everyone Feared? [Brownstoner]
Developer Non Grata: 330 Park Place Destruction [Brownstoner]

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  1. Brownstoner et al, do you realize that what you are looking at is not the finished facade of the building. THE PORCH IS GOING TO BE DEMOLISHED AND A RAMP IS BEING ADDED FOR HANDICAPPED ACCESS. The developer dosen’t give 2 hoots about aesthetics. He is interested in one thing – money. He has a rep for building cheap, ugly buildings and that is what he is doing here. Moving the wall is small potatoes compared to what it will look like.
    The most troubling aspect of this is that this block is all brownstone, all with original facades. This is the first intrusion of the 21’st or even the 20’th century onto this block.

  2. Brownstoner et al, do you realize that what you are looking at is not the finished facade of the building. THE PORCH IS GOING TO BE DEMOLISHED AND A RAMP IS BEING ADDED FOR HANDICAPPED ACCESS. The developer dosen’t give 2 hoots about aesthetics. He is interested in one thing – money. He has a rep for building cheap, ugly buildings and that is what he is doing here. Moving the wall is small potatoes compared to what it will look like.
    The most troubling aspect of this is that this block is all brownstone, all with original facades. This is the first intrusion of the 21’st or even the 20’th century onto this block.

  3. I looked at this house to buy, but couldn’t make it work w/o a total overhaul.

    The overhaul I imagined isn’t this.

    And more power to Mr B for complaining. He tends to be right far more often than wrong.

    –an architect in Brooklyn

  4. Looks like its being built to the lot line between houses, not over the driveway. Is it necessary? Two feet is almost a staircase in a row house. One foot gives plenty of space for plumbing and HVAC.
    Hard to comment on looks when there is no surfacing done. The porch not lining up is not a big deal, especially with the wall abutting it on the left side.
    The scale looks OK other than the first floor/ second floor transition looks a little deep.
    Not the best style for windows on this scale.
    All in all too early to condemn this.

  5. Brownstoner is starting to irk the b’jesus out of me. Every day I read this blog and two thoughts go through my head.

    Myself in relation to Brownstoner and Brownstoner in relation to nearly all development is equal to the Critics in the Muppets. Block by Block, Brownstoner sings, “Why do we always come here. I guess we’ll never know. It’s like a kind of torture, to have to watch it [grow!]”

    And the second thought is of Jane’s Addiction’s song “aint no right.”

  6. You should post a picture of the whole block for perspective. It won’t be the ugliest house on the block when it’s done.

    There is a long, proud history of ugly overbuilt stucco houses in Brooklyn that we shouldn’t forget. This looks to be more in line with the kinds of things my family would see in Midwood and Flatbush all through the 70s and 80s. If it were two stories taller, and had foam and aluminum holding it together, I’d be more inclined to complain. As it is, this looks very Brooklyn to me. They also seem to be leaving the porch.

  7. Damn, that is UGLY… I think in the end when Bk is fully built out to accomodate these supposed 1 million newjacks by 2030, the only nabes that will be pleasing to the eye will be those already landmarked (I hope they move on Crown Heights soon!)

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