Rally at 163 Washington Avenue for Shorter Building
If you were wondering why folks who live in the vicinity of Washington and Myrtle Avenues aren’t too psyched about the 18-story development that is planned, one neighbor has created this mash-up to try to put it all in perspective. On Saturday afternoon, 40 or 50 people turned out at a rally against the project,…
If you were wondering why folks who live in the vicinity of Washington and Myrtle Avenues aren’t too psyched about the 18-story development that is planned, one neighbor has created this mash-up to try to put it all in perspective. On Saturday afternoon, 40 or 50 people turned out at a rally against the project, with Council Member Letitia James and a representative from the Wallabout Historic District at the mic. The group is trying to persuade the developers to create a lower building better in keeping with the scale of the neighboring structures without sacrificing square footage; of course, what this ignores is the fact that developers typically make the most money from the units highest in the sky. There’s another meeting on Wednesday night at 7:30 at St. Luke’s Parish House; email buildingtootall AT yahoo DOT com for more information. Update: A reader took us up on our offer to post alternative interpretations of how the proposed tower relates to its neighbors, hence the second rendering above.
Tower Plans for Washington Ave Ruffling Feathers [Brownstoner] GMAP P*Shark DOB
Serge, point taken. I love Rock center! Thanks for putting it in a different light, ha ha.
— 1:18
yes this was the trick used by the developer, he slyly used Willhoughby Walk for contextualization. these buildings are 3 blocks away! how on earth can you argue context by using buildings 3 blocks away?? and as stated before, the more apartments argument is moot here because by building the tower higher than originally planned they have actually REDUCED the number of apartments they are building!
Just as a matter of record, I don’t support the tower, I’m not even sure where exactly it is upposed to rise.
I just do not instantly hate it because it is over six stories.
As a design, it is actually pretty nice. i think that some of the squat, ugly fedders do more to harm streetscapes than handsome taller buildings like this one.
I think this could be great for this end of Clinton Hill. Nearby are the Willoughby Walk apartments and they’re pretty tall so it’s not entirely out of context. More apartments can only ease the housing crisis.
Dear 1:18
I completely understand people’s concerns, it’s a crowded city.
But I think it is more than about shadows. I think many people just don’t like modern buildings. The shadow thing is bit tenuous, In the summer, (when the sun is high) the shadows are minimal, in the winter (when the sun is low) they are more pronounced but so are the shadows from short buildings. In any case, you need to have canyons like the ones in the financial district to create a noticeble diminution of daylight. A tower here and there is not going to plunge the neighborhood into darkness. A visit to Rockefeller Center may help to dispel fears of gloom near tall buildings. I think the dislike that verges on phobia of tall buildings stems from the architecure itself.
the original plans were far more sensitive to the architecture and community and provided more units. this new plan is not. it is unbelievable that they could get approval to build this building which belongs downtown, not towering over the largest unbroken block of 1850’s wood frame houses in new york city.
Serge, clearly you support this tower but why? this area of brooklyn is not about skyline, there are plenty of great places to put towers downtown. it simply doesn’t make sense to put up an 16-18 story tower in this spot, especially when you can get more units out of a 7 story building at the same site.
Either interpretation is from a vantage point that doesn’t exist.
Where could you possibly be standing
to have this scope of view?
so much sky, houses so far away and view of front of most of the block.
Serge, I think the difference is choice. It’s nice to be able to give YOURSELF shadow, if you want it. It’s really brutal to have the sky literally blocked from view by a neighbor.
The sky may be the limit for developers, but it’s becoming a threatened luxury for everyone around them.
And hey, I know it’s the city. But I can understand how horrified people must be to see a structure block their sky, light, and privacy with some gigantic yuppie sardine can.
Build it….it creates a lively streetscape, something an 8 story hulker hugging all lot lines wouldn’t do. Plus, Karl Fischer is a rising architect, I think it’ll look nice.