Scofflaw Construction at Crown Heights Landmark
The landmark George B. and Susan Elkins House at 1375 Dean Street, the oldest house in Crown Heights North, has seen some troubling construction activity of late, according to our own Montrose Morris: “They were issued a Stop Work Order for working with out permits. They were doing interior gutting and demo. Apparently, they ignored…
The landmark George B. and Susan Elkins House at 1375 Dean Street, the oldest house in Crown Heights North, has seen some troubling construction activity of late, according to our own Montrose Morris:
“They were issued a Stop Work Order for working with out permits. They were doing interior gutting and demo. Apparently, they ignored the SWO, and continued. Complaints to the LPC and DOB caused an inspection and a firm talking to. They stopped working [Tuesday]. They have to file with LPC before getting DOB permits, so there shouldn’t be any work going on until that happens.”
Last year the Crown Heights North Association was looking to buy the building, but it ultimately sold to a firm called “Real Properties Group,” according to a reader. The sale hasn’t been recorded in public records, though, and it’s not clear what the new owners are planning to do with the house. Let us know if you have any intel, and click through for a few close-ups of the current state of the exterior…
CHNA Seeks to Purchase Historic Elkins House [Brownstoner] GMAP DOB
bedbunny: LOL!!
-alas, no, I would not agree with that. Good quality work is usually almost always done legally with all necessary permits. The stakes are too high in NYC to fool around. When work is done w/out the proper paperwork it usually means it is sub-par or sub-code.
Minard Lafever
How can anybody look at that beautiful old photo and still think this should not be landmarked? I mean, c’mon! Half the buildings in Brooklyn Heights were in a similar state when they were designated in 1966.
This would be an easy restoration, not even as challenging as re-brownstoning a facade, which requires a great deal of skill and artistry to get the moldings and the carvings right. This is clapboards, new windows, new shutters and carpentry repairs on the cornice and porch.
Minard Lafever
Um… your buddy benson?
dave, you seemed to be confusing your terms, I was only trying to help.
dave, cleanout is demolition.
you bring the house down to its bones on the inside then you re-wire, re-plumb, put in a.c. ducts and close up the walls and ceiling and pout down new floors. restoration 101. In some old houses you can keep a lot of the crown moldings and historic woodwork but everything like that in this house was shot.
He could have, had he bothered to take the legal route.
????
It is more impressive but you have to be able to look beyond its present condition. It’s also far larger than you would think, looking at the front facade.
Sorry, wilso. I should have said that ti doesn’t seem a lot of architects in my neck of the woods seem to care. On the other hand, I can’t say for certain some of these buildings even used architects. I confess to actually like much of Gehry’s work (though not AY), and even an odd Scarano Building. I don’t get upset over a multifamily building going up on an empty lot or with garage teardown. (Well, as long as the garage was not a woonderful old carriage house). But i do get upset when a building is so cheaply done it looks like an eyesore before its even finished.
I understand your point about who controls the final product and my reaction is probably more due to my frustration over some of what is going up in our neighborhood, rather than really architects in general. So point taken.
Very nicely said 🙂