The Not-So-Slow Death of 37 Nevins
When we took a look back in early August, 37 Nevins was in the final days of its life. Shortly thereafter, demolition of the beautiful three-story brick building began. By Labor Day, the cornice and roof were gone and by the end of last week only a small piece of ground-floor wall was still standing….
When we took a look back in early August, 37 Nevins was in the final days of its life. Shortly thereafter, demolition of the beautiful three-story brick building began. By Labor Day, the cornice and roof were gone and by the end of last week only a small piece of ground-floor wall was still standing. No new building plans are posted yet but brace yourself for some Van Brody handiwork.
37 Nevins: Visigoths Prepare to Sack Rome [Brownstoner] GMAP P*Shark DOB
Nevins has seen some progress in the past few years. i.e. HIP office being built at Atlantic + Nevins, new condo around the corner at Atlantic just east of Nevins, green townhouse development at Nevins + Pacific. The area around this development is bleak and still spooky at night.
Having lived in the area over 15 years, I can say that this is a block where the word ‘blight’ is completely accurate.
It’s about time that all the neglected buildings in the Schermerhorn/Livingston corridor get ripped down. They have little historical value and were clearly built with sub-standard materials and designs compared to the rest of the area. The new developer would have to be blindfolded to make a less desirable structure.
However, they will never get rid of the halfway house across the street with its hostile residents who sit out on the curb. Should make for a good story for the tourists to tell their neighbors back home about the way they risked death in order to get dinner on Atlantic Ave.
kinda tragic- looks like a perfectly nice row of townhouses that could have been salvaged, at least the facades.
“Who is Van Brody and why do we need to brace ourselves?”
Design aesthetics aside (no need to debate “bad design”), his partnerships with developers (sometimes his son, keep it in the family) and their contractors normally end up with many 311 complaints, tons of DOB and ECB violations and a general “shit on the neighborhood” attitude.
And please don’t start the “he only draws them” comments. That’s been over done and proven wrong with clear examples on Scarano, Radusky and Karl Fisher. Add Van Brody to the mix on the F-list of reputable Brooklyn architects.
I am curious to see if they demolish the building next to it. I doesn’t look like it, but it sure would make sense. My understanding is that the planned hotel is across the street from this lot. So are they planning to build condos? Who is Van Brody and why do we need to brace ourselves? Does not sound good.