The Shame of Fulton Hitting Market
We’re loathe to give exposure to anything as reprehensible as 1067 Fulton Street, but the occasion of its first showing tomorrow seemed like a good reason to revisit what we have referred to in the past as the biggest lost opportunity for Clinton Hill certainly since we’ve been documenting its progress. We’ve seen some ugly…
We’re loathe to give exposure to anything as reprehensible as 1067 Fulton Street, but the occasion of its first showing tomorrow seemed like a good reason to revisit what we have referred to in the past as the biggest lost opportunity for Clinton Hill certainly since we’ve been documenting its progress. We’ve seen some ugly new buildings in our time, but this one takes the cake for its sheer ad-hoc butchery and complete disregard for any kind of consistency. Someone once described this building process to us as looking like its construction was dictated solely by whatever materials were on sale that day at Home Depot. The development company that built this monstrosity, New Start LLC of 50 Greene Street, whose principals include Alfred Thompson and Paul Galvin, should be ashamed of themselves. There’s an open house for the apartments tomorrow from 12 to 1:30 and, man, would we be excited if someone could snap a photo of any of them. These guys should be embarrassed to walk down the street in the neighborhood. It would be great if none of the apartments sold and they were bankrupted; in our dreams, then, someone could tear it down and start over. Sadly, though, the apartments are priced cheaply enough (from $150,000 to $420,000) that some poor souls may be suckered into buying; ironically, it will probably be the people who can least afford to make a bad investment.
1067 Fulton: The Plague Spreads [Brownstoner] GMAP
Development at Classon and Fulton [Brownstoner]
New Build at Classon and Fulton [Brownstoner]
ItsAWrap, I don’t think it’s Great Gatsbyesque to work to have your own home, I’m talking about everyone’s chance at having a piece of the rock, however small, not the North Fork. Many of the people who read and post here own their own homes, and we enjoy the tax breaks, the home equity, and the intangible sense of place that owning a house or an apartment brings. Outside of larger cities, most people in this country are homeowners, not renters. Coops and condos have made home ownership possible for people where traditional houses may not be available.
Why is it too much to ask that that investment be worth it in quality? What’s so unrealistic about that? And in regard to your investment idea, I could not in good conscience, reward the builder by buying into this POS, and then turn around and ask anyone to pay $1350 a month,(which is more than either of my tenants pay for a far superior apt) for the dreck described by putnam-denizen and BrownBomber. Then they are supposed to just put up with, or pay for repairs to substandard work, or move? Sorry, couldn’t do it.
If that makes me the new Upton Sinclair, thanks for the complement to being cast with one of the original muckrakers and social reformers. I do wish the commenter could find someone else, as US was anti-Semitic, as well as racist, but thanks for the back handed complement anyway.
Okay, so I went and looked at it. As you walk in the vestibule narrows to a door which is right next to the mailboxes. Anyone stopping to get her mail will block access to the elevator. Every corridor in the place twists and turns. Inside the apartments there are constant changes in floor levels between rooms, guaranteeing tripping. That said none of the floors are level – this in new construction. One galley kitchen had a half bottom cabinet blocking one third of the doorway and right in front of the refrigerator, blocking it from fully opening. I have quite frankly never seen a buiding as poorly designed or executed. There was no real sales staff there – just an elevator operator and person at the front door who took names, but made no effort to engage people. Such a shame.
who the hell are they?
I think CHP is the new Upton Sinclair. I think I just saw the Jurgis Rudkis family move into 1067 Fulton.
CrownHeights, me thinketh thou dost protest too much. You romantize a bit much with your Great Gasby visions of the American Dream.
Sure everyone would love to have house with white picket fence and 2.3 children, but that not the reality for the vast majority of americans.
This is what i think will happen. With prices ranging from 150-420K, these are potential investment oportunities. 1bd priced @300K renting for for $1750 works out to a 7% return(before everthing else). You might actually have positive cash flow, which is something brownstone buyers no longer enjoy. So ithere’s a good likelyhood that many of the units will end up as rentals.
All the issues related to workmanship will be felt be the renters. Who can complain about defects, put up with them or move. At which time they’ll be charged for hole Johnny put in the wall.
Ownership of the land one lives on (today it’s a home, or apartment) has been of premium importance since European fuedal times. There was a time in this country when only landowners could vote. When soldiers come back from wars they are offered grants and low interest loans to buy property. Our national mythology involves a small house with a picket fence, and the goal that is promoted to new comers to this country, as well as to the rest of us, is to work like crazy, save and one day, buy your own home. This is the quintissential American Dream.
Speaking only for myself here, that’s why I get so heated over buildings like this. To me, it is the ultimate rip off to work hard, save till it hurts, and think that you have found something that you can invest in, sell down the road at a profit, as you move up to something better, and so you buy one of the units in this building, your American Dream, and get absolute crap.
Let’s say you don’t know enough to know the windows aren’t installed correctly, let’s say you have never heard of a house inspector, and have no idea you even should have one. Let’s say you tour a unit that looks pretty good to your untrained eye. You pay your money, you move in, and in a year the floorboards are popping, the windows leak, the plumbing has problems, and little Johnny put his foot through the living room wall.
Where’s the American Dream when you are told it’s your responsibility, not the developer’s to get all of that fixed? Where is it when you have to join in a class action suit with most of the rest of the building? What happens when you try to sell, and you can’t unload the place, and your hard earned investment is in the toilet? This just isn’t right, and should be stopped before it starts. Quality housing for middle income buyers is a possible and feasible goal. Other cities manage to do it, other places in NYC manage to do it. Why should a building like this be the only choice people have who want to stay in or move to Clinton Hill?
I know I’m just ranting here with no answers, maybe I’m just waiting for the troll to find me here, maybe some of us smart people could figure out a way to promote quality design and building practices for lower and middle class housing that provides a worthy investment in the American Dream, and makes money for the builder as well. Hmmmmm.
I’m sorry, but having never seen this ‘building” in person I am having some trouble in understanding what’s what. According to the DoB BIS site there was a building on the lot that needed major repairs but it looks like the owners took out a Alt. 3 permit than demolished the building and went ahead and built a new building on the site with out any permits. Certainly this building can’t have a valid C of O with the dozen or more pending violations. Why are so many of the ECB violations still open…most past their scheduled hearing dates…some with unpaid fines. It always amazes me on how crazy some cowboy Brooklyn developers can get. This building seems to be the poster child for what you see is what you get from start to finish. This was a self certified job?
without occupants, of course…….
I pray every night that someday this building will succumb to fire…..