Upscale Lofts in Craptacular Mall's Future
The Fulton Mall, symbol of all that’s down-market in Brooklyn, may be taking the first step in an image make-over with loft conversion plans underway for one the area’s most glorious architectural gems. According to Brooklyn Papers, 505 Fulton Street is likely the first target: My experience is loft conversion in Soho and Tribeca, said…
The Fulton Mall, symbol of all that’s down-market in Brooklyn, may be taking the first step in an image make-over with loft conversion plans underway for one the area’s most glorious architectural gems. According to Brooklyn Papers, 505 Fulton Street is likely the first target: My experience is loft conversion in Soho and Tribeca, said Albert Laboz, the owner of 505 Fulton Street and co-chairman of the Fulton Street Mall. We’d like to do the same thing down there and we want the city to help us the way they helped neighborhoods in Manhattan. The Romanesque Revival Building was built in 1890 by Henry Offerman as a warehouse and department store. We were a little confused by the photo of the building Brooklyn Papers ran with the story–it doesn’t look like 505 Fulton to us. Help anyone?
Soho Lofts for Fulton Mall? [Brooklyn Papers] GMAP
OK people, I’ve heard enough. Being both BLACK and WHITE I can speak for both sides. Racism is alive and well, in Brooklyn, NY, the U.S., everywhere! What we are talking about here is basis services that should apply to EVERYONE! Black, white, red, yellow….what is wrong with decent stores, clean streets, good service?!? Who doesn’t want that?! It’s not a black vs white issue, nor is it a Brooklyn vs Manhattan issue. It’s a quality of life issue and it has nothing to do with race, income, social status. Get real people, enough with the generalizations about “white yuppies, poor people, minorities, etc.” The place needs to be cleaned up. PERIOD!
Anon 6.14 doesn’t sound racist. I agree with his point. Bid Dave seems to think that by criticizing the poor service and dirty facilities in the Fulton Mall that means you are a white yuppie who does not like black people living in Brooklyn and that all people of color think the Fulton mall is great the way it is. Not all do think that and to equate wanting a more diverse shopping experience without all of the trash all over the streets means someone is a racist is ridiculous. Apathy and lack of knowlege (or expectation) of anything better seems to freeze people into a belief that places like the Fulton mall are actually nice places to frequent and shop. What’s racist about that? What is racist is thinking that all white people are out to oppress minorities, or comments like white people don’t like Fulton mall so they should just stay away. Get over yourselves.
OK Anon at 6:14. I get it… If only everyone would look and act like YOU, the world would be a better place. What a racist.
Complaining about discrimination? As I am not a WHITE MAN in America, running the government, big corporations, the film industry, a major newspaper or television station, that would be nearly impossible to change this country. If you recall Martin Luther King Jr. tried and they gunned him down, JFK tried they killed him too, Bobby Kennedy was trying and he too was shot dead. Oh yes and Malcolm X–you remember his fate don’t you? If your response is vote, I do and you saw the outcome in 2000 right? Or were you living in Australia?
Anon 6:45- stop complaining and do something about it if it really bothers you.
Why don’t you all call MIKE WEISS the head of the BID? Ask him why he doesn’t clean it up? Do something about the service? He also ran the METROTECH BID and that one wasn’t a problem. Maybe it is because of the “people” that frequent Fulton Mall. I mean look at New Orleans and Katrina who really cares about low income, poor, or people of color? This is America, remember our country was founded on discrimination. Did you all not read your history books–nothing ever changes.
I think the complaints raised here are a little over the top. The only difference between Fulton mall and most Manhattan shopping districts is the efficacy of its BID. If the merchants would step up a little bit and get the BID to clean up the streets, most of the legitimate issues raised here would disappear quickly. THe BID could fine the fast food places that do an inadequate job of litter control, etc. If the rates quoted above are accurate, I don’t see why they can’t get their acts together.
As for lackluster service, I have only noticed this at Macy’s (which really is a disgrace) — I can’t figure out if its local management, lack of staffing, or what, but it really is just a poorly run store. If the window displays would improve, who knows what else might happen. At other stores on Fulton, I usually get attentive service quickly at other stores that’s not pushy if I am just browsing.
As for the diversity of shopping, I think it’s pretty good except for the lack of decent coffee shops and the oversupply of cellular phone stores (but then again the last time I was a ta mall in another part of the country, there were at least 2 or 3 pushcarts selling the same type of junk). I have been surprised that Starbucks hasn’t moved in along here, but then again, given the rents quoted above, maybe it’s cost-prohibitive for the amount of space.
Good one Big Dave. Poor standards, dirty stores and lackluster services at the Fulton Mall are here to stay for minorities and immigrants. Wouldn’t want them to aspire to anything better or have any pride in themselves…
Thanks Milo. You make a very good point. Sometimes people who have spent over a million dollars on a Brownstone are surprised that blacks, recent immigrants, the unemployed and the underemployed still live in Brooklyn. They don’t like it, so they want to get rid of the stores and businesses that cater to them. This is especially true when these stores are within a few miles of their new home. You are right that the Fulton Mall is not going anywhere, nor should it.