Vacant Lots Today, Eyesores Tomorrow?
When we were tootling around Bed Stuy last weekend we were keeping an eye out for vacant lots that could be the future sites of architectural travesties. The sheer number of vacant lots are perhaps the neighborhood’s greatest vulnerability going forward. We offer up a few of them here, in various points in the development…
When we were tootling around Bed Stuy last weekend we were keeping an eye out for vacant lots that could be the future sites of architectural travesties. The sheer number of vacant lots are perhaps the neighborhood’s greatest vulnerability going forward. We offer up a few of them here, in various points in the development lifecycle.
1089 Fulton GMAP
1185 Fulton GMAP
794 Lafayette GMAP
117 Lexington GMAP
I would like to ask Brownstoner exactly what kind of buildings he thinks should be built on these lots (assuming he doesn’t expect them to be vacant forever), and how he expects these beautiful buildings to be financed?
these comments are frightening and will push me off this blog… there is no real concern for the poor here… nor any understanding. Comparing people to animals in this way is not just offensive, but also quite dumb. I’ve been to some of the poorest countries in the world and I’ve done work that directly seeks to end that poverty… I have both personal and work experience in these matters. I also grew up in a poor neighborhood too. I HAVE NEVER SEEN POOR PEOPLE REMIND ME OF ANIMALS. Your concerns with architecture, veiled in concern for the integrity of the neighborhood, are chilling. Educate yourself about affordable housing in NYC before you start bemoaningthese things… I am very saddened by this. I love Brooklyn. But this architectural fetishism is abhorent.
David,
Wow, I’ve never been called a gentrifier before. I’m not being defensive. You questioned my priorities and I responded that I happen to care about all of the issues.
Great discussion here.
Another lot — vacant for at least the 2 1/2 years I’ve lived in Bed Stuy — on the southeast corner of Nostrand & Herkimer.
Bedstuyer – all your gentrifying has made you slightly defensive huh
I never said a word about knowing you or what/who you care about
try to relax its friday.
Eryximachus,
Thank you for that. Your comments sum up what I believe these developers think as they put these buildings in my neighborhood. That is why I find them, like you, to be so offensive.
David,
No one is disagreeing with you. I encounter these residents daily – just like I used to when I lived in Fort Greene (pre-gentrification). I LIVE in Bed Stuy and not in Stuy Heights.
Many people in Bed Stuy live on the edge and don’t care about ugly or attractive buildings. However, you know nothing about me and my other concerns for my neighbors. I chose not only to be concerned for the people, but for the buildings as well. (It is after all my choice).
Its time for a reality check.
There are six billion people on this planet. The vast majority of them live in a manner more akin to animals than humans. Because some creature walks and talks doesn’t mean a thing. If you like to be around semiautonomous creatures that spend their lives eating and reproducing, go to a zoo.
Beauty is the one thing separates humanity from the beats of this planet, it exemplifies everything of which we are capable. Nothing matters more.
The majority of Bed-Stuys residents have squandered this great neighobrhood for years. These people simply don’t appreciate this shining pinnacle of human achievement that they defile on a daily basis.
Brownstoner should be commended for taking a stand against the continued destruction of our culture simply to fill this planet of ours with more subhumans.
In the short term, the new construction aids gentrification a little bit, since many gentrifying renters are attracted to the cleanliness, space, ammenities, and price of the new construction. However, in the long term, these ugly buildings could seriously put a damper on the gentrification of Bed/Stuy, as they make an otherwise beautiful neighborhood ugly. One of the reasons Park Slope has become as wealthy as it has, is that there is so little ugly, new construction.