WTF on Union?
Atrocious new buildings are not limited to the southern part of Park Slope, as this reader submission demonstrates. I live in the neighborhood and am super curious about what its deal is. Basically, walking past it for the past couple of years, I’ve watched as they built this fugly thing, and then…it just sits vacant….
Atrocious new buildings are not limited to the southern part of Park Slope, as this reader submission demonstrates.
I live in the neighborhood and am super curious about what its deal is. Basically, walking past it for the past couple of years, I’ve watched as they built this fugly thing, and then…it just sits vacant. It’s been vacant for more than a year now. Occasionally I’ve seen a FOR SALE sign up but then it is gone in a couple of days. What gives? Why are the small balconies encased in sheet metal? And what’s up with those plastic plants in front?
We don’t have any answers, but there sure have been a lot of mortgage transactions on the property since 2004, so perhaps the hold-up has something to do with that. Other than that, all we know is that the 5,000-square-foot POS has three residential units. Anyone have any knowledge or theories? GMAP P*Shark DOB
So what do we, a concerned audience, do to encourage the enactment of laws that regulate contextual design? This could include the intelligent integration of modern and classic desgin…as long as there is some design!.
Each building like this, put up by greedy developers, chips away at the borough’s rich character. With the profits developers are able to reap (even in this “housing market slowdown”) a little more regulation isn’t going to scare them away.
Where do we start?
11:40 is exactly right. It’s not designed, period. Which is what I was observing when I said it’s like the guy just picked out whatever he could get cheap at Home Depot. For windows, doors and railings, etc.
Actually, good modern design can be wonderful. This is not modern design at all.
What really should be discouraging this kind of fugly condo buildings is the fact they don’t sell! They can’t give away these condos in this building. One would think that would discourage developers from building these things ever again. Guess the developers are even more stupid than we thought.
This one and another condo building on Union that seem built by the same people, are serious ugly. Totally disharmonious elements on the buildings. Orange brick facade, modern steel balconies and front stoop rails, but with a tacky brass and leaded glass windowed “oakey” wood front door only a 90 year old Granny would love. Weird weird weird. Seems like an amateur developer who bought whatever was on sale at Home Depot.
No, modern design doesn’t have anything to do with the ruining. Like the posts before state, there CAN be a regulated process whereby design itself is encouraged. The above building’s problem is that it has NO design. It’s basically the prefab crap you can get from a catalogue. I only WISH there was more design in our current construction.
Christ. Modern design is going to ruin this borough.
Correction, there is landmarking in NYC, which has restrictions. But I’m saying there are towns in the U.S. that choose to have building codes to make new buildings harmonious with the existing ones, even without a landmark status.
It’s not just Europe, 6:34pm. My parents live in a town in Florida where there are ordinances in the old, historic part of the town that strictly regulate the design and the height of the buildings. Everything has to be harmonious with the older buildings and the general ambiance of the area. There are plenty of communities in the States that do that.
So it’s not culturally out of place in the U.S. to have building ordinances like that. The only reason it’s not done in NYC is NYC chooses not to implement anything like that.
“I live diagonally behind this monstrosity and all I can tell you is that it went up super fast – lot’s of Chinese workers, and the quality is horrible too, there is much rust at the back of the building and very bad brick laying, I wouldn’t be surpirsed if there are structural issues.”
OMG!! Chinese workers?!!!??! Oh, the tragedy!! Who would have thought?!!!?
“Structural issues?” I take it that you’re a structural engineer. Or did you stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night?