Candidates for Landmarking in Downtown B'kln
According to The New York Observer, the Municipal Arts Society and the Brooklyn Heights Association have identified 28 candidates for landmark status within the borders of the approved redevelopment plan for Downtown Brooklyn. Check out the proposal (in pdf form) on the MAS link below. (We’re going to highlight several of these buildings over the…
According to The New York Observer, the Municipal Arts Society and the Brooklyn Heights Association have identified 28 candidates for landmark status within the borders of the approved redevelopment plan for Downtown Brooklyn. Check out the proposal (in pdf form) on the MAS link below. (We’re going to highlight several of these buildings over the coming weeks on the blog.) It’s quite amazing to see the number of “architecturally significant” buildings currently marred by billboards and other (in our opinion) unattractive signage. It makes us wonder whether downtown Brooklyn will ever be able to attract higher-end office tenants who would in turn cause an upgrade in the street-level businesses. What do you think?
(Million) Dollar Stores [NY Observer]
Architecturally Significant Buildings [Municipal Arts Society]
Brooklyn Downtown Redevelopment [NYC.gov]
One thing you should know about Fulton Street retail is that they average among the highest square foot grosses in the entire country. Therefore, there is little incentive for owners (or lessees) to upgrade the physical look of their properties when rents are already very high, and grosses are huge.
Also, I am not sure that landmarking requires an owner to remove signage or restore anything. It just prevents further changes. Does anyone know if landmarks can force existing building owners to restore?
So, now that I’ve looked at all of the plans contained in those links, does anybody know if there’s any progress? I mean, it looks like the buildings are just “wishful thinking” interpretations of what developers might build considering the change in zoning. Fair statement?
No one is advocating getting rid of all low end stores, but to diversify so it is an economically viable area for everyone. Believe or not, all of the yuppies would like to have a place to shop that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg too, but to pretend that Fulton mall is a nice place to shop and hang out at night is a bit much. It is in the center of downtown Brooklyn and it looks like some economically depressed rust belt city downtown area.
I completely disagree w/ the poster who complains about dirt and crime in the area- I walk through it nearly every evening and there’s always a security force patrolling the area. Fulton St. is much safer than Livingston and Schermerhorn. It’s also kept pretty clean considering the volume of people that use the mall.
I also want to ask how many more “high-end” stores we need in the area? With so much of the adjoining neighborhoods becoming yuppie havens (and so many family/small buisiness closing – I counted three moves alone on on Smith St. this week) it seems crucial to have a place in downtown with shopping opportunities for a more diverse crowd.
I agree with the posters above. The owners need to be held to task and instructed to fix up the buildings properly. It should not matter high or low end shops. But…. I want better quality shops.
I agree, inexpensive does not mean something has to look like cr*p. I have no patience for property owners or stores that cannot clean up and make a place look presentable.
Why must ‘inexpensive’ shops be adorned with horrible signage? Why aren’t shoppers at the lower end entitled to enjoy the architechtural masterpieces that surround them. I say landmark them, and then begin a process of restoration.
I’m not against Fulton Mall the way it is, no necessarily against the signage — albeit it is not to my taste. What does bug me about the beautiful facades of Fulton Mall is that some of them have weed trees growing out of ’em. It’s disappointing to me when folks who own those buildings don’t take care of them.
How certain is it that the downtown redevelopment will proceed. I think it is a great initiative, subject to preservation of architecturally significant structures, that would be are real boost to a run-down business district.