City Council Rejects 184 Kent as "Piece of Trash"
In a vote whose lopsidedness left no room for uncertainty, the City Council dealt the death blow to preservationists’ attempts to have the Austin Nichols building at 184 Kent Avenue in Williamsburg landmarked. 43 council members voted against the designation and 6 in favor; a handful of others couldn’t be bothered to get up to…
In a vote whose lopsidedness left no room for uncertainty, the City Council dealt the death blow to preservationists’ attempts to have the Austin Nichols building at 184 Kent Avenue in Williamsburg landmarked. 43 council members voted against the designation and 6 in favor; a handful of others couldn’t be bothered to get up to speed on the issue. In a quote that will hopefully follow him around until the day he’s voted out of office, Simcha Felder had this to say about the building: “This is a piece of trash. We should knock it down and put something nice up.” Gee, Simcha, wonder if Moishe Kestenbaum’s written you any checks recently. Affordable housing deal in hand, David Yassky was happy to do his part to ensure that a hideous rooftop addition would grace the Brooklyn waterfront skyline. “This is simply not worthy of landmarking,” said Yassky. What’s the point of having realtively knowledgeable and cultured people on the Landmarks commission if their recommendations can be shot down by a bunch of politically-motivated bureaucratic philistines?
City Council Stated Meeting [Gotham Gazette]
ah-hah icebag you are back! So you are a liar too!What happened, a women responded to your posts and thats the most female attetion you have had in a year?
And you looked up anarchist on wikipedia? Good for you, you should have figured out though that the first people who will be killed by the anarchistist are landowners, i.e. you, and I doubt you even know spooners first name , good thing you got that wikipedia so you can now go look it up, otherwise you would be totally sol.
After all that though, I am still waiting for you to say somethign factual about this situtaion with the builing.
good post roz and that shower sounds HOT nothing like a clean soicalist!!! lol
ICEBERG, You come across like Donald Rumsfeld with menstrual cramps. Why so angry and uncivil? Your rants seem designed to intimidate and feel quite inappropriate on a blog like brownstoner. Is it really impossible for you to consider that people who advocate preserving historically and architecturally interesting structures are not anti-development luddites. Infact many of us also adore innovative, progressive new architecture — the Santiago Calatrava exhibit that’s at the Met currently is inspiring. There are two critical issues for me. 1. The quality and aesthetics of new construction rarely rivals that of older buildings. 2. Healthy cities only exist when planning decisions are made with the needs of the whole community in mind — it’s not acceptable to leave it to private developers. The free market has its limits. OK, now you’re free to tell me I’m a filthy socialist. And maybe I am — though I did shower today.
But aren’t we glad that the City Council is finally doing something to expand the supply of luxury condos that has been unfairly limited by overzealous zoning? The city has a chronic shortage of luxury housing, and designating additional buildings as NYC protected landmarks will serve only to drive up the price of luxury housing.
The calculus of Cass Gilbert, the visual and prominence and presence of the building, its construction technology, its historical associations with the industrial Brooklyn waterfront & the immenient [sic] threat to its historic fabric and design integrity is what drives the community’s desire to preserve it. There’s a number of ways to appreciate the building, and together they make an arguement for preservation which many people agreed with – which caused the LPC to act. Thinking about all the times Landmarks doesn’t act adds even more credence to this designation.
In the end, people should who is harmed by the designation, and who benefits?
Halden — thanks for the explanation. I guess I could have inferred that from the website, but it was not crystal clear.
Anyway, I still think that I will stick to my original assessment that even though this is obviously a money-driven political call by the city council, I don’t think this building is sufficiently wonderful that any of the council members will be hurt at the polls.
I’m not sure the “Truth” people did their argument any favors by pairing pictures of 184 Kent with much more interesting buildings by Gilbert.
icebag
and did you provide any facts about this building anywhere? I asked you for how someone is being forced to do something. Did you give facts about that? No you did not. You spewed crack-pot ideology.
Your second point, that someone using their property is never the same as force, makes no sense by your own words in previous posts.
Did you or did you not say that govenment is to protect A from B harming A’s property? So if you (B) pollute my air(A), with the governments permission, you damage my property, and I am either forced to accept it and the damage to my property or do something about it and by your “logic” I can send my private security force (i.e. band of paid thugs) to kill you. Thats your argument? Any you wonder why people call you crystal meth?
Anroc-capitialsit? You need to get to the drug rehab clinic, anarchists hate capitalism to its very core, and all other forms of organization as well, its clear you know nothing about anarchy as a politcal theory, because if you did, you would know that any anarchist, anywhere, would beat you like a rented donkey.
What you have espoused is a very limited gov that only protects property, life, and liberty, which is the exact same thing that libertians promote, and thrown in some rand with it.
You say I can’t be presuaded with facts? You have not given any. I keep asking for em, and you just spout stupid is as stupid does nonsense, and then after waxing poetic about your philosphy pathetic, you run away saying “its over”, with out giving a single fact about this building. Boy am I impressed.
I am taking my ball and going home. I know you are but what am I. Make me make me, Mommy I am telling. Yeah I am the juvie here. I will see you next time you post, chicken. Bwok bwok bwok.
I’m surprised that the Landmarks Preservation Committee is designating landmarks outside of Brooklyn Heights and Park Slope.