A Curb Cut on Landmarked St. Marks Avenue? Really?
See this beautiful brownstone front yard at 97 St. Marks Avenue? Better enjoy it while you can, because the owner is getting ready to demolish it to create a driveway and garage despite the recent landmarking of Prospect Heights, according to a tipster and DOB filings. How could this happen? We’re not quite sure, but…
See this beautiful brownstone front yard at 97 St. Marks Avenue? Better enjoy it while you can, because the owner is getting ready to demolish it to create a driveway and garage despite the recent landmarking of Prospect Heights, according to a tipster and DOB filings. How could this happen? We’re not quite sure, but here’s the initial permit where it mentions converting a portion of the ground floor into a garage and here’s an amendment for the curb cut. The whole thing is eerily reminiscent of what happened at 174 Clinton Avenue a couple of years ago. The icing on the cake, according to a Forum post yesterday, is that the owner’s kicking out the old lady who sold him the house but continued to live in the garden apartment in order to do it. We’ll get back to you with what Landmarks has to say. Let’s hope this is all a big misunderstanding! Update: LPC confirms that they have no record of any applications for Landmark approval at this address. GMAP
bxgrl, Jon did not post the name and personal info. That was done by one of the commenters and it has been taken down.
It has been standard practice here all along to post the address of any building that’s up for discussion and why shouldn’t it be.
De you want annonymous HOTDs and COTDs???
I think you’re beating a dead horse here with this issue primaruly because of what i wrote in the first paragraph.
Why was this never an issue with the address of fedders buildings???
Besides, as the evidence indicates this is clearly a zoning violation. Whether it’s the owner’s fault or the architects or the DOBs, the buck stops with the owner.
brrownstoner DID NOT post the name and personal info.
Bxgirl, also I missed where Jon posted “let’s try public embarrassment.” If he did, I agree with you, it’s a bit rude. To me the point is to gather ideas and resources on how to preserve this house the way it’s meant to, and help & support the neighbors to achieve that.
Maly- well don’t you think its a matter of their paperwork and what they were told? It has nothing to do with the day the block was landmarked and if they go through with this I hope LPC makes them revert to the original front yard. If they are doing something illegal to the tenant, she should give them hell in court- and in this city, she can.
But the point is that the homeowner’s name and address and personal business were posted, supposedly in the interest of landmarking, but I can say for sure it was more out of vengefulness, not community interest. What’s next- someone objects to our choice of flowers so they put you up for ridicule on brownstoner? My neighbor thinks the ivy on the house encroaches hers so I get to be roasted on Brownstoner? If you’re so interested in accuracy and fairness, the neighbor should post their own name and address.
two cats…she’s not going to get “thrown out.” She owned the house and sold it to them she probably has a lease, albeit a very short one.
She’ll be laughing all the way to the bank since someone pointed out that she’s woned it for 30 years.
bxgirl, no, I’m not their neighbor. I’m not their jury or executioner. I do agree that reporting them to the LPC and DOB is the way to go. If I were their neighbors, they would probably hate my little busybody heart. I accept that. I don’t think I’m an absolutist, I have no beef with marble islands and kitchen in parlors and large screen TVs – I wouldn’t o it in my house, but whatever float your boat. Curb cut, front door and facade are a different story, be a good neighbor, I’ll be a good neighbor. To start work on a curb cut the day the block is landmarked? might as well paint the facade Pepto Bismol pink.
z- let’s see- house address posted- check
name posted- check
facebook page posted- check
anonymous neighbor posts some facts and lots of conjecture to make homeowner look bad- check
Having Jon Butler crow about publicly embarrassing you on the say so of aforementioned vengeful and anonymous neighbor- check.
Have neighbors post anonymously your personal business on a witch hunting blog thread- check.
Note- on the original forum thread the OP did not post an address and it was Jon who said. let’s try public embarrassment.
That doesn’t say much for Jon either.
Jester,
Mr. B used to mix it up a bit more with the commentariat. I think if you asked him he would say he posts things for discussion and then lets them take its course. He has a distinctly preservationist view, but he also values the open discussion. He’s written as much in the past.
I don’t think it is fair to tar this whole thread with the pitchfork accusation. Some have gone that route, some have disagreed on the merits, and some who don’t like the curb cut plan have said slow down, get the facts, follow proper channels and don’t make it personal.
z–it feels to me that people immediately wanted to ascribe the worst possible motives to the owner. And as a resident of NYC I want to trust my neighbors and would hope that they would reach out to me first rather than resort to this sort of public forum to air their grievances. That is my issue with this, not that I like curb cuts or don’t care about preservation.
From what I can see, not one person has mentioned the fact that the woman living in the downstairs apartment is getting thrown out. Does anybody care about that? She is the one who sold it to them, with the agreement that she could live there. I happen to know that she had no warning about this. I am disgusted reading all of the comments that only address the legal issues. Whether or not it is legal to change the house, I think it would be a crime to ruin it, but what I find most disturbing is the disregard for this woman’s life.