Illegal Paint Job on Landmarked Block of Clinton Hill
We just got a tip that someone just started painting one of the brownstones on Grand Avenue between Gates and Putnam white this morning. (Yes, a certain blogger does live on this block.) Something tells us the Landmarks Preservation Commission didn’t sign off on this. If any readers are nearby, we’d appreciate a photo asap….
We just got a tip that someone just started painting one of the brownstones on Grand Avenue between Gates and Putnam white this morning. (Yes, a certain blogger does live on this block.) Something tells us the Landmarks Preservation Commission didn’t sign off on this. If any readers are nearby, we’d appreciate a photo asap. If anyone from LPC is reading, please get on the stick! Update 7/27: Here’s the photo from about 11:20 this morning. The address is 373 Grand Avenue. LPC confirms that there are no permits out on this.
Update 7/29: As the Daily News article reports, it turns out that—luckily—the owner was only repainting the area around the door. While we understand that some people feel it was an overreaction on our part to post about this before all the facts were known, here’s why we think it was warranted: First of all, had the painters been intending to paint the entire facade, every second counted when we got the tip (we were in fact in Dumbo, and not just across the street, when the tip came in, so popping over for a friendly chat was not an option); secondly, we were on the phone with LPC within five minutes of getting the tip, and LPC told us that (1) the owner had no permit for the painting and (2) that he had racked up, and failed to cure, several other landmark violations over the years. All these factors led us to conclude that, on balance, it was not worth taking the risk that something really destructive might happen. You know, better safe than sorry. With 20/20 hindsight, this was clearly the wrong call. Apologies to the owner—our obsession with historic brownstones may have gotten the better of us on this one.
Bottom photo by Rosier for the Daily News
AGAIN, did ANYONE asked the owners what they are DOING? We are assuming that they know that this is wrong… Is it really paint? Instead of blowing a person up like this…not neighbourly!!
Can’t believe I missed all the action yesterday…
I’ll just sum it it up:
painting brownstone = bad
Brownstoner = good
Stoner = funny
Anon 2:29 = dead on
Look at me jumping to conclusions. My apologies. So many reminders that we all have the same challenges. I am sorry.
I didn’t take Clinton Hill Lady’s post to mean that you wouldn’t understand because you’re poor, etc. But that kind of comment pops up all the time, so I get why you might read it that way.
I think she was implying that you simply have to own one of these buildings to know what it means to take pride in them and to maintain them. It’s an incredible labor of love, not to mention a bottomless money pit.
There are a fair share of brownstone owners who have opted for the Rasta theme. I think that you are speaking of your kind of brownstone neighborhood. I wish that they were all historically correct and I own one of the most beautiful brownstones in Brookyn but find this kind of -you don’t have money, so you don’t know anything attitude disgusting and rude. I have to defend myself all the time because people like you create a stereotype that is hard to escape. People get carried away on these sites. I’m sure that you don’t mean to sound like a …
…for all those who want to know what the big deal is, obviously doesn’t live in a brownstone and if you do, you must not own it!
9:28, you made your point much better the second time. I really don’t know what to say about the relatively innocent scenario you posited. That’s where a neighborhood LPC association should come in to make sure everyone is truly educated about the valuable and important buildings they own.
It’s true that none of us know the story behind the paint job, but when you look at the picture above and you see how healthy the unpainted brownstone looks, it’s pretty sad to see that it’s going to be covered up and ruined.
If the owner were simply a kind old well-intentioned grandmother, I think a lot of us would want to pitch in and help her clean up the mess. The sad truth is that if it’s an owner who should know better, or who does and simply doesn’t care, I’d say they’re on their own. And they’d better watch out for Stella!
It’s still a cute Michael Jackson reface. Brilliant!
9:11- I don’t think that the person should be painting it white for a number of reasons. I was just trying to make that point that I don’t know the story. If a woman like my grandmother walks out of the house to a mob of people after painting her house white and says,”oh my, I’ve been here for years and all you youngsters are making your houses look so pretty and I don’t have the money to fix the stone on my house, so I thought that I would paint mine to make it pretty,” I would take a deep breath and say to myself, that is really sweet, what a mess.
I’m 99% sure that’s not the deal, but…anyway, that was my point.
To answer your question, if it knocked $5000. off the price of my house and I knew that the person was not trying to be an ass by painting it and that they couldn’t afford to fix it- I would most certainly help. I would help even if my property value wasn’t an issue. I don’t like to see people get screwed. I don’t want this person or their neighbors to get shafted. I may help even though I am several neighborhoods over.