Broken Angel Up For Sale
It’s a sad day in Mudville: Shahn and Arthur are having to give up on their dream of converting the Broken Angel into a bunch of eclectically designed condos. A few days ago, they put the 13,000-square-foot property up for sale with no asking price. Interested parties can contact Shahn at 917-627-6454. Given that the…
It’s a sad day in Mudville: Shahn and Arthur are having to give up on their dream of converting the Broken Angel into a bunch of eclectically designed condos. A few days ago, they put the 13,000-square-foot property up for sale with no asking price. Interested parties can contact Shahn at 917-627-6454. Given that the new NYT listings site currently returns zero responses to a Clinton Hill search, we’re unable to come up with the listing right now!
Judge Gives Angel Duo The Heisman [Brownstoner] GMAP
Broken Angel: DOB Overzealous or Just Doing Its Job? [Brownstoner]
Broken Angel Reno: Approaching the Summit [Brownstoner]
More Details on the Broken Angel Project [Brownstoner]
MM-“However, we need t….people who buck conventional wisdom and the odds. They fail sometimes, but sometimes they rise and conquer. And when they do, we are all better off for it. Let’s not quell that spirit. There is so little of it left, especially now.”
I agree – however would it be ok to add? – just while bucking conventional wisdom, please refrain from telling everyone else how smart and visionary you are and how dumb and short-sided everyone else is.
miss priss – unfortunately – I’ve met several people who, at times, can come off as incredibly friendly and nice (especially in front of their kids) and at other times can come off as condescneding jerks. I do not for a minute doubt that you’ve had pleasant interactions with the guy. Please don’t doubt me when I say that my experiences have not been the same. And, like I said before, I have written proof of my experiences, just go read Shahn old comments. No need for ad hominem attacks. No need to call me a bush-voter (the worst insult one can sling in Brooklyn). I think that if you take a look at my historical comments, you’ll see that I’m more than capable of having a polite disagreement with other intelligent people who don’t share my views. You don’t even have to go back that far – look at the interactions between and my new best buddy MM on this very thread.
I’m not particularly concerned about the people that always wanted the project to fail calling it a failure. If we do end up selling the building, I intend to build Broken Angel somewhere else. To me, Broken Angel is a concept that Arthur dreamed up, and while he chose to build that concept on this building, I don’t think that only this building can embody it.
Basically, our bank called our loan before its due date, and I have to do what I can to protect Arthur. I’ve been working on obtaining new financing for a while, but as you may have heard, there is a bit of instability in the financial markets right now, and banks aren’t lending to projects like this. It is possible we’ll be able to find another partner, and it’s possible we’ll be able to find new financing and complete the project. With all of the interest we’ve gotten from potential buyers, it looks likely that the building will be sold.
I’ve gone to great lengths to keep this project moving along, and while we face some daunting odds, I’m willing to do what I have to do to make it succeed. To that end, I’ve offered to cross collateralize my house with the building to secure financing or to sell the house outright. No bullshit. It’s listed online here:
http://www.56cambridge.com
At the end of the day, this project isn’t about me or what I’ve been trying to do, but about Arthur and his vision. Working with him has changed the way I look at art and design.
pratt should buy it
What, what in the hell does race have to do with this? It’s totally irrelevent to the discussion. Your obsession with race has more than once made any good point you’ve had, get lost.
Further more, since when does someone’s financial misfortune, especially in this case, deserve some kind of cosmic punishment? We’re not talking about a Bernie Madoff, who ripped off thousands of people, and deserves an ocean liner of bad karma. We’re not even talking about a Bruce Ratner here. This is about an elderly artist and his family and a developer and presumably, his family as well, who invested talent, time and money to try to preserve something that meant a lot to them, and to other people as well. They are the main recipients of loss here. Our loss, as a community, is nothing compared to that, but we still care. Who cares if he could have sold the building 20 years ago, or last year? Why should he, if he had a chance to keep alive something he created with his own two hands for the last 30 odd years?
I don’t think most of the critics here understand what it would be like to have that taken away. Its beauty or ugliness is irrelevent, as well. It was his artistic vision, and the fact that we all have an opinion of it’s aesthetic value is a testiment to its artistry – it is provocative, and invites comment. That’s a tried and true function of art.
PHeights and fsrq, I hear you, regarding feasibility, funding, etc. You are the people who we need to start and finish projects, and I applaud your expertise and competence. However, we need the Arthur’s and the Shahn’s, and people who buck conventional wisdom and the odds. They fail sometimes, but sometimes they rise and conquer. And when they do, we are all better off for it. Let’s not quell that spirit. There is so little of it left, especially now.
I’ve met shahn and all your descriptions of him are ridiculous – he is always around walking in the neighborhood with his kid and is INCREDIBLY friendly. people who call him smug are the types of people who are afraid of a cogent argument that is at odds with their own view of something. can’t you all grow up? can’t you enjoy a dialogue with someone who may be as smart or smarter than you are? you remind me of the people who voted for george bush because they thought they could have a beer with him. Also, the What, I guarantee you that you probably have the worst taste around – I can just picture the proudly purchased black leather couch from jennifer convertibles or worse…ugh.
No Dave, you’re right. But Shahn didn’t build the building in the first place. Shahn was leading by example in attmepting to renovate and bring to code a building that had inspired many, and which most people had written off. Had it been successful, it would have continued to inspire, and hopefully would have been a source of inspiration for future creative developments. Which is why I am lamenting that it failed! I can point to any number of recent developments in Brooklyn that worked purely by the numbers, but are essentially uninspiring projects. Unfortunately, there are only a handful of new developments that really do inspire in some way, or engage the city, or give something back, or instill a sense of wonder. This is a missed opportunity.
Oh I basically agree with that- I wish there had been another option. taking a unique and wonderful building and retrofitting it to be code. I don’t know all the details but I was under the impression Arthur was not given that chance. It just seems odd to me that broken angel, despite its looks, never fell down, and other buildings and construction have. Surely he must have been doing something right- so does anyone know what happens now?
Or sell the place at auction, like art is sold at Sothebys.
An auction might be your best bet in this market.