MacDonough Street Update
Following the party wall collapse and subsequent evacuation of 329 and 331 MacDonough Street in Bed Stuy early Wednesday morning, a hearing was held on Friday afternoon to decide whether both brownstones needed to be demolished as the Department of Buildings had initially indicated. The judge ended up ruling that the DOB review the situation…
Following the party wall collapse and subsequent evacuation of 329 and 331 MacDonough Street in Bed Stuy early Wednesday morning, a hearing was held on Friday afternoon to decide whether both brownstones needed to be demolished as the Department of Buildings had initially indicated. The judge ended up ruling that the DOB review the situation over the weekend with outside engineers to determine whether destroying the historic structures was in fact the only course of action. A source on the block we heard from told us that four out of the five engineers on site Saturday came out in favor of preserving the buildings, a view which will surely be presented to the judge at today’s follow-up hearing but will likely be resisted by DOB. “It’s seriously @$%^ed up!” wrote one reader who lives down the street. “This will be like the block losing its two front teeth.” The hearing will be held at 360 Adams Street, Room 438 at 2:30 pm; tenants (two of whom are shown above with some of the belongings DOB employees retrieved for them on Saturday) and block members are encouraging as many people to turn out as possible. If you would like more information about the situation, please contact Suzette Hunte at 917.721.7258 or Krystal Codett at 347.489.6551.
Wall Collapse, Vacate Order, Maybe Demo on MacDonough [Brownstoner]
Brooklyn Renovation Leaves 8 Residents Homeless [NY Daily News]
City Rushing Surprise Demolition [Brooklyn Eagle]
bs11216 – Can you post email addresses you used?
I can’t make the 2:30 hearing, but I have sent emails to some of our elected officials. Hopefully the more folks they hear from the more likely they are to find another safe alternative to demolition. It makes me sick to think of folks losing their homes. I am also selfishly motivated. I absolutely love this block. When I first moved to Bed Stuy I would find every opportunity to drive or walk down the block. There is just such an amazing energy there. It makes me feel transported.
Can we pelt Lander – new Landmarks czar – w/ email before the hearing?
I am going to the hearing today, but from what I hear, the attorney representing 229 has no teeth (i.e. didn’t request more than 48 hours to present a plan at Friday’s hearing)and the engineer could not articulate the case due to a possible language barrier. According to block talk, the same atty and engineer are making the case today. I don’t think it’s a good idea for me to say any more about this until after the hearing. Until then, this is all basically gossip anyway.
MM, it may not be fair to characterize the DOB as uncaring. They probably care about workers’ safety. These two houses are beautiful, it would be a loss to destroy them, but no-one’s life should be in danger to preserve them.
The above Brownstoner posting says:
“The judge ended up ruling that the DOB review the situation over the weekend with outside engineers to determine whether destroying the historic structures was in fact the only course of action.”
I wonder if this is accurate.
Is this really the test the judge is using? “Whether destroying the historic structures [is] in fact the only course of action?”
If that’s really the test, then surely the outcome will be good, because these buildings (or, at least the facades) surely can be saved, if money is no object.
But I have a feeling that the test will be less strict… something like: “whether saving the buildings is feasible.”
In any event, the public needs to keep raising its voice!
What issues do you mean, MacD??
From what I understand, there are a lot of questions about the competence of the legal presentation and the engineer’s plans from the owner of 229 MacDonough Street. There is a hearing today at 2:30pm, so we shall see.
I checked out the two houses Friday night. They’re right in the middle of the most stunning block in Bed Stuy, directly across from the big wood frame house with all the porches owned by the real estate family on Stuyvesant, next to the frame mansard house featured in the Times a few years ago, and two doors down from the Akwabba mansion.