Open House Picks

I was in the NOVO site on 4th Avenue and 5th Street this past weekend and aside from the fact that the rooms looked so small,the master baths and closets aren’t wide enough for handicapped users. Isn’t this against code ?

tarrot,

for some reason i don’t think we are on the same page.

here is a map of the manor.
http://www.leffertsmanor.org/prospect_lefferts_gardens.pdf

Anon 12:18/12:04,

I don’t think you are picking on me. We are having a dialogue–that’s all.

I disagree that Bed-Stuy has always equalled pride. Instead, I’d argue that after the deindustrailzation, urban unrest and white flight that affected certain parts of Bed-Stuy, there was shame associated with living in Bed-Stuy. But this is NOT true for the sections that maintained its beauty and hence stability. Who had pride living on Lexington or Quincy and Nostrand in 1986? Folks called Classon to Nostrand “Crack-Stuy.” It was a horrible, violent time in the neighborhood. Many middle class African Americans left. Crack ruled for many years.

Yet, this was not true for people living in Stuy-Heights (See the differentiation in name?) This part of Bed-Stuy remained more calm, not perfect but more stable as the middle class remained to fight for their precious and gorgeous brownstones.

Closer to Clinton Hill and Pratt (the aforementioned Crack Stuy) things have become much much better. The housing stock is not as grand as Stuy Heights and its proximity to Clinton Hill is a good thing that should be reflected in a new name. Basically, whether you acknowledge this or not, there is Stuy-Heights and then the generic “Rest of Bed-Stuy” with its traces of a very very bad time. The “other” considered “lesser” parts of Bed-Stuy could rally around a smaller sections. With a more distinct boundaries, with signs designating the distintions, these communities could say, yes, we were once in terrible condition but we are rallying and coming back. And we value all of our past including the white people who are returning, Yes, returning. This part of Bed-Stuy needs class diversity and commerce. It needs a concept–an idea to bring this community together.

Small example. For years, the corner of Franklin and Greene had a garbage strewn huge lot. Then, energetic young whites came in a created a garden. The people who had previously lived there had been so beaten down by the drug culture, chaos, and fear–and I’m talking about the black middle and working class who remained–that they had never done that. New Ideas. New Energy. New Capital. New Name.

Jake…your assertion that Bed-Stuy is too large is elitist at best. The residents of Bed-Stuy have never had a problem with its size in the past and they don’t have a problem now. There has always been pride in stating you were from Bed-Stuy. The Push for breaking it into North, South, etc reeks of underlying racism whether you realize it or not.

And please don’t think I am picking on you or am against some redevelopment in the neighborhood. But let’s be honest here. Prior to the ridiculous price surges in the Slopes, CG, BH, FG and now Clinton Hills most people did not know or care about the areas architecture, services, safety, etc… until now. And now that the area has been “discovered” there is a push to define (read fragment) it because it’s now perceived by newer residents as too large. Sorry I just don’t buy the whole size argument that has been put forth. Despite this I’m sure that realtors such as Corcoran will advance the renaming concept in order to make the area more palatable for a changing demographic.