566 Hancock Street's Seen Better Days
This is a sad one. By last fall, the nine-unit building at 560 Hancock Street at Stuyvesant Avenue had been allowed to deteriorate to such a point that the Department of Buildings ordered that the building be vacated. Judging from a photo on Property Shark (which you can see on the jump), a handful of…
This is a sad one. By last fall, the nine-unit building at 560 Hancock Street at Stuyvesant Avenue had been allowed to deteriorate to such a point that the Department of Buildings ordered that the building be vacated. Judging from a photo on Property Shark (which you can see on the jump), a handful of apartments were still occupied as recently as 2006, though the top floor appears gutted and windowless. What a shame—it’s a beautiful building. It looks like HPD has stepped in to put up the scaffolding but shouldn’t the landlord lose the building? This is a disgrace. GMAP P*Shark DOB
What- I’m not attacking you, but I am attacking some of the things you say. I spend quite a bit of time looking for work and frankly, I’ve already spent years being a productive member of society and it takes more than just a job to make someone so.
If I’ve misunderstood your comments on any “Black/White” issues, i certainly apologize. It is a complex issue but it becomes difficult to not misinterpret because of the lnaguage you use. And I will reiterate again, I think you are far too intelligent a man to need to post the way you do. In fact I agreed with quite of bit of what you said at 12:26 except I don’t think we can afford to let the banks fail. I didn’t appreciate the comment about Jews (being one myself) and I did react to that.
Indeed, it is complex. It’s not black and white. That’s what I was saying.
DIBS and Miss Chiff, stop talking to yourself. You’re scaring me.
Bxgrl I don’t know why you attacking me. I think your time would be better served by looking for a job. Let’s start there and become a productive member of society.
“Finally- true equality. You don’t have to be only white to be a retard in What’s book.”
I love how the retards are framing my arguments as a “Black and White” issues. I wished it was that easy but the whole “Asshead Movement” is a complex issue.
The What
Someday this war is gonna end…
“Now you wish someone would fix a building that has been neglected for years like the same Retards wish the Atlantic Shelter would go away.”
There are an awful lot of long time Black residents and homeowner retards who are fighting the Atlantic Shelter and last time I looked Tish James, Al Vann and several other involved politicians were also Black. And by your lights also retarded.
Finally- true equality. You don’t have to be only white to be a retard in What’s book.
I’m going to purchase this building and rent only to hootchie mamas who will inevitably have to strike a deal with me when they can’t pay the rent…
Thanks, Amzi, for reminding me about the Alhambra.
Now there’s an example of a formerly grand building fallen on hard times and resurrected as solid housing! (Same with the Imperial, if I’m right.)
Only it’s too bad that some of the old interior character of these places gets lost: the wainscotting, mantles, and creaking wood floors that give them so much personality; and the quirky floor plans that get erased to bring them up to “standard.”
But at least they remain a pleasure from the street.
(The Hancock building, by the way, probably had pretty substantial apartments. Judging from the fire-escape configuration, there may have been only two apartments per floor, perfect for “rising” 19th-century middle-class families.)
NOP
One of Montrose Morris most grand apartments The Alhambra was in the same state or worse. Look at this:
http://www.nyc-architecture.com/BES/BED010-AlhambraApartments%20.htm
These buildings are always salvageable… I hope the same can be done to this one…
I can solve this problem easily….
First, we have to realize that people who own shell buildings like this one (or the 7th Ave scaffolding monster) have no incentive to sell. In fact, many have a disincentive b/c of tax consequences, etc..
The goal is to discourage the long term holding of property.
As a result, you have to make holding a condemned building long term very expensive. You can create a new property class in the tax code for non-productive structures and give them a new set of property taxes. You can nuance the system so that owners/developers can buy these properties and renovate them without paying the penalty taxes or something.
Brownstoner:
Several years ago I had my taxi on a drive in from the airport turn into Pacific Street to take a look at my 1950s childhood block.
A few of its old apartment houses looked to be in the condition of the one pictured here. Over the last year I returned and found the buildings renovated and re-occupied! (Proving things are never entirely lost — if there’s the will and the way.)
Growing up in Brooklyn I had friends in several buildings like this. These were middle-class tenements consisting of apartments with lots of rooms and halls that twisted and turned. The best of them — the Imperial and the Alhambra — seemed palatial. Others were merely idiosyncratic with the kind of floor plans that showed 19th-century Brooklyn architects had as yet to resolve the apartment “problem.” A nice feature: each apartment had an entry door with frosted glass, much nicer than the solid metal one at my family’s place, which was built around World War I.
Montrose Morris was right to point out the wonderful Romanesque-Revival street entrance. Think of it. This was a speculative building for middle-class families. Compare the care and attention to detail practiced then with today’s Fourth-Avenue condos.
And realize why this building should be restored.
Nostalgic on Park Avenue