It's Not Brooklyn But It Sure Is Ugly

To Clinton Hillbilly

Styrofoam that is covered with a cement-based mortar is "stucco." Some call that California style stucco. Most brownstoners opting for stucco tend to apply it to their rear facades either to cover over deteriorating brickwork and/or to gain a modicum of insulation. I agree that it would probably be a "doozey" to do that to a brownstone front facing facade.

Posted by: Anonymous at August 3, 2005 12:07 PM

This apt building is actually about 5 or 6 years old. Apts in it sold for a pretty good deal back then. Around 650K for a full-floor (probably 1200 sq ft) apartment. I remember noticing them because they were a) a good deal for SoHo and 2) bizarrely ugly and poorly done, particularly for Soho. Apts also feature lovely 8 ft ceilings and crappy finishes. Can't comment as to developers relationship to crap being put up anywhere in Bklyn that the LPC doesn't try to keep them from doing so.

Posted by: Anonymous at August 3, 2005 1:29 PM

One of the mid level floors in that building was recently on the market for 1.6 million. I doubt they got that much, but you never know. The developer built several buildings in Soho on the few remaining vacant lots he could snatch up.

This one is defintely the ugliest. The others aren't that bad. I don't know the developers name, but I think he's fairly small time. I considered buy an apartment in that building too when it was first built, but at the time $650k was too much for me, even though it was fairly priced for the neighborhood. The Thom Hotel is across the street if any of you Brooklynites want to pay $500 a night and experience the good life in Soho.

Posted by: Anonymous at August 3, 2005 5:19 PM

I don't have much taste either, but someone was smoking the magic Zong when they were designing the facade on that building.

I recently walked by a new cheap construction cinderblock apartment building going up in the East Village that actually looked pretty good. They're laying a coat of regular bricks on the front and adding simple brownstone-like lintels above the windows. It's too bad more builders don't go that route if they want to save money.

Posted by: Anonymous at August 3, 2005 5:26 PM

For the right price I'd definitely move into that building. That's a great block. Who cares if the front is completely nondescript? When you're inside your condo giving a rub down to a Soho model, the last thing on your mind would be the building's facade.

Posted by: Anonymous at August 4, 2005 8:46 AM