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March 30, 2007

Charming Paint Peeler, RIP

paintpeeler033007.jpg
10thave033007.jpgWhat a gigantic bummer. A reader just sent us this shot of 1518 10th Avenue in Windsor Terrace where some philistine has torn down the charming, albeit worse-for-the-wear, woodframe house we wrote about last spring. (The tax photo at right shows the house in better days.) In its place, neighbors can look forward to a two-family, 4,000-square-foot house. What are the chances that this won't be blindingly ugly?
Paint-Peeling Charm in Windsor Terrace [Brownstoner] GMAP P*Shark DOB




Posted by Brownstoner at 9:31 AM | Comments (15)
Categories: Brooklyn, Development, Real Estate, Windsor Terrace

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That completely sucks. Unfortunately, though, it looked in the old post as if the place had deteriorated into a complete hellhole, and it was tiny, too. It never had a chance. What can you do when someone can't/won't maintain their joint? Sigh.

Posted by: bob999 at March 30, 2007 10:08 AM

The developer is going for a 3 story, 2 family (all he can do under WT's R5B zoning), keeping the area-way through to the back garage...

Unfortunately, in a bazaar manner, he's building OVER the area-way abutting the property to the left.

According to DOB, this is kosher, albeit an aesthetic disaster.

"Look Ma! We gotta tunnel to the back yard!"

In addition, this will also block in three lot line windows of the neighbor.

So much for that sunny 2nd story bedroom. Really stinks!

Posted by: Anonymous at March 30, 2007 10:23 AM

RETRACTION:
I actually believe the lot line windows are on the first floor...so a "sunny kitchen" or the like.

Posted by: lostinbrooklyn at March 30, 2007 10:28 AM

Very sad indeed, would've been cool to see it restored, but hard to imagine saving in today's market. People don't seem to realize that its these little quirky structures that make neighborhoods unique and give them character...

Once again, (now that its been torn down) this would be the perfect spot for one of those 6, donated by architects, pre-approved, aesthetically pleasing, neighborhood appropriate, non-offensive, inexpensive to build plans for 2, 3, 4, 5 and six family buildings. You know, the ones that are available FOR FREE to any "developer" who agrees to use the materials.

C'mon "community of architects", if you draw them, I'll help market them... at DOB, at Home Depot, wherever these developers hang out.

Imagine how rewarding it would be to save even one building or lot from becoming a Fedders!

Posted by: SeamusMacD at March 30, 2007 10:33 AM

Very sad indeed, would've been cool to see it restored, but hard to imagine saving in today's market. People don't seem to realize that its these little quirky structures that make neighborhoods unique and give them character...

Once again, (now that its been torn down) this would be the perfect spot for one of those 6, donated by architects, pre-approved, aesthetically pleasing, neighborhood appropriate, non-offensive, inexpensive to build plans for 2, 3, 4, 5 and six family buildings. You know, the ones that are available FOR FREE to any "developer" who agrees to use the materials.

C'mon "community of architects", if you draw them, I'll help market them... at DOB, at Home Depot, wherever these developers hang out.

Imagine how rewarding it would be to save even one building or lot from becoming a Fedders!

Posted by: SeamusMacD at March 30, 2007 10:33 AM

"You know, the ones that are available FOR FREE to any "developer" who agrees to use the materials.

C'mon "community of architects", if you draw them, I'll help market them... at DOB, at Home Depot, wherever these developers hang out."

Yeah, I wanna work for free.

***

I've met the woman who lives next door -- a charming older lady. If lostinbrooklyn is right, it really is unfortunate that the new development cannot be more resepctful of her building. She has salvaged some beautiful stained glass in those lot line windows.

--an architect in Brooklyn

Posted by: Anonymous at March 30, 2007 11:27 AM

"You know, the ones that are available FOR FREE to any "developer" who agrees to use the materials.

C'mon "community of architects", if you draw them, I'll help market them... at DOB, at Home Depot, wherever these developers hang out."

I've got some taxes to be filed- C'mom community tax preparers! I've also got a small legal matter- C'mon community lawyers! Not to mention my empty fridge- C'mon community grocers!

Thanks SeamusMacD. Further proof that some brownstoners live in a different universe.

Posted by: Anonymous at March 30, 2007 12:17 PM

Awwwww. I used to live around the block from this house. An old man lived there, and he seemed really crochety and ornery, and he would sit inside the garage with the door open. I think he was a vet, from the baseball cap he would wear. I always wondered about him. Hope the house didn't get sold from underneath him or anything shady like that, he probably just moved on to the great battleship in the sky.

Posted by: cowgirly at March 30, 2007 12:19 PM

"I've got some taxes to be filed- C'mom community tax preparers! I've also got a small legal matter- C'mon community lawyers!"

I need some software that's not sky-high in price - C'mon community programmers! Oh wait, that exists. It's called Open Source software and/or freeware. Why can't something similar be done with urban architecture?

By the way there *are* community lawyers and tax preparers.

Posted by: Deb at March 30, 2007 2:43 PM

"It's called Open Source software and/or freeware. Why can't something similar be done with urban architecture?"

You've got it! Free downloadable architecture.

um, ok.

Posted by: em at March 30, 2007 2:56 PM

"By the way there *are* community lawyers and tax preparers."

Yeah, I don't think they work for developers.

Posted by: Anonymous at March 30, 2007 4:37 PM

The alternate universe I live in is called Building Boom Brooklyn and its being ruined by "developers" putting up hideous, out of context, soul sucking crap at every turn. The reasons they do it is because they don't give a shit, don't have any sense of aesthetics or basically just don't know any better.

Zoning's not going to stop it. The community boards allow anything to be built. Landmarking takes too long, and will only work in precious few neighborhoods - so what's left? Education, incentives and making it easy and profitable to put up nicer neighborhood enhancing buildings.
Now I know there is a pro-Fedders contingent on this site, but assuming you're not in that group what's your suggestion to try and stop this?

And in case you haven't noticed, professionals do pro bono work all the time. If you did it right I'm sure you could leverage it and get tons of free publicity that would probably pay you more then you'd make on a similar for profit project.

Or just be smart alecks. That's easier and more fun.

Posted by: Anonymous at March 30, 2007 4:42 PM

as soon as an architect puts his/her name on a project and files it with the DOB/AG office, they are legally liable, regardless of the selfless nature of the endeavor.

Posted by: Anonymous at March 30, 2007 6:04 PM

that is indeed true sucker lucker, i can't believe this guy quit his job for this, anyway:

WHAT WOULD ALL YOU KNOW IT ALL TYPES SAY IF IT WAS TADAO ANDO OR ZAHA HADID DOING THE ARCHITECTURE? YEAH THEN YOU SHOULD YOUR MOUTHS?????

Posted by: anon at April 2, 2007 7:20 AM

"community boards allow anything to be built"

For the record, CB's have no power over "what gets built" unless it comes before a Board's land use committee for a BSA or ULURP application. And still then it has nothing to do with the aesthetics, so to speak.

Wish they could, but then that is overstepping constitutional boundaries.

Posted by: lostinbrooklyn at April 3, 2007 7:43 PM

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