Serious Dumpster Action on Clinton Avenue
On Friday, at long last, work started on converting the former Baptist church (and originally the residence of Daniel Burdette) at 447 Clinton Avenue (top photo). In addition to its noteworthy Italianate style and scale, the property is noteworthy for the fact that it runs all the way through the block to Waverly and has…
On Friday, at long last, work started on converting the former Baptist church (and originally the residence of Daniel Burdette) at 447 Clinton Avenue (top photo). In addition to its noteworthy Italianate style and scale, the property is noteworthy for the fact that it runs all the way through the block to Waverly and has a 2,800-square-foot building in the rear. The most recent info about the plans for the place come from a DOB filing back in January 2006 which call for the addition of 3,500 square feet and the creation of 12 apartments. We tried to extract some more info from the workers on site but no one spoke English and our Spanish ain’t what it should be. The property is still listed as being in contract though (and no change of ownership is showing up on PropertyShark) so we wonder who’s doing the work…Perhaps more interesting, however, is the dumpster that just appeared in front of the William Tubby-designed mansion at 405 Clinton Avenue (bottom photo). An unusual mix of the Romanesque Revival and Queen Anne styles, the house was landmarked in 1983 and has been in the same hands since 1990; it’s been horribly neglected since then. We gather that the owner’s a very nice guy but we hope he either figures out a way to save the building while there’s still time or sells it to someone who can. There are no jobs listed for it yet on the DOB website so he might just be doing some late spring cleaning.
Big Contracts Signed in Fort Greene & Clinton Hill [Brownstoner]
447 Clinton Avenue: GMAP P*Shark DOB
405 Clinton Avenue: GMAP P*Shark DOB
The dumpster at 447 Clinton Avenue
Talk talk talk yawn yawn yawn
5:22PM, I’m calling your bluff! You know nothing of this man. I challenge you to present the facts as they truly exist! I’m waiting….
He’s been weaving and telling his story of “rags to riches” to everyone within earshot for decades (unless he lied to me and everyone else I know). Yeah, Steve, I’m really astonished and amazed by your great strike of fortune. More power to you. Now get off your lazy butt and preserve something that was entrusted into your custody.
Yes, Steve is not a Brownstoner. Why? Because he doesn’t have a computer, phone or cable. He’s as prehistoric as they come – a real fossil.
In my book, Mr. Fong is a deadbeat, absentee homeowner. Half-Black, Asian or Latino. Who cares? He’s a deadbeat. Plain and simple.
OKAY, so could you ask him, if you’re such close neighbors, to view the building that is in his custody a little compassionately too? It’s in his charge, under his power. Why does he abuse it so?
It’s really distressing to read the comments about Steve Fong. I know him well (I live very nearby) and those of you who’ve commented have gotten nearly every detail wrong, including his ethnicity. I’m glad that he’s not a brownstoner visitor. I think he would be upset by the comments, especially those berating him to get a job. His life is complex, and his choices may not make sense to the rest of us. I would urge the critics out there to view him and his situation compassionately, especially since you know nothing about him and his life.
We live less than a block away on Clinton Avenue from these two and I’ve had dreams about one day having the money to fix that place up. It is my favourite building in CH.
We live less than a block away on Clinton Avenue from these two and I’ve had dreams about one day having the money to fix that place up. It is my favourite building in CH.
Brooklyn is full of whack-jobs and super-whack-jobs who have inherited real estate. I have dealt with a varity of these folks from Brooklyn Heights to Park Slope. Its the Grey Gardens syndrome.
I guess I can kind of see how hard it must be for this guy to let it go. it’s probably the only remarkable, interesting thing in his life.
I agree, and the only “man” that Fong in Sticking it to is himself and the community. I think that in cases of extreme disrepair and neglect, fines and levies on properties- beyond tax liens – and eventual forced sale by the City, would be most appropriate.