The Daily Destruct-O-Matic

July 15, 2008 by missheather
Filed under: Greenpoint Magic, Williamsburg

The one thing that fascinates me about living in Greenpoint nowadays is the sheer amount of demolition work being conducted. Seriously. One week I will walk by a two or three floor walk-up and the next, *poof*, it is gone! Wishing to document this mind-boggling array of destruction in and around the Garden Spot of the Universe I have created a new feature: The Daily Destruct-O-Matic*. Here is today’s inaugural site of interest: 59 Orient Avenue.

On March 2, 2007 (in a post entitled House of the Day: Endangered on Orient Avenue) Brownstoner wrote :

Barring the intervention of a very well-heeled hipster trustafarian, another unlandmarked gem in Greenpoint may be headed for the execution chamber. Its crime? Sitting on a 60-by-100-foot lot in a neighborhood that has been complacent about protecting its architectural heritage. (This block was known as Doctors’ Row in the middle of the 20th Century.) The Victorian-era shingled house is on the chopping block for $2.5 million, more than it would likely fetch were it not for the 13,200 square feet of buildable space that accompanies a 6,000-square-foot lot in an R6 neighborhood. As the listing points out, the addition of a community facility could mean an even larger building. What a shame. Maybe some creative entrepreneur could make this work as a bed and breakfast or how about a Soho House East?

As you can see in the above photographs the grim reaper has commenced doing his dark business at 59 Orient Avenue. I find this curious given the only permit on file is for (and I quote):

ALTERATION TYPE 2 – CONSTRUCTION EQUIPMENT – FENCE REMOVE EXISTING WINDOWS AND CLOSE UP OPENINGS AT 1ST ,2ND 3RD FLS &ROOF. REPLACE EXISTING ENTRYDOOR WITH NEW METAL INSULATED SECURITY DOOR INDICATED ON DRAWINGS FILED HEREWITH. NO CHANGE IN USE EGRESS OR OCCUPANCY UNDER THIS APPLICATION.PROVIDE TEMP. WOOD CONSTRUCTION FENCE

If the purpose of this permit is to ostensibly seal off the property, why is there a gaping hole in the roof? Just curious.

Miss Heather

*Which may not always be daily, but will most certainly feature destruction. Be it legally sanctioned or otherwise.

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Comments

3 Comments on The Daily Destruct-O-Matic

abellenz on Tue, 15th Jul 2008 6:27 pm

Booo! I used to live around the corner, and always expected a horde of ghouls or piecemeal monsters to march out of that house early in the morning. Clearly haunted.

missheather on Tue, 15th Jul 2008 6:31 pm