Greenpoint
Lorven Pharmacy
Culture on the Cheap
From The New York Shitty Inbox: North 12 Street Gets Lit
Filed under: 11211, 11222, Greenpoint, Greenpoint Brooklyn, Greenpoint Magic, Williamsburg, Williamsburg Brooklyn
2600 (who sent the above image) writes:
Vertuccio’s Pizza installed a neon sign today, next to their spy cam, right across from the Green Dome garden. It is time for them to take both down and leave.
My knee jerk reaction to this (after cringing, that is) was to check the Department of Buildings to see if they has a permit for this sign. Sure enough, they do. What I found particularly intriguing was this passage in said permit:
Not knowing offhand about how big McCarren Park is, I decided to consult Google Maps. Vertuccio’s location (232 North 12 Street) is indicated with an “A”.
<
For those of you who are not in the know an acre is 43,560 square feet. Hmm…
Miss Heather
Williamsburg Photo Du Jour: Whitewash
A few thoughts:
- Whitewashing over a Vacate Order— next to perhaps drawing a red circle around said Vacate Order— only serves to draw more attention to said Vacate Order.
- How the hell can a building which is under construction get a Vacate Order? Then again, you can always trust Williamsburg to be on the cutting edge when it comes to such matters.
I guess the Department of Buildings is at long last taking a more pro-active stance when it comes to enforcement.
Miss Heather
New York Shitty Day Ender: C’mon In, We’re Open!
It’s been awhile, but today I walked by Cutting Edge Fitness.
Not surprisingly, this establishment is (still) open for business. Despite a Stop Work Order, the owner of said establishment being barred from operating a gym— for the rest of his life and ordered to pay restitution by the Attorney General’s office and a rather pesky ECB violation: #34754765Y.
Looks like it is business as usual in Williamsburg.
Miss “eagerly anticipating this post’s amplification” Heather
From The New York Shitty Inbox: 155 Calyer Gets SWO’ed
As some of you might remember last year I wrote about the immaculate demolition of 155 Calyer Street. A landmarked property. Well, I have been advised via comments and email the perpetrators, 155 Calyer LLC, have been served.
new writes on 12/31/09:
DOB dropped by this afternoon and posted a love note in the window..
C writes on 1/4/10:
155 calyer got a stop work order
Sure enough, per the Department of Building’s web site 155 Calyer has been served.
Note how the interior demolition is “80% complete”. I wonder what tipped them off?
Perhaps it was this hugeass dumpster out front?
Note how it is placed in a “No Parking” zone. It should also be noted this photograph was taken today, January 4, 2010: a Monday.
If you’re going to break one law, why not break a few more? You’ll get a slap on the proverbial (READ: financial) wrist. That’s the north Brooklyn way!
Miss Heather
New York Shitty Day Ender: The Unbearable Blightness of Being
Filed under: 11211, Bloomblight, Culture War, Williamsburg, Williamsburg Brooklyn
As I mentioned previously, the online and offline zeitgeist in north Brooklyn— be it northside, southside or even Greenpoint was on decidedly on the surly side today. I have spent a great deal of my day patiently listening to people complain about one thing or another that pisses them off. Now it is my turn.
218 North 9 Street
I have no idea who inscribed this on the rapidly deteriorating construction fence which graces this site, but he or she hit the nail on the proverbial head. Follows are a few amenities you can find at this property located in the heart of fashionable Williamsburg.
Pockmarked sidewalks and garbage.
LOTS OF GARBAGE.
As the previous photograph indicates, this open air loft has an open door fence policy. Any and all are welcome to come on over, sit a spell and hang their hat.
Or in this case, a coat.
Who wouldn’t want a balcony looking at this?
Or this?
184 North 8 Street
I have written about this site on a number of occasions. They have since sealed off the garage door which had been pried open. With predictable results.
CANT STOP US WELCOME MATE
236 North 7 Street
But Bloomblight isn’t just about derelict lots. Just take this, for example.
The above summons is for a defective sidewalk shed. Somehow the heap of garbage (which includes a suitcase) was overlooked.
And last, but hardly least…
This failed attempt at public safety hails from North 6 Street just west of Wythe Avenue.
Lest I have not made it clear already I strongly believe people respond to the environment around them. This is why I am a big fan of public art— especially in our subway system. Gestures as grand as a mosaic or as simple as keeping public facilities neat and clean send a positive message. The vigilance (or this case, lack thereof) with which our municipal government enforces the laws put in place to preserve our, the citizenry’s, quality of life speaks volumes about their attitude as public servants.
This is unacceptable. No one should have to live with this.
Miss Heather
P.S.: All the above photographs were taken December 14, 2009.
Quick Link: Immaculate Destruction At St. Saviour’s?
Filed under: Queens
From Queens Crap:
These were taken about 10am this morning at the St. Saviour’s site. There was a partial stop work order in effect which stated that there could be no excavation within 20 feet of the damaged retaining wall and that they were to repair the shoddy construction fence. So they were replacing the fence manually while excavating the wall with heavy equipment without any protection whatsoever for the public. I can’t really describe in words what was going on there – you have to watch these videos to understand. But the arm of the backhoe was swinging out over the sidewalk and they were driving it on top of an unstable mound of dirt. Both 311 and 911 were called but no one came.
You can (and should) read the whole story (including a hilariously Kafkaesque response from the Department of Buildings) by clicking here.
Miss Heather
Greenpoint Photo Du Jour: 211 Huron Street
Filed under: 11222, Bloomblight, Greenpoint, Greenpoint Brooklyn, Greenpoint Magic
It would appear that despite torrential rain, stifling heat and lack of valid permits— a place so special that Joey Arak over at Curbed called it:
…the strangest construction project in Greenpoint…
keeps on keeping on! What’s more, who can’t get teary eyed at the sight of the stars and stripes flying proudly atop of this shitheap. Anyone care to bet on how many stories will be completed before the Department of Buildings issues a Stop Work Order?
Miss Heather
Audience Participation Time: The Ugliest Building In Brooklyn?
Ever since I posted the good news about the L Haus winning the #1 Ugliest Building in Queens my inbox (and incoming links) have been interesting to say the least.
Laura writes:
…regarding the ugliest building in Queens. Love it. Let’s do Greenpoint! Here’s my nominee, the one with the bulls eye. On memorial day my grandson was trying to shoot it with spit balls…
The building of which she speaks— 20 Bayard Street— is, unfortunately, located in Williamsburg. But Brooklyn11211 does a pretty good job of eviscerating it for the pile of shit it is. Halden volleyed the first proverbial spitball at this glass house. So to speak.
Now my buddy over in Queens has gotten into the swing of things. One commenter, Timothy, wrote:
There are some nasty McMansions near me that might qualify as Queens Fugliest. I think we should have a real contest!
I agree. We need a real contest. A Brooklyn versus Queens smack-down of fug infamy— or outer-borough barfchitecture. To this end I have created this flickr group and will get the ball rolling with my nominee: The Luminous.
This colossal pile of crap can be found on Richardson Street, Brooklyn 11222. It is the brain child of Karl Fischer Robert Scarano— who is all too eager to exploit “modification permits” when the mood (and/or money) suits him. The above (and strangely incongruous) brick facade was once a building. As you can see it has been given a new lease on life: the frontispiece and justification for this bigass pile of King’s crap! I for one am very fond of the beam left intact to support the adjacent buildings.
But this half-assed awning (which doesn’t even cover the entire doorway) comes in a close second.
Lovely. As I was taking the above photograph an old-timer painting his garage across the street asked:
Don’t you want to take my picture?
I replied:
Sure. I’d much rather take a photograph of you than that THING across the street.
So I did.
I might end up in the Greenpoint Gazette!
he said. I told him it was a distinct possibility— and that he might become a celebrity. He laughed heartily.
In any case this my inaugural piece of King’s crap to get this bi-borough rumble going.
Hear me, Crappy? Let’s get it on!
Miss Heather
BREAKING: 1043 & 1047 Manhattan Avenue Cordoned Off By Police
Filed under: Greenpoint Magic
After receiving a partial vacate order last September 1043 Manhattan Avenue is continuing to lose its battle with gravity. For those of you who are not in the know the reason this building was deemed hazardous was in part due to structural instability arising from the (illegal) removal of a first floor wall between 1043 and its neighbor, 1047. A violation, I will add, that the Department of Buildings is well aware of; it was dismissed once last year only to become “pending” once again this year. Per a witness at the scene he walked by this building at noon today to find bricks had fallen from the building and landed on the sidewalk. Fortunately no one was in the path of this falling masonry— but that is immaterial— if also very fortuitous, given this came to pass on a Saturday afternoon. This debris could have seriously injured or killed someone.
If you live in Greenpoint I want you to look very carefully at the above photograph. This is what could have landed on your head had you been the wrong person at the wrong place at the wrong time. If this isn’t proof positive that whatever “enforcement” power the Department of Buildings is exercising is not working I do not know what will. Something needs to change.
Or will we have to wait until a(nother) person dies?
Miss Heather
UPDATE, 3:30 p.m.: The tape has been taken down.
More vacate orders and paperwork have been issued.
Life is back to normal at 1043 – 1047 Manhattan Avenue.
My advice to pedestrians:
walk on the other side of the street.
Greenwick Photos Du Jour: Never Forget
Commercial Street
Harrison Place
Miss Heather
P.S.: In related news Construction Safety Week is cometh— and soon!
Just in time for Pa Heather’s visit to our fair city! Boy is he in for a treat.
NYS Flickr Pool
You must be logged in to post a comment.