What were they thinking?
After a non-walking day with the rain yesterday, I was itching to be outside. I headed south thinking it would be fun to revisit Victorian Flatbush. In my collection are a couple of vintage postcards showing corners of Beverley and Albemarle. For a while it has been on my mind to attempt an “after” recreation of the “before” scenes in the postcards.
Anyway so I was walking along Church and I saw the army guy from Chateau Frontenac drinking coffee on one street corner (we surreptitiously nodded acknowledgement) and not five minutes later another person from a prior walk saw me from across the street. She crossed over and we talked for a while and now know each other’s forenames.
I wandered around Albemarle, Buckingham, Rugby and a couple other streets. Totally forgetting to set up the photo image, so therein is an excuse for another visit. There is just so much to look at in that area. Another time I may post commentary on some of my street observations of the surrounding area as well.
Eventually, heading home, I decided to walk North on Bedford, where I found some notable graffiti. Then I saw this new ugly building located on the east side of Bedford between Tilden and Albemarle. No sooner had I snapped the pic shown above when a group of people I had not noticed previously, sitting on a stoop across from the building, called me over.
“You want to buy that place?” one guy asked me.
“No, I don’t,” I answered. “Would you want to buy it?”
Everyone shook his or her head no.
“Well, we saw you take a picture,” the same guy said.
“I like to take pictures of ugly buildings sometimes,” I answered.
Well, that comment opened the floodgate. The stoop-sitters are not happy with this building by any means. One woman told me the owners were asking $850k, “Each!” she said emphatically. Only no one wanted to buy it. And long story short the developers sold the building to the city and now it will be transitional housing. Something the stoop-folk are not so happy about either. So there you have it, another sour deal for the locals.
Though the selling the building to the city part is an interesting concept. I bet the developers still did okay with it financially – I loathe thinking this (the city purchase) could be a routine event.
Of course I have to add a disclaimer that this is unverified stoop talk, but food for thought nonetheless.
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