My Life In Brooklyn

On my return walk on Maple Street I happened to notice what turned out to be an empty wood frame house at what I believe to be 263 or 265 Maple, between Rogers and Nostrand on the north side of the street.

A couple of men were working on the house next door and said the owner of this place died (they heard).  But both said the interior is gorgeous and full of details.  It is a huge place, in the image, the roof that appears at the top — seeming behind the house itself, is actually part of it.

So the owner of the house next door said a pipe burst in this place at one point and he called the city about it; interested parties can expect to see some impact of water in the basement.  It will be interesting to see what happens to it, no telling the money needed for restoration, but I would hate to see a Fedders building here.

Looks like a 1905-1910 era building to me, has some original stained glass visible. No number on the building itself, next door is numbered 261.  This is the next block east of the historic district.

So walking around today I ventured around Kingston Avenue, which I can only summarize as Fedders Central in terms of new construction.  They should consider a name change to Fedders Avenue, maybe they could get some kind of corporate sponsorship.

One block on Maple appears to be mostly new buildings, all with the requisite Fedders slots.  I can’t really say what was there earlier, it could be buildings that were in a sad state and needed to come down.  And it could be they were unnecessary tear-downs.  I did have a look at the satellite maps online – no idea when those images were originally acquired but I assume it has to be within a reasonable period of time — and I can say from the aerial view the block looked very different than it presently does. It would take some research to learn details on this.  However, I think I may map out the buildings that are so very clearly new and in the future continue to obtain pics of those that look as though they are facing the fate of tear down. 

Ultimately this is changing the face of the “greater neighborhood” which perhaps holds little meaning now, and to some may represent nothing but improvement.  However it will not be long, if the tear-downs continue at the current rate and wild abandon, when suddenly the neighborhood will not only look very different but also be very different.  I understand a block away can mean the world of difference by New York City standards.  As I continue to observe the changes in neighborhoods, I do think in this case the impact of greater residential density, cars and traffic, and something that really bothers me — most of these new building have no green space at all — are all factors that will ultimately affect bordering neighborhoods at the very least.

I just believe that development should be for people, not contractors, in design and the context should work within the greater neighborhood.

This is another impressive entry that is a favorite. Sometimes, when I am walking along Ocean Avenue, it reminds my of my walks along Central Park West, in the days when we lived on the park block in the eighties.  This one is 591, on the east side of the street between Albemarle and Church.  Though I do admit, there is nothing to admire about the wires.

I’ve changed my mind and decided to post a pic. I was walking along Clarkson and grabbed this photo of pure ugliness (the parking situation, not the buildings). Honestly, when all we have here is our architecture and the bits of greenery in form of our front yards, this row of buildings screams an affront to any sense of aesthetics. Across the street from this same row of buildings, none of the homeowners are following suit. It must be a major touch of ugliness looking at this every morning from any and all views. Note: among this row, not every building has excavated a parking place. I really wish whatever authorities oversee/approve this kind of use would be more considerate of the overall context of the neighborhood and begin to think about rules that maintain the original sense of the neighborhood. Again I cannot help but wonder if this is even legal, and if so, how did it happen?

I would be in favor of parking permits for each block or area in exchange for the cessation of this kind of makeshift parking.

This building is located on the north side of Lincoln Road between Rogers and Nostrand Avenues (quite close to Nostrand).  Looks like it may still have residents.  Note the symbol over the door.  I’ve been trying to call the Dept. of Buildings to learn what this means (no luck so far).  I have seen this mark on several buildings, plus a similar symbol — a square with an x through it  — on others.  This one may mean unsafe, the symbol with the x through it condemned.  I really do not know, just guessing here.  I forgot to write down the address, but I believe this is 249 Lincoln Road, will confirm later this week, year built estimated to be 1905.

To the right of the building is a garage also part of the property, I believe.  I think it is kind of cute, reminds me of my own house in some ways.  Will be sad if it gets demolished to make way for the new and ugly.

Living in Lefferts Manor (and therefore the historic district), provides a sense of comfort in knowing the overall look of the neighborhood will remain the same.

If there is anything I have learned from walking aound the neighborhood and environs a couple of hours daily, it is that the “Manor” and the “Historic District” are relatively small enclaves.  It only takes about 5 (or fewer) minutes walking from anywhere you live within the historic district, to an area that is not protected by rigid rules and regulations.

Honestly, this worries me.  Not as much for my own street, but when I see the many instances of demolition — houses being sold for the purpose of developing the lot — and ugly new contruction (I am guessing condos) taking place it bothers me.  Seeing what I believe to be houses and buildings that are in disrepair –but far from the point of needing to be condemned – slated for demolition is disturbing, because there are quite a few of them.  This methodolgy is not beneficial to the look and feel of the neighborhood in general.  I view the destruction of historic houses simply for land acquisition as a sad loss.  Replacing these houses by ugly new construction is a further transformation of the neighborhood into an area of tasteless architecture; geared toward contractor advantage rather than anything to benefit the current and future residents of the neighborhood.  Seriously, I do think we have plenty of very large apartment buildings here already.

While we all are deeply concerned about saving landmark buildings such as the Kings Loew’s Theatre, as well we should be, I truly wish there was a movement afoot to track some of the beautiful (wood frame especially) buildings that appear to be meeting a sudden demise via bulldozer to make way for modern brick boxes with Fedders slots.

I have been in some wood frame houses, and while they are not in so much demand as brownstones they are historic, detailed, have lots of woodwork, windows on all sides and frequently have a driveway and garage.  Well worth preservation efforts. 

If this demolition and rebuilding continues, Lefferts Manor and the PLG historic district will be maintained, but a few steps outside will look like a different world.  That is just sad.

If you head south on Flatbush Avenue, past Caton Avenue, you see a notable difference in retail business compared to, say, PLG.  There is a greater variety of businesses, a few larger stores — it has an entirely different look and feel to it.

In the past I have been somewhat impressed by this, bolstered by the NY Times, who published a short article perhaps a year ago discussing the nearly 100% rental rate for retail space in this area.

Lately I have been walking in this area a lot.  Though I still remain impressed by the retail variety and the contrast to my own section of Flatbush,  I can’t help but notice there are plenty of buildings made ugly by the owners using cheap plywood to board up windows on the upper floors, or cover them entirely by signs that are way too large.  It really is too bad, it makes me wonder what the overall atmosphere in this area would be if this changed. 

Here is an example in the image below, 828 Flatbush (just south of Linden), you can see the plywood in most of the windows.  When I see a building with this overall look to it — ill-cared for – to me it impacts the merchant in the lower floor.  At least it makes me question the merchandise.  The building to the right (only a tiny bit of it shows in this pic) has blocked windows as well though look less shoddy due to the material being standardized.

When we lived in Manhattan, it was on a Park block in the 80s, on the west side.  Having invested many, many years in that rent-stabilized apartment, my husband was suddenly facing a possible eviction, the landlord claiming his parents wished to move in.

Now the landlord’s parents would occasionally stop by the building with various trades people, I suppose discussing renovation plans.  He drove a large SUV, she was in a trendy green new (at the time) Beetle.  They lived in Manhattan Beach in Brooklyn.

Suddenly to our great joy, the parental interest in our apartment waned.  Much later, we learned the interest disintegrated when the parents discovered that, unlike Brooklyn, the regulation of buildings is a bit more strict in Manhattan.  As it turns out, the parents had attempted to obtain a variance in order to excavate a garage / parking space under our building (an 1800s era brownstone).  This was, of course, denied.

At the time I was appalled that they would even consider making the attempt at such a variance.  There was one such garage on W. 90th St, but that is the only one I can ever remember seeing.

But then I moved to Brooklyn.  I have to say I find the amount of people who have makeshift parking spaces in their front yards appalling.  Thank goodness for the historic districts.  But just take a walk around Parkside from Flatbush (east) and some of the other side streets outside the district and you will see what I mean.  I have even seen one on Ocean Avenue, on the park block.  It really looks trashy to see cars snugged up to buildings in that way.  On my walks I have taken a number of photos of this but will not post them for issues of privacy.

I would love to see people who are using their front yards this way forced to park on the street, that is where cars belong.  I just cannot imagine this is legal.  I do believe if you choose to live in a city, such as this, you must buy into the rules — and if you wish to have the convenience of a car, you must also deal with the parking related issues.  Rules are made for everyone, not everyone except you.

I believe this is 26 Hawthorne Street, close to Flatbush, south side of the street. This place is completely boarded up.  The mark on the outside of the building in orange must mean something, though I am not sure just what — I can’t imagine it would be scheduled for demolition, though it might well need a gut renovation.

Always a little shock in seeing something once coveted and well-kept in sad disrepair.

I had to post this image because I just thought it was an interesting combination of offerings for a store.  I must return to see if I am able to get a photo when the place is open. I love gems like this.