The news that this building in Long Island City is soon to be destroyed hit me particularly hard because, well, the thing is so goddamn beautiful. I mean, for an everyday apartment building, it's pretty amazing. Particularly the gracefully curved red-and-white-brick patterning at the corner, and the connecting lintel work on the first and second stories. The cornice rocks. Even the fire escape it in harmony.
liQcity says the building, at the corner of 44th Rd and Crescent St, must bow to the Philistine wishes of Rockrose, which is tearing it down to make way for a 42-story, 704-unit tower made of super-sucky glass and steel, which you can have a studio in for the low, low price of $2,100 a month. Rockrose is responsible for a lot of crapitecture that's due to go up in LIC in the coming months and years. Rockrose loves LIC so much, it would sooner destroy it that have it fall into some other unworthy's arms.
There is just no justice in this crazy world. I don't understand how someone could look at that and think: "expendable."
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful little building. It has such personality and charm that I can almost worry about the pain that building will feel from the wrecking ball. (Anthropomorphizing, I know, but how can one help it?) I just despair of the imported greed (I'm looking straight at you and your pals, Bloomie) that has overwhelmed a once fabulously complex, gorgeous-ugly, rich-poor, ethnic-waspy, dizzlingly wonderful city of possibilities.
ReplyDeleteI live in Hell's Kitchen and they're dropping like flies. Sad, sad, sad.
ReplyDeletehttp://pawdrix.zenfolio.com/p1006248062/
Look at my images...I'm sure you will love them. Like you, I focus on people, places and the general vibe of the city that's being crushed by development.
Please feel free to use any image you'd like on your site I'm sure there are a few that will strike your fancy...
http://www.nypress.com/21/10/news&columns/mailbox.cfm
That's one that was just published in the NY Press.
Thanks for the blog. Cheers-Steve