Rat-Squirrel House Good for Pigeons, Too

There's not been much to report about the old Rat-Squirrel House in Cobble Hill lately. It just sits there, closed down and scaffolded up by the Department of Building, but otherwise ignored by the City. It's just an ongoing eyesore, drooping and decaying before our eyes, with no signs of either renewed life or imminent death hovering on the horizon. I heard one report that the loony owner still sneaks inside some nights, despite express dictates to stay clear of the firetrap.

The building, however, remains attractive to animals. And not just rats and squirrels and termites. The other day, during one of the downpours May has offered New York, a sad, bedraggled pigeon took refuge at the top of the stoop. Wet and cold, it huddled there by the door and showed no signs of budging no matter how close I got. A neighbor told me it had been huddling there most of the week. So the heap of bricks serves some purpose, I guess.