tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21554899.post2950075800141707637..comments2024-03-26T04:26:04.911-07:00Comments on Lost City: The Eyesore of Union StreetBrooks of Sheffieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18297071358029060908noreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21554899.post-7533247299878263592007-04-23T06:14:00.000-07:002007-04-23T06:14:00.000-07:00I'm glad the building has so many friends. The ugl...I'm glad the building has so many friends. The ugly kid on the block always needs all the allies he can get.Brooks of Sheffieldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18297071358029060908noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21554899.post-21685370942638077782007-04-22T21:07:00.000-07:002007-04-22T21:07:00.000-07:00I like it. It's 'inspiringly' different.Get over y...I like it. It's 'inspiringly' different.<BR/>Get over yourself.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21554899.post-78737543770942160632007-04-20T15:13:00.000-07:002007-04-20T15:13:00.000-07:00Actually, I'd say that taking the surrounding area...Actually, I'd say that taking the surrounding area into consideration and calibrating how your buidling will fit into it, is one of the primary duties of architects. That can mean blending in, or it can mean complimenting the neighboring buildings. And, sorry, but the idea that the house is great-looking inside has nothing to do with anything. I bet those apartment complexes built in the Soviety bloc countries has really smokin' kitchens!Brooks of Sheffieldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18297071358029060908noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21554899.post-72703942270651441982007-04-20T11:26:00.000-07:002007-04-20T11:26:00.000-07:00One thing I have always loved about New york is th...One thing I have always loved about New york is that you can be whoever you want to be and dress/look however you want to look and no one cares. How is it then that, in New York, the discussion as to what constitutes good architecture has been hijacked by those whose first question is "does it fit in?" I am all for preserving great, historic architecture. But, I cannot stand the knee-jerk reaction for preserving every old building just because they are old nor the idea that new buildings must be built "in context" with old buildings nearby. The result has been what I often call "Epcot Center Architecture" or even worse "architectural gray matter." The very fact that one poster was willing to give that ugly building to the right a pass simply because it was built using red brick demonstrates the problem. That building says nothing more than "I hope you won't notice me." It is "gray matter" and, if this is what is acceptable in order to keep things within "context," this city's architectural future is indeed bleak. Apparently, for some, architectural context is a function of color and/or building materials, rather than an assessment of the quality of architectural expression. That new building is a breath of fresh air and probably a great place to live.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21554899.post-57056881102653913892007-04-20T10:24:00.000-07:002007-04-20T10:24:00.000-07:00I hate change. Every building should be a shabily...I hate change. Every building should be a shabily built fake brownstone. In my day a brownstone cost a quarter. All of this natural lighting and utilizing roof space is bunch of foolishness.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21554899.post-64059345751103380632007-04-20T10:01:00.000-07:002007-04-20T10:01:00.000-07:00Well, the verdict of the people is in and the verd...Well, the verdict of the people is in and the verdict is: "not that bad." The building is not that bad. Could be worse. Sadly, in this day and age in NYC of public resignation in the face of feckless, inspiration-free development, "not that bad" is a fate we can apparently live with. But, if you let the "not that bad"s pile up, you very soon live in a city that looks "not that good."Brooks of Sheffieldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18297071358029060908noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21554899.post-58894991878732003422007-04-20T09:49:00.000-07:002007-04-20T09:49:00.000-07:00I don't think it's that bad. That part of Union i...I don't think it's that bad. That part of Union is a mess anyone and this adds at least something of interest. The often mentioned brownstown with alien addition at 3rd Place and Clinton is much worse.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21554899.post-27835560586328011582007-04-20T09:38:00.000-07:002007-04-20T09:38:00.000-07:00Look, what that building replaced wasn't exactly a...Look, what that building replaced wasn't exactly anything particularly historical. Its not like they tore down the house of Winston Churchill's mother (just a couple of blocks away, in case ya didn't know!) to put that thing up. And to be honest, it's not that bad. I always thought it looked kind of Mediterranean... actually reminded me of building I saw in Greece, Cyprus or Israel.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21554899.post-41394216075071024572007-04-20T08:30:00.000-07:002007-04-20T08:30:00.000-07:00I drive and walk by here a lot and until this pict...I drive and walk by here a lot and until this picture never actually noticed the building. The driveway actually blends in with the next few driveways on that street. I don't think it stands out too much, although I do think the building materials are a bit strange. I'll have to take a closer look next time I'm on Union.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21554899.post-78209255823317781332007-04-20T07:28:00.000-07:002007-04-20T07:28:00.000-07:00I agree that this is an eyesore, but what about th...I agree that this is an eyesore, but what about that hideosity on the corner of Clinton and Second Place (or is it First?)? The Brownstowne that was expanded and stretched with garage in the back...ick.Alexumahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15578802505328886937noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21554899.post-4584105573252566612007-04-20T05:15:00.000-07:002007-04-20T05:15:00.000-07:00Seems this building elicits strong opinions on bot...Seems this building elicits strong opinions on both sides of the arguments. Thanks for the feedback, guys. In response, I'll say that the building on the right is indeed ugly, too. But, in favoring dark brick, it at least made a half-assed attempt to fit in with the block. And for Anonymous #2, I'm not a born and bred Carroll Garderner, no, but I've been here 15 years, before the neighborhood was rediscovered and the boom began.Brooks of Sheffieldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18297071358029060908noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21554899.post-20177131667281623472007-04-19T22:42:00.000-07:002007-04-19T22:42:00.000-07:00I dunno, I like it. But then, fifteen years of li...I dunno, I like it. But then, fifteen years of living in historical garrets in Paris has left me favoring modernity. I think it's actually kind of pretty in a really simple way. I happen to hate brownstones. They're dark, too close to eachother in general, and I see nothing stately about them. They're stodgy, and they remind me of London, which I find pretty ugly. Nope, I will not hate this building. Variety is the spice of life.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21554899.post-27966969596145604782007-04-19T21:41:00.001-07:002007-04-19T21:41:00.001-07:00It has a place but not on that block or that neigh...It has a place but not on that block or that neighborhood. Try Seattle.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21554899.post-69279846123810975032007-04-19T19:48:00.000-07:002007-04-19T19:48:00.000-07:00I'm sorry, but I think the building on the right i...I'm sorry, but I think the building on the right is 10x uglier than the modernist gone astray. I, personally, would be thrilled to have that roof deck and those large windows. Not a masterpiece, but airy and MUCH nicer than the trash next to it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21554899.post-34962257849426705462007-04-19T19:33:00.000-07:002007-04-19T19:33:00.000-07:00union street gives some reason for hating these da...union street gives some reason for hating these days -- see b/w smith and court. i live near the latest creation, which i can't quite hate, but don't want to like...325 or so. they built what's starting to be the equiv. of a double-wide trailer..<BR/><BR/>thanks for calling union to account.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21554899.post-9664857204028493352007-04-19T19:29:00.000-07:002007-04-19T19:29:00.000-07:00no, i'm with anonymous, you really are freaking ou...no, i'm with anonymous, you really are freaking out. i would hazard a guess that you are part of the same process of gentrification that made this building possible. there are many brooklyn neighborhoods where you could happily fetishize brownstones without the risk of the new.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21554899.post-30003835827406296472007-04-19T15:12:00.000-07:002007-04-19T15:12:00.000-07:00Look below. Love Chumley's. Love the La Delice Pas...Look below. Love Chumley's. Love the La Delice Pastry Shop. Love Lattacini Barese Salumeria. Love La Cote Basque. Love old signs, wooden telephone booths, love lots of stuff. Hate that building.Brooks of Sheffieldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18297071358029060908noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21554899.post-19001622488612452702007-04-19T15:02:00.000-07:002007-04-19T15:02:00.000-07:00stop hatingstop hatingAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com