Author: Halden

Weekend Update Update

06/05/2009 | Comment

The Renegade Craft Fair is so renegade, they send press releases the night before the big event. (They probably sent one weeks ago, but I just missed it.) So, to add the itinerary this weekend, here is

The Renegade Craft Fair

The flowers are blooming once again, and that can only mean one thing….tis the season of the CRAFT FAIR! Coming up this weekend, June 6 & 7th, 11-7, in McCarren Park (not the pool this year, cuz the’re turning it into an actual pool! for swimming and diving and cool water and stuff! yay!)…it’s coming THIS WEEKEND!, so be prepared! we’re trying to be!! 😉



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Weekend Edition

It looks as though the skies are going to clear in time for a nice weekend. Here are some weekend events to get you out of the house.

Williamsburg Walks

Tomorrow is the season opening for Williamsburg Walks, which this year runs every Saturday through June and July. Bedford Avenue will be closed to traffic between Metropolitan Avenue and North 9th Street. This year, civic and cultural groups will be programming certain blocks. This Saturday’s “host” will be the Williamsburg Gallery Association, which will provide creative programming, such as live music, performance art, installations, gallery booths, public art projects, activities for kids, and more. The WGA block of Williamsburg Walks will be a vibrant display of the diverse arts of the Williamsburg community.

Slate Gallery will have a table featuring the work of Mr. Imagination, a charismatic and flamboyant outsider artist who creates sculptures in the vein of traditional African Art using found materials of all varieties. Works are available at many price levels.

Other highlights include wheel-throwing pottery demonstrations and instruction by local design showroom and ceramic studio Choplet (all afternoon); an acoustic post-afrobeat band featuring members of the Superpowers afrobeat ensemble (2pm) and local artist Marc Breslin be making a long continuous drawing over the course of a few hours as a commentary on histories of violence (starting at 2pm).

Where: Bedford Avenue
When: Saturday, noon to 8 pm
Price: Free

Rooftop Films

Stingray Sam – A dazzling six-episode musical-western comedy that takes place in outer space, written, directed by and starring Cory McAbee, the creator of The American Astronaut. The filmmakers will be in attendance. Watch the trailer here.

Where: on the roof of the Brooklyn Tech, 29 Fort Greene Place (Fort Greene, Brooklyn) MAP
When: Saturday, June 6th. Doors open at 8; Sound Fix will have a live music show at 8:30, and the movie starts at 9.
Price: $9 – order tickets here

Partial Collapse: 223 Kent Avenue

06/02/2009 | 2 Comments

48N1.jpg
223 Kent Avenue
Collapse was at the far left in photo
Photo: Property Shark


As reported on Curbed, there was a partial wall collapse at 223 Kent Avenue (48 North 1st Street) this afternoon. I went by after work, and it was a pretty amazing sight.

As Curbed alluded to, the new building under construction next door was pouring concrete for a side wall. This side wall was supposed to abut against 48 North 1st, but when the concrete started pouring, the end wall of the old building did not hold. As a result, the end wall at the third floor collapsed, dumping all of the concrete into the building. Most important, no one was hurt (and there were people in the building when this happened). By the time I got there (around 7:00), DOB had things remarkably under control. I could see shoring being installed inside the building, and DOB’s forensic engineer was running the stabilization effort. It is possible that wall itself will be fixed by this time tomorrow, although how soon the residents will be able to move back in is not clear.



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What Passes for Optimism

05/31/2009 | 2 Comments

Regarding that article in the Real Estate section in which I was quoted, ThatGreenpointBlog (in the course of saying some nice things about me – the feeling is mutual) has taken exception to the “optimistic view of Greenpoint” conveyed by the article.

Golly, it was an article in the Real Estate section (and a good one, at that). If you were expecting a hard-hitting investigative piece on the state of Greenpoint after the collapse of the world economy, you’re reading the wrong section of the paper. Besides, I have to say that I’m hard pressed (having reread the article a couple of times) to find the rampant cheerleading. Can an article that talks about the GTM fire, a 17-million gallon oil spill, Newtown Creek Superfunding, a waterfront wasteland, a 20% year-over-year drop in real estate prices, and the lack of promised parks and open space really be that optimistic?

And for the record (I’m looking at you, Commenter #4, “Bri” – Community Board 1 voted against the 2005 rezoning because it was too much development, not enough affordable housing, not enough protection for local industry and not enough parks and open space. You can look it up (here too).



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Driggs Avenue Insta-Building

05/26/2009 | Comment

506-driggs.jpg
506 Driggs Avenue


This new building at 506 Driggs (at North 9th Street) sprouted like a weed over the past few months. It had been an empty lot for ages, but since construction started in January, its quickly turned into this pile of CMU. Per DOB, the four-story building is designed by Frank S. Smith Architect (website coming soon!)of Maspeth, and is slated to have 6 units of housing, with ground-floor retail and a 3-car garage. I have no idea what all those pieces of wood are for.

Odds on it being an aesthetic contribution to the neighborhood? Pretty slim, I’d say. I hope I’m wrong.



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444 Graham – The Race is On?

05/26/2009 | Comment

The main impetus for the contextual zoning application that is wending its way through the public review process (Marty approved it – next up City Planning Commission) is the proliferation of grossly acontextual buildings all over North Brooklyn. No other part of the community has suffered worse than that corner of East Williamsburg just south of the BQE and east of Graham Avenue (dubbed the Luminous Condo Corner). Now, the owner of 444 Graham Avenue is hoping to give the neighborhood one last finger before the contextual rezoning becomes law.

The project is a 14-story, 69 unit residential development on Graham between Frost and Richardson (the former Marino Tile building). Designed by local architect Philip Toscano (still no website for him), the project has been approved by DOB but no permits have been pulled. The site itself is truly wacked – the main frontage is on Graham Avenue, and from there the lot runs some 300′ feet or so down the center of the block, with small pieces facing onto Frost and Richardson.

City Planning is holding a hearing on the contextual rezoning on June 3rd – from there it moves on to the Council and the Mayor to become law. Optimistically, that process will take another four to six weeks – a lot of time to demolish buildings and pour something resembling a foundation. So the race is on.



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