Atrium House
19 Powers Street
Mesh Achitectures
Photo: BB2012
Not much love for north Brooklyn in this year’s Building Brooklyn (™) awards, but I’m sure that’s probably as it should be. The only project in Williamsburg and Greenpoint to get a nod was “Atrium House” at 19 Powers Street (Mesh Architectures). Nearby, Building 92 at the Navy Yard was also honored (and is very much worth a visit, if you haven’t been).
705 and 707 Willoughby Avenue
Architect: C. P. H. Gilbert?, 1885
Photo: via PropertyShark
Chris Gray and his Streetscapes column were back in Brooklyn this week, profiling one of the great architects of the Gilded Age. Much of Gilbert’s early work was done in the Park Slope area, but his first Brooklyn commission may have been this pair of buildings on Willoughby Avenue in Bed-Stuy.
Despite the permastone, there are some traces of old stuff, particularly the profile of the roof and the cresting atop it. And the massing of the buildings looks quite consistent with Gilbert’s other work of the period.
The Post sure didn’t pull any punches in its profile of prolific architect Karl Fischer. Fischer is responsible for some pretty questionable buildings (I still can’t figure out where the entrance to 20 Bayard is), but he is far from the worst practitioner of architecture in Brooklyn.
On the other hand, I think it is telling that his “least favorite” buildings in NY are the Herman Jessor-designed co-operative village buildings in Corelears Hook (Seward Park Houses and Corlears Hook Houses) – some of the most successful working-class housing developments in the city, and the culmination of four decades of progressive housing in the neighborhood. The designs might be simple, but the planning and execution are wonderful. And they’re still standing (and in demand) 50 years later.
WilliamsburgHotel, proposed
The Architects Newspaper has the winning renderings from an “international design competition” for a hotel on the parking lot to the west of the landmarked Williamsburgh Savings Bank, which look pretty amazing in a 40-story sort of way. Brownstoner wonders how theoretical this project is, and the answer is probably “extremely”. The developer is not named , nor are the other competition entrants (the design is from Oppenheim A + D [warning: Flash site]). It is not clear if this is requires zoning waivers, or if the project is using development rights (and waivers) from the landmark bank next door. Etc. Etc.
Still – pretty pictures (pigeons and all) to contemplate.
Nighthawk Cinema and Apartments
Caliper Studio, architects
The Nighthawk Cinema building gets a nice feature (and a lot of nice photos) on ArchDaily.
A post script to the last linked item – F. J. Berlenbach (Jr. or Sr.) was not the architect of the Church of the Annunciation. It was this guy.
The Wooden House Project is a new blog by Elizabeth Finkelstein that deals with Brooklyn’s wood-frame row houses. The site is well-designed and content-rich, and it’s a subject that is very near to my heart, so I am looking forward to some good things. If this post is any indication, this site has a lot of promise.
[via @Brooklynology]
Wyckoff Exchange
22-28 Wyckoff Avenue
Andre Kikoski Architect
Photo: Dezeen
The Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce announced its Building Brooklyn awards (Brownstoner has the details; they’re not up on the BB site yet). For a change, North Brooklyn has some really good projects in the mix, including the Newtown Creek sewage plant (Ennead Architects), the Austin Nichols & Company Warehouse (aka 184 Kent Avenue; SLCE Architects with Walter B. Melvin Architects preservation architect), the Mason Fisk Building (72 Berry; Meshberg Group), the Brooklyn Brewery (Fradkin & McAlpin Architects) and the Wyckoff Exchange (Andre Kikoski Architect).
