Gowanus Lounge: Serving Brooklyn

Think Fast: Is This Berlin or Brooklyn?

February 17th, 2009 · 4 Comments

Ha. Ha. It could be a trick question or it might not. What is this building? Where is it? Is it in Eastern Berlin, say in the wilds of Prenzlauerberg? Or is it in our very own borough, and if so where?

Per our photographer Steven Skollar, who we couldn’t credit above because it might have been a giveaway to close readers of GL. People who drive the Belt Parkway will know it isn’t Berlin in 1991, but our very own Brooklyn. Per Mr. Skollar: “It is a building along the Belt Parkway Exit 4 &5 at about Bay 48th street, I think??? I took this photo to be able to tell where I was.” All we can say is, damn, that is some mighty impressive shit. If there’s any reader with specific knowledge leave a kind comment down below. Us, we think we’ll be seeing a few buildings here and there looking like this before the end of the Deep Great Recession.

Tags: GL Quiz

4 responses so far ↓

  • 1 J // Feb 17, 2009 at 9:55 am

    I doubt this is over by the Belt @ Bay 48th, since that’s near Exit 6/Cropsey Ave/Coney Island and there’s nothing looking like that. For years there has been an old decaying nursing home type place on Cropsey Avenue (the street running parallel to the Belt that this was taken on) around Bay Parkway/23rd Avenue that is just starting to be under construction that looks similar to this. Perhaps this is the backside that’s visible from the Belt? In any case, it was like this during the real estate boom years too, so I have no idea what the story is, but it’s not related to the downturn.

  • 2 Daniel // Feb 17, 2009 at 1:13 pm

    This is by the Belt @ Bay 48th. It is the back of the building.

    The Fence you see if the foreground construction for a new overpass they are building right there.

  • 3 cmm // Feb 17, 2009 at 6:22 pm

    Did this used to be an old folks home?

  • 4 Gowanus lounge doesn’t know real estate. // Feb 19, 2009 at 11:23 am

    […] This post is utterly laughable. Everyone knows that this building is a very long abandoned jewish nursing home. […]