We ran some “Demolition Porn” photos of the site on Friday, which we’d shot through the window of the building. We were wandering by yesterday morning, when we found the fence wide open and the partly collapsed building totally accessible to anyone stupid or drunk enough to wander in. We are not talking about a big hole and some construction equipment here. As you can see in the photos, the site in question is a partly collapsed building. This is not to be confused with the Sunday construction work we found in the neighborhood here and here. We will make a bold statement and suggest that if any employees of the Department of Buildings are on the job on Sundays, it might pay them to drive around Williamsburg sometime. A lazy Seeing Eye Dog could find a ton of serious violations without even panting.

A GL reader forwarded us an email last night about a Park Slope nanny that lost a child in the Ninth Street Playground in Prospect Park. Apparently, a nanny lost track of a child in the playground on Friday and created general panic and a search. The first word circulating in the neighborhood was that the child was abducted. It turned out the child had wandered off:

[The nanny] took her eyes off the child (not sure why and don’t want to speculate) and the child wandered off. She started running around searching for the child and calling out. Other parents saw what was happening and called the police. In the end they found the child in a tunnel safe and sound. The police took the nanny and child with them (presumably to call the parents) since they had responded to an “incident”. Both nanny and child were safe though shaken up by the whole incident.

An earlier email, also drawn from the Nanny News Channel, had talked about a “possible child abduction” in the park. Specifically:

I don’t want to an alarmist, but my nanny tells me a 4 YO was abducted yesterday (Friday) from the 9th street playground, around 12:30 PM. She said the playground was subsequently filled with police and helicopters were overhead. Does anybody have any info about this?

The child apparently was found in a play area “tunnel.”

[Photo courtesy brianwood/flickr]

Here is 90 N. 5th Street in Williamsburg at about 11:30 yesterday morning. While it’s on an industrial block, we’ll note that people live about a half-block away. Six complaints about the building have been lodged with the Department of Buildings, some having to do with–you guessed it–work after-hours and on weekends. Back in March, the Department did issue a Stop Work Order based on illegal after-hours work. However, on June 30, after another complaint about after-hours work, a Department inspection didn’t find a problem. GL, however, found working going on yesterday morning. We will note that we didn’t go looking for it. It was so loud that we heard it from a block-and-a-half way on N. 6th Street and decided to go have a look at what the awful noise (that sounded like a super-loud gunshots) was. Turned out to be construction work at 90 N. 5th. The building will be a five-story condo with 23 units. The architectural firm: Scarano Architects.

• What Will a New Atlantic Yards Design Bring? [AYR]
• Updated Atlantic Yards Design Coming [NYT]
• Tourist Dies from Broken Neck on Cyclone [NYP]
• The Park Slope Corn Stalks Down the Block [NYT]
• Who Killed This Tree? [11222]
• For Rent in Kensington [Kensington Brooklyn]
• Yvette Clarke Writes in Support of Duffield St. Houses [Duffield St. Underground]
• Vacation in Brooklyn? Go to Seagate [Escape Brooklyn]
• No Bus for Brownsville Gifted Program [NYDN]
• Floyd Bennett Field Airshow [GerritsenBeach.Net]
• Work on Boerum Place Kicks into High Gear [110 Livingston]

We came across this post over at the brooklynian site about a contest for photos of of Green-Wood Cemetery. The submission period runs through Sept. 14 and the photos thar are selected will be used in the Green-Wood Historic Fund’s magazine, The Arch. Photos would be from summer/fall 2007 or summer 2007. Here’s the post, which has more detail:

Once again I am running a photo contest/submission for photography of Green-Wood Cemetery during the summer/fall of 2006 and summer 2007 (up to this month) for use in the Green-Wood Historic Fund’s The Arch magazine. We had some great submissions last time and we picked 4 guest photographers…

Your photo submissions are for review only (by me and the brooklynian crew) and may be selected for the Fall issue of The Arch. Like last time, you will receive proper photo credit (and any © info) and a few issues of the Arch mailed to you.

Since they are a not-for-profit, we are not offering a stipend or award for the photos. Just your chance to possibly get you great shots in print! Cool

Please post your images in this thread and I’ll be in touch via PM. Final submissions, if selected, will need to be send as hi-res jpeg files.

I will be closing out the context/submissions by next Friday, 9/14/07 late afternoon.

Images can be from any genre,as long as they are of Green-Wood and during the summer or fall…so, nature, statues, monuments, views, etc.

You can see some of last year’s very, very cool photos (one of which is reproduced here) by clicking here. You can find the thread where you can post images or links by clicking here.

Astroland in Coney Island opens today at noon, for what may be its last day ever. In an era of theme parks and corporate merchandising of amusements, it is a simple and charming anachronism, a reminder of an era whose time has gone. Astroland is the State Fair Midway and the carnival that set up in the church parking lot that you remember from when you were a kid. We love its cluttered, crowded, noisy Brooklyn charm. It touches something deep inside us to look past the Astroland sign and see the trains rumbling past, to go up in the Astrotower and look down or to watch the faces of the children in those simple little rides.

Our sadness isn’t so much that Astroland is going, but that it may be going long before its replacement comes along. Next year, if developer Joe Sitt uses the land as a bargaining chip to pressure the city or exacts revenge for a rejected plan or evicts the former owners because he couldn’t squeeze an extra $500,000 in rent from site, the vacant land surrounded by a blue wall of plywood will sit as a dagger through the heart of one of the most diverse destinations in all of Brooklyn. While not as vile as Fred Trump’s invitation to guests to throw rocks through the windows of Steeplechase Park in 1964, the premature demise of Astroland is no less a symbolic violation of the very soul of a place for which many Brooklynites care deeply.

We have said it before and we will say it again:

Mr. Sitt, if you have some caring or decency in your body, do not murder Astroland before it needs to go. We know that you can and that you have every right to do so, but oftentimes what one can and what one should do are very different things. We have heard you say that there will be amusements on the land next year. If it was a sincere statement, then, why not simply let the current operation continue?

Keep Astroland open until the land needs to be cleared for development.

It might cost you some money and it might deprive you of something to trade with the city, but you will win something priceless: goodwill from many decent, caring people whose public and political support will be helpful to you.

Mr. Sitt, do the right thing.

BONUS: If you want to watch a nice Coney Island slideshow, click here. We found it courtesy of Made_in_Coney78 on the Coney Island Message Board. When we clicked it, it was slow to load, so be patient.

It’s Sunday, which bring us, inevitably, to our Brooklyn Craigslist Missed Connection of the week. Here is this week’s choice:

you honed in on my flaxseed oil conversation on manhattan avenue – m4w – 34

earlier today, friday. you were cute, ebullient and good natured, and i appreciated your ability to to openly smile and interject into another person’s conversation. then you said goodbye. i didn’t think i had the foundation for chatting you up without being a lame guy, so i said nothing. plus i was all nasty from two hours of paddleball. i should maybe take a lesson from my sister’s husband who started talking to her on a bus in india. um, are you reading this?

Our first Omega-3 fatty acid-related missed connection.

Honorable Mention:
I had and frying pan and bubble wand on the L, you asked about them

• Don’t Rock the Boat in Red Hook, Watch the Opera [NYT]
• Rally to Save Coney Island’s Astroland [Gothamist]
• Last Blast for Astroland Buffs as Ride Ends [NYDN]
• Astroland Park [classicgrrrl79/flickr]
• A Development Moratorium Resolution? [Carroll Gardens Petition]
• Brooklyn Hipsters vs. Manhattan Hipsters [NYP]
• The Sea from Red Hook [Lex’s Folly]
• Where is the Williamsburgh Savings Banks Bldg Clock? [NYT]
• Something is Very, Very Red in Greenpoint [newyorkshitty]
• Inconsiderate Greenpoint Nightlife [11222]
• Dumbo Links of the Week [Dumbo NYC]
• Atlantic Yards Makes “Damages” [No Land Grab]
• Not Over Yet on Duffield Street [Duffield St Underground]
• Plumb Beach Attack Case Update [GerritsenBeach.Net]
• Things That Have Gone Extinct in the South Slope [Brooklynometry]
• Five New Myrtle Ave. Restaurants in Five Weeks [Myrtle Minutes]
• The Kensington Facebook Page [Kensington Brooklyn]
• Sunday Open Houses [Brooklyn Heights Blog]
• Junk Your Junk Mail [Green Brooklyn]

Here’s a sampling of some of the comments left by GL readers during the last week:

Terrier Menaced by Skateboard & What’s Up With Bicyclists? “…something I’ve been really trying to do lately is follow the rules of the road; stopping at traffic lights, yielding to peds, riding with traffic etc. At the end of the day it only adds minimal time to my commute, and I don’t come home foaming at the mouth with road rage. As a bonus, I’m occasionallly rewarded with zenlike rides where it all clicks, I make every green light, the weathers perfect, smirking at my fellow cyclist who hasn’t learned this and is yelling f*** words at cab drivers etc. I think if we want cars to follow the rules, cyclists have to abide by them as well. That doesn’t mean that parking in the bike lane, looking at me then looking away while jaywalking right into my path, the taxi cab cut off turn is right etc, etc.” [Anonymous]

Terrier Menaced by Skateboard & What’s Up With Bicyclists? “I bike to work every day through “ProHi” and “PaSlo”, I ride in the bike lane when there is one, I wear a helmet, I have a light and a bell (ding! ding!) and I am quite conservative when it comes to intersections after being blindsided, doored and run off the road so many times.” [Anonymous]

Why Brooklyn is Better: Aggressive Geese and Biting Raccoons “Its true about the geese. The ducks are fine though. I”ve fed them several times, the geese will just get closer and closer and completely surround you and then start making grabs at your bread bag. Its very intimidating. Go give it a shot. Now when I go I make sure to find an area where there are no geese around.” [Anonymous]

Coney Island Deathwatch: The Plywood Rundown “Maybe Joe Sitt thought Thor was the god of destruction and blight.” [Anonymous]

On its last day of the season–and, possibly forever, if developer Joe Sitt does not agree to a one-year extension on its lease–here are a whole bunch of videos from the YouTube of Astroland.

Art Dog was at the Plaza tonite. After several hours of working on the Plaza, the police (two men and a woman) surrounded Art Dog at the Plaza. While they had been driving by all night in squad cars and not bothering Art Dog whatsoever, these three police people emerged from a yellow taxi cab (I kid you not).

“What are you doing?” they asked, catching Art Dog off guard.

Art Dog was a little nervous but calmly said, “I am painting an email address on the wall here.”

So the police said, “Why?”

And Art Dog said, “For CORD”

The Police said, “Who is CORD?”

Art Dog answered, “The Coalition for Respectful Development.”

“Hmmmmm” one answered surveying the work (which now occupies the entire wall).

The three police spent time reading and looking. As they looked at the wall, one said, “Did you do ALL of this????”

“Sort of”…. “Well, not really.”….”Some of it,” said Art Dog, planning for the inevitable ride with them to the station.

“What is this all about?” said the police.

“Well,” said art Dog, “They want to build a VERY! big building right here in and they want to start in about three weeks, and no one is listening to the residents here so CORD started this petition…..

“Right WHERE?” asked the police, looking for an empty space to hold such a big building.

Art Dog is very used to this question because no one emerging from the subway or walking by can EVER! picture where this building will go or how in the world it will fit so many units over the subway station and plaza.

So Art Dog spent time patiently pointing out the spot and explaining the entire situation.

“We might lose this subway plaza right here,” Art Dog said at the end of this little explanation and plaza tour.

“So what is CORD doing?” asked the police.

“Well,” Art Dog explained, we just had a Town Hall meeting up the street at Scotto’s Funeral Home two weeks ago. Bill deBlasio was there and Joan Millman and Yvette Clarke and a bunch of other people and CORD started this petition drive and collected over two thousand signatures from the residents here and we all want want an immediate building moratorium until the public can learn about ALL the options for downzoning and landmarking and today Chanel 12 news was even here and put CORD and this wall here with the drawings on television tonite.”

“So you are protesting this building?” the policeman asked.

“Yes,” said Art Dog ready for the ride downtown….

“Well don’t you think it is kinda late and you should just go home now since you look a little suspicious here?

“Absolutely!” said Art Dog who happliy packed up and left while the three police people got back into the Yellow Cab and drove away. You can not make this stuff up.

The Carroll Gardens developments stories just keep on giving.

I looked around for some sort of logo, but this appears to be the project of an individual Brooklynite. My assumption is that this person missed their backyard vegetable garden and decided to install a mobile one, allowing them to park it in the sunlight as needed. The truck is outfitted with a system to catch rainwater and disperse it among the plants — a very robust little crop of peppers, tomatoes, etc…Last seen on St. John’s Place in the Slope between 6th and 7th Aves.

Us, we have window boxes and settle for flowers, but this is very cool.

There is an important update in the still developing story of the roster of the Thor Equities Coney Island team. You might recall that, on Wednesday, Lee Silberstein of the Marino Organization, which has handled public relations for the embattled Coney Island redevelopment plan, let people know that he was no longer on the Thor job. The next day, we found out that the firm working as Thor’s land use attorney, Kramer Levin, was also off the Coney job. Yesterday, Crains filled in some important detail on the identity of the new players:

In a sign that Thor Equities is gearing up for a fight over the Bloomberg administration’s proposal for rezoning of Coney Island, the company has hired James Capalino of Capalino & Co. and Knickerbocker SKD to handle its lobbying, public relations and outreach moving forward. Landowner Thor has submitted several designs for remaking the amusement park, but the Department of City Planning has rejected them and is expected to present its own vision this fall. A Bloomberg administration spokesman says, “We remain committed to our objectives for Coney Island and are looking forward to working with stakeholders to achieve them.”

Mr. Capalino is a former commissioner in the Koch Administration. One of our very informed Coney sources confirmed that both the Marino Organization and Kramer Levin were dismissed by developer Joe Sitt. “Joe apparently isn’t listening to anyone who isn’t telling him what he wants to hear,” he observes.

The timing is weird, given that the tornado spawning storm that hit Brooklyn occurred a month ago, but President Bush has finally signed a disaster declaration for Brooklyn. It makes residents eligible to apply for federal and state disaster assistance. Those who suffered damage or losses from the severe storms and flooding are encouraged to register:

· By phone by calling 1-800-621-FEMA
· online at www.fema.gov
· Speech or hearing impaired individuals should call TTY 1-800-462-7585.
· The toll-free numbers are open 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. seven days a week.

A flurry of emails hit inboxes yesterday afternoon after the declaration was finally signed. You can check out more details at the CityRoom.

Images:
Brooklyn Exchange Church (above) [seriously excited!]
Gold on Coney Island Avenue [Atomische]
Laundromat [No Words_Daily Pix/OTBKB]
Carnival Creature Desktop [Brit in Brooklyn]
Umbrella on the Pier [Park Slope Street Photography]

Not Images:
Remember, Brownstoner’s Salvagefest is Today [Brownstoner]
Bodega Shuttered for “Illegal Activity” [Racked]
Preserving Local Business [Brit in Brooklyn]
Swimming Under the Brooklyn Bridge? [NYC Swim via McBrooklyn]
First West Nile Bite in Brooklyn [NYP]
Why is Bartel Pritchard Square Round? [Brooklynometry]
Rumblings at 110 Green [newyorkshitty]
Weekend Pleasures [Bed-Stuy Blog]

We’ve been busy over at Curbed this week. Here’s a sampling of this short post-Labor Day week’s output over there:

• Karl Fischer Friday #1: Growth Atop Ikon Takes Shape (above)
• Karl Fischer #2: The Fischer Collection
• Here’s a $100K Brooklyn Condo
• Carroll Gardens Walls & Sidewalks Get Political
• Burg’s 55 Berry is Lonely No More
• Williamsburg’s Finger Building Needs New Permission Slip
• Who Will Front for Thor in Coney Island Now?
• Williamsburg Getting More Bike Parking Peninsulas
• Aqua Condo Buyers Upset They Can’t Go in the Pool
• Bay Ridge Victorians on Death Row
• Union Ave. Williamsburg Teardown: Manhattan Chocolate Going