As it turns out–and this was almost a no-brainer–there was a significant police presence in Carroll Park yesterday afternoon and evening. One reader reports:
On the way home from the F train I saw two uniform cops on Smith Street near the park, and two more on Court Street near Kane. I haven’t seen that many just hanging out ever before (unless there was a parade or something).
Another reader writes:
I saw a circling patrol car, 3 cops, including 1 captain, 4 park employees.
And, then, there was this e-mail, which was connected to the Carroll Gardens Neighborhood Association and speaks of the extent to which the story seems to have made an impression on police brass:
I am writing to allay fears about the recent incident in Carroll Park. I just spoke with Maria Pagano of CGNA and with Captain Kemper at the 76th preceinct. They are both aware of this incident and would like more information from the individuals involved…Maria has informed me that Captain Kemper has assured her that a uniformed officer will be stationed at Carroll Park every day. We are hoping that this will reassure the community and put a lid on the escalating “buzz.”
Of course, there are many issues concerning new residents and longtime residents and wealthy residents versus low-income residents, and there are many issues about a lack of positive recreational opportunities for neighborhood children and teens that policing won’t solve.
There’s a Coney Island article in the Village Voice this week that touches on the interesting topic of Dick Zigun of Coney Island USA and his role in the redevelopment of Coney. Almost more interesting than the article itself is Mr. Zigun’s reaction to it. Among other things, he calls it a “bullshit piece,” but first here’s an excerpt from the Voice piece:
You can be sure the new developers aren’t planning any Baby Parade. In fact, it’ll be a miracle if the Mermaid Parade can hang on, though the legendary Dick Zigun—who is almost single-handedly responsible for the landmark status that now protects the Parachute Jump, the Wonder Wheel, and the Cyclone, who runs the Coney Island sideshow (the last one in the USA!) and the Coney Island Museum (he’s got that film of Topsy’s execution) and who first thought up the Mermaid Parade—insists that it’s not in danger.
You might think Zigun would be full of unmitigated hatred for the developers, but you would be wrong. “There’s a lot of bad information getting out,” he says as we sit at a red-and-yellow picnic table, within earshot of the museum’s barker extolling acts like Insectavora and the Twisted Shockmeister. “I am not nostalgic at all about empty lots, furniture stores, and bus-parking lots. If the developers are going to build nightclubs and restaurants and rides, I’m all for it. What’s wrong with having a 21st-century amusement park?”
“But what about Ruby’s?” I ask. “Ruby’s is closing. Ruby’s and Cha Cha’s they will rip down,” Zigun says flatly and with an alarming lack of sympathy. Actually, this is devastating news—who doesn’t love a place like Ruby’s, a boardwalk institution with a soused clientele sitting on dilapidated couches in the back, and thousands of photos of summers past plastered behind the bar?…
In any case, not everyone thinks Zigun and his empire of freaks is so peachy. By chance, I run into Manny Cohen, who is (shall we say) more than a little skeptical of the developers and their big plans. Cohen is puffing on a cigar outside his own empire, the Coney Island Arcade. “Oh, you talked to the traitor?” he chuckles, nodding in the direction of the sideshow. Cohen has nothing but contempt for the developers: “They’re gonna privatize the beach! This used to be a poor people’s paradise!” He’s says he’s sure that the developers must be buying a new museum space for Zigun because, as Cohen so eloquently puts it, “he doesn’t have a pot to pee in.”
Now some of Mr. Zigun’s reaction from a letter he posted on the Coney Island Message Board that he sent to the voice:
Re: Lynn Yaeger’s feature on Coney Island wherein she writes about my “alarming lack of sympathy” and “Zigun’s accommodation to the situation”…
Ms. Yaeger insisted again and again in our interview that she did NOT want to write another development ruining Coney Island story but rather wanted to write a “FUN piece” about favorite restaurants and best rides, etc. The truth is that as much as anyone else in Coney Island I have spoken out publicly against condos and/or the Mall of Americaization of Coney and any other threat to Coney Island as anything other then amusements and entertainment and tourism. My arts organization, Coney Island USA, remains at the forefront in preservation and landmarking initiatives trying to protect and preserve the best of old historic Coney Island.
To make matters even worse, Ms. Yaeger then quotes a man known throughout Coney Island as the “neighborhood bastard” to the effect that I am a “traitor” without opportunity for rebutal.
Oh, how I miss the old Village Voice where real muckraking reporters knew how to practice the disappearing art of journalism. Please send an honest reporter next time.
And, he says this in another post:
In reality I have and will continue to give interviews to major press and/or Brooklyn based media. I did a 45 minute radio interview with NPR earlier this week as well as an interview for the official Astroland documentary. Next week I am already scheduled to sit down and talk to CBS-TV Sunday Morning. I am ANXIOUS to discuss development pros and cons in detail with major media and at the publication time of Lynn Yaeger’s bullshit piece was ALREADY in negotiations with another Voice reporter begging to talk about impending demolition of historic coney island buildings.
We always enjoy hearing Mr. Zigun’s thoughts–and we say that without irony or sarcasm.
July 14th, 2007 · Comments Off on Will All of Wonder Wheel Park Fall to Thor?
With the purchase of some of the Wonder Wheel Park land in Coney Island, Thor Equities would be in control of almost all of the heart of the amusement district along the boardwalk. Sarah Ryley filled in some valuable detail with her piece in the Brooklyn Daily Eagle yesterday, including the raising the obvious possibility that all of Wonder Wheel Park could come under Thor’s control for the right price. (Wonder Wheel Park’s Dennis Vourderis has a lease on the property for the next 13 years.) Ms. Ryley writes: [Coney Historian Charles] Denson said he thinks the developer will offer to buy Vourderis’ lease and the remaining land the family owns next, creating a solid, four-block footprint that could be left vacant until the city gives in and rezones the land to allow the high rises Thor has been asking for.
The miniature golf course, go-cart track, rock climbing wall and batting cage that once lined Stillwell Avenue were all family-owned businesses bought out, then closed down, by Joseph Sitt, who is president and CEO of Thor Equities.
“If Thor offered Dennis $11 million for the lease, Dennis would take it in a second,” said Denson, who knows most of the families who have operated humble amusements in the neighborhoods over the decades. “He offers people so much money they can’t refuse.”GL strongly senses how this part of the story will end.
The Brooklyn Downzoning Olympics seems destined for Brighton Beach, but will it occur anytime soon? The Bay News reports that “Brighton Beach residents are getting antsy while waiting to see if their neighborhood will be downzoned.” Specifically:
Residents are pushing for a zoning change to prevent developers from demolishing cozy bungalows and erecting multistory condominiums in their place but they say the city isn’t moving fast enough to meet their needs.
“When are you going to downzone Brighton Beach?” Ida Sanoff asked City Councilmember Mike Nelson at a Community Board 13 meeting. “There’s going to be nothing left.”
July 14th, 2007 · Comments Off on Living Less Dangerously: Back to 128 N. 10th
It looks like our good friend 128 N. 10th, the Williamsburg building that has suffered from any number of interesting conditions and that we featured yesterday, has gotten some scaffolding. This could make walking by the building a bit less of an adventure. Or not. In any case, our dedicated and attentive Greenpoint correspondent captured this image yesterday evening.
July 14th, 2007 · Comments Off on Check Out the New Bike Parking in Williamsburg
This is a nice vid about the new bike racks in Williamsburg that were created by removing some parking spaces. It’s from the good people at Street Films.
The tales of “hooliganism” in and around Carroll Park continue to reverberate. This morning on his WABC radio talkshow, Curtis Sliwa said he would be sending Guardian Angels to patrol the park. One of the issues raised by parents that related the tale of teen “hooligans” in the park and by GL readers is a slow police response to calls and complaints by residents and what has been described as a lack of concern by responding officers.
In the meantime, Borough President Marty Markowitz has also taken note of the Carroll Park “hooliganism” episode. He emails a Carroll Garden resident to say:
We have spoken to the Commander of your police precinct and to the Chief of Patrol Brooklyn South…..I am confident that you will hear directly from them and I sincerely hope that will help….Marty
The story, of course, got more traction today when it appeared in the New York Post with the headline, “Park Punks Amok, Bklyn Parent Outrage.” (Writer Patrick Gallahue notes that GL first reported the story.) It describes the situation thus:
A gang of teenage hooligans has turned a quiet Carroll Gardens park in into a war zone for Brooklyn brownstone parents.
For two straight days, bands of teenage terrors have run wild in Carroll Park, cursing at grown-ups and nearly catching innocent little kids in the crossfire of their rock-throwing and slap-boxing matches, several parents told The Post.
One of the parents whose emails in the Bococa Parents Yahoo Group sparked the story, wrote yesterday:
I became involved because of the teenagers’ angry and aggressive reaction to the very nice lady who first asked them quite politely to move over just a bit so as not to injure our children. I might add, our children had been standing next to us for quite some time and the teenagers came over to them, not the other way around. The park, in my view, belongs to everyone, not just a couple of unruly teenagers. It isn’t some sort of Hobbesian arena and we don’t visit it at their pleasure…
Did I believe these teenagers would respond so badly? No. Should we have walked out of the park without saying a word to them? It certainly would have proved easier and safer. But I don’t doubt some other family would have drawn their attention quickly enough.
I called 911 because these teenagers continued to seek us out and to escalate the situation. I also believed, because of their reaction, that they were likely a danger to others in the park, even if we left.
I stuck around because I was told by dispatch to “wait” at the park and that officers were “on their way.” I called them twice again because the police were apparently not on their way, I didn’t particularly want to stick around forever, and the situation was getting worse. Once we left the gated children’s area and had to move through this gauntlet in order to head home, I believed it was quite possible someone — either one of our children or one of these teenagers — could wind up hurt while accomplishing that goal. I did not want that to happen.
GL is going to now go out on a limb and guess that one probably won’t be able to bend over and pick up a toy in Carroll Park in coming days without seeing someone in an NYPD uniform. Or a Guardian Angel. Or both. We’ll also guess that if someone unfortunately has to call 911 from the park again there will be a somewhat faster response. Now, if someone can address the issue of setting up more constructive activities for neighborhood kids and providing them with more places for supervised recreation, we’d really be making progress.
UPDATE: WABC’s George Weber, who anchors the news in morning, emailed to say that it looks like there are eight police officers in Carroll Park as of 3PM. He writes “I walked thru carroll park at 3pm and they had…four cops (this never happens), two community service cops (in white shirts) and two uniformed cops patrolling the park.” Plans to send the Guardian Angels are on hold given the, uh, police presence in the park.
Remember that rumor we posted last week about Thor Equities negotiating to buy the property where Wonder Wheel Park’s kiddie rides are located? It was more than a rumor.
Sitt is in closing to purchase the properties for $11 million, according to Dennis Vourderis, who with his brother Steve, own and operate the Wonder Wheel along with several other nearby rides.
The first section currently houses a kiddie park, which the Vourderis Brothers operate right off the Boardwalk and the second section is on Jones Walk.
Jack Ward of Ward Realty Corporation currently owns both properties.
“Thor has decided to add to his collection of real estate,” said Vourderis. “My brother and I both have the option to purchase [the kiddie park property] because we are on long-term lease with Ward dating back to 1970,” he added.
Vourderis said part of the legal terms of the lease is they had to be notified if Ward was selling the property and given 30 days to match the offer. They recently received the notification of the pending sale. Neither Ward nor Sitt could be reached for comment about the sale at press time.
“We’re in kind of a difficult situation. At $2 a pop we’d have to sell a lot of [Wonder Wheel] tickets to match the offer,” said Vourderis.
Vourderis said the brothers do have some leverage, though, as the lease also states that even if the property is sold, the long-term lease states the kiddie park can’t be moved until the Wheel turns 100 in 2020.
While Mr. Vourderis’s point about having a hard time matching Mr. Sitt’s offer is well taken, we will note that Wonder Wheel tickets are $5.00 each, not $2.00.
We have always wondered when–not if–the Wonder Wheel Park would be snapped up by Mr. Sitt as it is a kind of hole in the donut given that he owns a tremendous amount of land around it. Now, the question is, how much more property is Thor going to acquire?
UPDATE: As we noted last week, the front portion of the Wonder Wheel Park land is owned by Ward Realty Corp. The back portion is owned by Wonder Wheel Inc.
If we were to find a way to musically tell the Astroland story, we would find a tenor to stand on a stage and sing some opera about it. Seriously. The bizarre Astroland saga–the sale of the property to Thor Equities for $30 million, intimations by the owner that she had no choice other than to sell and the recent effort to find a way to keep the park open, all while putting the rides up for sale–continues.
The same story in the Bay News that conveys that news that Thor is purchasing part of Wonder Wheel Park passes on more detail about what became clear after the Post first reported that Thor would give Astroland a one-year stay of execution until 2008: There is no agreement to keep Astroland open.
The Bay News reports:
“Contrary to reports in the media, we have not been offered a lease extension and there has been no contact made with Joe Sitt,” Albert said.
Albert did say she spoke with City Councilmember Domenic Recchia about the extension and he said he would see what he could do, but nothing came from it.
“The last time I spoke to Sitt was a couple of weeks ago. I told him of my interest in a lease for another year and he said he wasn’t ready to do that,” said Albert.
“The city is trying very hard to find us another place, but it’s difficult for them to find a place in Coney Island. If there’s no place to move the rides, I’ll have to sell them,” she added.
Sitt spokesperson Tom Corsillo confirmed there was no deal to announce right now regarding Astroland.
“Joe is working to ensure that next year the amusement district will still continue to be a lively and active place,” Corsillo said.
GL Analysis During his presentation in Coney Island, Mr. Sitt noted that Ms. Albert had sold the business. While the apparent struggle to subsequently keep Astroland open has been rather odd, everyone should be bending over backwards to keep it open as long as possible. If Mr. Sitt is unwilling to extend the lease without getting zoning changes first, it is indicative of disinterest in taking most basic steps to keep Coney Island alive while the redevelopment process moves forward.
Mr. Sitt insists that he has the best intentions for Coney Island and is not trying to damage this long suffering place. Yet, actions generally speak louder than words. If Mr. Sitt had any concern for Coney Island, he would be doing everything in his power to keep it healthy, alive and vital for the duration of the redevelopment process. A thorough public process with real public input–not a mockery of public participation like Atlantic Yards–is vital for Coney Island. If it takes an extra 12 or 24 months, so be it. Too much of Brooklyn’s future has already been sold off to the highest bidder and too many projects that will profoundly impact the borough for generations to come have gone forward with little real public input.
If Mr. Sitt unconditionally allows Astroland to stay open as long as the land is truly not at a point at which it can be redeveloped, then he will show good faith. To do otherwise will be an act of disrespect for every Brooklynite and to every New Yorker–of all incomes and ethnicities–that spend some time at Coney Island during the summer.
Regardless of the weirdness surrounding the Astroland transaction, Mr. Sitt should act immediately to guarantee the park another year. There should be no conditions. He should just do it. He clearly has every right not to, but he would earn a lot of good will by doing so. If he is sincere about building public support for his project, acting now to keep Astroland open would be a very smart tactic.
July 13th, 2007 · Comments Off on Living Dangerously, Part II: Hazardous Conditions Edition
Our old friend128 N. 10th Street in Williamsburg earned itself a Stop Work Order recently due to conditions at the work site. We’re no building inspectors, but we believe the situation captured above by our Greenpoint correspondent would be one of the reasons for the order, specifically “No permit obtained for scaffold that exceeds 40′ in height.” The other problem includes “inadequate housekeeping,” a condition to which many of us can no doubt relate, except that we’re not construction sites. Among the problems: “debris throughout the site in an unsafe manner” and “safeguards missing for public and workers.” Nice.
It may be mundane, but we’re fascinated by the Great Blue Wall of Beard Street because it’s so freaking huge. What you’re looking at in this photo sent our way by Chris Curen (who also submitted yesterday’s excellent photo of the burned out car on Beard Street in front of the Ikea) is part of Big Blue coming down. Like the Berlin Wall before it, the outer wall appears to have an inner wall. We can hardly remember the time when Beard Street was lined by the Todd Shipyard buildings. Oh, wait. That was only 18 months ago.
Now, we’re not structural engineers, but we’re not entirely morons either and what you are looking at, which was submitted to us by the tireless and very attentive Dog Shit Queen of Greenpoint, does raise some alarm bells. It’s the front of a building at 176 West Street in Greenpoint. Miss Heather writes, with uncharacteristic restraint:
Perhaps I am being an alarmist, but this does not look structurally sound.
July 13th, 2007 · Comments Off on Electronics Recycling This Weekend in Windsor Terrace
You have another opportunity this weekend to get rid of your old electronic devices–computers, TVs, cell phones, etc–in an environmentally responsible way. There will be an e-waste drive Saturday (7/14) through Monday (7/16) in Windsor Terrace at the Holy Name Church at 241 Prospect Park West. It’s sponsored by the Lower East Side Ecology Center and Council Member Bill de Blasio. Two previous events netted more than 32,000 pounds of unwanted electronics, which by our calculation is a lot of stuff. Electronic devices are an increasing part of the waste stream and responsible for a lot of pollution if not disposed of properly. There are moves afoot legislatively to require manufacturers to participate in recycling programs and to safely dispose of the products.
The Windsor Terrace effort will take place on Saturday, July 14th from 10am-4pm, on Sunday, July 15th from 10am-4pm, and on Monday, July 16th from 4pm-7pm. Take the F Train to the 15th Street/Prospect Park Station or walk over.
Comments Off on Electronics Recycling This Weekend in Windsor TerraceTags:Environment · Events
July 13th, 2007 · Comments Off on Happy Bastille Day on Smith Street
[Photo courtesy of Petanque America]
Get ready for the annual Bastille Day Celebration on Smith Street. It will happen on Sunday, July 15, from Noon-8PM, with the epicenter being at Smith and Dean Streets. Here’s info from the Brooklyn Boule blog:
Join us for the biggest Bastille Day celebration outside of France! Sunday July 15, 2007, Bar Tabac, Robin des Bois, and Ricard sponsor a day-long outdoor festival celebrating all things French. Brooklyn’s Smith Street is closed to traffic between Bergen and Pacific Streets where the tarmac is transformed to sandy petanque courts. Live Music (Blue Orchid) and a wide variety of tasty food options fuel a scene that is growing in size and reputation with each new year. Bring the kids for a great Sunday afternoon! Bar Tabac and Robin des Bois will be serving brunch and dinner as usual. Out on the street the grill offers merguez sandwiches, chicken sandwiches, and of course, French fries! The outdoor uvette serves up beer, Ricard, and chilled rose. Fly the tri-color and pitch some boules with us.
Provence en Boite will be providing jugglers, a petting zoo, face painters and other activities for children.
Comments Off on Happy Bastille Day on Smith StreetTags:Events · Smith Street
It’s been quite the week for bikes. Progress has been swift on the Ninth Street Bike Lane in Park Slope. The new bike parking at the Bedford L stop in Williamsburg (NYC’s first loss of parking spaces for the benefit of bikes) is finished. And, we have a chartreuse bike lane on Henry Street, which is what this Street Films vid is all about. We’ve never used the word “chartreuse” in a post before, so we’re happy that Street Films gave us the chance.
July 13th, 2007 · Comments Off on Plenty of Brooklyn Summer Concerts to Come
We figure it’s worth reminding you about all the Brooklyn concert happenings this summer. You can go to Brooklyn Concerts to get to a couple of the sites or directly to the pages for the Martin Luther King Jr. Concert Series or for the Seaside Summer Concert Series, which kicked off last night with Tommy James and the Shondells. Celebrate Brooklyn isn’t on the site. For that info you have to go right to the Celebrate Brooklyn site. They have a nice weekend coming up, especially tonight’s show with Zoe from Mexico City, described as alt rock explosivo and Barcelona DJs the Pinker Tones.
Comments Off on Plenty of Brooklyn Summer Concerts to ComeTags:Events
While we take no pleasure in burned out cars, we have to say there is something especially interesting about this shot sent our way by Chris Curen that shows a toasted car and the Ikea being built on Beard Street in Red Hook. Mr. Curen writes:
The summer Beard Street car burning season is finally upon us. Last year, five cars went up in flames on Beard Street between Aug 1 and Sep 15, including a same spot/consecutive night barrage that left the street looking a little like a slice of Iraq right here in Brooklyn. Predictions were that the increased traffic (and police presence) brought on by IKEA would diminish festivities, but apparently this is not the case. Nice to know that sometimes, Red Hook is still Red Hook.
So, our post yesterday about the “hooliganism” in Carroll Park reported by a neighborhood mom attracted a large number of comments. (33 as of early this morning, which is a significantly large reaction for GL.) And, we also came across another email of a “disturbing incident” in the park and another ho-hum NYPD reaction. First, here’s the email:
I also had a very disturbing incident in Carroll Park about a month ago and felt that the police were not responsive. I was in the playground area with my 4-year-old twins in the afternoon when a group of about 6 rough 11 or 12-year olds arrived. They were being very boisterous and at one point a girl, who was maybe 15 feet away from me said to one of her ‘friends’ “I’m going to cut you!” I looked over, and sure enough she was waving a small knife. I got my kids out of the park in a hurry and called the precinct. They seemed non-plussed, so I said “Don’t you want a description?” I provided a detailed description of the girl and told them that I could see that the group of troublemakers was still there. The officer said they would send someone. I did not wait around because I was concerned about the safety of my kids, but I was stunned at the way they responded to my phone call.
And, now, for some comments reacting to the original post:
1) “This lady is such a loser, typical Brooklyn: over-educated, liberal, cowards. What she ought to have done, instead of “calling the cops” or trotting out some tired sociology references, is ask them to stop nicely, and if they didn’t, leave the park.” [Miserly Bastard]
2) “Miserly Bastard, you are a jerk. There is nothing worse than fearing for the safety of your child and even of yourself when you are in a “safe zone” such as a public park – a place where kids can play freely without limitations.” [Serra]
3) “The cops could probably put a stop to this just by (a) showing up quickly, (b) acting like they care (toward the kids if not toward the adults), and (c) being visible around the park a bit more often. In other words, a little reverse harassment that increases the hassle factor for the kids until it’s just not as big a kick as it used to be and they go away.” [B. Rickman]
4) “Sounds like a classic generational/cultural/sexual clash. My analysis: The mom (unknowingly, of course) provoked the boys’ anger when she ‘asked them to be careful as they were getting very close.’ Surely, she wanted the boys to honor what she considered a polite request, but what they heard was, ‘Don’t get too close to me, you dirty little thug. You’re not good enough to be near my baby.’ Believing that they’d been ‘disrespected,’ the boys felt the need to assert their manhood by escalating the situation.” [Anonymous]
5) “I saw these kids walking down Court st. and they weren’t just rowdy teenagers. They were menancing pedestrians, throwing items, surrounding people and then demanding money. They also walked in and out of several stores grabbing items. I am a NYC public school teacher. I don’t easily scare or get intimidated by kids but I knew enough not to bother saying anything to them. Their demeanor made it obvious that they were acting intentionally obnoxious and threatening. Kids may be kids and goof around but the actions that I witnessed were not acceptable regardless of the neighborhood or their age.” [Anonymous]
6) “People should stop blaming the original poster. The people to be blamed here are the harrassing boys. It’s akin to blaming a rape victim by saying she asked for it based on what she was wearing. Those boys should have stopped their behavior when they were asked to stop. The parties at fault here are the boys, their parents and any other role models who are failing these boys.” [Anonymous]
July 12th, 2007 · Comments Off on Attack Continues: "Next Scarano Rally" Being Planned
GL has learned that City Council Member Bill de Blasio is planning another rally against architect Robert Scarano for Tuesday, July 17. How did we learn this? An email from Mr. de Blasio’s office is making the rounds among Carroll Gardens residents. It says in part:
We are looking to do our next event calling on DOE to strip Robert Scarano of his license. We would like to do this out of Bill’s district to make sure everyone knows that this is a borough wide problem and is not just about one project…One idea that has been kicked around is to do it in front of the State Education Department downtown.
Mr. de Blasio held a similar rally last month at the site of the building at 360 Smith that Mr. Scarano is designing.
July 12th, 2007 · Comments Off on Carroll Gardens Development Petition Hits 1,500 Signatures
That Carroll Gardens petition calling for a moratorium on buildings taller than 50 feet while rezoning is considered has gotten 1,500 signatures. The first petitions have been submitted to a long list of public officials, including the Mayor, Borough President and the MTA, which is involved in the project at 360 Smith Street that sparked the neighborhood mini-revolt. Signatures are still being collected both online and in the neighborhood, particularly at the Second Place and Smith Street plaza in front of the Carroll Street subway station. In the meantime, plans for the building at 360 Smith Street have been approved, but permits for the new building itself have not yet been issued. You can check the website of the Carroll Gardens Coalition to Respectfully Develop (CORD) here.
Comments Off on Carroll Gardens Development Petition Hits 1,500 SignaturesTags:Carroll Gardens · Rezoning
Earlier this week, Brownstoner had an update on the progress of the Karl Fischer building at 305 McGuinness Boulevard near the Pulaski Bridge. Today, we bring you an update on the progress of his five-story building on Diamond Street, which is not beloved by our Greenpoint correspondent. She describes it as “a masterpiece,” but not in a nice way. She writes of the building at 130 Diamond:
I have peeked through the fence. The first floor has faux brickwork on it not unlike an Italian Palazzo. This, of course, is the perfect addition to a block with 2-3 story row houses on it. A block, I would like to add, that is located in “Little Poland.”
As it turns out–and this was almost a no-brainer–there was a significant police presence in Carroll Park yesterday afternoon and evening. One reader reports:
