Bklink: Is Otterness a Lousy Person & Lousy Artist?

"The art world has masticated in contemplation over sculptor Tom Otterness just as the dog he assassinated in the name of artistic expression over 20 years ago might have chomped on a tasty bone. The chance to jump on the Otterness Hate Wagon has come (literally) to DUMBO where the artist’s piece Large Covered Wagon is now on display. (If you get off at the 14th Street stop of the A,C,E you’ve already had a chance to fall in love/hate with his whimsical statues.)"--Brooklyn Heights Blog

Bklink: Otterness Does Dumbo

"While a Tom Otterness sculpture can really brighten up the dark underground of New York, for his latest installation he's shedding some sunlight on his work. The above was just installed in DUMBO near the pedestrian exit to the Brooklyn Bridge."--Gothamist

Upcoming: Dumbo Meeting Tonight About Energy Efficiency

Tonight (4/9) at 7:00PM, representatives from National Grid (formerly KeySpan) will be in Dumbo for a reception to "discuss their new Energy Efficiency rebate incentive programs for residential and commercial customers. The programs are designed to help National Grid customers save money by improving the energy efficiency of their homes or businesses, and to help ensure a cleaner, 'greener' future." It's being done in conjunction with the Dumbo Improvement District's neighborhood sustainability initiative, SEED (Smart Environmental Efforts in DUMBO). The programs provide incentive rebates for customer's interested in upgrading or replacing their old heating and hot water systems with new high efficiency gas heating equipment. It will take place from 7PM-9PM at JLA Studios, 63 Pearl Street in Dumbo.

Jane's Carousel Still Doesn't Have a Home in Park

The story of the wonderful carousel painstakingly restored by Jane Walentas in Dumbo is an odd one, given how hard she and her husband David have been trying to secure a place for it in Brooklyn Bridge Park. The Walentases have covered the cost of restoration and have contracted with Pritzker Prize-winning architect Jean Nouvel to design a pavilion for it. They would pay to have the structure built. Yet, the Park hasn't committed to space for it and apparently won't right now. NY Magazine's Intelligencer reports:

Regina Myer, new president of the park-development authority, calls the carousel “awe-inspiring.” But her priority, she says, is to get park-infrastructure construction up to speed after years of dithering. Which means the carousel and its pavilion will just have to wait, Pritzker or not. And so the carousel still sits behind a padlocked gate in a former spice warehouse in Dumbo, awaiting its fate. “I wake up every morning and ask myself, ‘How do we get the powers that be to get off their dime?’ ” Jane says. “We’re tired and a little worn down.” And she worries that if the current state of limbo stretches too long, this prospective jewel of the park may eventually end up elsewhere. “There’s a guy in Dubai who wants to buy the carousel,” she says. “I guess they have children there, too.”

For the time being, the carousel is housed in a former warehouse building on Water Street in Dumbo.

Tower of Fun Resting & Working in Dumbo

Anyone who's been in Dumbo recently has no doubt noted the presence of the NYPD's "skywatch," a thing we like to call the Tower of Fun, under the Manhattan Bridge and elsewhere. It's a patrol tower that is used to establish a police presence and, ostensibly, reduce crime. The tower goes up two stories and includes cameras, video monitors and spotlights. It was placed in Dumbo after a spike in crime and means the immediate area around it is probably the safest spot in Brooklyn at the moment. The NYPD says it has already cut crime according to Dumbo NYC.

Say What--No Standing Hanging

From Dumbo comes a No Standing sign that has seen better days and is now just sort of hanging there.

Bklink: Tower of Fun

One of the NYPD's traveling Towers of Fun has come to Dumbo in response to an increase in crime in the neighborhood. "The NYPD deployed Sky Watch yesterday, a 'mobile platform for surveillance, assessment, and response' on Front Street between Adams and Pearl Street in Dumbo Brooklyn. We haven’t had a chance to check with NYPD how long they’ll be there, but could this be a result of the recent crime in Dumbo and Vinegar Hill? The menacing looking Sky Watch has high powered sensors, cameras, mics, and spotlights and was rolled out to high crime areas of Crown Heights and Harlem in 2006. We’ve seen a lot more foot patrol in the area since the Precinct meeting last week, which is great, but is this over the top?"--Dumbo NYC

Bklink: Dumbo Piazza Looking Frayed

Perhaps you recall the piazza the city created last July in Dumbo from a former parking median. There were plants. There was green paint. Now? It looks a little ratty and in need of a spring spruce up.--Brownstoner

Bklink: Dumbo Crime at Night

"On Thursday night, there was a robbery on the corner of Front and Washington Street. Another story said that the “same group” jumped a man and tried to “pull his eye socket out”. In another incident, the group pulled a man between cars and mugged him...With the increased number of families in the area, we need the full support of the police to help curb violent attacks. Please be careful at night."--Dumbo NYC

Cool Pic: Dumbo as Miniature

[Courtesy of Eric Provost]

Speaking of interesting effects on visual things like the Super8 shots of Coney Island in the vid below, Eric Provost, who supplies us with many wonderful photos, sent us this photo of Dumbo taken from the Manhattan Bridge that he processed using a "fake model photography" creation trick on Photoshop. The trick was featured on Dumbo NYC last year to wonderful effect.

Brooklyn Planning Director Explains Dumbo Rezoning

What will the proposed zoning change in Dumbo do? GL spoke with Brooklyn City Planning Office Director Purnima Kapur yesterday who laid out the changes and the rational behind them. (She also spoke separately with our friends at Brownstoner, indicating the Department is pushing to explain its proposal.) She describe the changes as being with the context of Dumbo in terms of building size, but as a "complete change" in terms of allowing residential and commercial development on the block involved. The changes would convert 12 blocks between the Manhattan Bridge, Front Street, John Street and Bridge Street, from being zoned for manufacturing uses to a mixed use district that would include residential buildings up to 12 stories tall.

The project has been in the works for two year, Ms. Kapur explained. She said that the department had only seen a competing proposal put together by the Dumbo Neighborhood Association "on the blogs," but characterized the two plans as appearing to be fairly simi last week, but characterized the two plans as seeming "to be along similar lines." Buildings up to 12 stories tall would allowed along Jay Street, with street level fronts rising to 6-8 stories. Buildings along Bridge Street could rise to 8 stories, with 4-6 stories at street level.

"This is the beginning of the process," Ms. Kapur said, saying that the hope is to begin the land use review process in the fall and to have a plan ready for approval by Spring or Summer of 2009. She said that the Department was open to tweaking the proposal based on community feedback. "We're open to listening to what the community's concerns are and to what hasn’t been addressed."

Given the recent landmarking of Dumbo, any new developments would have to be approved by the Landmarks Preservation Commission, adding an additional level of approval.

Dumbo: Rezoning Issue Gets Instantly Hot

We have to say that the issue of rezoning a small part of Dumbo to allow for higher density residential development almost seemed to come out of nowhere. On Tuesday, the Architects Newspaper reported that the Department of City Planning is considering rezoning an area bounded by Bridge Street on the north, John Street on the west, the Manhattan Bridge on the south and Front Street on the east. Yesterday morning, the Dumbo Neighborhood Association had a meeting to announce its own very detailed proposal ahead of City Planning. Our friends at Brownstoner attended that meeting and offered a full report by lunchtime yesterday. The city's idea will be revealed at a closed meeting today. So, in the span of 48 hours, there is not only a proposal that would could result in taller 10-12 story buildings in some places, but a counter proposal from the neighborhood itself. Per a quote in Brownstoner, the neighborhood proposal aims to create "contextual zoning both for historic preservation and new development." The plan was developed in response to a Two Trees proposal to build an 18-story building on the St. Ann's Warehouse site. There is, of course, more detail at the Architect's Newspaper.

Bklink: Dumbo Mystery

What, exactly, is going on the 3 1/2 acre parking lot at 85 Jay Street in Dumbo? It's hard to say, but work crews were spotted there doing something and it's of interest because it's one of the most desirable parcels of undeveloped real estate in all of Brooklyn. The land is owned by Watchtower, which has been selling a lot of property over the last 18 months.--Dumbo NYC

Gravity Thwarted: Dumbo's Fulton Ferry State Park Reopened

Fulton Ferry State Park in Dumbo is open again. A reader writes to tell us that it was open yesterday and, may in fact, have reopened earlier in the week. The park was closed in December after structural problems were detected at the old coffee warehouse in the park, which is called the Empire Stores by many. Officials said they had to close the park to keep the public safe from any debris that might fall.

Only yesterday, while noting a Brooklyn Paper story about the problem, we wondered when the park would reopen and why it had been closed down, given that car were parking on the street directly below a part of the building where cracks were found. A state parks spokesperson didn't give a date for reopening, saying, "Right now, our primary concern is keeping people safe." Developer David Walentas had the right to develop the property, but lost it in 2002 to developer Shaya Boymelgreen. Mr. Boymelgreen, in turn, had the rights taken away in 2006. The Empire State Development Corp. notes that it has failed to find a developer. An opponent of the real estate development aspect of the big Brooklyn Bridge Park plan directly blames the ESDC. Someone from the Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy, which supports the park plan, includes lawsuits filed by opponents on the list of reasons things have gone so slowly and notes the State Parks Department has a tiny budget for maintenance. Meanwhile, one of the most historic buildings in Dumbo has been allowed to deteriorate to a point at which its structural stability is threatened. At least the park is open again.

Trouble at the Empire Stores in Dumbo

Of all the historic structures in Brooklyn, one of the most beloved and distinctive are the old Civil War Era warehouses known as the Empire Stores. It is impossible to imagine the Dumbo waterfront without them. Yesterday brought distressing news from the state that there are some "structural deficiencies and deteriorating conditions" and that Empire-Fulton Ferry State Park has been closed while scaffolding is installed "to protect pedestrians from possible falling brick." The future of the building has been the subject of competing plans for over a decade. Developer David Walentas originally planned to develop the building. Then, Shaya Boymelgreen won development rights before losing them because nothing was happening. One commenter on Curbed yesterday even suggested a deliberate strategy at work to allow the buildings to deteriorate so that preservation becomes arguably too expansive. It is worth noting that the structures are not part of the Dumbo Historic District that was created this week.

Introducing Dumbo, the Historic District

The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission voted 8-0 yesterday to create a Dumbo Historic District. The unanimous voted capped a long effort to create the district. The boundaries are John Street to the north, York Street to the south, Main Street to the west and Bridge Street to the east. The district includes 91 buildings "that represent important industrial design trends in the United States and the City in the 19th and early 20th centuries," in the words of a release from the LPC. Landmarks Chair Robert B. Tierney said:

DUMBO was essential to Brooklyn’s rise as a major manufacturing center, and was home to some of America’s most important industrial firms that produced everything from ale and paper boxes to soap and steel wool. DUMBO’s distinctively designed buildings and sublime vistas survive to this day, and still define its character, even as it has evolved into a largely residential neighborhood. This designation will ensure that this still-evolving neighborhood retains its unique historic character.

Some of the significant buildings that are protected include:

20 Jay Street. Erected for Arbuckle Brothers in 1909. Designed by William Higginson Arbuckle Brothers was America’s largest coffee roaster and packager, as well as a sugar refiner. The sugar refinery and several other Arbuckle buildings are within the historic district. In 1913, Arbuckle employed 100 people in its coffee business and 668 in its sugar refinery.

135 Plymouth Street. Built 1901 for E.W. Bliss. Designed by RL Daus. E. W. Bliss was a major machinery manufacturer that employed 1,646 people. It this was the second largest machinery manufacturer in Brooklyn in 1913, behind the Merganthaler Company.

26-38 Washington Street. Constructed for Robert Gair Co. in 1887. Designed by Benjamin Finkensieper. Robert Gair Co. manufactured paper boxes and printed labels, stationery, and other items. Gair was also a major realtor, leasing industrial space in his many buildings within the Historic District. In 1913, Gair employed 1,702 people.

Of course, having a Dumbo Historic District in place several years ago would have been helpful in terms of having an impact on some big developments, nonetheless, it is a very important step.

Dumbo Historic District Linkage:

• Breaking: Dumbo Designated as Landmark District [Brownstoner]
• Dumbo Landmarked, Including Its 'Sublime Vistas' [TRE]
• LPC Approves DUMBO Historic District [Gothamist]
• Dumbo is Now Protected as a Historic District [CityRoom]
• LPC Approves Dumbo Historic District [Dumbo NYC]
• DUMBO Area Gets Landmarked [Sun]
  

Bklink: Dumbo 2007 Holiday Gift Guide

Still shopping (as many of us are) for holiday gifts? Then, check out the Dumbo 2007 Holiday Gift Guide. There are many shopping options on these streets between the bridges.--Dumbo NYC

Landmark Tuesday: Eberhard Faber Approved, Dumbo Goes "Astonishingly Well"

Yesterday was a good day for a couple of possible Brooklyn landmark districts. The Eberhard Faber District in Greenpoint was approved by the Landmarks Preservation Commission and appears headed for final approval by the City Council. Meanwhile, the hearing on the Dumbo Historic District "went astonishingly well," according to the Historic Districts Council Newsstand blog. Here's an excerpt:

...over 30 people spoke in favor - including Jed Walentas. The BID, who had been problematic about the designation , spoke in vague support - mostly to ask the LPC to make sure that the area's Belgian block streets were protected (and restored) and asking that LPC be lenient to ground floor retail...LPC is is keeping the record open for a week, but it feels like the designation is definitely fast-tracked.

The Eberhard Faber District includes a number--but not all--of the buildings that were once the home of the Eberhard Faber pencil factory in Greenpoint. The landmarking vote was nearly reported in real time yesterday by Brownstoner. Several buildings are already being redeveloped, so preservationists consider a district to be a significant victory. The old buildings are among the most significant major surviving industrial buildings in Greenpoint, particularly after last year's Terminal Market Fire destroyed those structures before they could be landmarked.

Dumbo Landmarking Hearing Today

[Map from the Landmarks Commission via Dumbo NYC]

The hearing on creating a Dumbo Historic District takes place before the Landmarks Preservation Commission today. It's an important step on the road to creating a Dumbo Historic District, which is widely expected to occur. Dumbo NYC has very thorough coverage of the issue as does the Dumbo Neighborhood Association, which has been one of the major advocates of creating the district.

Another Big Week for Brooklyn Landmarking: Dumbo & Eberhard Faber District

The Landmarks Preservation Commission meeting tomorrow (10/30) is going to feature a long agenda of designations and discussion. Among the two significant topics are the proposed Dumbo Historic District and the Eberhard Faber Historic District in Greenpoint. The Dumbo subject matter is an initial hearing. Eberhard Faber, however, is expected to be designated. The "Eberhard Faber District" includes many, although not all, of the buildings of the Eberhard Faber Pencil Factory in Greenpoint. (Some of the properties are already being developed. The WPA writes:

The Eberhard Faber Historic District will sit side by side with the larger Greenpoint Historic District and the Astral Apartments, and individual landmark. The former is comprised largely of 19th-century residential buildings for the managers and owners of Greenpoint's factories and businesses. The latter was constructed by Charles Pratt to house the workers of his Astral Oil Works. All in all, the three designations encompasses factories, businesses, houses of worship and housing - forming a very unique view of a close-knit 19th-century community.

Given how much Brooklyn history has been bulldozed or otherwise destroyed in the last few years, it is alway gratifying to see landmark protection advancing.

Related Post:
Greenpoint's Pencil Up for Landmarking

[Images courtesy of WPA]