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In Search of…Bed-Stuy Edition
By The Changeling | March 19, 2007
Remember that old show In Search of¯ hosted by Leonard Nimoy? For those of you who don’t remember, it was a cool show in which Spock would unravel the mysteries of the Sasquatch, UFOs or some other strange event or legend. The show was a bit spooky because they would present evidence of paranormal phenomena in the form of photos and film clips and leading experts would weigh in on the subject matter with their two cents. These experts were clearly operating on the fringes of their disciplines and were probably being called kooks by their colleagues, but nevertheless, I believed them back then. As a kid I would watch each episode and then spend the rest of the night half awake fearing there were some Sasquatches roaming around in the woods near my house.
Bed-Stuy has enough mysteries and riddles to create its own version of the show, to wit: Where can I find a pharmacy? An art gallery? Live music? Live music with food? Healthy meals?
Ok, the kind folks at Brooks Valley Cafe and Cafe Naico have answered that last question, but the remaining questions seem so simple, yet their answers are so elusive.
So in the grand tradition of Leonard Nimoy, we at the Bed-Stuy Blog will begin a feature called In Search of: Bed-Stuy Edition¯. The first in this series will focus on finding affordable housing in Bed-Stuy but with a twist: it has to be attractive, or at least semi-attractive, or, OK, just not too ugly. After beginning the quest for attractive, affordable housing I realized that it might have been easier to spot Sasquatch on the G train.
After roaming around awhile I spotted this development on Myrtle between Marcy and Tompkins. It was built as a part of NYC’s Affordable Housing Program.
I’ll admit that I’m not an architect and I know little about building design, but I can quickly tell you whether I like a building or not. My verdict? Overall I think it’s not a bad building, although I’m sure some readers would dislike the fact that the building’s facade doesn’t line up with the buildings on either side. I’d like to point out that there are no Fedders/Friedrich air conditioning units on the front of the building, so that alone puts this building in the Honorable Mention category. Aside from the child guards on the windows, I think this looks OK. My only regret is that they did not offer these units for sale; instead they are rentals. The city should have taken this opportunity to offer these as affordable co-ops or condos and increase homeownership in this area of Bed-Stuy. What do you think about this development? Attractive and affordable?
This second smaller development is located on Vernon between Marcy and Tompkins.
It too was built as a part of NYCā€™s Affordable Housing Program. These buildings look much nicer in my opinion than the previous building. Normally I’m not too fond of stairs located in the front of buildings. That’s something that only looks good on brownstones and frame houses, but I think they pull it off here. You can get a better look at these stairs here:
I like that they added some sort of design to the railing. I just hope that they don’t cover those air conditioning units with the ubiquitous “Fedders” or “Friedrich” label. How do you feel about these buildings? Are they attractive and affordable?
March 19th, 2007 at 2:23 pm
As far as I understand, the development on Myrtle near Marcy (which I think is pretty much an eyesore) won’t just be affordable rentals - its actually going to be specifically for ex-homeless and ex-drug addicts. There will be counselors on site, etc etc. However, its not sitting too well with the tenants of the market-rate apartment buildings on either side.
March 19th, 2007 at 3:47 pm
nice feature! i don’t mind these buildings at all, i wonder what the quality of the construction is inside them, esp the second set. they can’t be any worse than the Fedders buildings, which for the most part are not targeting the affordable housing crowd. if you find out more about this kind of building, please post the info!
March 20th, 2007 at 1:37 pm
This second one looks great to me. I kinda agree on the stairs, but I like the overall building design and the windows, so I can let it slide.
Awesome posts, btw. I am so jealous of the Bed-Stuy Y.
March 20th, 2007 at 5:31 pm
Nicola, are you sure that the first is for ex-homeless/ex-addicts? There was a sign posted out front several months ago indicating the income restrictions for renting a unit there. It didn’t say anything about prospective tenants’ housing status or drug use. I was thinking that I would qualify but I was shocked to find out I earn too much to get affordable housing. Strange, since I can’t afford anything in Brooklyn, really. I’ll see if I can find out more information about this development.
Jimmy Legs, I try not to look gift horses in the mouth, so I wouldn’t dare think about the quality of these developments on the inside. My guess is that they contain the cheapest materials that money can buy, but I couldn’t really see much when I peeped through the windows so I can’t swear by this. The second set of buildings never
posted information about who meets the qualifications to become a tenant, but I’ll try to find out more. Interestingly, there are several buildings similar to this one on blocks south of Vernon. I believe that at this time all of these buildings are unoccupied.
Lesterhead, my preference is for the second building too. If they were selling them at affordable prices, I think I would buy one. Sure, it’s no brownstone, but at least I would own a reasonably nice looking place.
March 21st, 2007 at 11:35 am
it occurs to me that these townhouses aren’t necessarily made from the cheapest materials available. for instance those windows are pretty big, tho i can’t tell their quality beyond that. if you think about the fedders houses, their windows are often really small (not to mention asymmetrical and generally mismatched) and that really smacks of cheapness. i get the impression the fedders developers would prefer it if they could skip putting in windows altogether. these houses are looking better by the minute!
can you tell us the address of these townhouses? i’d like to find out who built them.
March 21st, 2007 at 3:34 pm
The second development contains 6 townhouses located on Vernon Avenue between Marcy and Tompkins. The first three are 85 Vernon, 89 Vernon and 91 Vernon, but I’m not sure what the addresses for the last three are.
March 26th, 2007 at 10:51 am
Really like the 2nd set of houses except I don’t understand why the stairs are open at the bottom. This is a great place to store bikes and stuff in brownstones.
March 26th, 2007 at 6:19 pm
Leah, I agree that it seems a little odd that there is an open area beneath the stairs. Maybe it’s unfinished?