New York 5 Pontz teardown approval

C

Calzone

Gear Whore #1
Local time
10:49 AM
Joined
Nov 11, 2008
Messages
16,315
5 Pontz officially is a goner. The city council gave the official approval today to replace graffiti Mecca/warehouses with two towers that will create 1000 units of housing.

A few weeks ago I was there and I saw the drilling rigs that are used to survey the ground.

The end is finally here. Let's use this thread to post shots of 5 Pontz. Demolition might happen later this year. As progress and redevelopment continues it seems that the ugly parts of the city I find beautiful are all getting "Highlined."

Cal
 
finguanzo said:
Read this morning, also Willets Point is supposed to be developed, everyone moved out at some point..
Click to expand...

About a month ago I was at Willets Point. The people still working there told me they expect at the end of the year they have to move. Also many of the businesses were cited with violations and were already closed.

Where are the remaining parts of the city that still have character? Even on Newtown Creek, the most polluted waterway in the U.S., there is a "Nature Walk" in Greenpoint. Imagine a modern "Highline" like sanitized area that overlooks a sewage treatment plant and a processing area for garbage. Biz-R, but true. No lie.

Cal
 
Well, I found out this morning that Whole Foods just signed a deal to open up in an old abandoned early 1900's building here in Newark, beautiful building by the way........but Newark!!!!
Id like to know whos going to pay Whole Food prices here.
Old Navy had to shut down their Newark store because they had more thefts than they brought in...
Should be interesting.. I see myself being able to buy organic stuff off the back of the truck on Market...
:)
 
There are times when I miss the NYC of the 60s, 70s, and the 80s.

I read this morning that the Brooklyn Public Library at Cadman Plaza might close since they are in bad financial straights. The developer of the Atlantic Yards-Barclay Center owns the air rights above it. That library will be demolished and an over-priced condo tower built in its place with the library situated on the ground floor, losing half of it's original space.

There is no shame anymore. History is history and so many areas that had a history are gone or doomed. My parents used to study at that library. They met attending Brooklyn College. It would be a shame to loose it.
 
Cal, on the news this morning, they did say that the new place will allow spray and aerosol painting/graffiti.
 
The great thing about NYC is that we have many things to be sentimental about... and as some go away, many others still exist. This city has always changed... document the change.
 
kbg32 said:
There are times when I miss the NYC of the 60s, 70s, and the 80s.
Click to expand...

Keith,

Me too. I also kinda miss being able to beat up people who you do not like and getting away with it. Life was kinda more exciting then. LOL.

All this building of luxury buildings I can never afford, and getting displaced again and again as the neighborhoods I can afford get gentrified and conquered by hipsters. Eventually I get priced out and have to move. This displacement has happened to me too many times, and now I find it boring.

I'm feeling that there is no edge to the city anymore. Even the Bronx I'm finding to be too small and not that big in my wanderings. Since I moved out of Long Island City two years ago I am rather startled by the drastic change in the LIC skyline. BTW one of the new towers at 5 Pointz is going to be almost as tall as the Citigroup skyscraper. There is even talk about covering over Sunnyside Yards to build ontop of that massive rail yard.

Cal
 
I read an article the other day by David Byrne, who said the city has lost its creative edge. There is no room, no acceptance, and affordability for creative people, meaning artists, anymore.
 
Come to Newark!!!
Plenty of dirt cheap places to live, dozens of galleries with crap art in it begging for someone with actual talent. :D
I will be hung for that if someone local reads this... I have no talent, so Im not the one to do it....
 
kbg32 said:
I read an article the other day by David Byrne, who said the city has lost its creative edge. There is no room, no acceptance, and affordability for creative people, meaning artists, anymore.
Click to expand...

Keith,

Use to be the most NYFA Fellowships were given to Madhattan artists, but now the most NYFA Fellowships are given to Brooklyn artists. Brooklyn now is the artistic capitol of NYC and not Madhattan.

I'm surprised how rapidly Bushwick and East Williamsburg got defringed as of late. I don't see Brooklyn being affordable, nor sustainable either.

Nearby in East Harlem where I live they are developing PS 109, an abandoned school, into affordable housing for local artists. Community preference and being a local artist made me hopeful that I might be able to apply, but recently the rules changed and now it seems that I exceed the income requirements. WTF. The construction isn't even finished and already I'm boxed out.

Cal
 
jsrockit said:
Hmmm, I suspect you'll find some edginess if you go out of your building and walk 10 blocks north after dark...
Click to expand...

John,

Back in the seventies that danger and excitment was everywhere. Also the urban decay was not restricted to just certain neighborhoods.

I'm not liking these changes, and I consider what is going on more as a sanitizing or sterilization. Chelsea I think now is a boring area made safe for tourists.

Cal
 
finguanzo said:
Come to Newark!!!
Plenty of dirt cheap places to live, dozens of galleries with crap art in it begging for someone with actual talent. :D
I will be hung for that if someone local reads this... I have no talent, so Im not the one to do it....
Click to expand...

Fidel,

Newark I find interesting, but I know "Maggie" would not like me going there. LOL.

Cal
 
I guess I'm not as opposed to the change as you old timers. I'm not the sentimental type either though...

It's not like a small town where the one cool thing got torn down and now there is nothing. There's still plenty of great stuff in NYC.
 
jsrockit said:
I guess I'm not as opposed to the change as you old timers. I'm not the sentimental type either though...

It's not like a small town where the one cool thing got torn down and now there is nothing. There's still plenty of great stuff in NYC.
Click to expand...

John,

I'm not against change, but I'm being critical about preserving the part of New York that to me is authentic. Today Chelsea is a tourist attraction and no longer the rough and tumble area it once was. Once it had great character, but I feel now that it has been destroyed.

Cal
 
Cal, I guess I'm too new to NY... but I feel there is a lot of authenticity when we are travelling around photographing.
 
kbg32 said:
I read an article the other day by David Byrne, who said the city has lost its creative edge. There is no room, no acceptance, and affordability for creative people, meaning artists, anymore.
Click to expand...


Artists always lived on the fringe in rather unsettled areas. Back in the 70's Soho was once a place where only homeless lived and then artists moved in because they could rent a 2,000 square foot loft without any "fixtures" (meaning bathroom or kitchen) for about $200.00 a month. Cheap rent for a lot of space was the draw.

My concern is that the fringe is becoming extinct in New York. It seems like the only bad neighborhood left in Madhattan is East Harlem where I live now and it's a rather small neighborhood.

Cal
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom