The Citiblog

A Brownstone Dies In Brooklyn
April 22, 2008, 10:27.17 pm ET

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It seems unbelievable that in this day and age when Brooklyn brownstones are selling for millions in Park Slope, that in nearby Sunset Park they're being destroyed with the city's blessing as the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission looks the other way.



This is the scene on 54th Street and 6th Avenue in Brooklyn where a row of turn-of-the-century brownstones with stained glass windows and fireplaces are being destroyed bit by bit. It began with the ground floor of one home being converted into a protruding brick laundromat. Bars were then placed on all of the windows on the top two floors. That apparently drove out the residents of the adjacent house where the whole front has now been gutted to again make way for a retail shop on the ground floor, only this time the entire brownstone facade has been literally ripped off the building.

Witnessing this destruction should make the case for giving the area landmark status before it's too late. The neighborhood has been seeing an all-out assault on row houses in recent monthsas real estate prices remain fairly high. Some are being torn down to make room for condos, others are having additional floors added, and still other two-family homes are being converted into 4-families, again with the city's blessing, and a total disreguard to the neighborhood. It's a crying shame.


Photos: Cititour.com
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