WGPA

Last night's CB1 Parks/Landmarks Committee meeting to discuss the McCarren Pool renovations was cancelled. Instead, Parks and the project architect will make a presentation before the full CB1 Board next Tuesday (10 February) at 6:30 p.m. The meeting will be at the usual location, the Swingin' 60s Senior Center, 211 Ainslie Street (corner of Manhattan Ave.). As always, sign up before 6:15 if you want to speak.

Every year, the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce sponsors a Building Brooklyn Award for the best architecture of the borough. And every year, Bushwick, Greenpoint and Williamsnburg come up short. Since the nominations are due on Thursday, we'd thought we'd throw out a few of the projects that we think are award worthy (and a few that are clearly not worthy).

First, their rules. To be eligible, a project must be completed and have received a CO or TCO in calendar 2008. Now our rules. We're looking at projects in North Brooklyn only. The BB categories are a little bit wacky (do we really need two categories for residential buildings under 5 families - that's so 20th-century Brooklyn?). So we've added a few of our own.

1. Adaptive Use and Historic Preservation

Photo: Brownstoner

Nominated:
The Mill Building (85 - 101 North 3rd Street)
Fifield Piaker Elman Architects

A luxury loft in Williamsburg that is actually a loft. Not everything here is to the highest preservation standards, but the conversion of this former factory at North 3rd and Wythe has celebrated the historic architecture and the history of the neighborhood. And it looks great.

The building itself was constructed for the Hinds & Ketcham lithography company in two parts. The mid-block portion was completed before 1898, the corner piece (directly across from Relish) after 1898.

Photo: Brownstoner

Not nominated:
118 Greenpoint Avenue
Scarano Architect

This one was designed to the highest preservation standards - those of the NYC Landmarks Commission - but the results are underwhelming to say the least. None of it rises to the level of the unregulated Mill Building. This project would have passed unnoticed, though, were it not for the cornice, which looks like someone installed a crown molding on the face of a factory.

Photo: INSIJS

Special liars award:
Brooklyn Rapid Transit Power Plant
500 Kent Avenue
Con Edison, owner

The building is pretty much gone by now, but less than a year ago it was an intact structure. At that time, local blogger INSIJS did an in-depth article on the fate of the building. Everyone, including workers on site, said the building was coming down. When asked it that was true, a Con Ed spokesperson said that they were only doing some "spring cleaning". Spring cleaning that clearly required removing every brick and sending it very far away to be cleaned.

Landmarks looked at this property in 2007, but refused to hold a hearing to designate. This despite the fact that that the community had identified the building as a significant resource over a decade ago. The State Historic Preservation Office did determine that the building is (or was) eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places.

As for the future, Con Ed has no plans for the site. Or at least that's what they say.

Have buildings that you think should be included (or excluded) in the BB awards? Email us at wpa [at] wgpa.us.

Photo: Propeller Group

We mentioned that the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce's Building Brooklyn award categories are a bit out of date. On way in which they are not keeping up with the times is in not explicitly recognizing green design. We thought that we'd fix that by creating our own Build Brooklyn Green award category, for which we'd nominate the Greenbelt project at 361 Manhattan Avenue. The project is Brooklyn's first LEED-certified residential development, and according to DOB's website received its first TCO in 2008, so it seemed a natural for a Building Brooklyn award. Its also a nice looking building.

It seems that the Chamber of Commerce is ahead of us. When we checked their website for past winners, we learned that Greenbelt has already won an award in 2008 - for Mixed-Use Development.

Since they're (still) eligible, and the only game in town in terms of completed LEED-certified developments, we'll nominate Greenbelt for another Build Brooklyn Award, this time in the category of green design.

Maybe they can go for the three-peat in 2010.

Proposed Design for New Cabanas
Photo: Rogers Marvel Architects via Gowanus Lounge

The Parks Department was at CB1 last night with an update on the McCarren Pool renovation. The good news is that the funding (all $50 million) has not been cut. The bad news is that $50 million does not buy what it bought three years ago. As a result, the diving pool has been value engineered out of the project. In its place, there will be a beach volleyball court. The potential silver lining is that the diving pool could be done in the future, and the infrastructure (piping, mainly) will be run now to help make that happen.

But the real silver lining is that larger project is going forward, and is still on course for a 2010 opening.

Gowanus Lounge has all the photos, and a lengthy report from Mikki Halpin of Pool Aid (and WPA).

At last week's CB1 meeting, Councilmember Yassky's office announced a new public art initiative. The initiative is a response to the rather woeful lack of public art (and opportunities for public art) in a neighborhood of artists. Organized in conjunction with the Open Space Alliance, the North Brooklyn Public Art Coalition "will be comprised of members of the local arts community, with a mission of scouting out ideal locations for public art in North Brooklyn, actively seeking out partnerships and funding for public art in this area, and keeping its members apprised of all public art opportunities."

The coalition will hold a special meeting about Public Art in North Brooklyn on Wednesday, February 25th, 2009, at the Brooklyn Brewery, 79 N.11th St. (between Wythe Ave. and Berry St.) in Williamsburg at 6:30pm. The meeting will include presentations by public arts organizations that are currently offering opportunities to Greenpoint/Williamsburg artists.

For more information, contact Rami Metal in CM Yassky's office - (718) 875-5200x14 or rmetal [at] council.nyc.gov.