Zeus Down at Pearl St Triangle
April 13th, 2009
Update below.
[UPDATE (14Apr2009): The cause of this is from people riding bikes up it, and it’s just not built for that. It can only get bolted down to the Belgian block (and not through it), and they don’t hold under the weight. The sculpture may have to be moved, unless the DOT can get funding to build a guard for it.]
Oh no! We walked by the Pearl Street Triangle yesterday and saw the sculpture, titled Zeus, by Bates Wilson is down. The Otterness sculpture was lifted away a few weeks ago, but we hope this one isn’t leaving Dumbo as well.
April 13th, 2009 at 2:50 pm
Oh no! I actually LIKE this piece! But so happy to see Otterness carted away, never to be seen again…
April 13th, 2009 at 3:25 pm
I wonder if it was the kids trying to use it as a skateboard ramp. That or the wind is mighty scary down in DUMBO.
April 13th, 2009 at 3:30 pm
maybe it was whoever spayed graffiti
all over water street near main st.and also
by power house books ?
April 13th, 2009 at 4:40 pm
Squarehead is back, and he’s pissed off!
April 13th, 2009 at 6:10 pm
I don’t thinks it’s square head maybe
eraser head lol.
April 13th, 2009 at 10:08 pm
Is this what passes of as a park these days? Painting the street green and putting some chairs and a sculpture?
First the wind probably knocked that thing down, I have seen worse.
Second…who ever thought painting a street green, putting lawn chairs and a sculpture equals a park needs to have their head examined…it served the community better as parking spaces, that whole little triangle is ugly.
Why didn’t they just break the street and put real soil and real grass?
April 14th, 2009 at 8:39 am
I agree and always have that this is a pathetic excuse for a “park”, whether urban or not. It could possibly be cool with a LOT more work, damn sure not more ugly green paint. Ugh.
April 14th, 2009 at 9:20 am
Parks are expensive and represent ongoing costs. Phased development is a good idea.
People are free to donate money or time to help move the process along.
Vandals do not make a better park, and complaining that a fabulous park has not spontaneously sprouted from the pavement overnight is not particularly constructive.
April 14th, 2009 at 10:15 am
We got word that ‘young adults’ were riding up the sculpture which broke the bolts off the pavement. Unfortunately, the DOT cannot bolt it deeper than the Belgian Blocks, so it will either be moved out or will have to find funding to build a fence around it; not sure how likely that will be.
April 14th, 2009 at 2:44 pm
This isn’t a park.
It’s a ploy to get you to pay for parking.
April 14th, 2009 at 2:56 pm
waah i don’t want to pay for parking
April 14th, 2009 at 3:09 pm
lol, I don’t even have a car, so I’m not crying about it…
Just wanted to be clear; this ugly art and uglier green paint didn’t arrive for the public’s benefit, it was intended to remove on-street parking which was taking profits from the parking garages.
April 14th, 2009 at 3:32 pm
please, stop blaming the skateboarders. we’ve tried to skateboard up that thing and it was impossible to skateboard up. i agree with most people, the wind probably knocked that piece of sh!t down.
April 14th, 2009 at 4:16 pm
Yeah, honestly, unless any of you have actual proof it was kids, stop assuming it was. There is no way someone could ride a bike up that thing in any way that would cause it to knock down. You dumbonites need to study physics.
That is left with
1. Vandals knocked it down, possibly upset at having to pay for parking.
2. The wind knocked it down- don’t discount this as there have been windstorms in the past in brooklyn that have knocked, carried and dragged even heavier things…..which leaves me to warn all those people who live in penthouses that were built on top of existing structers- watch out, those penthouses are weak, illegal and may fly away when NYC gets it’s Katrina (not to mention DUMBO will be under 5 feet of water)
3. A truck or car hit it and drove away (and telling by how some of you hit the ‘sauce’ and stagger away, it’s possible)
Don’t find someone to blame unless you have actual proof.
April 14th, 2009 at 4:36 pm
I’m sure that an eyewitness wrote in to Dumbo NYC to tell Hide that they saw a group of “young adults” take this thing down. Hide wouldn’t post this information if it were just a presumption.
Last week I witnessed two young adults get stopped by the police while wielding an assortment of tools in front of a local business that was closed for the night. They were given a warning and told if they were ever seen in the neighborhood with saws, etc. again they would be arrested on the spot.
It’s good for us all to be aware of this kind of thing. In most cases it seems like it’s just kids being kids, but it’s better to be aware and safe rather than sorry.
April 14th, 2009 at 5:06 pm
please, that is not proof in the least.
“Correlation does not imply causation”- this is a fundamental scientific principle.
So before you people begin a which hunt, get some proof.
April 14th, 2009 at 5:11 pm
There’s no witch hunt, but there is video proof. I’m just passing this info. And no one said skateboarders were at fault.
April 14th, 2009 at 5:14 pm
So you’re arguing that if an eyewitness saw a group of kids climbing on this sculpture and then watched it fall down that’s not “proof” enough?
April 14th, 2009 at 5:17 pm
Video proof? Now that is something a bit more concrete. If any of you studied law, you would know that ‘eyewitness’ testimony is the least reliable. But Video proof, ok, if there is proof, then the 84th should be shown this, and the perps arrested.
But when I hear things like, “you have to be aware of kids” it sounds like a mob mentality focusing on one group without proof.
April 14th, 2009 at 5:19 pm
huh?
Did you personally witness this, or is it second hand information? Hearsay evidence is inadmissible in court.
April 14th, 2009 at 5:26 pm
If you see a group of 14 year-olds holding hacksaws and hanging out in front of a closed business and that seems fine with you, then okay. I’m glad it didn’t seem okay to the cops and they took the kids’ names and told them to go home.
The majority of the local “quality of life” crimes in the last 1-1/2 as well as several assault/robberies have been perpetrated by groups of 2 or more teenagers. And no, this is not hearsay, I know firsthand.
April 14th, 2009 at 5:45 pm
Again, how does a group of 14 year olds holding hacksaw one week equal a sculpture on the ground (which wasn’t sawed down) the next week? And no it doesn’t seem fine with me, you can use someone else as your straw man, but it offers zero evidence that those kids knocked down the sculpture.
A defense lawyer would drive a tank through the holes in that one.
First hand? have you been mugged? ok, do you have the crime reports? Or are you attempting a logical fallacy, ie “appeal to authority”.
I will give you a perfect example of flawed eyewitness testimony and why courts demand scientific proof that can’t be refuted.
TWA flight 800 explosion and crash was directly witnessed by 736 people under 300 of them saw a streak of light from the surface go up and a fireball afterwards. Scientific study proved the opposite, fireball and streak of light going down.
April 14th, 2009 at 6:00 pm
I’m not trying to suggest that the two incidents are related. It’s just that it’s that time of year again, when the days get longer and the weather gets warmer. There were a string incidents of varying severity that took place between March and September last year that involved groups of 2 or more teenagers.
April 14th, 2009 at 6:53 pm
I witnessed two youths yesterday trying to sneak into the Watchtower parking lot. Now I have no idea what they planned to do once inside but i “assume” that they were probably retreving a ball that bounced over the 15ft fence! Certainly not breaking into a car or mugging someone once inside!
April 14th, 2009 at 7:17 pm
I always felt this “park” was a joke. Its not even a “park”, its just an area to sit down. The green paint is filthy, peeling off and tired. The plants look dead. The “sculpture” and the plastic planters make it look cheap. Its just an annoying little space. I would prefer a small garden with a few benches and some lighting. This could have made better use of the space.
Leave it to parks to cut corners, they always have.
April 14th, 2009 at 7:21 pm
I’m pretty sure that it was the same group of kids huddled by the ATM next to the Spanish Restaurant on Bridge and Front. One of them had a black jacket and was on a bike. The other 2 were the lookouts. Making a withdrawal but not with an ATM card.
April 14th, 2009 at 10:40 pm
With regards to that ATM. The police were there the other day with a crew welding it to two stationary poles. I guess someone was testing a manual withdraw.
April 15th, 2009 at 5:43 am
Those complaining about the park, why don’t you volunteer to make it better instead of whining. Maybe you got the park you deserve.
April 15th, 2009 at 5:56 am
I got an idea! Why don’t we lobby for a national park in the area that George Washington fled the British? We don’t need an ugly tower or an ugly park, let’s get it right people!
April 15th, 2009 at 6:46 am
Merely stating fact or opinion isn’t whining and making the “park” better isn’t my responsibility. It is however the responsibility of organizations supported by my tax dollars. Just because you like to sit on ugly green pavement surrounded by sub par “plantings” while listening to the car and train traffic roaring by overhead doesn’t mean anyone else has to like it.
April 15th, 2009 at 8:01 am
The reason that park bothers me a bit is the potential it has. Could be great. Get some grass and plant a few trees, throw a fountain in there and it would be pretty great.
And some of the skaters around here are pretty good. If they did knock it down I can’t blame them.. that thing must have been inviting.
April 15th, 2009 at 8:11 am
i think the park is fine the way it is. it fits the gritty-urban-q-train rumbling over head motif. anything more pretty would be out of context and a complete waste of money.
April 15th, 2009 at 9:18 am
Establishing a new park is expensive and would require funding outside of the local community’s tax base. City agencies are not going to come up with those resources on their own; and the current park is an impressive first step of community organizing.
New initiatives require grassroots participation; so, yes, personal responsibility is key, especially if you want a better park.
April 15th, 2009 at 10:24 am
I’ll volunteer my time to destroy that crap and get back the parking that was there… just because.
As for volunteering to make the park better? F*** that… there’s a lovely park two blocks away.
Where do I sign up to volunteer get our free parking back?
April 15th, 2009 at 10:41 am
Mmmmm, nope – I don’t really care. And I don’t think it’s that costly to choose a paint color that isn’t putrid, put in some real plants, seating, and perhaps some tiled areas. We’re not talking about prohibitively expensive improvements here, but you go on thinking whatever you want.
April 15th, 2009 at 11:10 am
you could try not having a car, you whiny bastards. Or live somewhere else that has lots of parking. Queens or Staten Island would suit you fine. You could even get a driveway there.
April 15th, 2009 at 2:32 pm
Nicole: “It could possibly be cool with a LOT more work…”
A few here have suggested breaking up the street, planting grass and trees, probably getting new permanent seating, etc.
Getting the city to pay for that is unlikely without a lot of support and organizing.
If you think the park “could be cool” you can always help out.
If you think the park is a bad idea, as some here do, you can work towards improving the parking situation instead.
People posting here will probably do nothing either way.
April 15th, 2009 at 3:45 pm
Would love a park in the area but that is not the area to put it in. Whenever the train rolls over the Manhattan Bridge that pit where the park is turns into a deaf zone. Who would want to hang out there?
April 15th, 2009 at 4:45 pm
All for a park-
We deserve a National Park. Perhaps at dock street.
http://video.nytimes.com/video/2009/04/10/opinion/1194747017437/op-ed-paving-over-history.html
April 16th, 2009 at 7:14 am
My Dear Mr. No2Walentas2Trees, The time you spend smelling your own farts on this blog could of been better spent masturbating. IMHO.
April 16th, 2009 at 7:54 am
I saw three teenagers skateboarding up the side of this sculpture when it first went up. The transition is not smooth, but it is definitely possible to skate onto the arch. I remember thinking: that is not going to stand very long. A bike would have no problem making the transition. The solution? Place a 4-inch high iron railing at the base of the sculpture, then bolt the sculpture down on top of it. That’s enough to stop a bike or a skateboard.
The skaters will move on to other challenges.
April 16th, 2009 at 9:07 am
I saw the times piece too. I wonder if Ken Burns, given his documentary on the Brooklyn Bridge, would make a public statement like McCullough ?
Burns did a documentary on the subject, in part, because Brooklyn’s historical importance has not been given its proper due. Most communities would love to have the kind of historical backdrop New York casually steamrolls.
A national park / monument of the highest order could easily be justified and may actually serve to convert bridge traffic to Dumbo better than another pizza joint or luxury rental building.
April 16th, 2009 at 3:00 pm
I heard that Louie Anderson farted and knocked it down.
April 16th, 2009 at 3:51 pm
My my ‘loose stool’ I am sure with a handle like that you are an expert on flatulence, however, as far as self gratification goes, why don’t you leave that to those who can actually use their hands and don’t need the aid of a microscope and tweezers, like yourself, ok?
April 16th, 2009 at 8:23 pm
“you could try not having a car, you whiny bastards. Or live somewhere else that has lots of parking. Queens or Staten Island would suit you fine. You could even get a driveway there.”
What a stupid statement.
The problem is NOT that there isn’t space in dumbo, the problem is that the developers who own parking garages are scamming you. The park is pathetic and is designed to put more money into developers pockets… and you think I should _volunteer_ to help them?
yeah, umm… ok.
And for the “I would love a park in the area” people, there IS a park in the area, and it’s lovely.
April 16th, 2009 at 11:44 pm
arrrrggghh!!! this blog makes me HATE dumbo! you people are small – small, small, small!!!
April 17th, 2009 at 3:04 am
A park with a middle school. The Roeblng School of the Environment. Only the whole process will take 72 and 3/5 years. Even Yassky can do better than that.
April 17th, 2009 at 6:17 am
davoyager,
have you bothered to keep up with reality lately?
WTC office towers could be put off for decades
NEW YORK – Construction of several ground zero office towers could be put off for decades because of the failing real estate market, the site’s owners said Thursday, citing an analysis that projected one skyscraper might not be built and occupied until 35 years after Sept. 11.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090416/ap_on_re_us/attacks_redevelopment
It seems not all developers are short sighted and suffering from greed.
April 20th, 2009 at 5:43 pm
Sculpture is down again. It’s really windy out today but I don’t know if it is THAT windy.
April 21st, 2009 at 1:17 pm
Win.
Don’t worry “arrrggghh!!!” is on the way right now to volunteer.
May 18th, 2009 at 10:04 am
[...] sculpture, titled Zeus, by Bates Wilson got hauled away yesterday after it was knocked down last month. It can only get bolted down to the Belgian block (and not through it), and they don’t hold under [...]
September 24th, 2009 at 12:02 am
maybe it was whoever spayed graffiti
all over water street near main st.and also
by power house books ?