openhousenewyork (ohny.org) announces a new series – openstudios- designed to provide exclusive access to the architecture studios and the individual architects and designers whose work make New York City a vibrant and sustainable place to live and work. This series will also highlight the individual neighborhoods throughout the city that have become burgeoning hubs of architectural creativity and design innovation.

Organized in collaboration with The Architect’s Newspaper, Two Trees Development, and the DUMBO Improvement District, the series kicks off on Saturday, February 25, 2012 from 1:00 – 5:00pm in DUMBO, Brooklyn. More than twenty-five established and emerging architecture and design firms will open their studios to discuss their practices. Visitors will have the opportunity see models, renderings, and drawings, and get insight from the architects and designers themselves into the influences and challenges that shape their practice.

For a list of the participating firms, visit the Dumbo BID website. To attend, purchase your tickets here for $30. Tickets will be sold on the day of the event for $35 ($25 for students). Check in is at 81 Front Street on the day of the event.

(Photo courtesy of MANIFOLD.ArchitectureStudio (10 Jay Street, #309B, Brooklyn NY))

The New York Times explains why some historic districts are missing the brown street signs. (They colored them “terra cotta” because they thought that color would blend well with any background). However as many as 37 districts lack the distinctive brown “historic district” street signs, out of a total of 104 districts and 16 district extensions. The city’s Landmarks Preservation Commission designates the districts but they do not pay for the signs. The Dumbo neighborhood won its historic desigation in January 2008. However, three and a half years later, Dumbo still does not have these signs.

According to the article:

The signs, where they exist, are paid in part by a nonprofit organization, the Landmarks Preservation Foundation, that works with the commission to underwrite historical markers.

Elisabeth de Bourbon, a spokeswoman for the commission, said the signs do not come automatically as soon as a historic district is designated. “There’s nothing that happens if they don’t get in touch with us,” she said. “We don’t proactively go into neighborhoods to install signs.”

Though some community groups have not yet informed the Landmarks Preservation Commission that they are missing the signs, others, including Douglaston Hill, Dumbo and the extension to the already-designated Greenwich Village, say they haven’t seen any progress even after making the request.

Apparently, the neighborhood must raise most of the money for the signs themselves. The foundation grants each historic district $400 for the signs, which cost $55 each to manufacture, according to the commission.

According to privately run Historic Districts Council, “the initial signs for the then-80-plus historic district were funded by an anonymous donor with the intention that the City would provide appropriate signage as new districts were designated. This was agreed-upon but failed to be kept in practice, and unfortunately now, communities are responsible for providing funds for their own street signs, often through discretionary city council or private funding. This strikes us as a rather sad state of affairs, quite like asked to pay to print your diploma – but we suppose that happens too.”

Based on this, the neighborhood should contact City Councilman Stephen Levin to set aside funding for Dumbo’s new signs.

As one commenter in the NY Times article states, “The Department of Transportation is in the process of changing all City street signs from all-caps to signs with only the first letter capitalized. One would hope that the Landmarks Preservation Commission could coordinate with this fellow City agency to have the terra cotta-type street signs put up in historic districts currently without them at the time that DOT would be replacing the green signs regardless. This would, in theory, save DOT the cost of manufacturing green signs that aren’t needed while also providing these districts with the special signs they desire.” However, we’ve started spotting the new DOT signs in certain areas of Dumbo:

(Photo courtesy of Josh Derr).

More history about the brown historic signs from Historic Districts Council after the jump:
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As of this morning, it looks like the facade work on the 55 Washington Street building is completed and scaffolding is being taken down. Work on the exterior started in July. The building looks as good as new.

The retail conversion ‘behind’ the building on Adams Street is still being worked on.

Previously:
{Scaffolding Being Put Up Along 55 Washington, 16Jul2010}
{New Retail Space Being Created in Dumbo, 22Sep2010}

In March, the Dumbo Improvement District (DUMBO BID) issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for design schemes and ideas that re-envision the public space known as the Pearl Street Triangle from professional architects and designers that reside or work in Dumbo.

Once a parking lot and illegal dumping site, the DUMBO BID with NYC DOT, opened the transformed Pearl Street Triangle on August 8, 2007, complete with its signature bright green paint, street furniture and public art features as a temporary treatment to gage the community’s response and usage of the space. In the three years since, the DUMBO BID is looking towards future uses of the public space and hopes that this competition will spur some thought on how the Pearl Street Triangle should evolve as an innovative and functional public space for Dumbo.

They showcased 8 design proposals in May. Last night, the DUMBO BID announced the winner of the Pearl Street Triangle “Ideas Competition.” The winner was by Brendan Coburn, AIA of Coburn Architecture (based at 45 Main Street) and his project designers, Yuliya Ilizarov and Abdou Ndoye titled “The Tracks: Ride the Rails!”

Project Name: The Tracks: Ride the Rails!
Description: The Tracks plaza takes it’s inspiration from the myriad of rail lines that at one time weaved their way through the industrial streets of DUMBO. As these tracks emerge from beneath the pavement surrounding the triangle they become the armature for a series of tiered seats that wind through the site to create three amphitheater-like spaces: the first, facing the Manhattan Bridge, is delineated by seating for films projected onto the masonry wall that encloses the arch beneath the bridge; the second, a performance and display space enclosed by two opposing tiers; and the third, where a low tier hugs a series of in-ground fountains. Shallow alcoves are molded underneath the higher tiers, welcoming local artists to display their creations.

All of the submissions were interesting and had a different spin on the use of the public space. There was even one that proposed adding a subway stop at the Manhattan Bridge anchor above the Triangle with an elevator/stairs down below. How do you think the space should be used? Other submissions after the jump.
Read the rest of this entry »

If you haven’t checked out Brooklyn Navy Yard, which borders Vinegar Hill, Urban Oyster is bringing us a great chance to explore the Yards by bike. Explore the Brooklyn Navy Yard’s transition from being one of the nation’s foremost naval shipbuilding facilities to becoming a national leader for sustainable urban industrial parks. Learn about the Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corporation’s sustainable development efforts including the nation’s first multi-story “green” industrial building, first solar and wind-powered street lamps, NYC’s first building-mounted wind turbines, adaptively reused historic structures, and new green buildings certified by the US Green Buildings Council.

First bike tour is on Sunday, April 25, and will occur each month through at least October.

Sunday, April 25, 1:45pm (approx 2 hours)
Sunday, May 23, 1:45pm
Sunday, June 6, 1:45pm

REQUIREMENTS: Each participant must supply his/her own bicycle & bring and wear a safety helmet at all times while on the Brooklyn Navy Yard tour. Need to rent a bike? Check out Ride Brooklyn Bike Shop. Also, check out Recycle-a-Bicyle in Dumbo for used/refurbished bikes.

Admission: $24 per person/ $20 for BHS members & BNYDC tenants and employees. Advance ticket purchase required. Click on the following link to check availability and purchase tickets.

Urban Oyster aims to reveal the hidden treasures of NYC and have fun tours such as the Brewed in Brooklyn Tour and the Food Cart Tour. They also organize the Brooklyn Navy Yard tour bus tours.

Photo courtesy of Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corporation. View BNYDC’s Flickr photos page.

The DOB has issued a Full Vacate Order on the townhouses at 11, 13 and 15 Old Fulton Street due to “significant structural defects of rear wall entire building and rear yards to be vacated.” Commenters in a 2007 post about 11-15 Old Fulton Street, did mention that there are “severe structural issues with them, and the land they sit on,” so this may have affected the buildings.

DOB listing for:

1. 11 Old Fulton Street
2. 13 Old Fulton Street
3. 15 Old Fulton Street

Top photo courtesy of epc.

Previously:
{Three Vacant Buildings on Old Fulton Street, 18Jan2007}
{Old Fulton Street Townhomes Under Contract, 30Nov2007}

 [+] Click for larger

The Community Board 2 committee approved Toll Brothers’ building design for the vacant land on 205 Water Street on Wednesday night. The Brooklyn Paper reports that the CB2 committee felt the design “fit the DUMBO context, committee members also said they appreciated that the developers did not shoot for the full 12 stories that the current zoning allows. Instead, the housing will remain at seven stories, except for one luxury condo unit that will extend to nine stories on one side.”

The project will contain 67 market-rate units and 86 parking spaces in an underground garage. The current zoning in the landmark district of DUMBO doesn’t require 20-percent of the units to be below-market-rate housing at each residential complex — but the landmark zoning of 2007 requires that the project be voted on by the Landmarks Commission. After the project reaches the full community board, it heads to the commission for an April 6 vote.

“We loved the gritty nature of this industrial area, and that was our inspiration,” said Navid Maqami of GreenbergFarrow, the project’s architects. “The rust colors, steel and concrete — these are what you find in DUMBO.” In a Crain’s article, David Von Spreckelsen, a senior vice president at Toll says “Besides Brooklyn Heights, this is the only desirable place in Brooklyn where we would want to do a project now,” He mentioned how little inventory there is in Dumbo and that “recent resales of existing condos in the neighborhood have been between $800 and $1,200 per square foot.”

Toll bought the vacant lot at 205 Water St. for $100 per square foot in December.

{CB2: This project takes no ‘Toll’ on DUMBO, 18Mar2010, Brooklyn Paper}
{205 Water Street Plans Revealed at Community Board, 18Mar2010, Brownstoner}

Previously:
{Toll Brothers to Build Condos at 205 Water St, 07Jan2010}
{Demolition at 205 Water Street, 24Jan2007}
{In the Press: Demolishing 205 Water Street, 27Jan2007}
{Stop Work Order Violation Issued at 205 Water Street, 14Feb2007}

192 Water Street:

The Landmarks Preservation Commission approved a certificate of appropriateness to amend previous approval to alter ground floor and install a marquee in their last meeting for 192 Water Street. As previously noted, the owners are converting the ground floor and lower floor into a 250 person live performance theatre and plan on creating 10 condominium units on floors three through five.

9 Old Fulton Street:

Also, in an upcoming hearing on May 5, 2009, the LPC will be reviewing an application for 9 Old Fulton Street in the Fulton Ferry Historic District, a vacant lot, to construct a four-story building with a one-story penthouse (Zoned M2-1). According to the Fulton Ferry Landing Association, “the application was approved by the CB2 Land Use Committee over several no votes; a motion to approve without a rooftop “mezzanine” was defeated by one vote.” They follow with:

“The design has been described to us as a penthouse “cube” on top of the 4-story building. We have concerns that the bulkhead will encroach on the view of the Bridge, will be seen from the street, and will be inconsistent with the historic character of this row of houses, whose history extends back to the 1830’s. A Public viewing of the plans will be held at the Landmarks Preservation Commission office, 1 Centre Street, May 1st followed by a Public Hearing on Tuesday, May 5th, starting at 9:30 am on the 9th floor. If you are interested please come, see for yourself, and most importantly, speak to the LPC on May 5th about the importance of maintaining the character of this historic neighborhood.”

If anyone has design renderings, please email us.

Previously:
{Stop Work Order Issued at 192 Water Street, 06Jan2009}
{192 Water Street Construction Moving Forward, 23Jul2008}
{Condo and Theatre Conversion at 192 Water Street, 02Jan2008}

(Photo from storefrontnews.org)

From Dumbo Improvement District:

Please join the Dumbo Improvement District and Studio-X, Storefront for Art and Architecture, Raumlabor & Inhabitat tomorrow for

a real-time, ecologically based competition based on “Iron Chef” and held within Spacebuster by Raumlabor.

Spacebuster is a mobile inflatable structure – a portable, expandable pavilion – that is designed to transform public spaces of all kinds into points for community gathering.

The pavilion is comprised of an inflatable bubble-like dome that emerges from a step van that also houses the compressor that keeps the Spacebuster inflated. The dome expands and organically adjusts to its surroundings, be it in a field, a wooded park, or below a highway overpass. The material is a translucent plastic that allows the events taking place inside of the shelter – screenings, lectures, dinners or discussions – to be entirely visible from the outside. Likewise the exterior environments become the events’ backdrops.

IRON DESIGNER Features Teams of Third-Year M.Arch students from:

• Columbia University GSAPP
• Parsons The New School for Design
• City College of New York
• Pratt Institute

Thursday, April 23rd @ 7PM
Meet at the Pearl Street Triangle in DUMBO, Brooklyn
The winning team will be featured on Inhabitat.com

Sponsored by Studio-X/Columbia University GSAPP, Storefront for Art and Architecture, Raumlabor, Dumbo Improvement District and Inhabitat.

Related:
{Manhattan Bridge Arch Now Open Permanently, 20Apr2009}
{Bubblicious Spacebuster to Take On High Line, Dumbo, 20Apr2009, Curbed}

The City Planning Commission voted today in favor of rezoning the Dock Street location to residential with a vote of 11-2. The vote was “the most difficult to date” according to Amanda Burden, Chair of the City Planning Commission. The CPC recommended that the building be cut by one story, as reported by the Brooklyn Paper:

In ordering a height reduction and the cut-out section from the mid-rise portion of the building, the Commission seemed to at least be partially swayed by a late push by Brooklyn Bridge historian David McCullough, who visited the fabled span this month to call for the Walentas proposal to not only be halted, but for other buildings around the bridge to be demolished for a national park.

McCullough’s viewpoint was published in Newsweek last week. The next step of the process will move to the City Council for a vote.

The Dumbo Neighborhood Alliance (DNA) has been a vocal opposition to the height, distance, and the mass of the proposed development and will no doubt be releasing a statement. We received word from them that in addition to David McCullough, several celebrities will be starring in supporting roles in their grass roots campaign. Gabriel Byrne of The Usual Suspects and HBO’s In Treatment, Helen Hunt of As Good as It Gets and Mad About You, Gary Sinise of The Green Mile and Forrest Gump, Ana Gasteyer of Saturday Night Live and Mean Girls, Emmy Award winning documentary filmmaker Ken Burns of Brooklyn Bridge and The Civil War fame and Skipp Sudduth of Third Watch and Law & Order have all added their support to the opposition of the proposed 18-story building.

{Past Dock St Dumbo posts}