More (Not So) Curbed Hatred for Bushwick
Recent picture of 979 Willoughby (photo by Yury Bekerman)
Sidewalk work in front of 979 Willoughby (photo by Yury Bekerman)
Why are these people so angry? Or is it bitter? Maybe they’re trying to shit on Bushwick because they didn’t get in, in their opinion, “early enough”? These people don’t come to Bushwick. The comments about the so-so (the building looks better as a rendering than IRL) condo development at 979 Willoughby are ignorant and hateful. Ignorant: “Sounds like a great deal..Im assuming those windows are bullet proof” — non-drug dealers/gang members getting shot is so 1980s. Hateful: “$400k for a studio on the 7th stop of the ‘L Train’ in the middle of nowhere, you gotta be f*cking kidding me” — 15 minutes on the L to Union Square (nevermind this building is much closer to the J — 10 mins to the LES…maybe this is ignorant and hateful).
That said, 400K for a studio in Bushwick does sound like a joke. And I hate that there is parking. I’ll be surprised if this sells out without a significant price reduction. But as far as I know, this is the only decent new construction in Bushwick so far. Everything else is renovation of warehouses or rehabbing of older apartment buildings. There are two empty lots on my block — please come fill them with overpriced, okay-looking condos!
(For those who are into it, don’t worry, we DO have a zoom in of the hot construction worker.)
May 3rd, 2007 at 12:59 pm
Bushwick sucks
May 3rd, 2007 at 1:38 pm
from what i understand, a recently-added regulation stipulates than new construction has to have off-street parking. this is why the ‘fedders’ houses are set so far back from the street, to facilitate a front ‘driveway.’ at least this parking is inside the building’ footprint.
May 3rd, 2007 at 3:30 pm
jimmy legs is right . There’s an empty lot next to my bushwick property . It’s finally getting developed and they are putting a drivway in the front .
May 3rd, 2007 at 4:28 pm
I figured as much. That’s pretty bad. Who makes these retarded decisions?
May 3rd, 2007 at 4:46 pm
Love this building. I often admire it from the M train. Also love the worker closeup - LOL
May 3rd, 2007 at 8:06 pm
No way is that 15 minutes to Union Sq. Its like 12 from Graham ave to first ave IIRC. I agree though!
May 3rd, 2007 at 9:56 pm
Yep, I time it all the time. Morgan to Union Square is 15 minutes. It’s probably a bit slower at rush hour (why? dunno). Was just a dumb comment since the building is like a block and a half from the Myrtle J, which is express into Manhattan in the mornings (allegedly — I don’t commute).
May 4th, 2007 at 4:35 am
You’re right, I’m digging a little at CURBED and they are pretty CUNTacular in regards to The Wick. fuck ‘em. what a bunch of snots. most likely, it’s two or three people leaving the comments any way, just like most blogs. oops, did I say that? LOL
May 4th, 2007 at 4:57 am
the thing that bums me out about this development, besides the carports (seems to run counter to the rationale behind congestion pricing eh?), is that it is an island floating on its own in a sea of shitty woodframe tenements - totally out of context. but that’s current brooklyn construction philosophy these days - the bland “Fedders” boxes brownstoner.com is always bitching about, and I agree. this willoughby project isn’t one of those but as far as contextual awareness, what are we turning into - Houston?
May 4th, 2007 at 6:33 am
What’s funny about your comment is that Houston pretty much looks like every other city in America. The first thing people think to say is that “there are highrises next to single family homes!” Yeah, just like Miami, Los Angeles, and everywhere else in the country — changing zoning doesn’t mean everything old gets bulldozed.
As for context, I think when some blocks have as many as half of its lots vacant, you take what you can get. It’s a nice enough building, I don’t see why you have to copy nearby stuff just because it was built a long time ago. The place I know of with the strictest context regulations is San Francisco, and the new buildings look like crap with their new materials forged into old shapes, while a totally modern building free to be what it is in the same spot might have lent some interesting character to the block.
I think there are a lot worse things to be bummed out about — the fedders buildings are a travesty, though some are much much worse than others.
May 4th, 2007 at 8:18 am
I’m from Chicago bud. If you’re familiar with its architecture and neighborhoods, you’ll understand why I’m a bit of a snob. On it’s own though, I actually like this building too.
May 4th, 2007 at 8:42 am
“As for context, I think when some blocks have as many as half of its lots vacant, you take what you can get.”
I agree. Honestly, when the fedders was built on my block last summer I wasn’t really that bummed. It’s better than the vacant, garbarge strewn, rat lot it was. And now a couple of young families live there and take care of the place. Good for them. In context of my street at least this property is not falling-down, at least not yet. I have noticed that some of the renos around Bushwick are really nice and some not so. This scarano building I am undecided about. What’s with the color? And it seems super expensive? Maybe I am out of touch with pricing.
As for bushwick bashing on curbed, etc - whatever. I just want people, the press to leave it alone. It is what it is. yes, it’s annoying when it’s colored like some nightmare, bullet-infested zone of apocalypse - but i don’t want the people who think that kind of thing moving out here anyway. Let ‘em think want they want. i don’t care.
May 4th, 2007 at 10:11 am
Never been to Chicago…I’m a coastal boy.
Dana, yeah, the color and pricing of the Scarano is odd. Brown is never good unless it’s a brownstone. But paint can be changed, and with the small number of units, it’s easy to make changes to a condo building without a lot of wrangling.
And the prices…yeah. Like I said, I don’t expect them to sell without a hefty reduction. There was a very nice decent-quality redo on Hart Street with 1 brs going for high 200s, and a huge 3 br with the back yard going in the 400s. They took a few months to sell. I don’t think parking is going to be that much of a draw here. You can still buy an entire house in Bushwick for 500K. Why the hell would you buy a studio for 400?
May 4th, 2007 at 8:56 pm
Yay I love that you started a blog about Bushwick. I’ve lived here for a year now and haven’t set foot on knickerbocker, but now after reading your review of how interesting it is I may just talk a walk over there one of these weekends.
Keep up the nice work on the blog!
May 31st, 2007 at 5:49 am
[…] 25×100 lot means wide house and a big yard in the back. Dirt cheap — cheaper than the studio condos they’re going to be selling down the street. $543 taxes for god’s […]
August 24th, 2007 at 3:05 pm
I live next block to this one. let me tell you, you don’t want to live in this block.
Unless you have 24 security & bullet proof glass. believe me as soon as you move in & you are so going get robbed & tagged. Why waste your money on condo when you can actually buy a house in the hood with same money!! In this hood it’s better to be down then flashy.