"Brooklyn Utopias?" Art Show Opens this Thursday.

This subway plaza and entrance at 360 Smith Street (F train, Carroll Street) is now closed for the next couple years due to the construction of Billy Stein's "Oliver House" condominiums. This was the site of the above art which will be featured in "Brooklyn Utopias?"

I received this press release from particiapting artist Triada Samaras:

Brooklyn Utopias? is a series of group art exhibitions and public programs organized for this fall. Brooklyn Utopias? engages artists, youth, and community groups in considering differing visions of an ideal Brooklyn.

The “Democracy Wall” featured paintings, photographs, newspaper clippings, blog excerpts, personal comments, drawings and more. It became a symbol of my neighborhood’s strong opposition to large-scale, luxury development in our low-rise, brownstone community, threatening the original planning of Carroll Gardens by the urban planner Richard Butts in the 19th century. In an on-going dialogue and protest, my neighbors and I were able to express themselves freely in public on the “Democracy Wall” for a period of time.

A partner exhibit with even more artists and artworks will open at Brooklyn Historical Society on Thursday, October 1. Two public events in October will engage community organizations in dialogue with the artists, exploring what it would take to build a "Utopian" Brooklyn. Both exhibits also provide opportunities for you as visitor to reflect on your experiences living/working in Brooklyn, and express your own ideas about a more ideal Brooklyn. More details on that later this month.


The opening is this Thursday from 5:30 - 7:30 PM at the th Old Stone House at 3rd Street and 5th Avenue.

Click here for more details.

The voice of the people seems to mean nothing in this day and age..it is SO WRONG!!!!

The latest happenings as somberly reported by CORD regarding 360 Smith.

Many residents here were totally blown away after seeing a rough sketch of the proposed building for 360 Smith that developer Mr. William Stein plans on building. With or without the trademark Scarano elements the building is clearly massive. On the southern-most corner of the Smith Street side, where the building facade will be "commercial" not residential is a seventy foot tower. This rectangular prism juts vertically into space sure to cast an enormous shadow and act as a light barrier for all the buildings on Smith Street. The rest of the commercial facade is very tall and goes along the Smith street sidewalk with no set back and joins the Hannah Senesh School known for its VERY! eclectic mix and match materials and colored architecture. The new facade in turn, will cast an enormous shadow on Second Street.

On the Second Place side the wall height is a bit lower but then after a set-back, it too ascends higher, not once, but twice. On this side the wall has a residential style unlike the one on Smith Street. There is an above ground parking lot with an entrance to the garage from Second Place, an until now, gorgeous brownstone block with four story buildings trees and front gardens.

(The sketch, btw, is reliable and emanates from a politician's office) Residents were angry and demanding answers from politicians. "How can they let this happen to us?" was heard again and again. And, "How dare Mr. Stein do this, when he supposedly says he "loves" Carroll Gardens?" And, "No one who loves Carroll Gardens would ever build this size and scale on this corner, where it completely dwarfs everything else......" lastly, as for the idea of Mr. Stein living in the penthouse? Some residents said, "yeah right" and "he said that to get more square footage to make more money". and others said many curse words. And many said what do we do now?

CORD is recommending people contact Patricia Lancaster at the DOB to call into question last week's approvals. There is also the "squirrel" letter and link on the CORD website for Amanda Burden. . And of course the petition! And calling the POLS for these two weeks! (That should be plenty of "homework" for everyone....)

The only definitive info the public has gotten until now from any source re: actual details/finished sketches/etc. is where the garbage will go for the 46 families, Answer: Second Place.
The rest???? Only the "little birdies" know for sure as this project is "as of right".

CORD + the new Coalition for Respectful Development
CORD is totally independent from any other local organization and has no "leader" is only a "group of concerned citizens."
CORD is NOT part of the CGNA
People at CORD can belong to any other neighborhood association they want to

To contact CORD write to cgcord@gmail.com
To read all about various things and also to sign the petition go to the CORD website to find out more and to sign the petition if you haven't already.


CORD