New York Shitty Day Ender: Great Moments In North Brooklyn Abjectecture

(Or: Frank Lloyd Wrong)

Arizona needs its own architecture… Arizona’s long, low, sweeping lines, uptilting planes. Surface patterned after such abstraction in line and color as find “realism” in the patterns of the rattlesnake, the Gila monster, the chameleon, and the saguaro, cholla or staghorn – or is it the other way around—are inspiration enough. — Frank Lloyd Wright.

Apparently north Brooklyn, despite the decided lack of rattlesnakes, gila monsters or long, low sweeping lines is also deserving of such treatment. At least this is what this sign intimates. Behold 865 Grand Street for yourselves!

Here’s a view looking eastward.

Here’s a front view.

Here’s a view looking west. On a flight of fancy I looked up this edifice on the Department of Buildings web site. I found this complaint particularly interesting.

If anyone from the Department of Buildings is reading this, I can assure you they were working today!

Or perhaps this chap was simply enjoying the view?

In any case, I found the steel girders required to hold this hunchback (Grand Street’s second such one) together rather disquieting. I know what you’re asking yourselves, gentle readers:

How can this possibly be legal?

Very simple: when the (ostensible) contextual zoning in Greenpoint was approved (in response to turds like 308 Eckford Street), certain thoroughfares— Grand Street being one of them— were, in fact, “upzoned”.

Watch this clip and learn for yourselves.