:: Dorm-at ::

Tuesday, April 20, 2004

Lockhart Steele brings to my attention the possible construction of a monstrosity across the street from my humble chamber (replacing the old H-shaped school seen in the center-left of this picture). The 23-story dormitory would supplant a cultural center (CHARAS), replacing it with bunk beds and platonic back-rubs.

The really nice bit of coincidence here is that the planned tower would be adjacent to Christadora House (visible in the upper-left of the above picture, mostly hidden behind the sun - top clearly seen here), the only other building over six stories (17 I believe) for many blocks in any direction. But wait, they have more than vertical impudence in common: once a settlement house and community center, Christadora House now contains tony condos. Thus the Tompkins Square riddle:

Q: What's better than conspicuous consumption of incongruent high-rise real-estate?

A: Conspicuous consumption of incongruent high-rise real-estate at the expense of venerable neighborhood community centers!

Really though, making urban renewal jokes is too easy, enough of that. Another serious beef with the proposed structure is its aesthetic disgustingness. How about renovating the existing school house? That's some prime loft space right there, umm hmm, let me tell you what. And the building is congruent with its surroundings. Imagine that.

UPDATE: Read more at Stop the Dorm and the building's official site.

Posted by morland @ 12:08 PM

:: Comments ::

You're fired!

Posted by: The Donald on April 20, 2004 04:30 PM

from what i understand charas is no longer operating in that building, and hasn't been for several months. this won't be a building of "tony condos." it'll be a college dorm.

i dislike the high rise buildings that fuck up my view from all 4 sides of my roof, but shit man, it's manhattan. people don't move here expecting big sky country, you know.

personally, i liked krucoff's anti-steele post.

Posted by: dr. glasses on April 20, 2004 05:46 PM

Curse you, Dr. Glasses!

Posted by: Lockhart Steele on April 20, 2004 06:01 PM

on second thought, i liked ToTC's triathlon idea even better.

Posted by: dr. glasses on April 20, 2004 06:25 PM

Yeah, that's why I can't go whole-hog with the anti-nouveaux-riche angle here - it's a hack argument (albeit viscerally satisfying): CHARAS was already out (though one could argue that different zoning could have allowed them to stay). I don't particularly care for places like 190 E 7th dotting the neighborhood (just can't seem to kick that bias), but I'm not going to complain - change happens. And while the dorms may not be tony condos, they'll be priced at market or near-market rate for a downtown high-rise, which won't be cheap.

The main element of my annoyance stems from a combination of the fact that it's a 23-story steel and glass (concrete too?) fish-out-of-water. If you're going to build a tall building in a neighborhood almost exclusively composed of walk-ups, make it pretty. And if you're going to build something ugly, make it small so as not to mar. Don't build tall eyesores. I know the Met-Life building is an icon and such, but c'mon - it's horrible.

(you were a milder commenter before you adopted a non-surname-derived pseudonym)

(of course, I didn't make this many parenthetical remarks before I had a blog... there are like six in this comment alone)

Posted by: morland on April 20, 2004 07:16 PM

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