Friday, April 23, 2010

A Neighborhing Test Case FOR Landmarking

When last we heard from John Quadrozzi, he was complaining about how Superfund designation of the Gowanus Canal had forced him to move his company to another spot (along the canal's plume) which is better suited for his business. Now it seems that the Landmarks Preservation Commission is calling him out on not maintaining some townhouses he owns on Degraw and Clinton.

He sounds like just the type of property owner John Esposito and CALM are looking for in Carroll Gardens! From the Daily News:

""It took me over a year and buckets of money to convince them [a wall] might collapse," said Quadrozzi, who bought the buildings in 2000.

The walls of the 1852 brownstone are badly cracked and there are holes in the adjacent stable's roof; city officials have warned Quadrozzi to quickly fix the hazards.

"There is an ongoing risk of progressive collapse that may endanger the public," a Buildings Department inspector wrote to Quadrozzi in January."

Just the other day I commented that the scaffolding had been there a LONG time, and someone in the know told me that ownership complications and multiple investors had stalled the restoration project. Let's see what happens.

Photo from the Daily News