Wednesday, July 9, 2008

One el of a crap in Richmond Hill

Before: A warehouse at 125th Street and Jamaica Avenue, under the el in Richmond Hill.
It was a cold winter day when yours truly shot what is at 124-20 Jamaica Avenue now.
It consists of 27 units of crap, with bars on the windows, Fedders air conditioners and a facade that tries hard but fails to be classy.

20 comments:

Anonymous said...

What exactly does the Crapper want? I will never understand your motives.

The site was an abandoned warehouse. It was replaced with much-needed middle class housing for regular New Yorkers. Is that such a terrible thing?

This is Richmond Hill, so it isn't rich folks or gentrifiers. At the same time it is market rate housing, so it isn't poor folks. It's regular Joes who want their own place.

The building appears fairly respectful of its surroundings. The architect actually spent some time designing the facade, and the building lines up with the streetscape.

There are bars on the windows of ground floor windows everywhere in all big cities.

The building has air conditioning units. Big deal. Would you prefer it not have A/C, and then everyone stick the boxes out the window? I'm sure you'd be the first to complain...

Anonymous said...

Here's what everyone, including the Crapper, want: How about improvements in infrastructure before dumping a hundred people on a street corner that previously hosted none? How about building enough schools to accommodate the newcomers, improved public transportation, expanded sewers, upgrades in electrical service, adequate park space that is properly maintained? In most cities, these things are givens. In this one, it's an afterthought.

Anonymous said...

"There are bars on the windows of ground floor windows everywhere in all big cities."

I've been to a lot of big cities and have not seen this trend be as popular as it is here.

Anonymous said...

The application says it's an M1-1 zone, so you have to wonder how they were allowed to build housing in the first place.

Anonymous said...

"The site was an abandoned warehouse. It was replaced with much-needed middle class housing for regular New Yorkers."

Hahahaheeheeheehohoho...

Anonymous said...

Richmond Hill used to have some gorgeous houses. Now this is the best they can do. Sad.

Anonymous said...

Another knee-jerk anti-everything reaction from Crapper. Let's have a bunch of abandoned warehouses in Richmond Hill, then Crapper would be happy.

Frank Lloyd Crap said...

Where's the green space?

Anonymous said...

Where's the parking?

Anonymous said...

"Let's have a bunch of abandoned warehouses in Richmond Hill, then Crapper would be happy."

Why not a school instead?

Anonymous said...

There is not even the attempt at making these places attractive. They are human warehouses built for immigrants.

Go down to the Lower East Side and see buildings that served this same function 100 years ago.

Luxory buildings of today dont even have a hint of the effort and detail that went into those places, which, in their day, were decryed as ugly.

Anonymous said...

Okay so they have AC sleeves but they tried to make them better than other buildings I've seen. The bars are not the kind people use to keep people out but the chidl safety gates that are required to be placed on the windows by landlords if requested.
It's right under the el also, did you expect them to create beautiful homes with yards on a commercial strip? I agree with you on most points but your overreacting on this one. Get a grip!

Queens Crapper said...

I was talking about the bars on the ground floor. I know the difference between child safety guards and security gates, thanks.

Why does location determine whether or not there is open space? Did they have to fill every square inch of this property with concrete? You are required to maintain adequate drainage for storm runoff and this place doesn't. How many times do I need to repeat this before it sinks in? The place being ugly is just the icing on the cake!

Anonymous said...

Hey is the hot creosote still dripping down onto pedestrians and cars below the el?

Anonymous said...

I cannot understand why Crapper chooses to live in NYC when he can't stand any form of urban development whatsoever.

Anonymous said...

Crappy,

I too mostly agree with your comments.

However there has never been one square inch of green space or open space on Jamaica Avenue.

I'm one of the few survivors of Richmond Hill and I hate to say it but Jamaica Avenue has ALWAYS been pretty dumpy.

These buildings fit right in.

Queens Crapper said...

The address was on Jamaica Ave, but the houses are actually on 125th Street, a side street. These are not commercial buildings, but residences.

Anonymous said...

"I cannot understand why Crapper chooses to live in NYC when he can't stand any form of urban development whatsoever."

This is not urban development sweetheart, but crap development.

I think we're all in favor of development as long as it's tasteful, not a drain on infrastructure and somewhat fits in with the neighborhood.

Anonymous said...

Crappy, I'll give you that they could've built unattached homes with some yard space on the side street (the corner building you can't really complain about. Every buidling on Jamaica Ave looks like that..keeping in charecter, etc.) but would they sell? The area has been depressed and with the mortgage crisis who would be able to afford it?

Anonymous said...

Where's the gardens?

Where's the backyards?

Where's the quality of life?

Where does all the rain run off to? My basement?