Rarely have we seen a building that made such a swift impression as 262 Pacific Street, which we’ll be calling The Nightmare on Pacific Street (Nightmare on Pacific, for short, or Pacific Street Nightmare) or, possibly, the Pacific Penitentiary. Brownstoner started off the New Year with a bang (and possibly signified that Boerum Hill, Cobble Hill and Carroll Gardens have nowhere to go but up from January 3 forward) with the renderings of this 12-story building with 30 units they found on the website of architect Chien Dao. Here’s part of the description:
Designed with Nektarios Ioannidis to take advantage of the views of Brooklyn and Manhattan, and avoid views of the downtown correction facility, the building façade shifts as the interior space is projected out. Pre-cast concrete, metal panel and glass curtainwall exhibit the recessed and projected portions of the building.
Could this building possibly be as horrific as the rendering makes it appear? Is it really a tall concrete shaft, twice as tall as its neighbors, with tiny correctional facility-type windows and weird angles so no one has to see the Brooklyn House of Detention? All we know for certain is that the Department of Buildings has disapproved the plans, but we doubt it’s for aesthetic reasons. There are early signs, however, that some neighborhood opposition is organizing against the building, as we heard from a number of activists yesterday about opposing the Nightmare on Pacific.
5 responses so far ↓
1 gary // Jan 3, 2008 at 12:36 pm
Le Chien Merde.
2 Anonymous // Jan 3, 2008 at 4:53 pm
What I find contemptible about this development is the silly set back that exposes the neighboring party walls. NYC Zoning at it’s worst. This would look much better rising straight from the lot-line, at least until it’s height matches its neighbors. This kind of zoning makes these contemporary designs feel especially non-contextual.
3 Anonymous // Jan 4, 2008 at 3:30 pm
This building calls to memory the horrific architecture on the outskirts of Sarajevo.
4 Anonymous // Jan 4, 2008 at 3:32 pm
This reminds me of the horrific buildings on the outskirts of Sarajevo.
5 Anonymous // Jan 6, 2008 at 10:21 pm
I actually think it could be pretty cool. Yes, yes, please proceed to accuse me of being the architect.