We post the photo above to ask a question rather than to offer any answers. The wall in front of the structure at 333 Fifth Avenue, we are told by a special correspondent who pays far greater attention to the local streetscape than we, appeared sometime during the summer. We do know that a building permit was issued on July 10 to “renovate the facade” of the building, although we’re not sure the word “renovate” is appropriate to what one can see in the photo even if it will look nicer with matching paint. Before that in early June, there was an old favorite “Work without a permit,” specifically: “…@FRONT WALL OF PREMISES A CBX MASONRY WALL APPROX. 7′ X12′ WITHOUT A PERMIT. REMEDY: STOP ALL WORK OBTAIN PERMIT OR RETURN TO LEGAL CONDITION.” (It would appear they got the permit.) And, finally, we also know that a complaint was phoned into 311 on August 7: “WORK IS TAKING PLACE ON THE FACADE OF THE ABOVE BUILDING, PIECES OF BRICK AND STONE ARE FALLING OFF OF THE BUILING ONTO THE GROUND, CAUSING A HAZARD TO PEDESTRIANS.” When the inspector came the next day, he says he found no work taking place on the facade and nothing falling.” Still, none of this gives us a clue about why the front of the building at street level has become a huge wall. If you know what’s behind the Great Wall of Fifth Avenue, do let us (politely) know. It’s fascinating as architectural, uh, renovations go.
3 responses so far ↓
1 Psper // Aug 27, 2008 at 10:18 am
I spoke with the owner last year and he said he was turning the ground floor into his apartment. He is an older hispanic gentleman. Looks like he accomplished his plan.
2 liz // Aug 27, 2008 at 1:44 pm
Yeah, there are a few things like that on 5th ave, with 1st floors as apartments. Not too surprising.
3 L // Sep 5, 2008 at 11:36 pm
I am the owner of this building. First of all, I have no idea who the first commenter spoke with, but I am NOT an “older Hispanic gentleman”. My husband and I are longtime Slope residents. We’ve lived here for over 25 years. We have kids who go to local Park Slope public schools. I’m a public school teacher.
We bought the building 7 years ago and legally converted it to a one family house. When we moved in (in 2001) the storefront was vacant, and had been for many years. We replaced the glass storefront at that time with a brownstone wall.
This past Spring, we had our facade worked on and the person we hired ruined the facade, building this wall (which we didn’t want.) We were just trying to figure out how to deal with that situation when someone complained to the buildings department and caused us no end of trouble. If they had stayed out of it, that wall would have been torn down and replaced with the same original brownstone front the following week.
Instead, we got a stop work order, and it took us months and months and thousands of dollars to rectify. So instead of it ending for the neighborhood and for us, it went on and on. Thank you very much, whoever called! The work is finally done now. I invite you to look at it. It’s not a big ugly wall sticking out anymore, but a regular Park Slope facade. Which is what would have happened months ago, if people would just have spoken to us instead of the buildings department.