Open Thread Wednesday

By on June 27, 2023 10:55 pm in open thread

What’s on your mind? Comment away!

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  • JeffB

    Does anyone know what the actual color of Sands Street Terminal was (for the bulk of its existence) ? It was pretty much gone before the popularity of color photography, so I’ve never seen it in a color photo, nor can I find it in a painting from the era. There are a few postcards that feature it, but those are colored in post and there seems to be various interpretations. This postcard shows it as yellow with a red roof. I’ve seen others as a green building, blue building, green roof, tan building, etc. https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/3317d1ac92aeea04ec3c697c75f2bbaee20217126f2b432d8a057d1c738c3692.jpg

  • Karl Junkersfeld

    Film with tons of pictures of Sands Street Terminal.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2p2BTYae54

  • A neighbor

    I encourage anyone who has not yet viewed the recently unveiled new houses at 295-297 Hicks St to do so. I have not spoken to anyone who has anything nice to say about them. They are ugly, from the odd brick work to the windows. It is hard to believe that the Landmarks Comm signed off on these.

    And I’m told they were designed by a local architect – Brendon Coburn!

  • John Ryan

    Begs the question as to the purpose of a Landmarks Comm if they allow such an abomination to pass.

  • Andrew Porter
  • Richard Upjohn

    The stepped-back brickwork above the windows reminds me of 189 Warren St, built 1851. I always wondered if those features were a later addition.

  • JeffB

    I’m going to conclude (after way too much time and hundreds and hundreds of photos) that this fella, Bob Olson’s passion and attention to detail for Brooklyn’s elevated train line and its history led him to this color scheme for his Sands Street station: http://www.nycmodeltransit.org/BobOlson.htm

  • Andrew Porter

    I’ve asked the members of a subway fan group I’m in if anyone knows, suggesting they post their answer directly here.

  • Andrew Porter

    Here’s a post about them in Curbed in 2014; no photos or images. Does include LPC comments:

    https://ny.curbed.com/2014/11/28/10017854/brooklyn-heights-is-getting-three-new-townhouses

  • Andrew Porter

    Wow! Great link. I collect “O” Gauge streamlined trains, but not subway-related ones. Here’s a photo of two of my collection (display them, don’t run them):
    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/739dfb6af70f4167c6705d7550fcdfa8d004c50d003837aa51faa31c7e64d61f.jpg

  • Andrew Porter

    Here’s a 1940 tax photo of 35 Poplar Street, NW corner of Vine. All buildings here were torn down for the construction of the BQE; Vine itself no longer exists:
    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/e743a76e8501d06a3d4d2533c52f7235573867fdc1ea41010a0942528fc485a2.png

  • JeffB

    Those are beautiful!! I have an old set that I bring out every Christmas.

  • JeffB

    Love that little side window they have on the 3rd floor! However, that’s the NW corner at McKenny. Vine St. is still with us and, of course, we still have a teeny tiny part of McKenny as well. Here’s an aerial shot of the same house. https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/8077bb3f8ed96e0391646e90f99a78e2984332e6306327e5edbe0cae85a9fc42.jpg

  • A neighbor

    That’s not the same design. For starters, there are only two houses, not three.

  • Downtown Dad

    I’d like to spotlight the Free Kayaking program at the Pier 4 Beach in Brooklyn Bridge Park on Wednesday & Thursday nights and on Saturdays & Sundays. No experience necessary if you’d like to kayak or if you’d like to volunteer. Reservation & Volunteer links can be found here: https://www.bbpboathouse.org/

  • nomcebo manzini

    Gotta second your suggestion…. I came across this event by surprise a week ago, and here are 2 observations & a kind of footnote:
    1) A good time was clearly being had by everyone involved – kids (some paddling, others not) & plenty of “single” and “paired” adults.
    2) It was run with great efficiency, good humor, etc.

    Note: I’m quite sure they are NOT using their usual location near the skating rink this summer, … and there is one volunteer or employee whose job it is to make sure nobody “gets in trouble” by going out too far.

  • Downtown Dad

    Yes, the floating dock on Pier 2 next to the roller rink is being repaired so we operate from the mini sand beach by Pier 4 for now. There are usually 3 “safety boaters” in the water and the boundaries are before the Marina entrance so lots of monitoring and protection. Tonight the majority of kayakers were newbies, lots of smiles & fun!

  • clarknt67

    I have been meaning to do it. Do they have a secure, dry place for you to leave belongings like phone and wallet?

  • Karl Junkersfeld

    My experience kayaking in Brooklyn Bridge Park. Definitely worth a visit:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XwZKH-h-iaE

  • Downtown Dad

    At the original Pier 2 floating dock location, people would use the lockers next to the roller rink. For this Summer at the Pier 4 Beach, you could still use the lockers, I suppose, but most people leave their stuff/bags/sneakers behind the registration table with the caveat that BBP staff isn’t responsible for it so it is at your own risk. With newer phones being pretty waterproof, a lot of people bring them out while kayaking too.

  • CHatter

    Curious if anyone knows what is going on with the building at 75 Pineapple (next to Plymouth Cafe)? Appears to have been abandoned. Pigeon poop everywhere.

  • Andrew Porter

    Today’s trains are all about realism. The old Lionels were condensed versions of real trains, and they all said “Lionel” on them.

    Since the 1980s or so, the trains are often nearly exact copies of the real things, in the correct scale. But they’re no longer cheap: the most I’ve ever paid for one engine was $1,700. And you can pay up to $4,000 for one!

  • Andrew Porter

    Gosh, you’re right and I’m wrong. Took a look at some old and newer maps, and Vine is parallel with Poplar, runs along the front of the former JW building with the “Welcome” sign on it.

    I will have to revise my file names and their contents.

  • Andrew Porter

    Written up here, but I can’t find the link. Numerous violations. This says it’s for sale:

    https://www.meridiancapital.com/investment-sale/75-pineapple-street/

  • Banet

    Put the phone in a ziploc before you go. It’ll be fine.

  • Ryan

    Can we talk about the Clark Street elevators?? One of them is constantly down, despite the fact we spent nearly a year WITHOUT SERVICE so they could fix it. They claimed it would have taken too long to do one by one, but it seems to not have made a difference considering all 3 rarely function at once.

    What I want to know is what contractor did the work and why we as taxpayers aren’t suing them. This is unacceptable

  • Effective Presenter

    Because Ewic Adams is Mayor most everything is done or more often NOT done in a half-a*sed manner.

  • Banet

    But the mayor had zero to do with the elevators. The subway system is not under mayoral control.

  • Effective Presenter

    Dozens of residents of Brooklyn Heights have asked Ewic Adams for help with the Clark Street elevators and the crumbing BQE, residents of Colpumbia Heights are ignored.

  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7nPOzGeyaw Arch Stanton

    Lately, I see a lot of Lionel trains, etc. posted for sale on FB Marketplace. The prices don’t seem that high so I was thinking their collectable value might be falling. Like Hummel figurines once worth thousands of dollars are now almost worthless.
    Seems like a lot of the collectors items revered by older generations are not valued by the millennials.

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