A few weeks ago, YIMBY reported on plans for a five-story apartment building at 2353 Dean Street in Ocean Hill, the slice of Brooklyn bordered by Crown Heights, Bedford-Stuyvesant, East New York, and Brownsville. Now, we have a rendering of the project, courtesy of architect Ibrahim Greenbridge.
The 50-foot-tall development will infuse an unusual, modern vibe into the block, which is lined with turn-of-the-century row houses. Greenbridge said he wanted to create a “funky, organic shape” for the building, which will have windows framed by irregular cutouts and sloping overhangs that function as sun shading and balconies. The facade will be clad in metal panels, and the cutouts for the balconies will be accented in wood veneer. He added that the offbeat design is meant to pay tribute to the heritage of the owners, who hail from West Africa.
We wonder if the design is poking fun at the current wood frame house, which was slapped with several Department of Buildings violations for “leaning to the right in a pronounced fashion.” The owner, Chinweike Ukaegbu, tried to appeal the violation during an administrative hearing in 2011 by showing a photo of the house leaning in 1989, when he first bought it. But the city said the leaning house was hazardous, and the DOB issued a partial vacate order in 2014.
The new building will hold seven apartments and 6,900 square feet of residential space. The ground floor will have a 1,000-square-foot community facility, and the remaining floors will host one or two units apiece.
Construction is expected to start in the spring or summer of 2017.
2353 Dean Street, image via Google Maps
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An auspicious on either spring or summer, next year is not long from number on a calendar.