Photoblogger Alexis Robie took his camera to Beard Street in Red Hook last night to document the Ikea-sponsored destruction of a row of Civil War-era buildings. He writes,
When I got to Beard Street, I saw that only a segment of one of the buildings had been demolished. It happened to be the best one on the block with great brick arches. A swoon even graced its surface. There is plywood scaffolding covering the lower part, but I could see by looking through cracks that the demolition is limited to just the upper left side. Now, there is a jagged brick edge and silhouettes of criss-crossed beams (metal or wood? I could not tell). My first reaction when I saw it was to remember the remnants of a bombed church I saw in Berlin. I don't know which is worst seeing the torn open side of the city's historical soul, or the empty lot to come that will pave over any memory.
Today's Daily News reports that the Army Corps of Engineers has put Ikea on a "short leash." That doesn't mean much, though, as another few days of swinging cranes is likely to bring the whole lot down. (More photos at Lex's Folly.)
· Beard Street [Lex's Folly]
· Ikea Digs Up Trouble in Red Hook [NYDailyNews]