It's unclear what's going on at the Whole Foods site in Gowanus, despite a promised 2008 opening date, but the special correspondent who sent the photo above notes that there's an open door policy at the landmarked building on the property at Third Street and Third Avenue. He writes:
Poked my head in; no one in sight. Looked like someone had taken a crow-bar to the jamb. Excellent luan paneling in the living room though.Another emailer reports:The door to the Coignet building has been wide open for over a week. I think there might be someone squatting in there...I called 311 and the Landmarks Preservation Commission and was hoping to call someone at Whole Foods, too. It would be a shame for a fire or some other avoidable issue to bring the building down after the efforts made on landmarking it...Last we heard, Whole Foods had incorporated the building into their design.
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· Interesting Signs of Life at Gowanus Whole Foods Site [Curbed] UPDATE: While city tax records show that Whole Foods owns the building, the retailer says the records are wrong and that they don't. They sent an email that was passed on to us that says, in part, "We don't own the building or have any control over it. We will e-mail the owner and let him know that the door is open and that he needs to secure the building."