Artist Arthur Wood's attempts to retain control of his creation, the eccentric Clinton Hill mansion known as Broken Angel, are officially a lost cause (despite his best efforts) now that the current owner, developer Alex Barrett, has begun demolition. A Brownstoner reader sent them the picture on the right (click to expand) of debris piling up behind the four-story structure.
Broken Angel, once a neighborhood institution that was prominently featured in Dave Chappelle's Block Party, was built by Wood and his late wife Cynthia over the course of 27 years after they purchased the building in 1979 for $2,000. In recent years, however, Wood ran into a slew of problems starting with the building catching fire in 2006 and culminating with him losing a foreclosure battle and getting evicted last May. Barrett paid $4.1 million for the structure and plans to convert it into an eight-unit condominium building, with a brand new two-unit building next door at 8 Downing Street.
· Work Starts at Broken Angel [Brownstoner]
· Broken Angel coverage [Curbed]