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The deaths of various New York City neighborhoods have been predicted consistently, and accurately, for many, many years now. And, in honor of Whale Week, we figured it was high time somebody paid tribute to the overzealous developers and rich folks—the killer whales, if you will—who played such a crucial part in taking everything that everybody loved and turning it all into a gigantic Starbucks. Enjoy!
· All Whale Week 2013 coverage [Curbed]
Joseph Chetrit and the Chetrit Group made headlines in 2010 when they announced plans to demolish six Upper East Side brownstones and replace them with three single-family megamansions (with rooftop additions, of course.) If you think the end result is bad, though, you should see what they were originally proposing.
Although he can hardly be accused of ruining the East Village, "Friends" star David Schwimmer certainly got the neighbors all riled up when he purchased an 1852 townhouse on East 6th Street, hastily demolished it before it could be landmarked, and had a six-story mansion constructed in its stead.
Developer Eli Karp claimed that he "had to create [his] own neighborhood" with the ten-building complex in Prospect Heights, which a resident later referred to as a "luxury urban kibbutz." Karp was later sued by the projects' investors and removed from power.
Although it all may seem like a distant memory at this point, the Gretsch Building, along with the Smith-Gray, was the first super-luxury condo conversion to hit the Williamsburg waterfront. The Gretsch earns its spot on this list by having been the more upsetting of the two to the neighborhood's longstanding Hasidic residents.
Around these parts, Long Island City's Citylights co-op is best known for noisy subway ventilation fans and kids throwing eggs out the windows, but it also has the unique distinction of being the neighborhood's first waterfront tower. It was also the neighborhood's only waterfront tower from 1997, when it was built, to 2003, when the Avalon Riverview came along.
111 Central Park North has often been credited, after the fact, with making Harlem safe for luxury development. The penthouse set a neighborhood record when it sold for $8 million in 2008.
The appearance of the Magic Johnson-developed Viridian in 2008 was viewed by many as the final nail in the coffin for Greenpoint's industrial past. The glassy, 130-unit building features a putting green on the roof and "virtual golf" indoors, building wifi, an indoor pool and a reflecting pool in the courtyard. Classic Greenpoint.
Toren was only one of a wave of towering Downtown Brooklyn developments that followed a 2004 rezoning (others included Oro, The Brooklyner, and Avalon Fort Greene.) With its undulating facade, though, Toren probably represents the changing face of the neighborhood better than any of its counterparts.
Joseph Chetrit and the Chetrit Group made headlines in 2010 when they announced plans to demolish six Upper East Side brownstones and replace them with three single-family megamansions (with rooftop additions, of course.) If you think the end result is bad, though, you should see what they were originally proposing.
Although he can hardly be accused of ruining the East Village, "Friends" star David Schwimmer certainly got the neighbors all riled up when he purchased an 1852 townhouse on East 6th Street, hastily demolished it before it could be landmarked, and had a six-story mansion constructed in its stead.
Developer Eli Karp claimed that he "had to create [his] own neighborhood" with the ten-building complex in Prospect Heights, which a resident later referred to as a "luxury urban kibbutz." Karp was later sued by the projects' investors and removed from power.
Although it all may seem like a distant memory at this point, the Gretsch Building, along with the Smith-Gray, was the first super-luxury condo conversion to hit the Williamsburg waterfront. The Gretsch earns its spot on this list by having been the more upsetting of the two to the neighborhood's longstanding Hasidic residents.
Around these parts, Long Island City's Citylights co-op is best known for noisy subway ventilation fans and kids throwing eggs out the windows, but it also has the unique distinction of being the neighborhood's first waterfront tower. It was also the neighborhood's only waterfront tower from 1997, when it was built, to 2003, when the Avalon Riverview came along.
111 Central Park North has often been credited, after the fact, with making Harlem safe for luxury development. The penthouse set a neighborhood record when it sold for $8 million in 2008.
The appearance of the Magic Johnson-developed Viridian in 2008 was viewed by many as the final nail in the coffin for Greenpoint's industrial past. The glassy, 130-unit building features a putting green on the roof and "virtual golf" indoors, building wifi, an indoor pool and a reflecting pool in the courtyard. Classic Greenpoint.
Toren was only one of a wave of towering Downtown Brooklyn developments that followed a 2004 rezoning (others included Oro, The Brooklyner, and Avalon Fort Greene.) With its undulating facade, though, Toren probably represents the changing face of the neighborhood better than any of its counterparts.