Saint Agnes In the Distance
Do you sometimes find yourself
walking the streets of Carroll Gardens
and find yourself on a block that you have walked often,
but which
at that moment,
in that light,
on that day
looks
as never before?
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Picture Of The Day: Saint Agnes In The Distance
Saint Agnes In the Distance
Do you sometimes find yourself
walking the streets of Carroll Gardens
and find yourself on a block that you have walked often,
but which
at that moment,
in that light,
on that day
looks
as never before?
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3 comments:
Yes katia, I do. Our neighborhood is suprisingly beautiful in many ways. This evening on the Stoler Report a real estate show on CUNY chanel 75 featured some of the major Brooklyn developers in Downtown,Williamsburg,Gowanus, and Carroll Gardens. Toll, SDS,Hudson Krammer and others were on. I am a businessman and they are just business men too. They are recently empowered by favorable zoning practice from the Bloomburg administration. They are just making a living as we all do. Why does it seem so deplorable though by comparison and why am I so discusted and depressed by listening to them for an hour? The raw materail they use to make their "product" is the very neighborhoods we live in. They literally want to use it up. In the case of Carroll Gardens they threaten, because of their terrible insenseitivity to our enviroment. They take exactly what they need,the light, the open air, the low density, the neighborhood feel and market it in slick way, make lots of money for themselves and forever alter our enviroment. We have a irrereplaceable comoditiy and it is being threatend. So call me anti develpoment, call me anti progress I'll gladly take that label to defend the beautifull in this neighborhood.
Vince
Dear Vince, You spoke to the very heart of the matter. Thank you for so eloquently expressing what I feel. I'll be honest. I came from two continents before arriving in America. I never felt at home in America until I came to Brooklyn. I love it here for the very reasons you describe. And it isn't Nimby-ism to want to protect this cherished Brooklyn from those who only see $ opportunity in taking away the human scale, open spaces, spectacular skies. And we have a city governent which does not represent the desires of the community like they are supposed to - I've seen that first hand now.I go to community mtgs and hear what the community wants. Then the city gives us back developers agendas. I saw Marty Markowitz going out of John Jay High School. He was there to speak at the Brooklyn Food Conference. It was just him and his aide. It took some courage, but I asked him "Mr Markowitz, please support superfund cleanup of the gowanus canal?" He turned around, caught off guard. I repeated my plea. He sputtered out "you people...you people...really...really.. LIKE what I did in your community for Toll Brothers..." I wasn't going to argue with him, even though what he said was preposterous. I just replied, " we need clean water, Mr Markowitz" . But back to St Agnes - how beautifully it towers over the neighborhood. Can you imagine at least 12 story condo bldgs where Bayside Fuel now is on the canal? Between Union and De Graw? That would take away my view of St Agnes. And that is the development vi$ion for Bayside property. There is a saying "you don't know what you've got till it's gone." But we who love Brooklyn know what we have here, And we want to do whatever we can to keep it from being lost...forever.
I have a view of St Agnes from my home as well.
I was baptized there, received my first communion there, confirmation, and graduation! At least St Agnes is one beautiful structure still left in this neighborhood that takes my breath away when I look at it. It is a magnificent church inside and out. Not like the crap being built lately that takes your view and air away!
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