The Sad Transformation Of One Smith Street Block In Boerum Hill As Yet Another Original Building Is Demolished

Smith Street, looking towards Atlantic Avenue in April 2018

Original building at 157 Smith Street in April 2018, before demolition

Before demolition

157 Smith Street, now all gone. 

The empty lot at 157 Smith Street

Just a small reminder of the original structure.

For decades, much of Smith Street in Carroll Gardens and Boerum Hill has remained unchanged. The charming commercial stretch was lined with three to four story row houses, with just a few taller five to six story buildings spread along the blocks closer to Atlantic Avenue.

Unfortunately, we are seeing the north end of Smith Street change at a rapid pace, as some of the original houses are being demolished to make way for taller glass structures which don't even try to fit into the existing streetscape.

Part of the problem has to do with New York City's 2011 contextual rezoning of Boerum Hill, which raised the allowable Floor Area Ratio on Smith Street from Warren Street to Atlantic Avenue to R6A, which allows a building to rise to 70 feet.
(In contrast, the southern end of Smith Street was zoned R6B with a 50 feet height limit as part of the Carroll Gardens Contextual rezoning, approved in 2009.)

The temptation to build up to the allowable height limit can be perfectly illustrated on the block between Wycoff and Bergen Streets.  First, a three story original wood-clad building at number 159 Smith Street was demolished to make way for a much taller modern steel-clad apartment building with commercial space that remains unoccupied to this day.

Recently, the original structure next door at number 157 Smith Street was totally demolished, though the building permit issued was for a "proposed vertical and horizontal extension to existing building," only including "a partial demolition of existing structure."

What will replace it, according to a rendering, looks equally out of place as the new building at # 159.

According to Zillow, 157 Smith Street changed hands in 2016 for $3,750,000. That is a lot of money and one can hardly blame a new owner for wanting to maximize every inch of floor-area allowed by zoning. However, one does have to scratch one's head as to why someone buys a beautiful old building in a charming old neighborhood just to turn it into a stark modern glass structure.

At this rate,  the southern end of Smith Street will lose much of its flair.

What do you think, dear Reader?

As a reminder, this is what the two buildings at 157 and 159, together with their identical neighbor at #161 looked like in 2014. To date, 161 remains unchanged. For how long.

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Another Charming Old Brick Building On Smith Street To Get The Glass Treatment In Upcoming 'Remuddle'

If the new silver-toned building that replaced a sweet wooden clapboard building at 159 Smith Street isn't ugly enough in Boerum Hill, it may soon have an equally out of place neighbor.
Just recently, Rime, a sneaker store, moved out of 157 Smith Street and a construction fence was erected around its façade. A NYC Buildings Department permit indicates that this nice original old three-story brick building with a lovely cornice will soon get a vertical and horizontal extension.  According to a posted drawing, it will be stripped of all its charm in the process.

According to Zillow, 157 Smith Street changed hands in 2016 for $3,750,000. That is a lot of money and one can hardly blame a new owner for wanting to maximize every inch of floor-area allowed by zoning.  However, one does have to scratch one's head as to why someone buys a beautiful old building in a charming old neighborhood just to turn it into a stark modern glass structure.

What do you think, dear Reader?

Below is a photo taken in November 2014 of the three original buildings at 157, 159 and 161 Smith Street. Soon, only 161 will remain unchanged.

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