110 Livingston News & Blog

The plans for improving the streetscape in DUMBO and along Flatbush have gotten a lot of attention recently, but there has been no apparent progress on the promised improvements along the Boerum Place corridor (right), the street which welcomes visitors crossing the Brooklyn Bridge to Brooklyn.

City DOT has plans for excellent improvements: green plantings in the median (à la Park Ave.), bike lanes, safer pedestrian crossings, wider sidewalks, and better turning lanes. All of these would no doubt improve the area’s safety and appearance. In fact, City Planning has said that a “poor streetscape experience” (code for crappy-looking streets) is a major obstacle to downtown Brooklyn’s growth.

City DOT said back in July that the project “plans to break ground in Summer or Fall 2006.” So where are the improvements? We’ll be calling the City Economic Development Corporation this week to find out.

Click through below for more pictures.

• Greater Downtown Brooklyn Transportation Improvements (pdf; from City DOT — see page 3)
• Downtown Brooklyn Development Plan (from City Planning — see slide 10)
• 2006 = Change in Downtown Brooklyn (53Boerum)

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News on the plans at Atlantic & Court Streets, from the Brooklyn Papers:

Two Trees Management wants to build a six-story building on the current parking lot behind the Sovereign Bank building, with stores at street level. The LPC has approved the proposed building’s facade, as it is required to do for any new structure going up in a historic district.

Full article

In this week’s Talk of the Town, the New Yorker gives us a tantalizing description of some of the old fixtures which adorned the inside of our building before the renovation, including old-style fonts, glass partitions, and vintage plumbing. Plus, another perspective on the legendary dysfunction of the Board of Education as reflected by the building’s interior, which the Board of Ed Chancellor compares to “catacombs.”

Check out the full column at the New Yorker’s site: Lost and Found Department: Revolving Door

• On the Market: Fizzbow in the Land of Livingston (Curbed)
• Belltel vs. 110 Livingston (Brownstoner)

This rendering from Ismael Leyva Architects shows us our closest architectural relative, the Farley Post Office building at 33rd Street, which is now being reimagined as a striking new Penn Station. Both the Farley building and 110 were originally designed by McKim, Mead & White, and now are being updated by Ismael Leyva.

For those of you with northeastern-facing views, you will probably see another Leyva design going up over the next few months in downtown Brooklyn, the Oro condo building. Warning: Oro lacks the old-world look and feel of 110 and the post office, as can be seen after the jump. (more…)

The faux turf that has been long planned and discussed is now on the ground. The photo from Brownstoner makes it look pretty decent for fake grass, but judge for yourself: Cadman Plaza Update: Green Scene. Has anyone seen it up close, or know what this stuff looks and feels like?