Happy Spring!
Springtime gets me very energized. So, as I was walking down the remains of what used to be -- and I guess still kinda is -- our Restaurant Row today, it got me to thinking: how beautiful would life be if this big 'elephant in the room' of ours somehow was replaced by a nice second row of restaurants on the west side of 70th Road? It is some type of telephone exchange building, from what I've always been told. I guess it's still needed or it wouldn't still be there.
But, jeez, talk about an eyesore smack in the middle of our lovely neighborhood. Just imagine how pretty that part of town would be without this fortress -- and how many more tasty restaurants we could have on our Restaurant Rowish Row if this was no longer there?
With the huge new modern building going up on the other side of this ugly duckling, and Restaurant Row on the east, boy this thing is really starting to look out of place, ain't it?
Post Update: A couple of people seemed to have gotten really annoyed with this post. Just to clarify, from an outsider's perspective this is just an enormous hulking structure that is ugly as hell, and just does not fit with the improving neighborhood around it. There is no signage indicating it is owned by Verizon or any other company, making one assume it is just some kind of an old-time telephone network center -- one that probably would never have been placed where it is if it was being built today given the increasing property values.
If it does contain offices, they should think of renovating the building to make it more pleasing to the rest of the neighborhood. This structure will look more and more out of place once the new building goes up next to it and the neighborhood continues to improve.
And one last thing - this is only my opinion. If you happen to love hulking, bland, brick structures, then all the more power to you. Though I will never be a fan - unless it is some old-time Revolutionary War fort. Which would be awesome!
And yes, in keeping with that line of thought, and for the commenter who suggested it, it would be kinda cool to keep the building as is and use it in a retro way as some kind of museum or other cultural institution. In that respect, the old-time brick facade would make sense and add an authentic touch. Hey - maybe it should be a Museum of the Telephone, since they are disappearing real fast anyhow...
Springtime gets me very energized. So, as I was walking down the remains of what used to be -- and I guess still kinda is -- our Restaurant Row today, it got me to thinking: how beautiful would life be if this big 'elephant in the room' of ours somehow was replaced by a nice second row of restaurants on the west side of 70th Road? It is some type of telephone exchange building, from what I've always been told. I guess it's still needed or it wouldn't still be there.
But, jeez, talk about an eyesore smack in the middle of our lovely neighborhood. Just imagine how pretty that part of town would be without this fortress -- and how many more tasty restaurants we could have on our Restaurant Rowish Row if this was no longer there?
With the huge new modern building going up on the other side of this ugly duckling, and Restaurant Row on the east, boy this thing is really starting to look out of place, ain't it?
Post Update: A couple of people seemed to have gotten really annoyed with this post. Just to clarify, from an outsider's perspective this is just an enormous hulking structure that is ugly as hell, and just does not fit with the improving neighborhood around it. There is no signage indicating it is owned by Verizon or any other company, making one assume it is just some kind of an old-time telephone network center -- one that probably would never have been placed where it is if it was being built today given the increasing property values.
If it does contain offices, they should think of renovating the building to make it more pleasing to the rest of the neighborhood. This structure will look more and more out of place once the new building goes up next to it and the neighborhood continues to improve.
And one last thing - this is only my opinion. If you happen to love hulking, bland, brick structures, then all the more power to you. Though I will never be a fan - unless it is some old-time Revolutionary War fort. Which would be awesome!
And yes, in keeping with that line of thought, and for the commenter who suggested it, it would be kinda cool to keep the building as is and use it in a retro way as some kind of museum or other cultural institution. In that respect, the old-time brick facade would make sense and add an authentic touch. Hey - maybe it should be a Museum of the Telephone, since they are disappearing real fast anyhow...
Imagine how lovely that part of town would be with another set of banks, dollar stores, or hideous million dollar condos after 2 or 3 restaurants fail in that space. Leave it be, buddy. Let's keep some pre-war brick around, please.
ReplyDeleteI have mixed feeling here. While more restaurants would be nice, Timothy is right in the sense that I think this area can only handle so many restaurants. It's not as wealthy or yuppie as Manhattan and people here don't dine out as much and as it is, there are many vacant spots around the area that any number of new restaurants could move in to if they wanted.
ReplyDeleteWouldn’t it be nice if it was turned into something old fashioned like a roller skating rink or even a queens history space/museum?
ReplyDeleteMuch of the building is probably empty now as fewer people have landlines and the technology that makes those landlines work has become smaller. Some day, they may end up rebuilding it to reflect how much of the footprint they use.
ReplyDeleteIt's a Verizon office
ReplyDeleteIt's a Verizon office where people work and then spend their money in the neighborhood. Not everything is here for our entertainment and whimsy. We should be more concerned with the empty stores being filled with family run businesses then removing the places like this.
ReplyDeleteNah, doesn't seem to be that. More like some kind of a switch or data center with minimal staffing. I've looked in the windows and all you see are servers or some other type of machinery.
DeleteI think this is just a layover from when the area didn't have as much demand for prime real estate. It would never have been placed there today probably.
This would be a perfect spot for a Forest Hills Performance Center I have been pushing for for years. We need one!
ReplyDeleteI wonder if it would be enough space for a Wegman's. I heard the most amazing things about that store- it's like a Whole Foods, Trader Joe and Fairway combined and like the size of Costco. They're putting one in the Brooklyn Navy Yard area. We could use something comprehensive like that here. If anyone has been to one please chime in.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if it would be enough space for a Wegman's. I heard the most amazing things about that store- it's like a Whole Foods, Trader Joe and Fairway combined and like the size of Costco. They're putting one in the Brooklyn Navy Yard area. We could use something comprehensive like that here. If anyone has been to one please chime in.
ReplyDeletei agree with you. Demographics are changing as well.
ReplyDeleteWould make great loft apartments
ReplyDelete