Nora Jones and the Wailing Wall of Cobble Hill
April 18, 2010
The Wailing Wall without windows.
The Wailing Wall with windows.
Amazingly there are people in Cobble Hill that prefer the wall without windows!
I am sure most are lawyers – people with no aesthetic sense. They feel rules are more important than beauty.
About two weeks ago there was a meeting with Councilman Lander and several Cobble Hill residents and the residents were upset that the City Landmarks Commission approved the windows in Nora Jones’s wall. I have been told that Jones wanted ten windows and the Commission approved seven. I think they should have approved all ten. The wall looks so much better with the windows.
However people being people complain and complain and complain; we know they never actually look because if they did they would admit the Wailing Wall looks better with windows. In fact a friend told me they were threatening to sue both the Landmarks Commissions and Nora Jones. Why Nora Jones?? Jones applied and received all the proper permits. I think Amity Street has too many lawyers living on with too little work.
This is another reason Historical Status is bad for your neighborhood: Not only do you need to get City permission BUT it seems now you need to get your neighbor’s permission to make changes to your house. Suddenly you no longer own your home BUT a committee owns your home – of cause none of them will be chipping in any money.
BTW, Nora Jones’s new CD is great; I recommend it.
I ran into Michael Cassidy on Thursday; he wa just back from Fire Island preparing his to open his beach house. He mentioned that he has tried to get a copy of Brad Lander’s letter to Robert B. Tierney, Chairman of Landmarks Commission. It seems Brad Lander handed out a letter from Chairman Tierney replying to that letter at a meeting, and Mike wanted to see what the Lander’s letter had said. He has now requested the letter twice and has not even received a phone call back from Lander’s liaison, Michael Curtin. I encouraged Mike to sue for the letter under the New York State Freedom of Information Act. I wonder is Lander in the wrong political party; this seems a Republican Party attitude and not the attitude of the Democratic Party I and Mike belong to.
Nora Jones is not the only one fighting for rights with the Landmarks Commission. Here is a story about a property owner at Henry Street (Cobble Hill). It appeared in yesterday’s Daily News.
http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/brooklyn/2010/04/22/2010-04-22_eyesore_lawsuit_city_sues_homeowner_over_2_crumbling_historic_bldgs.html
The above link may not be there long so take a look before becoming a dead link.
I feel for this property owner but at least he knew what he was getting into when he bought it in 2000. I don’t want Carroll Gardens residents to suffer his pain by getting land marked. At a meeting last November or so, Glenn Kelly of CGNA Land Use Committee said that CGNA would poll the property owners first before making a recommendation. I want the property owners to realize what they’ll be in for. Both sides of the story must be presented and then let the chips fall where they may.
I say enough is enough. Just how much landmarking do we need. Buy the book “New York City Landmarks” and you will see that this city is becoming a relic of the past.
the wall does look better..let’s keep LP OUT OF CARROLL GARDENS…certainly Ms. Jones has better taste than all the so called experts who felt they could dictate her rights as a homeowner. This is her home, not a community house…leave the CG homeowners without the landmark status..we’ve managed quite well on our own. Zoning is the only answer