Reflections on 100 Clark St.

By Raanan Geberer
(Originally published in Brooklyn Daily Eagle, June 3, 2008)

As this op-ed is being written, much is being made of the unfortunate case of 100 Clark St., a mid-19th-century townhouse with an “Addams Family”-style Mansard roof, which was much larger than a brownstone. The building was neglected for at least 30 years and had a host of building-code violations. It may have been a mansion at one time, but was subdivided into tiny apartments years ago.

Four years ago, part of its wall facing adjoining Monroe Place had to be replaced after bricks started falling out of the walls onto the street below. Now, last month, after nearby residents noticed part of the outer wall buckling more than a foot out of plumb, Department of Buildings engineers inspected the place and determined that the building, or at least the upper half of it, had to go.

At this time, demolition has temporarily ceased, and the future of the building is up in the air – will it be totally demolished or will it be rebuilt above the second (and now top) floor?

The case of 100 Clark St. is surely regrettable, and steps to keep the building in sound condition should have been taken long ago. Whoever is responsible for keeping it in that condition should be made to pay the cost.

But let’s look around. The building at 100 Clark is a cause celebre mainly because it falls within the Brooklyn Heights Historic District, where an active cadre of well-connected preservationists keep tabs on almost every building. There, even minor renovations can cause controversy.

The case also stands out because the vast majority of old row houses in the Heights, some of which pre-date 100 Clark St., are well cared for. In some cases, owners have spent as much as $100,000 or more for façade renovation and restoration of the original details.

However, in areas such as Bushwick, Bedford-Stuyvesant, Sunset Park and East New York, there are 19th century buildings in terrible condition that are only sporadically repaired, or, in some cases, vacant. These buildings may also be in danger of falling down. Yet, who will take up their cause? I’m encouraged that there seem to be growing preservationist movements in Bedford-Stuyvesant and Crown Heights, but what about all the years of neglect there?

As in much else, it all boils down to economics. An owner of an old row house in Sunset Park is often either a civil service worker, a retiree or the owner of a small bodega, has trouble paying some of his bills, and depends on two or three unreliable tenants for much of his income. He will likely only make repairs on an “as-needed” basis, and won’t spend much time about whether the steps and iron railing leading to the front door show the ravages of time.

Perhaps it’s time for our academic institutions, city agencies, architects, non-profits and grant-making businesses to show as much interest in preserving other areas of the borough as they do in preserving Brooklyn Heights, Carroll Gardens, Boerum Hill, Fort Greene and Park Slope.