747 FRANKLIN AVE

745 FRANKLIN AVE

Location of the weekly Franklin at Sterling Flea Market.  

Tax class: all others
Tax block/lot: 1245/9
Lot frontage: 25 feet
Lot depth: 75 feet
Irregularly shaped lot: no
Building frontage: feet
Building depth: 75
Irregularly shaped building: no
Zoning codes from NYC Department of City Planning: R6

738 FRANKLIN AVE

This space has not seen commercial activity since the 80s.

Tax class: 1-3 unit residences
Tax block/lot: 1175/51
Number of units (condos, etc). in the building: 3
Number of residential units (condos, etc). in the building: 2
Lot frontage: 23 feet
Lot depth: 91 feet
Irregularly shaped lot: no
Building frontage: 23 feet
Building depth: 91 feet
Irregularly shaped building: no
Additional: extension
The number of stories for the building: 3
The number of buildings on the property: 1
The year the building was built: 1910
Zoning codes from NYC Department of City Planning: R6

730 FRANKLIN AVE

Tax class: residential vacant land
Tax block/lot: 1168/57
Lot frontage: 27 feet
Lot depth: 100 feet
Irregularly shaped lot: no
Building frontage: feet
Building depth: 100
Irregularly shaped building: no
Zoning codes from NYC Department of City Planning: R6

728-728A FRANKLIN AVE

These two sidewalk storefronts sit there waiting for new activity.

Tax class: apartments with 7-10 units
Tax block/lot: 1168/55
Number of units (condos, etc). in the building: 10
Number of residential units (condos, etc). in the building: 8
Lot frontage: 27 feet
Lot depth: 100 feet
Irregularly shaped lot: no
Building frontage: 27 feet
Building depth: 100 feet
Irregularly shaped building: no
The number of stories for the building: 4
The number of buildings on the property: 1
The year the building was built: 1906
Zoning codes from NYC Department of City Planning: R6

689 FRANKLIN AVE

Tax class: all others
Tax block/lot: 1231/15
Lot frontage: 19 feet
Lot depth: 46 feet
Irregularly shaped lot: yes
Building frontage: feet
Building depth: 46
Irregularly shaped building: no
Zoning codes from NYC Department of City Planning: R6

690 FRANKLIN AVE

Formerly the Nagi Nagi Corp bodega.

Number of units (condos, etc). in the building: 3
Number of residential units (condos, etc). in the building: 2
Lot frontage: 20 feet
Lot depth: 100 feet
Irregularly shaped lot: no
Building frontage: 20 feet
Building depth: 100 feet
Irregularly shaped building: no
The number of stories for the building: 3
The number of buildings on the property: 1
The year the building was built: 1930
Zoning codes from NYC Department of City Planning: R6

681 FRANKLIN AVE

I am a fan of hand painted signs. This one in particular caught my eye by its antiqued look. The building is currently inhabited with signs of its former life holding out, however the street storefront is not in operation.

This in combination with the other vacancies along Franklin, one may see the avenue in transition from despair to hope. Littered lots are making way for "for rent/for sale" signs; thus replacing our mental maps of a broken neighborhood.

Number of units in the building: 3
Number of residential units in the building: 2
Lot frontage: 25 feet
Lot depth: 100 feet
Building frontage: 20 feet
Building depth: 100 feet
The number of stories for the building: 3
The year the building was built: 1901

545 ST. MARKS AVE at Franklin Ave

This lot shows progress to develop yet has slowed down this past year. Melo Grocery seems to be an extension of the neighboring construction holding site north (left) of it.

Lot Size: 17 x 128.5
Zoning codes from NYC Department of City Planning: C2-1/R6 

948 BERGEN at Franklin Ave

Chain-linked and fenced off, a welcome, untamed greenspot among the asphalt and concrete. I walk by here every morning wondering what was before.

no record found on lot

1036-1042 DEAN STREET at Franklin Ave

Nassau Brewing Company
Nassau was the final name of a fairly successful brewing company in Brooklyn. Founded originally in 1849 as Liberger and Walter, it changed hands in 1866 as Christian Goetz bought the brewery, calling it the Bedford Brewery. He operated it successfully until 1884 when William Brown and a group of businessmen bought the plant. Brown renamed the brewery Budweiser Brewing Company in reference to the quality of beer of Budweis, Bohemia. Inevitably, Anheuser-Busch brought suit against Brown for copying their name, which had been trademarked in 1878. Brown gave in, changed the name to Nassau Brewing Company, and directed the company from 1898 to 1914 when it closed.

posted piece on building walls.

Tax class: all others
Tax block/lot: 1142/44
Number of units (condos, etc). in the building: 1
Lot frontage: 71 feet
Lot depth: 220 feet
Irregularly shaped lot: yes
Building frontage: 50 feet
Building depth: 220 feet
Irregularly shaped building: no
The number of stories for the building: 5
The number of buildings on the property: 1
The year the building was built: 1930
Zoning codes from NYC Department of City Planning: R6

672 FRANKLIN AVE

This storefront has the windows wallpapered over with a few political candidate flyers for the district.

633 FRANKLIN AVE

 A number of these empty lots serve as parking or storage for neighboring buildings.

Change along Franklin Avenue

I Love Franklin Ave. has a great blogpost on development within Crown Heights. Despite the economic times, vacant fronts are being replaced by newer stores and eateries. Love it or hate it, the march moves onward.

603 FRANKLIN AVE

The apartments here have been gutted and are being rehabbed at the moment. Scaffolding and plywood cover the site. Black plastic mesh further secure the site.

Tax class: apartments with 7-10 units
Tax block/lot: 1205/4
Number of units (condos, etc). in the building: 8
Number of residential units (condos, etc). in the building: 8
Lot frontage: 29 feet
Lot depth: 100 feet
Irregularly shaped lot: no
Building frontage: 29 feet
Building depth: 100 feet
Irregularly shaped building: no
The number of stories for the building: 4
The number of buildings on the property: 1
The year the building was built: 1910
Zoning codes from NYC Department of City Planning: R6 (The character of R6 districts can range from row house neighborhoods to large-scale "tower in the park" developments. Height factor buildings (total floor area of the building divided by its lot coverage, in square feet). are often set back from the street and surrounded by open space and on-site parking.)

588 FRANKLIN AVE

This 1910 brownstone may have seen better days.

Number of units (condos, etc). in the building: 3
Number of residential units (condos, etc). in the building: 3
Lot frontage: 20 feet
Lot depth: 80 feet
Irregularly shaped lot: no
Building frontage: 20 feet
Building depth: 80 feet
Irregularly shaped building: no
The number of stories for the building: 3
The number of buildings on the property: 1
The year the building was built: 1910
Zoning codes from NYC Department of City Planning: R6 (The character of R6 districts can range from row house neighborhoods to large-scale "tower in the park" developments. Height factor buildings (total floor area of the building divided by its lot coverage, in square feet). are often set back from the street and surrounded by open space and on-site parking.)

1122 PACIFIC AVE

 

Gated and locked. This corner may have been a bodega at one point.

1087 ATLANTIC AVE at Franklin Ave

On the northeast corner of Franklin and Atlantic sits this vacant lot. The graffitied wall has recently been painted over within the last two weeks. Chain link and barbed wire surround this empty patch.

Tax block/lot: 2021/1
Lot frontage: 109 feet
Lot depth: 98 feet
Irregularly shaped lot: yes
Building frontage: feet
Building depth: 98
Irregularly shaped building: no
Zoning codes from NYC Department of City Planning: M1-1 (The M1 district is often a buffer between M2 or M3 districts and adjacent to residential or commercial shops, auto storage, repair shops, wholesale service and storage facilities.)

About Blighting Vacancy

    Vacant properties are a national occurrence. Abandonment manifests itself through different forms, among them: owner neglect, population migration, and de-industrialization. As a result, the phenomenon produces consequences that include stressed municipalities and a deteriorating public environment. My position is that lighting can enliven and secure a vacant site throughout the different stages within its development cycle.
    The choice of Franklin Avenue, in the neighborhood of North Crown Heights, Brooklyn, New York, exemplifies a gentrifying commercial street halted by the economic downturn. In its hiatus, three vacant typologies exist: 1) vacant lots, 2) construction sites, and 3) abandoned buildings and storefronts.
    The application of light on blight re-examines temporal permanence and questions its future, unknown manifestation. Light embodies the potential to inform and revitalize, while activating a space for present usage.

Documentation 
     Currently, I intend to look at the half mile stretch of Franklin Ave. between Atlantic and Eastern Parkway. The following will note the types of sites and characteristics and aid in my thesis research on lighting and vacancy. Lot information has been obtained through Property Valuations (Tax Assessments) made available on http://www.city-data.com/.