Jury Review
May 15 2009
4-6pm
Opening Reception
May 15 2009
6-8pm
Research + Design + Construction
January 27 - May 15 2009
it seemed like forever..
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Friday, May 15, 2009
BROOKLYN EXCHANGES
The Exhibition is finally up!!
Venue:
Metropolitan Exchange33 Flatbush Avenue
2/3/4/5 to Nevins, B/N/R/Q to Dekalb
A/C/G Hoyt-Schermerhorn, G to Fulton
or B/D/M/N/R/Q/2/3/4/5 to Atlantic
Gallery Hours:
MAY 16 - JUNE 1, Wednesday to Saturday, 12-6pm
OPENING RECEPTION
Friday May 15, 6-8pm
Produced by students at Pratt Institute, this exhibition presents downtown Brooklyn's part, present and future development projects in order to imagine a more creative and just vision for its future.
www.metropolitanexchange.org/bex
Supported by the Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in Fine Arts, the Faculty Development Fund of Pratt Institute, Al Attara and the members of the Metropolitan Exchange.
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Exhibition Content Research Strategy
Synthetic Present Research Proposal
I am proposing that all three sites' present conditions are seen from the eyes of the everyday. I propose to document the everyday urbanism of Downtown Brooklyn as describe in these three documents.
001
002
003
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Exhibition Idea Reference
http://imagineconey.com/
http://mas.org/imagineconey-exhibit-opens-february-3-at-mas/
Monday, February 16, 2009
The pedestrian's discoveries on Fulton Street Mall
week 04 assignment
The Offerman Building
The Offerman Building
Address: 503-13 Fulton Street and 234-48 Duffield Street, Brooklyn.
Landmark Site: Borough of Manhattan Tax Map Block 145 Lot 35
Architect: Peter J. Lauritzen
The Offerman Building
The Offerman Building
Address: 503-13 Fulton Street and 234-48 Duffield Street, Brooklyn.
Landmark Site: Borough of Manhattan Tax Map Block 145 Lot 35
Architect: Peter J. Lauritzen
I had set out on a walkabout at the Fulton Street Mall recently and told myself to position my head angled slightly higher than usual when looking around my surroundings, which was to look up most of the time to view the many interesting building facades that stretched across the busy commercial street. This led me to my first encounter of the existence of the Offerman Building just last Friday the 13th of February 2009. What a day to personally discover this Romanesque Revival building in the heart of the Fulton Street Mall that has been deteriorating both on its façade and much worst on its interiors. It currently houses Conway, the cheap department store chain on its ground level. I made the effort to enter the store, which was the only public accessible space of the Offerman Building. Most of its interiors have been closed up and barricaded by what I think is drywall. I would imagine a beautiful lobby that would welcome people who enters the ground level space of this outstanding eight-storey commercial structure. But what is left now is a very dingy-looking space that accommodates mostly cheap clothing and household items.
The history of the Offerman Building goes back to 1890. Located on an irregularly-shaped lot adjoining Fulton Street and Duffield Street of what is now called the Fulton Street Mall in Downtown Brooklyn. Commissioned by Henry Offerman, who is a mogul in the sugar industry living in Williamsburg at the time, for the S. Wechler and Brother store. Peter J. laurtizen, a Danish immigrant architect designed the medieval-inspired building. Lauritzen specialized in private clubs, residences and commercial structures in Washington DC before moving to New York City in 1883. It is typical work of Lauritzen to incorporate the design of multi-story arcades, textured limestone, decorative moldings and reliefs that identify the date of construction, name of the building and owner.
The building had seen the successes of many retail tenants particularly Martin’s Department Store being the best-known, occupying the Offerman Building for over fifty years from 1924 to 1979. It was fondly remembered by Brooklynites as a store that specialized in men’s and women’s clothing, particularly bridal wear. As what was documented on the Offerman Building by the Landmarks Preservation Commision, it had undergone alterations of its lower floors to accommodate the many department stores but much of its original character remains. I think it refered to its façade characteristics and not so of its interiors. I was not able to find any pictures or renderings of its original ground level interiors as that would be very interesting to see.
What was not aware to me on my first site visit into the building was its irregularly-shaped plan. Its main façade on Fulton Street very much makes it look like it is a common symmetrical commercial building. But as I researched more online on its original layout, it has a very peculiar geometry that makes it very interesting to figure out. I wonder about the lot acquisition process by the owner that resulted in this layout and form. It seems to connect two rectangular shapes that is on Fulton Street and Duffield Street. The case is that Offerman acquired the site in two stages. The first eight lots facing Fulton Street were purchased in late 1889 and 1890 for $235,000. Ten additional lots were acquired during the first half of 1892 increasing the length of the Duffield Street wing to 180 feet. The band of stone relief inscribed the starting dates of the construction phases, which was 1890 and 1892. This expansion was to increase retail space and double the loading bays.
The Offerman Building has multiple facades. It is nested within the confinements of the trapezoidal block. These facades range from 19 to 180 in length. The street elevations are both located at mid block. The 100ft-long Fulton Street façade is between Duffield and Bridge Streets. The 180ft-long Duffield Street façade is between Fulton and Willoughby Streets. In my opinion, both facades are ornate, but the Fulton Street façade has the interesting feature of the classic wedding-cake art-deco-inspired staggered outline. It has a more vertical presence. It speaks of a symmetrical façade with an arcade-inspired double height main entrance into its lobby.
At the time of construction, the Offerman Building was among the tallest buildings in Brooklyn. Its ceilings are particularly high. Most likely, both steel and cast iron were used to achieve the floor to floor height. Lauritzen created this tripartite composition dividing the masonry façade into multiple, sometimes overlapping arcades. The arches vary in scale. In my opinion, this creates a sense of hierarchy when one views its façade, drawing attention to its entrance as the center arch has a gradating effect with its mid body elongated almost one floor higher than the top most floor level. This I suppose is common within the designs of department stores at the time, as customers were welcomed through a center arch. The effect of the entrance being wider and higher is an architectural feature that definitely increased visibility and pedestrian circulation as well as the air and sunlight coming through the space.
I feel great presence of this building, although at present it is being barricaded by scaffoldings. I think it is in the works of repair and restoration as the Landmarks Preservation Commission has designated this building as a landmark site on March 15th 2005. I have always had a personal interest in old structures of great history that has managed to withstand time and functions to still be relevant in the modern era. Fulton Street Mall does not really embody the definition of modernity in modern architecture terminologies. What I mean is that, within the flashy billboards and neon signs of what mostly is hip hop culture and the world of the ‘Downtown Brooklyn’, the Offerman building and several other adjacent building of similar nature adds to the vibrancy of this urban room. It seems to have this mix of visual languages that is also reflected on the people inhabiting the space, walking through the streets in their many fashions and cultures. I have come to love the Fulton Street Mall because of this vibrancy of layers in its history, building facades, commercial signage and the multi-cultures of its local community and visitors. I have always loved the experience of the pedestrian passing through these many layers of the urban fabric penetrating the urban tissue.
Ref: www.nyc.gov/html/lpc/downloads/pdf/reports/offerman
The history of the Offerman Building goes back to 1890. Located on an irregularly-shaped lot adjoining Fulton Street and Duffield Street of what is now called the Fulton Street Mall in Downtown Brooklyn. Commissioned by Henry Offerman, who is a mogul in the sugar industry living in Williamsburg at the time, for the S. Wechler and Brother store. Peter J. laurtizen, a Danish immigrant architect designed the medieval-inspired building. Lauritzen specialized in private clubs, residences and commercial structures in Washington DC before moving to New York City in 1883. It is typical work of Lauritzen to incorporate the design of multi-story arcades, textured limestone, decorative moldings and reliefs that identify the date of construction, name of the building and owner.
The building had seen the successes of many retail tenants particularly Martin’s Department Store being the best-known, occupying the Offerman Building for over fifty years from 1924 to 1979. It was fondly remembered by Brooklynites as a store that specialized in men’s and women’s clothing, particularly bridal wear. As what was documented on the Offerman Building by the Landmarks Preservation Commision, it had undergone alterations of its lower floors to accommodate the many department stores but much of its original character remains. I think it refered to its façade characteristics and not so of its interiors. I was not able to find any pictures or renderings of its original ground level interiors as that would be very interesting to see.
What was not aware to me on my first site visit into the building was its irregularly-shaped plan. Its main façade on Fulton Street very much makes it look like it is a common symmetrical commercial building. But as I researched more online on its original layout, it has a very peculiar geometry that makes it very interesting to figure out. I wonder about the lot acquisition process by the owner that resulted in this layout and form. It seems to connect two rectangular shapes that is on Fulton Street and Duffield Street. The case is that Offerman acquired the site in two stages. The first eight lots facing Fulton Street were purchased in late 1889 and 1890 for $235,000. Ten additional lots were acquired during the first half of 1892 increasing the length of the Duffield Street wing to 180 feet. The band of stone relief inscribed the starting dates of the construction phases, which was 1890 and 1892. This expansion was to increase retail space and double the loading bays.
The Offerman Building has multiple facades. It is nested within the confinements of the trapezoidal block. These facades range from 19 to 180 in length. The street elevations are both located at mid block. The 100ft-long Fulton Street façade is between Duffield and Bridge Streets. The 180ft-long Duffield Street façade is between Fulton and Willoughby Streets. In my opinion, both facades are ornate, but the Fulton Street façade has the interesting feature of the classic wedding-cake art-deco-inspired staggered outline. It has a more vertical presence. It speaks of a symmetrical façade with an arcade-inspired double height main entrance into its lobby.
At the time of construction, the Offerman Building was among the tallest buildings in Brooklyn. Its ceilings are particularly high. Most likely, both steel and cast iron were used to achieve the floor to floor height. Lauritzen created this tripartite composition dividing the masonry façade into multiple, sometimes overlapping arcades. The arches vary in scale. In my opinion, this creates a sense of hierarchy when one views its façade, drawing attention to its entrance as the center arch has a gradating effect with its mid body elongated almost one floor higher than the top most floor level. This I suppose is common within the designs of department stores at the time, as customers were welcomed through a center arch. The effect of the entrance being wider and higher is an architectural feature that definitely increased visibility and pedestrian circulation as well as the air and sunlight coming through the space.
I feel great presence of this building, although at present it is being barricaded by scaffoldings. I think it is in the works of repair and restoration as the Landmarks Preservation Commission has designated this building as a landmark site on March 15th 2005. I have always had a personal interest in old structures of great history that has managed to withstand time and functions to still be relevant in the modern era. Fulton Street Mall does not really embody the definition of modernity in modern architecture terminologies. What I mean is that, within the flashy billboards and neon signs of what mostly is hip hop culture and the world of the ‘Downtown Brooklyn’, the Offerman building and several other adjacent building of similar nature adds to the vibrancy of this urban room. It seems to have this mix of visual languages that is also reflected on the people inhabiting the space, walking through the streets in their many fashions and cultures. I have come to love the Fulton Street Mall because of this vibrancy of layers in its history, building facades, commercial signage and the multi-cultures of its local community and visitors. I have always loved the experience of the pedestrian passing through these many layers of the urban fabric penetrating the urban tissue.
Ref: www.nyc.gov/html/lpc/downloads/pdf/reports/offerman
Sunday, February 15, 2009
the Fulton Street Mall
..continuing the photo essay
..pedestrianizing through the Fulton Street Mall
photographing the facade of the buildings from the view of a pedestrian walking on the street.
as I walked further down, to my attraction I encountered the Offerman Building (building in bold on key plan).
..pedestrianizing through the Fulton Street Mall
photographing the facade of the buildings from the view of a pedestrian walking on the street.
as I walked further down, to my attraction I encountered the Offerman Building (building in bold on key plan).
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
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