As seen from Smith Street at First PlaceIn the last few months, the controversial Carroll Gardens development at 360 Smith Street/132 Second Place, once known as 'Oliver House', has slowly risen to an imposing 70 feet. Now, the scaffolding has finally come down, revealing a rather uninspired building that is not only out of scale, but out of context with the rest of the brownstone neighborhood.Developer Stein promptly took his case in front of the Board of Standards and Appeals, that oh-so-contentious board that grants developers exemptions in cases such as this.
In order to be able to continue, Mr. Stein had to prove that a significant portion of the project's foundation had been completed before the Stop Work Order went into effect. Though inspectors from the NYC Department of Buildings determined that only 20% of the foundation had been completed, the BSA gave Stein what he wanted at a hearing in November 2008. The Stop Work Order was lifted. He was now free to proceed. By September 2009, construction resumed.How unfortunate for historic Carroll Gardens. The one block stretch on Smith Street between First and Second Places, with the bright orange stuccoed Hannah Senesh School building on one corner and 'Oliver House' on the other, is now rather fuggly.
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