30 in 30: #14

For 30 years Arthur and Cindy Wood have lived at 4 Downing Street in Brooklyn's Clinton Hill neighborhood. Unlike most New York City homeowners, the Woods have been adding pieces to the building illegally, making it into a giant, lived-in sculpture. It's the illegal part, and a mid-October fire that "led city inspectors to find the house in violation of building codes," according to a recent New York Times article. The main violation, as can be seen, is the 40-foot rooftop structure.



That article is the first in-depth reading I've done of this building, though it's fifteen minutes of fame clearly came in Dave Chappelle's Block Party. My impression of it is that it's more beloved than beautiful, or perhaps that it's more beloved for the spirit behind it than any aesthetic result. Times author Pogrebin calls it "Brooklyn's answer to Antonio Gaudi's Sagrada Familia," though I find that the overstatement of the year. The Watts Towers I can buy, but not an unfinished religious masterpiece.



One of the commendable aspects of Arthur Wood and his family's efforts is the recycling of neighborhood detritus. Everyone knows the proverb "one man's trash is another man's treasure." In this case one man's trash is turned into something that appears nothing like trash at all, mainly the stained-glass windows that are made from bottles and other glass found in the area. One wouldn't even think about it on first glance, the impression (at least from a distance) strong enough to pass as real stained-glass. The building becomes something born of the neighborhood, such that as people throw things away the Broken Angel gets bigger. People stop throwing things away, it doesn't grow.



Looking at Broken Angel, it appears to be something caught between a plan and a spontaneous action. Certain parts contain a symmetry that alludes to historical architecture, but other areas seem haphazard, almost incoherent in their logic. Mr. Woods indicates that there is some sort of goal in the project, though I have the feeling that goal evolves over time as elements are added from the inside out. If it keeps evolving will be partly determined this week as the family presents architectural and engineering drawings for the removal of the 40-foot tower, something that would make way for condominiums, an unfortunate compromise that keeps the building but not necessarily its spirit.



Directions:
The house is located at 4 Downing Street (corner of Downing and Quincy) in Brooklyn's Clinton Hill neighborhood. It can be reached by the 4,5 to Fulton Street; the A,C to Hoyt-Schermerhorn; the G to Clinton-Washington; the C to Clinton-Washington.

Previously:
#1 - Church of the Crucifixion
#2 - 40 Mercer Residences
#3 - Dichroic Light Field
#4 - Juan Valdez Flagship
#5 - IAC/InterActiveCorp
#6 - South Court of NYPL
#7 - Louis Vuitton Store
#8 - Ironworkers Local 580
#9 - Korean Presbyterian Church
#10 - Roosevelt Island
#11 - Stabile Hall (Pratt)
#12 - Terian Design Center (Pratt)
#13 - Higgins Hall (Pratt)