2 Allen Street – Construction Update

1. This is terrible, terrible news. I don’t think anyone would disagree that 55 Hester is the ugliest, most vomit-inducing new building on the entire Lower East Side. They clearly tried to emulate 7 Essex, which itself is just meh, but at least inoffensive. Everything about 55 Hester is wrong. The fact that they are putting up another one, especially on such a prominent corner, next to the Jarmulowsky building, makes me very sad.

   There’s a legend that after the St Basil’s Cathedral in Moscow was completed, Ivan the Terrible blinded the architect so that he may never reproduce such beauty ever again. It’s safe to say that whoever is responsible for 55 Hester was blind before he started, so I’m not sure what the community’s recourse should be with respect to this horrible person.

   Honestly, it’s not that hard. Spend an extra 10% on materials. Don’t use green glass and shiny chrome. Nobody will want your “luxury” apartments if they look cheap as shit before you even walk into the building. People who can pay enough for market rate condos in lower Manhattan tend to have just a modicum of taste.

2. I think you mean behind Jarmulowsky Bank. I can see it there in the background.

3. I am not looking forward to another building of the quality of 55 Hester in the neighborhood. Why can we not get architectural excellence in our new buildings?

4. Looks like you can pretty much take your pick at 55 Hester:

   http://55hestercondo.com/Channel.asp?ChannelID=11

   Kind of crazy that these kinds of buildings can go up, while the Jarmulowsky sits there, waiting to be refurbished.

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