New skyscrapers are constantly changing the Brooklyn skyline. But Charlie Scaturro wonders: Were humans really intended to live that high in the sky?
–––
New York City is constantly under construction. Though not nearly as romanticized as its food, its people, or its iconic scenery, construction is a fact of life in New York. And during the past decade, few places in the city have seen as much construction as Downtown Brooklyn.
From the Barclays Center to the seemingly never-ending barrage of residential high-rise luxury buildings, the Downtown Brooklyn skyline has undergone a dramatic change during the past few years.
And with these high-rise luxury buildings come the cranes. Perched on top of buildings in progress like 40-foot gargoyles, they create an experience so alien you have to remind yourself you’re looking at a skyline and not one gigantic citywide constriction site.
These cranes are as much a monument to humanity’s engineering achievements as they are a sure sign that things in Downtown Brooklyn are changing.
As time goes by, these new skyscrapers will eventually become an accepted part of the Downtown Brooklyn skyline. We’ll undoubtedly reach a point where we can’t even remember what Downtown Brooklyn looked like before they were built.
|
It’s probably no coincidence that the Fulton Mall (located in Downtown Brooklyn) has undergone changes of its own. Stores like Jimmy Jazz and many independently operated businesses are making way for Banana Republic and Gap Factory Stores. The places and people that once existed there are gone, only to live on in the memories of those who experienced them first hand. Until, of course, those memories fade away and it becomes difficult to recall anything that existed there previously.
This trend is surely going to continue. The “Going Out of Business” signs in the Fulton Mall seem to multiply by the week.
In spite of this, one of the busiest shopping centers in all of New York City has managed to maintain some of its charm, but things are clearly shifting away from what the Fulton Mall used to be.
Similarly, Downtown Brooklyn itself still has plenty of charm, but things are certainly shifting.
In comparison to the recently completed and currently in-progress buildings in Downtown Brooklyn, the Williamsburgh Savings Bank Tower looks ancient. Maybe it’s not the best looking building ever erected, but it definitely screams “Brooklyn”.
It’s hard to imagine an overwhelmingly positive public reaction in the 1920’s when it was built, but over the years people begin to soften up.
As time goes by, these new skyscrapers will eventually become an accepted part of the Downtown Brooklyn skyline. We’ll undoubtedly reach a point where we can’t even remember what Downtown Brooklyn looked like before they were built.
There are people who will move to Brooklyn next year who won’t know anything other than the residential high rises blocking out much of the sky.
Similarly, Metrotech Center was once a newcomer to Downtown Brooklyn in the early 90’s. Today, Metrotech feels like it’s been there forever.
Those cranes seem to highlight something unnatural about the whole experience. Maybe humans weren’t supposed to live that high up. Maybe pumping water up 30+ stories so people can shower and flush their toilets was never the way things were intended to be.
|
The Brooklyn Bridge Marriott Hotel seemed like an alien structure that was beamed down from a spaceship when it arrived in the late 90’s. Today, I hardly even notice it when I walk by.
With time, even alien structures become engrained in the landscape of neighborhoods.
But right now, I keep thinking about those cranes. Suspended over 100 feet in the air. Looking so unnaturally perched atop the skyscraper they’re building.
Those cranes seem to highlight something unnatural about the whole experience.
- Maybe humans weren’t supposed to live that high up.
- Maybe pumping water up 30+ stories so people can shower and flush their toilets was never the way things were intended to be.
- Maybe relying on an elevator to carry you and your loved ones into the sky just so you can enter your home is ridiculous.
- Maybe $3,500 a month for a studio apartment is more than anyone should reasonably pay.
But these things are becoming more common every day.
At the very least, the cranes are only temporary. Once the construction is completed, they’ll be gone. In the lifecycle of these buildings, the cranes are a slight detour on the way to the finished product.
On the other hand, the broader changes these buildings are bringing to Brooklyn are here to stay. I guess we should consider ourselves lucky that at least those cranes won’t be a part of the skyline forever.
——