All stories about "475 Kent"

On the Market: Loft at Williamsburg's Notorious 475 Kent

Not all the artists are returning to 475 Kent Avenue, the South Williamsburg live/work loft building—excuse us, artists' community—condemned on a cold winter's night because of the landlord's illegal matzo baking operation in the basement. This means that openings in the now up-to-code waterfront building should be spreading via word of mouth and Craigslist. Here's one such listing, sent in by a tipster, for an eighth-floor, 1,400-square-foot concrete box in the building. "New paint and stainless appliances" are coming soon, and man, you can't hate on those windows and views. So, how much to live in this former deathtrap? The very unstruggling artist's price of $3,600/month. Complimentary matzo no longer included.
· Listing: $3600 RIVER & SKYLINE VIEWS-1400 SQ FT-WILLIAMSBURG LOFT [Craigslist]
· 475 Kent Avenue coverage [Curbed]

Burg's 475 Kent Filling Up with Artists Again

More than 100 people have now moved back to 475 Kent Avenue, the building that was cleared on a frigid night in January after the discovery of a basement matzo factory and a ton of fire code violations. It's unclear how many residents are coming back, but the number so far would be about half that would be tossed out. In terms of outstanding problems, the building doesn't have a certificate of occupancy and, now, everyone's worried that the landlord is going to raise the rent or sell. One artist said he moved ten times, including staying with his (noooo) cleaning woman in Bushwick. No word on whether belongings claimed by the Great Wallabout Storage Chopstick Collapse have been retrieved.
· After Repairs to Building, Artists Return to Their Lofts [NYT]
· End of Matzogate: 475 Kent Residents Can Return [Curbed]

[Photo courtesy of INSIJS/flickr]

End of Matzogate: 475 Kent Residents Can Return

Back when residents of 475 Kent Avenue in Williamsburg were forced to flea the building because of massive fire code violations and an illegal matzo factory in the basement, it was one of the coldest nights in January. Since then, residents have been working to help bring the building up to code, including replacing the sprinkler system. As of 4PM, per one of the people that originally spread word of the problem: "The FDNY's vacate order of my old building is officially lifted three months and 10 days after it was ordered. Though I won't be joining my neighbors in returning to my old apartment, I am beyond happy for them. It's been quite an experience."
· 475 Kent Ave Update [The Albany Project]
· The Fight for 475 Kent Goes On [Curbed]

Great Wallabout Chopstick Storage Collapse, Continued

Remember the weird story about the 10 tons of stored chopsticks that caused a collapse at a StorageMart in Wallabout where, in the ultimate irony, some refugees of the illegal matzo factory fiasco at 475 Kent Avenue in Williamsburg were storing their belongings? The, uh, details have been fleshed out. The Department of Buildings confirmed the collapse and advance item from Sunday's Times on CityRoom by Jake Mooney says the "locker collapse originated in a unit on an upstairs floor" because the chopsticks "got too heavy and caused the floor to collapse, breaking a water pipe and flooding units below." A StorageMart spokesperson says "the number of times that something screwy happens, you could count on one hand if you had three fingers." Damage could include up to $150,000 in camera equipment belonging to 475 Kent refugee photographers, but no one will know until they can get back in and survey the damage, maybe next week. As for 475 Kent, repairs to the building continue in the hope of people moving back in.
· Strewn Storage: Chopsticks Become Pick-Up Sticks [CityRoom]
· 475 Kent Refugees Victimized by 10 Tons of Chopsticks? [Curbed]

475 Kent Refugees Victimized by 10 Tons of Chopsticks?

First came the matzos at Williamsburg's 475 Kent, which were a big factor in January's mass eviction. Now, come the 10 tons of chopsticks. A StorageMart where a lot of the refugees were keeping their belongings in Wallabout, near the Kent Avenue entrance to the BQE, suffered a mysterious interior collapse recently and residents are blaming 20,000 pounds of stored chopsticks. Uh huh. Specifically:

Some part of the StorageMart apparently flooded and partially collapsed - the rumor is that it happened because there were 20,000 pounds of chopsticks stored in one of the units. My former roommate has been trying for two weeks to get his stuff out...There are a lot of other storage places down Flushing and I talked to some of them and they all have heard about it but don't want to talk about it.

Speaking of 475 Kent, the petition calling on the city to let people back in now has more than 4,100 signatures. Meanwhile, the 475 Kent Blog is tracking progress of the work residents are doing to bring the building up to code. Working is ongoing on the sprinkler system. As for StorageGate, there are no news reports yet of a troubling Brooklyn chopstick shortage.
· The Great Wallabout Chopstick Storage Collapse Mystery [Gowanus Lounge]
· The Fight for 475 Kent Goes On [Curbed]

The Fight for 475 Kent Goes On

It's unclear when and how the saga of 475 Kent will end. The converted loft building was cleared last month after a long list of fire code violations were found, not to mention the illegal matzo factory in the basement. Since then, the 200 displaced residents have been working to get back in. They've organized and written letters. The artists are agitating to, at least, be allowed back in during the day so they can work. They're even working to fix the code violations, including a broken sprinkler system, themselves, according to the Times. Amazingly, the tenants are even making nice with the landlord, saying that he "was devastated" by the evictions (and the loss of rent) and describing him as "sitting with his head in his hands, sobbing." In the meantime, the 475 Kent website, has gotten a major upgrade, and now features both a 475 Kent blog and a forum (access to which is now limited). Is someone shooting a documentary of the Fight for 475 Kent?
· After Evacuation, Artists Begin an Effort to Save Their Haven [NYT]
· Evicted artists hope to go back to work [Metro]
· Glimmers of Hope for 475 Kent Residents [Brownstoner]

[Photo courtesy of aldella/flickr]

475 Kent Shut Down: All About the Artists?

[Photo courtesy of unbound67/flickr]

The locks were put on the doors of 475 Kent Avenue in Williamsburg yesterday afternoon with a small rally across the street and a bunch of reporters and photographers documenting the event as a bunch of local officials demanded the city let everyone back in as soon as possible. In the meantime, the 475 Kent website has a lot of back and forth about media relations and legal strategy. The PR strategy seems to have tilted to making it a story about artists being displaced. An email announcing the press conference called it "an incredible story about the demise of some of the last affordable housing for artists in NYC...475 Kent is not a building of "trust-fund" kids. They are pioneering artists that ten years ago took the first steps towards making Williamsburg the neighborhood it is today."

Save the artists. Or not. >>

Matzo Madness Update: 475 Kent Tenants Out of Luck for Now

There is still confusion at 475 Kent, the site of the cold mass eviction on Sunday because of the illegal matzo factory in the basement and various fire and building code violations. Yesterday, residents waited outside in vain to be able to go back into the building to get their things (what could be carried, at least). One of them called it a "total fucking clusterfuck" and said, "i have never seen such piss poor organization or execution in my life." Meanwhile, Council Member David Yassky actually posted an update on the situation from the city at the new 475 Kent website. The news is not good. Residents will be probably be allowed back in tomorrow once the three tons of "explosive grain" stored in the basement for the illegal matzo factory are removed. After that, there won't be any occupancy allowed "until extensive modifications are made to the building to make it safe and habitable." Commercial use of the building will be allowed once the violations are fixed, but before tenants can return to live "filing, by owner, for conversion to a residential building status will be necessary." Looks like a long haul ahead in South Williamsburg.
· 475 Kent: Confusion, Anger & Calls to Allow Residents Back [Gowanus Lounge]
· Evicted residents don't know if they can ever return [amNY]
· Matzo Madness: Holdouts & Grain Removal at 475 Kent [Curbed]

[Photo courtesy of jaredswafford/flickr]

Matzo Madness: Holdouts & Grain Removal at 475 Kent

The weekend mass eviction from 475 Kent, ostensibly over a host of fire code violations, not to mention the illegal matzo factory in the basement, has continued to generate some cries from inside the building, where there were holdouts as of late last night. Residents have until today to get their stuff out. One of the holdouts said by email last night that "i have a feeling this will be the last night i ever spend here. it just feels that way. creepy as hell around here right now." A lot of the tenants, some of whom had been living in the lofts at 475 Kent for more than a decade, tried to watch the Giants game on Sunday night before being rousted by the NYPD and FDNY. ("I'm cooking dinner and the damn NFC championship game is on..." one email from inside said.) In any case, as of late last night, there's a 475 Kent Message Board for the displaced. The latest update is that "a truck is coming to clean the grain tomorrow" and that once fire code violations are fixed (two weeks to two months) the building can only be used for commercial purposes. No word on the impact of the 475 Kent mass eviction on the illegal matzo or loft markets.
· 475 Kent Update: Holdout Says It's "Creepy as Hell" [GL]
· A first-person account of an eviction [amNY]
· A holdout stays in Brooklyn loft [Metro]

[Photo courtesy of Rheingold Room/flickr]