All stories about "Finger Building"

There was supposed to be a big decision yesterday on whether the Finger Building in Williamsburg could move forward before it collapses because of rust, but after a 2 1/2 hour marathon hearing, the Board of Standards and Appeals decided not to decide. A community coalition that was appealing the Board's December decision to possibly let the Robert Scarano building rise to its full height of 16 stories showed up with lawyers this time and one activist characterized the BSA as being "way more receptive to our case" than they were last year. In the end, the Board gave both sides and the Department of Buildings until August 26 to produce more documents it wants to see. Among the issues is whether the developers were allowed to count neighboring roofs as "open space," to allow a taller Finger. In the meantime, a nasty court case over that "open space" and whether it was given or taken won't be fully decided until October or November. (There are also allegations of names being forged on permit applications.) And a rumored sale of the Finger has not taken place. There could be another BSA hearing on the issue in the Fall too. In the meantime, the Finger will remain a halted and rusting fixture on the Burg skyline.
· Williamsburg's Finger Mystery Deepens: It's Up for Sale [Curbed]
· Williamsburg's Original Finger Can Keep Flipping Them Off [Curbed]

The future of Williamsburg's most famous stalled/stopped building project--the Finger Building--appears to be taking an even more interesting twist. Yesterday, we noted that the building was supposed to be going in front of the Board of Standards and Appeals for an appeal of an earlier decision that would have allowed The Finger to continue at its current height of 10 stories and possibly go higher depending on the outcome of other complicated litigation. The hearing was scheduled for July 22. Then, there was a report that Finger Day would be postponed until July 29. Now we know why: the troubled building is in the process of being sold. A Williamsburg tipster passes along an email from an attorney involved in the process of the request for the delay:

Our clients, the developers of the site, are near the completion of a real estate transaction to sell the property. At the request of our clients and the expected future owners, we are requesting that the hearing be postponed one week, to July 29, at which time we anticipate the property will have been transferred.

LES—The tipster who contributes the first toasted car of summer writes: "I was so happy to wake up this morning and find a great start to a mid summer burn-athon under the WillyB on the LES." [CurbedWire Inbox]

WILLIAMSBURG—Has it really been three years since the huge crane used to build the Finger Building appeared in the heat of the summer on N. 7 Street? Yes, it has. And the building is still sitting there, partly completed, caught in a complicated web of lawsuits and regulatory appeals. The Finger, which is actually more of a pinkie compared to some of the buildings that have gone up while it's sat there rusting, goes before the obscure, yet powerful, Board of Standard and Appeals on July 22 for an appeal of an earlier decision allowing construction to go ahead to ten stories. (Well, if a separate court case is ever actually resolved.) In the meantime, one word: rust. [CurbedWire Inbox]

There is news this morning about Williamsburg's Original Finger Building, the tall building between N. 7 and N. 8 Streets that brought the phrase itself into the vocabulary. Yesterday, the obscure, yet powerful, Board of Standards and Appeals issued a final determination that construction of the Finger can continue at 10 stories. Back in February, a judge issued a ruling that the Finger couldn't rise to 16 stories because the developers didn't have the right to use rooftop space at adjacent buildings. A final decision in that case still hasn't been made. Meanwhile, work can resume on the stalled hulk, assuming it gets all its construction equipment back. (The lifts were repossessed a while back.) Opponents say "the fight is not over" and that they're going to continue fighting the legality of building. We can be fairly certain the Finger will continue to entertain throughout 2008, if not 2009.
· Williamsburg Finger Building Gets Thumbs Up [Gowanus Lounge]
· Finger Building Decision Put on Hold [Curbed]
· It's Official: Judge Flips Bird to Finger Building [Curbed]

WILLIAMSBURG—The photo above is the the infamous Finger Building on its North 7th Street side, which is suddenly visible because part of the construction scaffolding has been removed. Meanwhile, there are some other issues to report. An email circulating in the Burg says, "Thought you'd like to know that the 2 lifts on the Finger building are coming down. The owners want their lifts back b/c they haven't been paid for a year and at 6000/month, it's not exactly small change. Also you may have noticed that the sidewalk on N7 has finally been reopened, they moved the fence back (though watch the screws on the standpipe when you walk by)." The next Finger hearing at the obscure Board of Standards and Appeals to determine whether it can grow or not (assuming it can get back the lifts and cranes) is November 20. [CurbedWire Inbox]

NOHO—48 Bond may be the wonky kid on the block. It may not have the celebrity of nearby 40 Bond. But none of that appears to have had an impact on its success. A tipster writes, quite succinctly: "48 Bond is sold out EOM." End of message, indeed. [CurbedWire Inbox]

The signage at 80 Metropolitan has been embellished again.
· 80 Metropolitan Sale Pitch Gets a Couple of Tweaks [Curbed]
· Crank About Condos #1: Condoburg Edition [Curbed]

Finger Building had to go before residents last night because it needs a new permit, and the results, as expected, weren't pretty. One observer emailed us to say that "The finger got the finger from the community with numerous speakers calling for the finger building to be reduced to 50ft." The current height of the stalled building is 100 feet (10 stories), but the developer wanted to build to 160 (16 stories). The current zoning for the site only allows five stories, which is where the 50 foot chop comes in. Brownstoner quotes one of the people that has sued the developer as telling a standing room only Community Board 1 meeting last night that “It’s a rusting, steel hulk that will be trapped in litigation for years." Many more hearings to come before The Finger can be cut or completed.
· CB1 Meeting: Finger Fireworks, Sewage and Bike Racks [Brownstoner]
· Williamsburg's Finger Building Needs New Permission Slip [Curbed]

This should be fun. Williamsburg's Finger Building, which has probably generated more hostility, controversy, and litigation than any other new structure in the neighborhood, has taken so long to build that its permits have expired. And so, Ye Olde Finger (aka 144 N. 8th St.) now needs to go through the entire review process because the zoning changed after the original permits were issued, giving opponents an entirely new forum and chance to argue against the building. (New permits for 20 Bayard on Karl Fischer Row were easily approved by Community Board 1.) If you want a preview of what's in store, blogger Brooklyn 11211 says, "This will be the first time that the public actually gets a say about this project." It's a safe bet that many will have much to say.
· It Is Illegal to Get This High [Brooklyn 11211]
· Mr. Brach, Tear Down This Finger! [Curbed]
· It's Official: Judge Flips Bird to Finger Building [Curbed]

[Photo via Flickr/TresspassersWill/Will Femia]

Williamsburg's controversial Finger Building on North 8th Street almost seems quaint now, given the hulking glass towers being constructed nearby in the 'Burg. Still, that's not going to stop this case from further evolving into the blood feud of our times. Even though a judge has already capped the building at 10 floors instead of the planned 16, Finger plaintiff Scott Spector isn't stopping there. According to The Architect's Newspaper (via The Real Deal), Spector still wants the whole thing knocked down because of the building's violation of his air rights. Apparently he also wants to take down architect Robert Scarano, no stranger to complaints. This has been a rough patch for developer Mendel Brach—a very rough patch. If you pass him on the street, try to avoid the dishing out of noogies.
· Call to tear down Burg's Finger [TRD]
· Do Neighbors Want to Chop Off Part of Burg's Finger? [Curbed]