All stories about "Powerhouse"

Prolific architect Karl Fischer's reworking of/addition to the old Pennsylvania Railroad Power Station designed by McKim, Mead & White in 1909 near the Long Island City waterfront has always been a sensitive topic, but blogger Restless is not tiptoeing around the issue:

I hated the Powerhouse the second I noticed the sun bouncing off its plastic Coppertone top, long before I knew it was one of Karl's. In fact I thought it might be a Donald Trump enterprise, because of the tacky casino faux-class of its round castle towers and metallic color. As I said in the comments," If I worked at the U.N., right across the river, I would sue for degradation of view."

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[Click to expand; right photo courtesy of mcelichowski/flckr]

The Powerhouse Condo in LIC, with its copper clad Karl Fischer addition and glass tubes, is doing fine. The adjoining building that once made up half of the complex, not so much. In fact, it is gone, except for a couple of steel beams that have thus far withstood the demolition. The original building that is now home to Hot Karl's handiwork was the Pennsylvania Railroad Power Station. It was designed by McKim, Mead & White and built in 1909.

We don't know how we missed the Real Deal Q&A with Karl Fischer, the architect who's putting up dozens of buildings in the city, most notably in Williamsburg and Greenpoint, but there is no way we can let it pass. In it, the architect talks about the Ikon (50 Bayard), Sevenberry, the Powerhouse in Long Island City and other projects. (He does not mention Warehouse 11, although the intro says that it is "on the site of Williamsburg's former Roebling Oil Field.") Karl Fischer Architect opened in Montreal in 1984. The New York office open in 1999 and Mr. Fischer said he started working in Brooklyn because "there's a very strong Jewish connection between Montreal and New York." Of his buildings generally, he says: "Generally I don't like to do boxes. I like the buildings to have a little bit more flair -- maybe some curved lines, maybe angled lines. I like to make sure every building is a little bit different."

And now, more from the poison pen of guest blogger QueensCrap...

While we're in Long Island City, I thought an update on new development The Powerhouse would be welcome. Checking the above photo... well, there you have it. Not much progress seems to have been made on this side of the building since Curbed last addressed it, although the clashing orange addition on top seems to be gaining steam. And judging by the comments posted for Curbed's last entry about the place, the project's frequent completion problems may not necessarily be a bad thing. (QC's shot of the building from the river offers a different perspective on the place.)

Let's just say the owner of the sports bubble across the street decides there's more money in real estate than in tennis, and decides to build a high rise. Will Powerhouse condo owners do a little NIMBY protesting of their own? That would be ironic.
· Powerhouse Consumes Schwartz Chemical Plant [Curbed]
· Powerhouse Crap [QueensCrap]
· The Powerhouse [Official Site]

Let's double down on the Long Island City fun today and check in with new development The Powerhouse. A few weeks back, we took a look at the front of the growing building; above, courtesy of the real estate broker blog LongIslandCityNYC, a view of the back side of the development. The color: "The famed Schwartz Chemical Plant is coming down. Once part of the skyline of L.I.C., it's seeing its last days, as construction workers are taking it down. Is it me, or was this not part of the original planning? My only guess is that it was taken down to gain some more F.A.R., I wonder what will become of the site where whats left of the plant currently sits."

For those eager to live a stone's throw from the old chemical plant, LICNYC reports that the 177 units at The Powerhouse are expected to price and hit the market this summer. Brace for High Voltage Luxury, k?
· Destruction of the Schwartz Chemical Plant [LongIslandCityNYC]
· Powerhouse Condos are Taking Shape [LongIslandCityNYC]
· LIC: Powerhouse Update [Curbed]