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Brooklyn's Magnificent Broken Angel House Is Gone, Condos Coming Soon
By
Jen Carlson
Published May 8, 2014
Modified May 8, 2014
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Scott Heins/Gothamist
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By
Jen Carlson
Published May 8, 2014
Modified May 8, 2014
Share
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The Broken Angel house in Clinton Hill, which long ago was transformed into a livable sculpture by longtime owner and artist Arthur Wood, is just a regular old building now, and any remains are about to be transformed into a condo. We knew this was coming, but it still stings.
Last year Wood, who purchased the house in 1971 for $2,000, was evicted. This came seven years after a fire at the home and the long legal battle with the city which ensued. Following the fire, the city claimed the building was unfit for human habitation. There were a number of attempts to save the building (which famously appeared in Dave Chappelle's Block Party), as well as hopes of bringing it up to code or turning it into a museum. Alas, condos beat out any unique solution on the table.
The old Broken Angel (Photo by jameswolberg's flickr)
According to DNAInfo, Alex Barrett of Barrett Design and Development bought the property for $4.1 million along with the property next door. The church-like facade that Wood built has been "reduced to rubble," and the condos planned for the site will be complete in 2015.
What do locals think? One 13-year-old named Kathryn was walking by the site this morning, and told us, "I don't really like it [the construction]. I've lived here for a long time and [Broken Angel] was really unique, so I don't like that they're tearing it down."
Additional reporting by Scott Heins.
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arthur wood
broken angel
broken angel house
clinton hill
condos
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Jen Carlson
Jen Carlson is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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