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Bad News for Broken Angel

Jacob Dobkin

Published Oct 18, 2006

Modified Mar 7, 2008

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Jacob Dobkin

Published Oct 18, 2006

Modified Mar 7, 2008

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Well, that was probably inevitable-- after the October 10th fire, the city inspected Broken Angel and declared the building unfit for human habitation. The Times says a lot of work is necessary to bring the building up to code:

In conducting last week’s inspection, Bryan Winter, the department’s deputy borough commissioner, found a "50-foot vertical extension” and a “15-foot vertical extension" at the top of the building, Ms. Givner said. "That means no permits, that means no plans; that is illegal," Ms. Givner said.

The building has no interior staircase; "there are wood planks that are not even attached," Ms. Givner said. Basic weight-bearing structures are missing. "A lot of the building is open to the elements," she said. "The walls are not complete, the floors are not there. Beams are charred from previous fires."

These city is concerned that if another fire starts, responding FDNY personnel could be hurt-- and if they weren't able to bring a fire under control, it could endanger neighboring buildings. The Wood family is disputing the extent of the problems, and asking for help from the public to bring the building into compliance. Christopher Wood sent out a letter yesterday:

Sadly 10/10/06 at 1pm Broken Angel caught fire by natural causes. No one was hurt and minimal damage was done. Many thanks to the FDNY for quicky putting out the fire. Any contributions are welcome addressed to Arthur Wood, 4 Downing St , Brooklyn NY 11238 , to help us rebuild. Thank you Brooklyn for all of your support.

We've reprinted the rest after the jump:

UPDATE: I am Christopher Wood, son of Arthur (age 75)and Cindy Wood (age 65) the owners and creators of Broken Angel, . The New Yor City Building department is attempting to remove my parents from their home of 30 years, unless we immediately get an architect or engineer to bring the building to NYC codes. We do not have the money to do this. If there is anyone out there who is qualified and willing to work Pro Bono we desperately need the help, contributions are also welcome.

You can contact my father. Arthur Wood at 4 Downing St , Brooklyn , NY 11238 . Also we appeal to David Chappelle and Michel Gondry.Our home became the backdrop for your wonderful concert film, please help us to save it now.

My parents, Arthur and Cynthia Wood have been living in fear of the building department after a threat this week to throw them out on to the street without even their family possessions or artwork, and destroy their home of 30 years "Broken Angel".

Last night someone placed a broken angel statue in front of my parent’s door at 4 Downing Street . Thank you to the anonymous donor, it meant the world to me and my parents as it gave us a spark of hope.

Many of you wonder what the hell my parents are doing with that building. They always were building an outline of a dream, a building that was different from the usual architecture of today. They did this while never having enough money to complete their dream. But that didn't stop them from using found or discarded objects that we throw away ever day like the glass bottles that they used to create a stained glass windows. This is the interior and exterior of Broken Angel.

My name is Christopher Wood, I have worked for B&H Art in Architecture (web site here) for the past 4 years. I am a stone carver and have restored such landmarks such as the Cloisters Museum , Metropolitan Museum of Art , and Grace Church in Manhattan

My parents and I would love to give back to the community of Brooklyn and turn Broken Angel into a nonprofit foundation for music and the arts which would include a school and museum. There are also complete building plans drawn up by my father in which the first page can viewed at http://www.flickr.com/photos/onebadapple/168044712/in/set-127493/ But we need help from you, the residents of New York City .

All of your comments and ideas are welcome
Donations can be sent to Arthur Wood at
4 Downing street Brooklyn , New York 11238

Only the Blog Knows Brooklyn is also working with the Woods to get a Paypal page set up.

Tagged

architecture

arthur wood

arts

broken angel

brooklyn

Brooklyn NY

design

fdny

fire

the city

the times

Jacob Dobkin

Jake Dobkin co-founded Gothamist with Jen Chung. In 2019, Jake released Ask a Native New Yorker, a book based on his Gothamist advice column.

Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations

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