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May 6, 2010
MOVING TRUCKS PACK UP THE LAST REMAINS OF ATLANTIC YARDS
The Brooklyn Ink
by Todd Stone
While the headline is all wrong — "Atlantic Yards" is still just a trade name, as well as a euphemism for "worst land-grabbing, subsidy-bloated, mega-development boondoggle ever" — this article captures the essence of footprint moving day.
At the intersection of Dean Street and 6th Avenue yesterday, a U-Haul truck was parked outside of what used to be Freddy’s, a legendary Prospect Heights bar that served its last round of drinks over the weekend, after more than 70 years in business.
Freddy’s is among the last of the tenants of Atlantic Yards to pack up and leave – to make way for the much-protested construction of a basketball stadium for the New Jersey Nets, made possible by state laws of eminent domain.
It was moving day yesterday, and with an air of acceptance, mixed with nostalgia, a group of about six – mostly former employees of the bar – removed large pieces of furniture from inside. One former employee named Michael walked out of the bar and into the heavy midday heat with a large monkey on his back made of wood.
“We’ve got to keep that,” one of the guys said to Michael as he passed.
Michael used to live just three doors down from Freddy’s on Dean Street, in a brownstone building also condemned for the Atlantic Yards project. He moved out in February, but his next-door neighbors, at 481 Dean Street, stayed on until they were discovered still living there on Monday, as reported by the the NY Post.
“I’ve seen them going in and out [of the their home] all along,” he said, as if to convey that it was no secret to him that they were still living there. The fact that they were still there certainly didn’t seem to bother him; if anything, he seemed impressed.
...While talking outside, a security man told [Forest City Ratner Community Liaison Bill] Murphy that there are people on the roof, gesturing to the building where Goldstein still lives. Realizing it was Goldstein’s building, Murphy said, “Don’t worry. It’s probably just Daniel Goldstein and his friends documenting the place.”
NoLandGrab: All the commotion must've distracted the security man, allowing the NY Post to sneak in and ambush Goldstein on Forest City Ratner's allegedly private street.
Posted by eric at May 6, 2010 12:46 PM