Site Report#1: THE DEEP READ

This is the Brooklyn Square building that reminded me of an old church structure with its high ceilings and stained glass windows. Currently it is home for various retail stores and restaurants. Personal photograph by Alisa Kean, 2017.

Here is the construction on the residential apartment (by the looks) buildings. Its height and building style feels out of place compared to the residential style house next to the construction. Personal photograph by Alisa Kean, 2017.

Various brick building restaraunts on the University Ave side of the block. Note the largely varying height differences in the buildings. Personal photograph by Alisa Kean, 2017.

The very colorful building which hosts retail stores and what looks like residential apartments above. Note the highly unique color choice of this building. Personal photograph by Alisa Kean, 2017.

This is the hand drawn map of block 23, between University Way NE and Brooklyn Ave NE, and NE 42nd St. and NE 41st St. Details on the intriguing elements of the block noted on the map. Personal photograph by Alisa Kean, 2017. 

THE DEEP READ

The diversity in the utilization purposes and form of life on my block were clear right from my first visit. On the University Ave side of the block you can smell food coming from the various restaurants ranging from gyros to sushi, see students and others walking up and down the street, hear the calling of orders coming from inside of the Starbucks. On the Brooklyn side there is dynamic construction on what looks like an apartment building, and other residential apartments where people must live. Turning the corner, there are more restaurants and I can smell Korean and Mexican food mingling together, as well as hear the ding of the bell coming from the small convenience store. My block is bustling with life, work, and people trying to go places and get things done.

            What struck me as interesting on my site visit is that I’ve walked past this block hundreds of times but I never noticed the infrastructure of the building or what their purpose might have been. The corner Starbucks building is a low one story building constructed from brick, giving it a rustic feel. The brick also continues down the street to various other restaurants including a pub house. The pub house was much shorter than it’s neighboring “Bucklin building” however. This brick quickly disappeared in one building over where the olive green building resembled what seemed to me an old church. There were tall ceilings and hexagonal pillar like sections with stained glass windows. Right now the building is being used for various retail stores and restaurants. The construction of what seems to be a new apartments struck me as very new, as the building was much taller than its surrounding buildings and even taller than the surrounding apartment next to it. Additionally, the corner building on this block had a very peculiar color scheme of bright greens and yellows which made me question when this was painted and why in this particular way.

QUESTIONS UNANSWERED

What was the original purpose of the corner building which to me looks like a church?

Why is the brick building height so differentiated on the block? Were they built at different points in time?

When was the building on Brooklyn side painted in the LOUD colors painted, and why in that particular color scheme? What was the building originally used for?

Why is there a huge alley gap between the brick building and the wood church building?

WHAT’S MISSING

I expected there to be a chimney coming out of the brick buildings, simply because the style is rustic but couldn’t seem to see one. I also expected the green building on the corner to be a church and not a Vietnamese restaurant, based on the building structure and design. I need to figure out what this building was used for in the past in order to discover how the use of it has shifted. I also expected the block to be back to back buildings, but there is an alley way gap and I would like to research the history of the block to see if that alley always existed or if buildings got knocked down/renovated.