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Brownstoner reports that the beautiful and strange Broken Angel building and lot are for sale. While the listing for Broken Angel and an adjacent lot is not online, Brownstoner saw a tearsheet:
The Angel itself is at 4-6 Downing Street and sits on a 40-by-100-foot lot zoned for R6. At 13,000 square feet, the current building is actually overbuilt by about 4,000 square feet. The empty lot next door at 8 Downing is 20-by-100-feet. The properties are asking $1,400,000 and $425,000, respectively. One can only surmise that the cost of bringing the structure up to code has turned out to be too great for the Woods. Maybe they couldn't get a loan against the property for some reason or maybe they just became overwhelmed with the whole thing.Arthur and Cindy Wood have spent the past few decades designing Broken Angel (Dave Chappelle's Block Party has an explanation straight from the Woods); Arthur Wood bought the building in 1971 for $2,000.
Broken Angel's structural soundness was questioned after an October fire. In November, even after getting an architectural firm to help out, the Woods were in court, trying to fight the Department of Buildings' demolition orders. And we got this holiday message from Wood's son Chris:
To all of the friends of Broken Angel,Thank you all so much for your help and the hope that you have given us. We hope everyone has a great holiday and here is wishing for better luck and news in the New Year.
Photographs from Chris Wood's Flickr set of Broken Angel - the lower picture is our favorite - it's Arthur Wood with some of their cats!
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Hello, luxury condos!
That is, if we can get the crazy guy smell out.
I hope they return any money that was given to them to keep the building.
I am sure all of the donated money was for help with the legal costs. I know they have some pro bono help, but this kind of battle can be costly.
Someone's Goldman bonus will burn a hole in his coke-flaked pocket and this property will get snatched up quickly.
Someone should buy, fix it up, turn it into a'60s hippie time capsule museum and let the couple live on the top floor. I'd pay 5 bucks to walk through it.
I am so sad. Had hoped to get to Brooklyn again in time to photograph/help? the Woods and their wonderful work of art. Heres to the bricoleurs, the magicians and the "madmen and women" of the world who know so much more than the "rules".
I like them cats, wonder what they're looking at?
Their paws looks filthy for indoor cats.
Poor kitties.
Broken Angel update 1/6/07
I hope that everyone has had a good beginning to the New Year. I would like to address certain questions and statements that have been posted online as to the fate of Broken Angel. It is true that Broken Angel is for sale. The only financial donation that my parents received was a check for $10.00 and this was never cashed. In addition a small amount of money has been generated from the sale of a few photographs, this money covered the costs of copying the plans for the architects and engineers. The help that we have received has been in the form of various people’s time and expertise and we really do appreciate their efforts. My family and I are very sorry if these generous people feel that their time has been wasted by this experience. We are still trying through the courts to save the building.
Our current understanding of the situation is that my father has been given a month to remove the entire wooden structure from the top of the building. If he does not, then the Department of Buildings will move in, do the work and zero out the value of the property. This point was driven home when we received a phone call from a member of the Department of Buildings to this effect the morning after Christmas. My father has never been given any indication that he will be allowed to reside in the building if the work is completed by the Department of Buildings. One month is not enough time to get a contractor, much less to have them complete the work. From the beginning we have been asking for a clear statement of what work needs to be done, and a reasonable time in which to accomplish that work, we have still not received this from the City.
My parents are senior citizens, they have a small fixed income and since they have been evicted from their home, no permanent residence. It is a hard situation for anyone to be in. They don’t want to sell their home, a building that was their dream, and labor for 28 years, but at this point they don’t see many alternatives.
Sincerely,
Chris Wood