Some buildings are so famous they’re known around the world. The Empire State Building is so famous people can recognize it by its silhouette. The Twin Towers were a New York symbol until they were destroyed. The Eiffel Tower, the Sydney Opera House, Taipei 101 are all world class icons. They may bring different feelings to mind, but no doubt they stir some kind of feelings within you.

Today on my way home from work I discovered a new building as joined their ranks. If a janitorial services company uses the Hearst Magazine Tower as a symbol of professional cleanliness, you know it has hit the big time. Now it belongs to the ages.

Oh and if your office needs a janitor, these guys are pretty good. I have no complaints about their work.

I am in a quandary. Living in California there is very little incentive for me to vote since the state always gives its electoral votes to the Democrats, and the Congressional Districts are so well gerrymandered they never change party hands. My vote certainly would never have mattered, so there’s no reason for me to bother. Plus I was always worried about being picked for jury duty. I know the state claims to pick jurors from both the registered voter list and DMV records, but doesn’t that just mean if I stay off the voter list, my odds of being picked for jury duty are cut in half?

Well for once there is an issue coming up this June that I actually care about, but I don’t want to risk jury duty by registering. Proposition 98 is up for a vote in the next election. Prop 98 is focused on real estate issues, but what excites me is one section that would ban rent control in the entire state of California. As the Legislative Analyst’s Office helpfully explains…

The measure generally prohibits government from limiting the price property owners may charge others to purchase, occupy, or use their land or buildings. This provision would affect local rent control measures. Specifically, government could not enact new rent control measures, and any rent control measure enacted after January 1, 2007 would end. Other rent control measures (those enacted before January 1, 2007) would be phased out on a unit-by-unit basis after an apartment unit or mobile home park space is vacated. Once a tenant left an apartment or mobile home space, property owners could charge market rate rents, and that apartment unit or mobile home space would not be subject to rent control again.

So it’s not as if everyone would be tossed out on their ass the day after the election. If Prop 98 passed, no units would come under rent control again and those regulations would slowly drift away into history.

If you’re on the liberal side of things, you’re probably outraged that I oppose rent control. So here’s why I dislike it. To start with I am a libertarian so just philosophically I dislike having the government insinuate itself into the real estate market. Practically though I oppose rent control because I find it perverse that the government sets up incentives for landlords to let their property decay. By restricting what landlords can charge in rent, they are capping profits. So the landlord needs to find profit elsewhere. Skimping on building maintenance is only natural. It’s an easy way to save money, plus it increases the odds that your long term tenants will leave. You don’t have to worry about maintaining a nice building to attract new tenants because under a rent control regime, virtually all buildings are left to rot so all renters expect a level of dilapidation.

Rent control penalizes renters who move frequently. Now why should the government do that? Usually people move because of their jobs. Why would the government want to penalize people who try to pursue better opportunities? The way I see it, rent control belongs to an earlier era. In the olden days people didn’t move from apartment to apartment in search of a better deal. You lived in your parents’ home until you were ready to move out and start your own household. There you remained until death. The only time you would move is if things became dire. The mobility we take for granted today just didn’t exist. Rent control existed for that society. Today rent control punishes regular people who move for reasons like getting a new job, living closer to their job, putting their kids into a better school district. I don’t think it’s fair to punish those people so others can live in the same place for decades.

I also think rent control has a damaging affect on the people who take advantage of it. I don’t mean “take advantage” as in gaming the system. I mean the people who remain in the same apartment for decades because the rent they’re paying is ridiculously cheap. Rent control creates an entitlement mentality. The people who most use this system begin to think cheap housing is a right. Finding a home moves from your responsibility to the responsibility of the government. Even worse than this sort of thinking, is that people can become trapped by rent control. If you stay long enough in the same apartment, you can’t ever leave because you can’t justify abandoning your super cheap rent. It’s there that your life stops and you focus your energy not on improving your lot, but keeping the status quo.

Not to mention it’s just a violation of property rights. The government should not be involved in how I treat my property as long as my decision isn’t going to physically harm others. What I choose to charge for rent affects no one but me and any renter I have.

*WHEW* That was a much longer rant than I intended at the start. It just goes to show you how much rent control bothers me. Now I have a chance to at least put action behind my belief and vote for Prop 98. However I have the nagging feeling that voting on this would be pointless. This is California after all. With its reputation I rather expect anything against rent control would lose by at least a 30% margin. Plus, as I said, I don’t want to risk jury duty. Although if I did get summons in the mail, I guess I could always throw it away.

Awhile back I wrote about 198 Green Street. The owner of that building was in the process of a very bold residing. As with any project that dares to step outside of the norm it received some criticism, but not from me. I loved the new siding. The owner was nice enough to send me some pictures of the finished job.

The first picture I saw was too small for me to notice but that is a very handsome front door. When you click on the large image focus on that. It has a beautiful dark finish. It looks almost medieval, like it was salvaged from a castle. Oh and check out the cobbles in front. Fantastic! So often you see boring concrete there.

By the way take a peek at the front windows. I see some very bright orange walls just at the edges of the curtains. It seems the interior of this home could well be just as daring as the exterior.

There is one thing though that bothers me. I don’t like that wavy detail on the fence. I find it distracting. I would have chosen a straight rail so the fence would tastefully blend into the background. The slanted silver bar across the front should be the first thing you see. I feel like now it’s competing for attention with the building.

But hey that’s not a huge thing. All in all it’s still a great job and a big improvement to the neighborhood. I wish the rest of the landlords in Greenpoint would try to be half as creative as this guy. Whatever happened to pride in ownership?

Click for larger images

I found this little gem on Craigslist. The home itself isn’t notable. I’m bringing this ad up because of the realtor’s staged pictures. Take a look at this gem from, what I assume is, a bedroom. Given its proportions in this picture it seems more appropriate for a kid’s bedroom or an office.

We know this is staged because no one would ever set up a room like that. The owners obviously moved out but instead of taking a picture of a bare room, the realtor decided they must dress it up a little. So we get this bizarre setup. A rocking chair next to a lamp isn’t so off the wall by itself except when it’s in a room by itself! Am I supposed to believe this is the rocking/reading room? And what is that makeshift side table? It looks like it’s a stack of boxes with a print on them. But it gets even better.

This strains for an explanation. Two pillows, a plant and a lamp have never been placed more strangely. The lamp isn’t even visible! I guess the realtor was trying to create some sort of dramatic lighting effect behind that plant, but he only explained why people go to school for photography. And the pillows are just there; plopped on the floor.

All that said it’s still a pretty decent house and that means a lot from a person like me who hates modernist design. Oh how I despise those wood plank ceilings! I should say, although I’m no expert, I think painting those ceilings is a modernist sin. That type of ceiling is so common in these homes because part of the philosophy of this design is being in tune with the environment. That’s not just how the house is situated on its land but includes the construction elements as well. So by covering up that wood with paint, you’re covering up part of nature. Personally I don’t like it natural or painted. If I bought the place I would cover it up with drywall.

The rest of the house is unremarkable. I could live there but it wouldn’t be my dream home. That kitchen could use a little livening up. The light wood and tan colored tile backsplash together look really washed out to me. I really like glass mosaic tile so I would probably put that in there. I’m no fan of that shower either. It looks very cheap for a recent renovation.

It is near a beach which is a huge plus. However it is in El Granada and I should tell you a strange story about that town. I visited there once to investigate a plot of land I was considering bidding on at auction. El Granada is built up along a hillside near the ocean. I’m sure that provides some awesome views but it does make for some steep roads. So while I was looking for the street with the land I was interested in I ended up at the edge of town. I was driving back down the hill when I decided to make a phone call. I pulled over, parked on a steep road and got out my phone. While talking, across the street from me, I see a woman pull into her driveway. After a few minutes I notice she’s lingering at her SUV and glancing in my direction. While I was noticing her I was caught off guard by a pickup truck coming up the street. It roared just inches away from my car and took a parking spot behind me. A grizzled looking guy got out and walked into the house he parked in front of, but a few minutes later I looked in my rearview mirror and saw him watching me as he stood next to his pickup. Plus that woman was still out front keeping an eye on me. I felt so creeped out I got off the phone and drove away. El Granada must be a cloistered little down that never receives visitors.

Does anyone really know what a McMansion is anymore? I used to think a McMansion referred to cookie cutter new housing developments. The McDonald’s connection being the houses were the same mass produced schlock that appealed to the lowest common denominator, just like McDonald’s food. Usually there would be a mishmash of architectural styles that annoyed architecture buffs. Then at some point I started to hear people criticize McMansions for their size. For whatever reason having a house dominate the lot it’s on was a bad thing now.

At least newness was still part of this definition but now Curbed has a thrown me a for loop. They referred to a 1927 San Francisco home as an old school McMansion, and I have no idea why. They seemed to have a problem with the stairs leading to the front entrance and the spiral staircase inside. So now no one can build stairs without building a McMansion?

I think what happened is that “McMansion” has ceased to have a real definition and turned into an architectural insult. For instance let’s say you were cut off on the highway and you yelled out “motherfucker” in retaliation. Are you really saying, “Why I do believe that man engages in intercourse with his mother”? Of course not. You don’t say it because it’s true. You say it because it’s mean. It’s just an insult. It’s a word that exists to disparage. That is what McMansion has become. When you don’t like a home, whatever your reason, you just label it a McMansion.

I do want to get back to that 1927 home because I think it’s a stunning building, McMansion or not. 135 Fernwood has a pretty good website. I guess that’s part of the process for selling a $4.2 million house. Make sure you visit the site and look at all the pictures. I’m not sure what there is not to like. It’s seven bedrooms in a spacious 6000 SF house. As crazy as it sounds that bathroom I have pictured here is my favorite room. It is jawdroppingly gorgeous. Shame on me for never even thinking of doing a whole wall in glass tile. That kitchen is a great space too. I don’t like the bland color of the counters but the open layout really appeals to me. I would love to be cooking in there.

135 Fernwood does have its quirks though. You’ll see the biggest in the floorplan. For some strange reason the garage connects to this random hallway. I guess that’s there to keep the dining room intact and private but really it feels like a deadend. In a perfect world the kitchen would be where the family room is located but I wouldn’t reject the house out right because of this. I am a bit surprised a house this size doesn’t have a three car garage. That master bath is awfully lifeless too. The tiling and finishes remind me a lot of a condo I visited in Dublin. I don’t understand why this bathroom turned out so bland. The other two pictured bathrooms look so modern and appealing.

If only I had $4.2 million to blow on a home.

Nooooooo! This is awful news! Remember those fantastic car elevators at 200 Eleventh Ave? The fire department is crapping on their glory. FDNY’s Chief of Fire Prevention, Howard Hill, wrote to the Buildings Department regarding the elevators, “For obvious life-safety reasons this design concept and use should be prohibited.” The disapproval of the FDNY likely dooms this design with the local community board.

This is a huge disappointment. That building was beautiful and the car elevators an awesome innovation. Hill says his objection is obvious but I don’t really see it. Cars don’t spontaneously combust. I would expect new residential construction to have a sprinkler system. With that in place, at least in the garage, the building should be perfectly safe from a car related fire. I expect the kitchen would still be a greater fire hazard than in-apartment garage. Wouldn’t the risk of a drunk or crazy resident ramming their garage wall be higher than a fire in the garage? I would understand that objection but just saying fire hazard seems so blindly alarmist to me.

I think basically everyone wants to be rich and I’m no different.  However it wasn’t until a few days ago when I first saw the new construction at 200 Eleventh Ave in NYC that the ‘want to be rich’ impulse in the back of my mind went haywire. When I laid eyes on this building, I physically hurt. The place was so beautiful I ached to have the cash to live there.

First, the exterior… At a distance the building seems to be a grid on top of another grid. It’s as if there’s a building inside of a frame. When you look closer the undulating form becomes clear. Words fail me when I try to describe how awesome this place looks to me.

I’m too excited about it so I’m gonna jump to the most amazing amenity. Two Hundred Eleventh Avenue gives its owners an elevator for your car. You drive in off the street into the elevator and it takes you to the personal garage space that’s connected to your apartment. How amazing is that?

I really like the floorplans too. A single person like me would be fine with the one bedroom layout; spacious and functional, but hardly the stuff of dreams. Plus it lacks the car elevator so it’s hardly any more special than hundreds of other condos in the New York. However that two-bedroom (2N & 3N) looks fantastic. The living, dining and kitchen are all so open. With those massive windows and river view the place must be flooded with light. I would love to throw parties in there. That spare bedroom and loggia would make an excellent work space for me as well.

I’m actually less impressed with the 3 bedroom apartments. Sure they have more square footage but the layouts feel too cutoff. The rooms are too segmented for my taste. I will exempt penthouses 2 and 3 from that. Those are magnificent except for the isolated kitchens. I hate to feel cloistered when I’m cooking.

To bring this topic back to Earth I do need to voice my disapproval over the actual design of the kitchen. When you look at the actual room the plan calls for teak sliding doors to hide the kitchen when it’s not in use. I just don’t care for that at all. I don’t want to wall off my kitchen and pretend I live in some sterile cell. It’s like that episode of the Twilight Zone where Martians capture an Earth astronaut and keep him on display in a zoo. The ranch house he lives in is just a facade to similate his “natural habitat” on Earth. Hiding the kitchen makes the apartment feel like that facade. It’s no longer a home.

My last nitpick doesn’t detract from the building. It’s a dig at the artist who created these renderings. Look at the rendering of the living room. Is that really what today’s interior designers would create? Pea soup green couches? That light walnut looking wood stain? Ugh, and look at those stairs! To my untrained eye that looks like “cool” circa 1962. Excuse me now I need to go read a copy of Profiles in Courage.

I no longer live in Brooklyn, but having grown up there I still identify with the place. So upon reading a story about two transplants to New York living in a 295 square foot apartment, I experienced a mix of emotions. First though I should explain their story.

This couple moves from Wisconsin to NYC for whatever reason. They live somewhere in Manhattan for a year (hey I couldn’t stomach reading the full story) before realizing they need to find a cheaper place. They commence an intensive apartment search throughout Manhattan and Brooklyn (one would assume it was only the trendy parts). At this point in the story I don’t completely hate them. This quote changes my opinion entirely.

‘We saw one in Park Slope that we really liked. It was huge.’ ‘Kellen really liked it,’ said Hvam, 26. ‘We sat and got coffee and we were talking about it — and I literally started crying.’ I said, ‘I don’t want to move to Brooklyn. I want to stay in Manhattan. We’ve only been here for a year.’

What kind of person cries at the thought of moving to Brooklyn? I know I should feel disgust and contempt for these people, and I certainly do, but my strongest emotion is surprise. I am just stupefied that anyone could react like that. Seriously, what kind of person cries at the thought of moving to Brooklyn? It was Park Slope too! That’s hardly counts as Brooklyn these days too.

Before I go I want to explain the title of this post. It’s Dutch for immigrant douches. I guess that doesn’t really require a translation since it looks so similar to English, but I chose immigrant because they come from Wisconsin and the Dutch is to honor the original Dutch settlers of Brooklyn who would undoubtedly agree this couple is a bunch of douches.

When I saw the stegosaurus Santiago Calatrava designed for the PATH train station near the World Trade Center, I was pretty well soured on his work. Today I happened across another one of his creations that left me less than impressed.

Today I found the Turning Torso. Completed in 2005, the building was commissioned to give Malmo, Sweden a distinctive skyline. For decades the city relied on a massive crane used in shipbuilding as the unofficial symbol of their city. When news hit that the crane had been sold and was going to be shipped to South Korea, Malmo decided it needed something new to make their city distinct.

I have to say I like the idea behind this design. It’s bold, unusual and creative. My hat goes off to Calatrava for this design, but only a little. I have to complain about the material used in the Turning Torso. I don’t know what it is but I can see that it’s incredibly drab. The building’s form is imbued with this dynamic energy but the material is as exciting as a Soviet apartment building. It looks like shabby concrete. Why oh why was this chosen? Was there a budget overrun? I suspect I know the answer and I’m none too pleased. I would bet this bland oatmeal-colored material was chosen out of some minimalist ideal. Yuck!

Now lets hop on a plane and go to New York City. NYC isn’t really known for cutting edge architecture, but Curbed posted a rendering I found incredible. This building should become 523 Greenwich Street but who knows if the zoning variance will come through.

Look at how this building gives the illusion of twisting up from the ground. If you use your eyes to follow the walls up from the ground you’ll see the building is straight, but if you look directly at the top it seems as if the building twists as it sprouts from the street. What a fantastic illusion! I love the mix of materials and changes in shape. It’s an exciting difference from the typical rectangle you see built. I don’t know if this actually will get done at 523 Greenwich. If it doesn’t, I hope it’s built somewhere. This is an awesome design that is worthy of becoming an icon.

I was reading Curbed as I do everyday during lunch and when I came to this post I was just stunned at Ismael Leyva’s bold design. I am not embellishing or exaggerating when I say the rendering for 785 Eighth Ave took my breath away. This is the kind of building that gets described as iconic.

When all the construction is done it will be a 120 units in 42 stores fit into a gorgeous 556 foot tower. The height appears so impressive because it’s immediately surrounded by such small four and five story buildings. I’m sure there are people complaining about that. I can already hear cries of “out of scale” this and “contextual” that. Cry babies. If you zoom out on a map of the neighborhood you see plenty of buildings with similar heights.

Making this construction even more notable is how it’s forced to wrap around its irregularly shaped neighbor on the corner of 8th Ave and 48th Street. I can’t believe this was the first choice for a design. The landlord for that building must have been either too stubborn or too greedy to sell.

My only complaint about this place is the plan for a private garden in the square locked in by buildings. There are going to be at least 120 people living in this building. There is no way they could all use what is sure to be a tiny garden so the maintainance fee money that goes to the upkeep is just a waste for most people. That would annoy me if I were buying there.

I can forgive that depending on the floorplans. I can’t wait until they’re available!

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