The Controversial project at 80 Flatbush received approval from the City Planning Commission, and demolition of the entire building will commence in the summer of 2019.
In the meantime, Brooklyn-born artist, Katie Merz was commissioned to create her signature glyphs across the entire facade at 80 Flatbush in 2017. #BrooklynGlyphs in images we will remember.
The proposed mixed-use project by Alloy Development in Dowtowm Brooklyn, known as 80 Flatbush may have an end-date of 2019, but in the meantime, the current building will speak volumes for the next several years in the form of a collaboration between Brooklyn-based, commissioned artist Katie Merz and Brooklyn residents. The artist will work with the community to “compile a rich and diverse dossier of gathered stories and information” which will spread across the entire surface of the buildings, from the sidewalk to the top floor, in the form of Merz signature black and white hieroglyphs.
We were lucky to catch the artist onsite today, creating lots of buzz, since the location of the building is right across the street from BAM, and at the convergence of several streets. The intricate glyphs were catching the eye and interest of people walking and driving. Brooklyn stories, beautifully created and entitled “The Brooklyn Glyphs.”
The construction project which – several years from now – will replace the Mural, will include two new public schools, market-rate and affordable housing, commercial and cultural space. It is a full-block, bounded by Flatbush Avenue, State Street, 3rd Avenue, and Schermerhorn Street. The Merz Mural, The Brooklyn Glyphs, will be on view for several years, since the timeline indicates the start of construction will begin on 2019.
When complete, 80 Flatbush, will add 700 new school seats between the two new public schools. One of the schools will serve as a replacement facility for the Khalil Gibran International Academy, which is NYC’s first public school focusing on Arabic language and culture. The second school will be a new elementary school. It will also include 200 new units of affordable housing and 700 new units of market rate housing, 200,000 square feet of office space and 40,000 square feet of neighborhood retail space. The highlight of the project will be the preservation and adaptive reuse of two historic structures, and the repositioning of one of the historic buildings into 15,000 square foot of cultural space.
We would be remiss if we didn’t point out a group opposing the project, updated by YIMBY on April 30, 2018 here.
Checking in on September 15, 2017
This entire two buildings were painted black and made ready for the intricate, thoughtful Mural, The Brooklyn Glyphs by artist Katie Merz.
If you can’t stop by and say Hi, you can follow the 80 Flatbush Mural, The Brooklyn Glyphs, on Instagram, and if you have a Brooklyn story to share, post at #mystory80. Follow the artist at Katie Merz.
We can’t end this post without congratulating Katie Merz on being one of the winners of the 2018 Augustus Saint-Gardens Award.