Gowanus Lounge Photo Du Jour: Clinton Hill Edition

[Photo courtesy of Gary Mirabelle/Mirabelle Studios]

This is another photo sent to us by sculptor, artist and photographer Gary Mirabelle, who is a regular photo contributor to GL, from a group of several photos of Clinton Hill.

Gowanus Lounge Photo Du Jour: Clinton Hill Edition

[Photo courtesy of Gary Mirabelle/Mirabelle Studios]

This is another photo sent to us by sculptor, artist and photographer Gary Mirabelle, who is a regular photo contributor to GL, from a group of several photos of Clinton Hill.

Gl Photo Du Jour: Clinton Hill Edition

[Photo courtesy of Gary Mirabelle/Mirabelle Studios]

This is another photo sent to us by sculptor, artist and photographer Gary Mirabelle, who is a regular photo contributor to GL, from a group of several photos of Clinton Hill.

Bklink: Architecture & Crap

Some of the architecture on Cambridge Place in Clinton Hill is uniquely Brooklyn and certainly makes for a great photo feature. Yet, there is one photo missing from the collection: “Not pictured is the man I spotted pulling down his pants and taking a shit on the sidewalk. That’s right. I saw someone shitting on a Thursday afternoon, right here on Cambridge.”–Clinton Hill Blog

Details on Tragic Clinton Hill Construction Worker Death

There was a fatal accident yesterday at a 13-story building under construction at 525 Clinton Avenue. A worker plunged 13 stories to his death when scaffolding collapsed and another was seriously injured. A third worker was unhurt. Brownstoner had both an early report and a follow up yesterday. An early eyewitness report said a worker had been blown through a window, but the Department of Buildings later reported a scaffolding collapse. The accident happened at 10:15 AM and the victim, Jose Palacios, was a resident of Astoria. He and other workers were applying stucco to the building. There was a high wind advisory in effect during the day and the Department of Buildings had issued an advisory to building projects in the city to take appropriate safety measures. Here is DOB’s email about the accident:

Earlier today, Buildings inspectors and engineers responded to emergency calls about a pipe scaffold collapse at 525 Clinton Avenue in Brooklyn. Upon inspection, Buildings engineers and inspectors determined a three-frame pipe scaffold installed on the roof of the new building under construction had collapsed. Sections of the pipe scaffold collapsed onto the 2nd floor and 12th floor setbacks of the new building under construction.

Preliminary reports indicate three workers on the pipe scaffold were performing stucco work on the exterior of the rooftop bulkhead at the time of the incident. The workers were employed by a sub-contractor, Bell Tower Enterprises, retained by the general contractor overseeing construction of the new building, Clinton Court Development LLC. Buildings forensic engineers are investigating to determine the cause of the collapse. While preliminary reports indicate high winds may have contributed to the collapse, Buildings forensic engineers are looking into whether the scaffolding was secured to the roof and the rooftop bulkhead.

The Stop Work Order on the building indicates the collapse was due to the scaffold not being properly secured and the high wind. The building has had six violations in the past. We posted a video of loud Sunday construction work at the building several months ago. Mr. Palacio’s death was the third fatal construction mishap of the year.

Related Stories & Posts:

• Breaking: Worker Killed at 525 Clinton Avenue [Brownstoner]
• Scaffold in Building Death “Not Properly Tied to Wall” [General Greene]
• Third Fatal Construction Mishap of 08 Sparks Investigation[Sun]
• Blown Away [NYP]
• Scaffolding Falls, Killing Worker in Brooklyn [NYT]
• Wind Knocks Construction Worker Off 13th Story Scaffold in Brooklyn [NYDN]
• High Winds Blamed for Deadly Scaffolding Accident [NY1]

Fun Vid: Pratt’s Steam Whistle Blows on New Year’s Eve

Sketching Out a Myrtle Avenue Makeover

A big plan for a remake of Myrtle Avenue in Fort Greene and Clinton Hill was posted yesterday. The document is the result of a long period of planning and community meetings by the Myrtle Avenue Brooklyn Parternship and the Project for Public Spaces. Streets Blog wrote of the effort:

The days when Myrtle was known as “Murder Avenue” are long past. Thriving shops and restaurants line much of the street, in part thanks to the efforts of the Myrtle Avenue Revitalization Project and the Myrtle Avenue Brooklyn Business Improvement District (constituent members of the Myrtle Avenue Brooklyn Partnership). But many areas remain where the street’s potential is going unrealized, and that’s what the collaboration with PPS was meant to address. “We were looking at streetscape conditions,” says Vaidila Kungys, the partnership’s program manager for planning and economic development. “There’s a lot of clutter, crowded sidewalks and problematic intersections.”

The plan reenvisions intersections and pedestrian spaces among other things, offering a number of options for resdesign. With the city’s new emphasis on creating livable streetscapes, there is actually a chance that some of the concepts will make the jump from the paper to sidewalk.

Clinton Hill Blog Throwing a First Anniversary Bash Friday

Just like it says, the Clinton Hill Blog–one of our daily reads–is throwing a First Anniversary Bash with local retailer RePop on Friday. You go, Lesterhead.