Preservationists Fear ‘Fedders Houses,’ Developer Claims Plans for Restoration
By Odelia Bitton
Brooklyn Daily Eagle
BAY RIDGE — Rat poison signs on three, century-old, Victorian style homes in the Bay Ridge area of Brooklyn have recently been turning heads. When neighbors on 74th Street at Third and Fourth avenues noticed the signs and missing window curtains, they suspected there had been a change of hands.
Indeed, records show that the Basile Builders Group — who have completed four condominium complexes in Brooklyn, including two in Bay Ridge — recently bought the three contiguous properties at 318, 326 and 334 74th St.
But the condo builders, whose office is on Third Avenue in Bay Ridge, said they have a different plan this time around. “We’re restoring the Victorian homes,” said Rocco Basile. “They’re really in bad shape now.”
“It’s about time,” said Victoria Hofmo, who heads the Bay Ridge Conservancy, when she heard that news. “But I’m skeptical. They’re not restorers, they’re contractors.” Besides, she said, those houses are “beautiful” and “fine, structurally.”
When asked for further comment on Basile Group’s plans for the three lots, Rocco said, “We’re just contractors. We’re not the owners.” According to city records, the historic properties were sold to Carmela Basile, two of them at nearly a million dollars each.
Joe Basile, who Rocco Basile said was overseeing this matter, declined to comment further.
Hofmo, who for years has headed the cause to preserve the low-rise character and historic charm of Bay Ridge, acknowledges how difficult it is to get individual properties in the neighborhood landmarked. “We’re trying to preserve what we have,” she said.
Current landmarked properties include the Bennett-Farrell house on 95th Street at Shore and Colonial roads, and the Gingerbread house on Narrows Avenue and 82nd and 83rd streets. According to Susan Pulaski, president emeritus of the Bay Ridge Historical Society, the former was a concession after a developer built condos next door in place of an 18th century home.
In 2005, Bay Ridge underwent large-scale rezoning to preserve its traditional, architectural flavor, thanks in no small part to Hofmo’s perseverance. Hofmo has long been battling the influx of what she termed “Fedders homes,” referring to bland, angular condos whose most memorable features are their Fedders-brand air conditioners.
Hofmo said that despite Basile’s words, she can’t overlook the history of the developer. She points to Basile’s other condo developments, such as at 364 90th St. While Basile Builders calls the 90th Street complex a “brownstone façade,” Hofmo says they’re those same old condominiums. “[Condos are] not doing anything for the community,” she said.
Current zoning on each of the lots allows for a multiple-family structure, with a maximum height of 33 feet, or a three-story building, as modified during the 2005 rezoning in Bay Ridge. The three lots together contain 16,200 square feet of usable space, according to propertyshark.com.
Pulaski, a member of Community Board 10 and president emeritus of the Bay Ridge Historical Society, is also unwilling to disregard the possible profit the lots bear. Polaski’s conversations with Kathleen Wrieden, the now former owner of the home at 334 74th St., only add to her suspicion of the Basile Builders’ restoration plan.
“I think they’re lying,” she said. “Mrs. Wrieden wouldn’t have sold if they had promised the other two houses were going to stay. That’s why I doubt whether their statement is correct. She was adamant about not selling.” According to Pulaski, Wrieden had “just put $60,000 in improvements” to her home.
Wrieden told Pulaski that she would only sell her home to someone who would safeguard it, Pulaski said. But Wrieden also said there is no use in keeping a Victorian home if condos would soon be erected next door.
Pulaski couldn’t help but notice the newly vacated home. “The curtains are gone, and there are holes in the front lawn. [Wrieden] always kept a beautiful garden.”
© Brooklyn Daily Eagle 2007
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