IKON, 50 Bayard Street: Review and Ratings

Review of 50 Bayard Street by Carter Horsley

Bayard Street fronting on McCarren Park in the Greenpoint section of Brooklyn is one of the city's most remarkable real estate development stories in recent years.

Four different parcels have been built with four completely different architectural styles. Three of them were designed by Karl Fischer, who has become one of the most prolific architects active in Brooklyn, for developer Issac Hager.

The fourth building and probably the most interesting for its very bold but rather bizarre design is known as the Lotus and its address is 2 Bayard Street and it is also known as 610 Union Avenue. It was designed by Abraham Hertzberg of Hertzberg & Sanchez.

This 8-story building at 50 Bayard Street is known as Ikon and is an enlargement and conversion of a former 4-story, beige-brick industrial building rather than entire new construction as the other buildings on the block are.

An article in the April 2006 edition of New York Construction by Tom Nicholson quoted Highlyann Krasnow, executive vice president for the Developers Group, as stating that the new towers are a net plus for the area: "They will transform Bayard from a dilapidated street into an exclusive residential block."

The former low-rise building was given a new façade of dark brick but its design emphasized the former façade's vertical sectioning. The enlargement consists of a setback tower placed centrally on the base and the overall proportions of the project are excellent.

This building has 70 residential condominium apartments with ceilings that range in height from about 10 to 17 feet. It has 24 hour Concierge service, rooftop gym, library, parking and cold storage for fresh direct deliveries. There are some full-floor units and some have double-height ceilings, exclusive roof decks and balconies.

The apartments have Brazilian walnut flooring and are equipped with Smart Home Concierge technology which owners can upgrade and tailor to their specific needs.

Kitchens feature Subzero and Miele appliances, Classic White Caesar Stone countertops and extra deep double undermount sinks by Kindred.

Baths have extra deep Zuma soaking tubs, limestone walls and Italian porcelain floors, Toto toilets and adjustable rain head showers by Kohler.

Penthouses have gas fireplaces.

The building received its final certificate of occupancy in January 2008.

McCarren Park is bordered by Bayard, North 12th and Lorimer Streets and Nassau Avenue. It was originally called Greenpoint Park but was renamed in 1909 McCarren

Park after Patrick Henry McCarren (1847-1909), a former New York State Senator.

McCarren Park is a 35-acre public park in New York City, USA. It is located in the Greenpoint neighborhood of Brooklyn, and is bordered by Nassau Avenue, Bayard Street, Lorimer Street and North 12th Street. It is operated by the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation.

The park is used for softball, volleyball, soccer, handball, and other games as well as running and sunbathing and dog-walking.

It has hosted craft fairs and rock concerts.

The McCarren Pool was the eighth of eleven giant pools built by the Works Progress Administration to open during the summer of 1936. With an original capacity for 6800 swimmers, the pool served as the summertime social hub for Greenpoint and Williamsburg. Wikipedia's entry for the park correctly observes that pool's "building's vast scale and dramatic arches, designed by Aymar Embury II, typify the generous and heroic spirit of New Deal architecture."

The pool, however, was closed in 1984. "The reuse and reconstruction of the pool remained a contentious community issue for many years, until the community came to a consensus plan in 2001. The community sought to reconstruct the facility to encompass a skate park, an indoor recreation/performance center, and a smaller pool that could be converted to a seasonal ice rink. The plan was estimated to cost $26 million and had a good chance of receiving public funding, but unfortunately, the budgetary constraints of the City post-9/11 shelved the plan and the pool remained abandoned for the next few years," according to the Wikipedia entry.

As part of the 2005 rezoning of Greenpoint and Williamsburg the City appropriated $1 million in capital budget funds for restoration of the pool as a performance space, and the next year the City Council allocated $300,000 to support the construction of a season rink.

In April, 2007, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced that a $50 million reconstruction of the pool was being funded as part of the City's PlaNYC long-term planning initiative. The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission approved of the pool's renovation plan on September 9, 2008. Final design renderings were completed in February 2009, and renovation work began in December 2009.