This post appeared in a previous blog and is here for posterity’s sake.

Broken Angel
The continuing saga of Broken Angel appears headed toward a beneficial conclusion. Last week it was announced that the building and adjoining property were up for sale, but this looks like it was “Plan B.” In today’s New York Times, it appears that that the City and the Woods have come to an agreement:

Yesterday, in a conference with the Brooklyn Supreme Court, the Woods agreed to submit engineering plans by next Wednesday to dismantle the building’s 40-foot rooftop structure, the main violation. The Woods have also entered into a tentative agreement to share ownership with a local developer, Shahn Andersen, who would turn most of the building into condominiums, according to a spokeswoman for City Councilwoman Letitia James. The Broken Angel, as the house is known, would include some form of community space, along with living and studio space for the Woods.

This is exactly what the Woods wanted: save the building’s best and most enigmatic parts, which is the masonry the Wood’s constructed over the years. Pairing up with a developer is the really the only recourse when you have very little cash on hand, but quite a lot of valuable land. The masonry core of the existing building is quite stable, only a bit of shoring appears to be required. The tricky part is removing the wood addition, which is acting like a giant rubber band, holding the masonry top together.
I wish the Wood’s luck; there is still a long ways to go, but it looks like they will be able to save the building.