By Thomas Tracy
With the wrecking ball looming in the distance, Clinton Hill’s Broken Angel got a last minute reprieve this week after artist Arthur Wood stuck an agreement with a local real estate developer. The deal, which was brokered with the help of City Councilwoman Letitia James, saves the popular, yet structurally unsafe, piece of art while at the same time allows for the construction of condos and a community center on adjacent lots. “It’s a win, win situation,” James said. “This local developer is saving the Broken Angel, which we all wanted, but he has a financial interest so he plans to develop some co-ops on the lot next to the building.” In order to get his hands on the prime piece of realty, developer Shahan Anderson has agreed to finance the reconstruction and restoration of the Broken Angel, sections of which were perilously close to being ordered demolished by the city’s Department of Buildings. The wrecking ball will have to wait, however, said James, who added that the developer has already filed his plans to bring the Broken Angel up to code. Wood bought the Downing Street building – the former headquarters for a Brooklyn Trolley line — in the late 1970s. Over the next thirty years, he continued to add to the structure, turning it into a hodgepodge of elevated rooms and levels linked by risers and ladders. The last “additions” were put in place in 2002. Wood covered one section of his home with stained glass windows to give the illusion that the building was floating, neighbors said. It was a quirky part of the neighborhood landscape for years until a small fire last October caused the city to take notice. Although firefighters put out the small blaze without any effort or injuries, DOB inspectors were called in to see just how safe the building was. Wood called the fire that started the investigation “a freak accident.” An inspection of the property showed that building was “unsafe for occupancy.” A vacate order was put in place a few weeks later. Wood was arrested when he didn’t comply with the order. As the city prepared to tear down Wood’s additions, art lovers and community leaders began a multi-pronged search to find someone who could make sure the Broken Angel remained the heavenly piece of artwork it was always meant to be. While Wood’s family tried to secretly sell the property, other groups tried to find architects to tackle the design problem pro-bono. Others reached out to comedian Dave Chappelle, who depicted the Broken Angel in his 2005 film, “Dave Chappelle’s Block Party.” Despite the 11th hour save, city officials said that bringing the building up to code would be a great undertaking. “There are a number of problems in that building, the first thing being that there isn’t a staircase,” said one source close to the case. “It’s just wooden planks and ladders.”
