What Will The Pigeons Do Now?
The Lawrence Hotel, a perennial eyesore on Beach 116 Street, has been wrapped up tighter than a Christmas present by the Department of Buildings to keep it from falling into the shopping street. On December 1 of last year, pieces of the pigeon-filled, abandoned welfare hotel began falling into the street. The new façade is a response to that event, officials say. The ownership of the building is unclear. Vladimir Prokopov bought the building in 2004 with plans to reduce the building to rubble and to build a landmark building that would contain stores, a restaurant and four floors of condominiums or offices. He was never able to get the city permits to do that, a local developer says, because the zoning for the building limits it to three floors, and he eventually gave up. He was issued a complaint by the Department of Buildings in 2005 for working in the building without a permit. One local, looking at the completed work this week, commented, "It's great that it's sealed up, but what are the pigeons going to do now?"
No comments have been posted. Be the first! 
RSS Feed
)
