wnyc.org / 93.9fm / am 820

Alex,

I agree and don't think you are being pessimistic. Of course the swastika is an ancient symbol found in many cultures way way before the Nazi use....but really...c'mon...knowing that one also has to acknowledge that in America at this particular time hardly anyone associates the symbol with anything other than Nazism and the modern white supremacist terrorist movement and it's horribly idiotic that they designed the building that way.

I've been watching the Ken Burns' War documentary the last few days so somehow maybe that has helped illustrate how absurd it is to design a building that way.

So yes, the above points are true about the swastika I agree (well it's fact) but I invite any one of those people who stated such above as if it's not at least absurd that they "mistakenly" designed the building in that shape to walk down a Manhattan street wearing a swastika for a few hours and see what the general consensus is.....no? yeah...thought not.

did anyone catch the website address for the site about foreclosures that was given in this segment?

I agree with the comments stating that the sign has other meanings that preceded the nazi’s many years. However, how many people associate this sign with its preceding meanings?? I hope I’m being extremely pessimistic.

I design and build residential interiors. I draw a lot of floor plans. It is hard for me to beleive nobody noticed in the design and construction of a building, that it is a swastica.

But, than it is hard for me to believe the military period.

Re Columbia University campus expansion
go to http://www.stopcolumbia.org/content/view/42/58/
to see the whole article....
Columbia University is proposing a biomedical research level-3 lab as a major component (30%) of its proposed development of Manhattanville.
BLS-3 is the third highest level out of 4 safety levels. A BLS-3 designation is given to facilities in which work is done with agents which may cause serious or potentially lethal disease as a result of exposure by the inhalation route. Examples of these agents are: Typhoid Fever, West Nile Virus, Avian Flu, The Plague & Malaria.

Columbia University has a poor satety record. It was fined $792,029 in 2002 by the U.S. Environmental Protection agency for violations involving improper storage and disposal of toxic waste and faulty emergency plans. The photos on this page show Columbia facilities, as documented by the EPA in their investigation.

I don't want to get hysterical over that funky building in San Diego. Swastika is symbolic of more than one thing and read below to discover.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swastika

Let's not feed into paranoi folks but be enlightened by knowledge and also be happy for cool designs to look at from space.

The swastika shape does not necessarily mean Nazi.

In Japan, China, Thailand and many other Asian cultures this symbol is (1) a coat of arms, (2) svasti meaning well-being (Sanskrit), and (3) a religious symbol (Buddhism, Hinduism).

The navy building that is the shape of a swastika was not just discovered by aerial photography. I am an architect and when a building or anything is being designed one of the drawings used is a plan which is sort of an aerial photo. They knew what they were building. it was obvious. My biggest problem is that the swastika has a more beautiful meaning in other cultures (in tibet it is the symbol of the 4 earth elements) and maybe we should just look at this building as a representation of that instead of nazi's.

Re the swastigon in San Diego - It's hard to believe the official explanation, that the swastika only became apparent with the advent of Google Earth. Buildings require architectural plans, don't they?

The swatstika buliling.

You do not need Goodgle earth to see the building in totality. Especially if you are the client. YOu see it from the beginning as you review the plans!

To say "we just didn't see it is disingenuaous at best.

Two Trees Development has just gotten a waiver of a 50 foot height limit in our landmarked district in Cobble Hill for an aprtment building. The city seems to prefer rampant development to keeping the character of historic neighborhoods (and I will single out Councilman Bill DeBlasio as being particularly aggressive in this regard).

The rezoning goes from 97 to 110 - it does not effect Columbia!

I am an attorney and I practice in the area of landlord-tenant law. A tenant of a building can go to DHCR (several branches--one of which is 25 Beaver Street, NYC). When I represent landlords, I can obtain a printout going back at least four years, of all registered tenants. A tenant can certainly obtain a printout of their own registration: I am not 100% sure, but they may be able to obtain a printout of the entire building. The tenant may need a lease, or some proof of tenancy before they can get the printout.

DHCR used to keep track of all increases granted in rent controlled apartments. This was changed under Giuliani to only seven years.

I have another building on 19th street to complain about. The Avant Chelsea. This building has been under construction for 2 years now. They must have run out of money because the workers only work a few hours a day on it... from 6:30am to 9:30am, typically. I live right across the street, and last year the Avant blocked my view of the Empire State Building, which I used to be able to see from my couch. I hate this building.

I had no idea that one could lodge a complaint about loosing one's view. I too lost my long standing view of the Empire State Building by an ugly black box that is going up on 18th & 6th. It made my five-year old cry bitterly when it went away, not to mention my own heart break. But...do I have any power to change it? Hell no. It's too damn late! what does lodging a complaint do anyway?
MMN

The Bowery has completely changed face over the past 3 years. I look downtown from 3rd Avenue and there are many new tall apartment buildings "defacing" the Bowery (as it were).

Are areas outside nyc immune to the price drops as well?
(maplewood, southorange, montclair)

Just want to respond to the caller from the East Village a moment ago. If she's looking for a way to find out the rent history on an apartment, the Department of Housing and Community Renewal keeps those records and they are available to the public. You need to go to their offices in lower Manhattan to find out.

She can contact the DHCR (unfortunately by snail mail), I did it with my old apartment in LIC before the view was ruined by those ugly towers.