Brooklynites plead with MTA to fix up Jay Street building, subway stop

[Trainspotter]

Brooklynites plead with MTA to fix up Jay Street building, subway stop

BY PETE DONOHUE, RACHEL MONAHAN and BILL HUTCHINSON

DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERS

October 19th 2008

 

[float=right]

370 Jay Street building[/float]It's become a piece of Jay-unk!

 

Fed up at having to live in the shadow of a decrepit eyesore, Brooklynites are demanding officials stop dragging their feet and give the Jay St./Borough Hall subway station and building a major overhaul.

 

Despite promises to spruce it up, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority has let 370 Jay St. and its subway hub become a "blight on the face of downtown Brooklyn," said Borough President Marty Markowitz.

 

"This section of Jay St. is an embarrassment - and our commuters, residents and local businesses deserve better," Markowitz said.

 

He plans to join other elected officials and downtown Brooklyn boosters Monday at a press conference to demand the MTA fix up the station and turn the building over to someone who will finally give it a proper face-lift.

 

"With the world coming to Brooklyn in growing numbers, we can't allow a major transportation hub to greet visitors with peeling paint, leaking ceilings and unsightly scaffolding," Markowitz said.

 

Most of the 14-story building, which the MTA leases from the city, is vacant. The facade is wrapped in scaffolding and black mesh, giving it the look of a haunted house.

 

The subway station is even worse, with columns that are missing tiles, lots of chipping paint and large sections of the platform sealed off with plywood.

 

MTA officials insist they are going to invest $106 million to rehabilitate the station and that funds to fix the building above it are in the next capital improvement plan.

 

"When complete, we are convinced this new complex will be more than worthy of the borough in which it resides," MTA spokesman Jeremy Soffin said.

 

Soffin said the improvements will include elevators and the construction of a transfer corridor between the Jay and Lawrence St. stations.

 

Subway commuter Monique Jackson of Brooklyn said she's heard similar promises from the MTA.

 

"It's terrible. It's been like that for years," said Jackson, 31, a single mom and jewelry maker who often finds herself changing trains at the station.

[Y2Julio]

I agree. Jay Street looks like junk. Don't know why they removed the tiles and everything if they weren't going to finish. Should have left it as it was until they were ready to start the work.

[RokuSix]

I never paid that much attention to it. The rest of downtown Brooklyn is distracting.

[Brighton Local]

Ive never seen that building without scaffolding before.

[metsfan]

Ive never seen that building without scaffolding before.

 

Maybe it should remain? :cool:

 

- A

[Brighton Local]

Maybe it should remain? :cool:

 

- A

 

Perhaps:D:p

[metsfan]

Lot of buildings in nyc have been getting a re-clad, why not this one too? Fix up station at the same time. Use eco-friendly stuff too. Bam done everyone happy.

 

- A

[ghome]

I only part I like about that building is the "Jay Street IND Station" signs. Other than that fix everything else. It seems like Jay Street station is looking worse everyday. I hope when the project is done, the station will be the best looking station around. It at least the can do after puting so much hardship at the Jay street area.

[Radioguy]

There are other issues as well. Limiting the width of the passageways for workspaces provides some nooks and crannies for illegal cardswipe sellers to remian out of the line of sight of officers, and possibly ambush people if they turned to mugging. I've seen it, and there needs to be more of a police presence as-is.