buildings of distinction
POB ROMERO took full advantage of the freedom when he
designed Rogue Modern Townhomes in 2015. Even on the
eclectic street, the purple building stands out.
“It’s not subtle, is it?” he says. “I try to push the edge.
It’s the definition of rogue. It’s got some interesting quirks
to it. The color. The bold shape. When I’m working on
Third Street, that’s a serious street in my mind. It’s a classic,
important street, more black and white. Fourth Street
allows for a more artistic look.”
The purple façade moves in and out above the doorways.
“The purple zigzag is supposed to be the building morphing into the city,”
Romero says. “It started out as rain screen over the front door, and I thought,
‘I can do more with that.’ It’s fun.”
Romero dialed back the color choice for the residential building at the corner
of North Fourth and Davis. The three-level building is gray concrete, but there’s
visual interest in the tinted, reflective glass and window frames facing the street.
“There’s lots of interesting windows, some cool balconies out the back with a
zig-zaggy railing,” he says.
The name “Brooklyn” has been associated with upper North Fourth for as
long as anyone can remember, possibly since just after the Civil War, but no
one really knows why. Speculation is the first residents came from Brooklyn,
New York.
Nathans is from Brooklyn himself. He doesn’t know the origin of the name,
but thinks it’s appropriate. The vibe on the street is now similar to where he
grew up. Once again, it’s a neighborhood, with residences starting with the
public housing project at the top of the street completed in 2008 and continu-ing
down to Red Cross Street through the buildings developed and designed
since Spetrino and Nathans acquired the junkyard in 1999.
Top to bottom, left to right: The view up North Fourth from the bridge over the
old rail bed. The bronze paddles at Front and Davis Streets, visible from North
Fourth, are a sculpture memorial to the 1898 Race Riot. Brooklyn at Taylor Homes
public housing marks the north end of the street. The eclectic nature of the
district is seen in the purple façade of Rogue Modern Townhomes, built in 2015,
and the gray façade of Modern Baking Co.
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WBM june 2018