Learning Places Spring 2016 SITE REPORT Vinegar Hill: PS 307 TROY SIEUSANKAR INTRODUCTION PRE-VISIT REFLECTION

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1 Learning Places Spring 2016 SITE REPORT Vinegar Hill: PS 307 TROY SIEUSANKAR INTRODUCTION Public School (PS 307) is situated across from the Farragut Houses residential complex. It is surrounded by Gold Street, Front Street, Hudson Avenue, Navy Street, and York Street. There are few pedestrians and the traffic is mild with only approximately one car every once in awhile, except York Street which carries the bulk of traffic of about ten vehicles with the cycle of the street lights. PRE-VISIT REFLECTION PRIOR to the site visit, I anticipated seeing during the site visit: limited trees and no wildlife like raccoons, squirrels, and deer, except for birds like pigeons and crows; remnants of ship and boat facilities such as houses and factories, along with old abandoned ships and boats and/or parts of ships and boats like propellers and hulls; few residential buildings, if any, and abandoned or condemned buildings; cobblestone streets with walled off boundaries, and flood barriers at the shore line of the

2 East River; and the newly established Kings County Distillery. SITE DOCUMENTATION (photos/sketches) This is the view of east side of PS 307 as it cuts off Hudson Avenue which is in the background between the buildings. This is the south side of PS 307 next to York Street where it intersects Navy Street. The view in the distance is the Navy Yard. 1

3 This is a view across York Street from PS 307 where the Farragut Houses are located. This is another view of the Farragut Houses from a different vantage point on York Street. PS 307 was primarily constructed to facilitate the children from the Farragut Houses. 2

4 1. Looking down Navy Street 2. Intersection of Navy Street and York Street 3. York Street 1. Hudson Avenue 2. Front Street 3. Intersection of Front Street and Hudson Avenue 3

5 End of Hudson Avenue at PS 307 The schoolyard of PS 307 next to Front Street 4

6 The schoolyard of PS 307 next to Front Street 5

7 The schoolyard of PS 307 next to Navy Street 6

8 The schoolyard of PS 307 next to Navy Street 7

9 The front of PS 307 next to York Street 8

10 The front of PS 307 next to York Street 9

11 The front of PS 307 next to York Street QUALITATIVE SITE OBSERVATIONS 1. Neighborhood / Street Character a. Few pedestrians b. Quiet streets 2. Vitality of Neighborhood a. General Description i. Quiet neighborhood b. Pedestrian Activity i. Approximately one pedestrian per hour 10

12 c. Vehicular Traffic i. Approximately one car per five minutes, except for York Street which has approximately 10 vehicles with the cycles of the street lights 3. Age of Buildings (provide evidence for prediction) a. PS 307 may be from the 1960s or 1970s due to the common style brick work b. Farragut Houses may be from the 1960s or 1970s by the architecture of the building 4. Relationship Between Buildings a. Only one more building is next to PS 307 b. The Farragut houses is across the street from PS Building Details a. PS 307 is four stories tall b. The Farragut Houses is 14 stories tall 6. Relationship to the Waterfront a. PS 307 is about four or five short city blocks from the Waterfront b. The Farragut Houses is about four or five short city blocks from the Waterfront 7. Other Observations a. There are no markets or grocery stores close by b. There are some retail businesses such as coffee shops and a pharmacy within five blocks QUANTITATIVE DATA for Area of Study Subject Data Street Names York St., Navy St., Hudson Ave., Front St., and Gold St. Street Width 30, 20, 15, 15, and 15 Street Pavement some of Hudson Ave. and Front St. are cobblestone, and the rest are pitch 11

13 Building Heights Building Widths (Window Bays) Building Types/Uses Empty Lots / Gardens ranges from 2 to 14 stories PS 307 has ten bays on each side Farragut Houses are made of approximately 13 bays PS 307 is a school Farragut Houses is a residential none Shops / Restaurants none Industrial Shops none Pharmacy one Bus Stop one on York St. next to PS 307 Playgrounds Parking Lots PS 307: on all sides except for York St. Farragut Houses: next to Navy St. and York St. none Gas Station none QUESTIONS to Research Further QUESTIONS: 1. What are the actual ages of the buildings? 2. What are the previous landscape like? 3. What are the plans of the buildings? RESEARCH METHOD/SOURCE FOR EACH QUESTION ABOVE: 1. Question 1 a. Wikipedia b. Google 12

14 c. State documents d. Library 2. Question 2 a. Wikipedia b. Google c. State documents d. Library 3. Question 3 a. Wikipedia b. Google c. State documents d. Library SUMMARY / POST VISIT REFLECTION I am more drawn towards observing more about my environment and thinking about the ways it has evolved to suit the needs of people. I notice the construction styles and purposes and try to decide which was build before the others. This site visit exercise had opened my observational skills into a new concept of view. I had never before considered evaluation a neighborhood in such a manner. 13