After Evacuation, Artists Begin an Effort to Save Their Haven – New York Times

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The tale of the warehouse-turned-loft building by the banks of the East River in Brooklyn seemed a familiar one, at first.

Artists move into a decrepit building, quietly rehabilitate it, live and work there. The city eventually catches on and issues a flurry of violations, forcing the artists into the streets. Developers circle, landlords yield and sell. Condos ensue.

The roughly 200 residents of 475 Kent Avenue in South Williamsburg were determined that their story have a happier ending. After all, the landlords were on their side — an unusual alliance. So the residents tackled every violation they could at the building, an 11-story warehouse that had been home to artists, photographers and musicians for more than a decade.

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