CLINTON HILL — The eviction date is set. Artist and longtime Clinton Hill resident Arthur Wood, 84, will be forced from his iconic Broken Angel house on Friday. And the neighborhood plans to send him off "block party" style.
"There will be bands, barbecue and art," said organizer Kara Blossom. "Mostly we plan to send him off with as much love as possible."
Wood purchased his home on Downing Street with his wife Cynthia in 1979. The two transformed the old Brooklyn Trolley factory into a work of art, adding asymmetrical towers, bizarre angles, brick wings and stained glass. The house, named "Broken Angel," gained notoriety in 2004 when it was used as the backdrop for the movie "Dave Chappelle's Block Party."
But a fire tore through the top floors of the artsy home in 2006, causing the Department of Buildings to inspect the house, deem it unsafe and order Wood and his wife to vacate. Wood’s wife died of cancer in 2007 and he began a lengthy battle against foreclosure.
Earlier this year, Broken Angel was put on the market for $4.5 million as a "residential development/conversion site," according to Curbed.
"It's truly a sad state of affairs for the neighborhood," said block party organizers. "And it will be a great moment where we can all say our goodbyes to a space/builder and an era that made our neighborhood such a cool and valuable spot to be."
The party is set for 4 p.m. on Friday, March 15 and will go late into the night as a way "to give back the love and devotion Arthur has put into his life's work," Blossom said.
