Brownstoner

Closing Bell: Flea Bigger and Better Than Ever on Sunday

2008-05-09T20:00:59Z

As long as our nemesis mother nature plays nice, this is shaping up to be biggest and best Flea yet. As noted on the Flea Blog today, there are a bunch of new high-qual, old-school vendors starting up this weekend, including Fort Greener Gary Ford who used to have a booth at the 25th Street Garage and will be showcaseing his eclectic mix of fossilized whale bones, Persian prayer rugs, and picture frames along the Clermont fence on Sunday. For the uninitiated, the Flea runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday and is located at 176 Lafayette Avenue. Closest trains are the C and G to Washington/Clinton. Or you can take any of the number of trains that go to Atlantic Station and make the 10-minute stroll up Lafayette Avenue from there. If you've come before and combined your outing with a visit to one of the many restaurants on Dekalb Avenue, why not be a tad more adventurous and check out the wealth of brunch options a few blocks north on Myrtle Avenue.
Lotsa New Vendors This Weekend! [Flea Blog]

Today on the Brownstoner Backpages

2008-05-09T19:01:27Z

There's one new post on the Renovation Blog:
Lower Level Half Bath - Tile Wall [Bed Stuy Reno Blog]

Here are some of the topics posted on The Forum today:
Marketing My Building to Europeans?
Resale Prospects for Cobble Hill New Construction?
What To Do With 2 Tons of Excess Soil?
Advice for Creating a Dog-Friendly Garden?
Help! Should I Not Close on This Co-op?

BKLYN Designs 2008 Kicks Off

2008-05-09T17:55:23Z

We just got back from Dumbo where we were checking out Day 1 of the annual BKLYN Designs show of furniture and accessories by, you guessed it, Brooklyn Designers. There are 70 exhibitors this year, so our slide show is just a taste. The event will be running all weekend.

Open House Picks

2008-05-09T17:11:00Z

Park Slope
112 St. Marks Place
Edie & Inga
Sunday 12-3
$1,500,000
GMAP P*Shark

Prospect Lefferts Gardens
74 Lincoln Road
Brown Harris Stevens
Sunday 1-3
$1,395,000
GMAP P*Shark

Ditmas Park
47 Marlborough Road
Corcoran
Sunday 2:30-4:30
$1,049,000
GMAP P*Shark

Clinton Hill
50 Putnam Avenue
Mark David
Sunday 1-1:45
$850,000
GMAP P*Shark

Small Fire at 380 Clinton Avenue

2008-05-09T16:42:53Z

According to a tipster, there was a small fire at the gorgeous mansion at 380 Clinton Avenue on Wednesday night; we stopped by yesterday and snapped this photo of this second-floor window, which appears to be the only spot of damage. Currently home to the Teen Challenge, the 1909 house is known as the Julius Liebman residence. It is one of the few houses designed by the prominent architecture firm of Herts & Tallant for the grandson of Samuel Liebman, founder of the brewery that later became Rheingold. Did any readers pass by while the fire was being contained? GMAP

Brooklyn Heights House Tour Tomorrow

2008-05-09T16:01:29Z

The annual Brooklyn Heights House Tour takes place tomorrow from 1 to 5 p.m. The tour, which costs $30, includes a townhouses of the Federal, Italianate and Greenk Revival variety as well as two carriage houses (one modern and one old-school). Tickets can be reserved by calling 718-858-9193; the tour kicks off at the St. Ann's School Lobby at 129 Pierrepont Street.
Brooklyn Heights House Tour 2008 [BHA]
BH House Tour 2007 [Brownstoner]

Union Hall Meeting: The Video

2008-05-09T16:00:32Z

Here's a video we shot after CB6's land-use/landmarks committee made a motion to recommend that the State Liquor Authority deny Union Hall's liquor license renewal. The first speaker is Lou Sones, who introduced the motion. The second speaker, another committee member, talks about his misgivings over the motion.
Community Board Moving to Nuke Union Hall [Brownstoner]

Bird Blog: Week 2

2008-05-09T15:30:47Z

Every week, Jennifer Mankins, owner of Park Slope- and Cobble Hill-based boutiques Bird, tells us about the new 2,500-square-foot store on Grand Street in Williamsburg that she's getting ready to open.

I'd like to thank everyone that read the first post and for all the supportive and encouraging comments. I would also like to clarify that the Williamsburg location will not replace the Park Slope and Cobble Hill stores. They will remain open. So…if you couldn’t tell from the first post last week, I was smitten with the space. I have seen lots of properties over the years, from dumps that I never even placed bids on to dream spaces where I could clearly envision the future of Bird. This was definitively the latter and I was trying hard not to get too excited. I decided I should call in the troops, to get second opinions. Not wanting to waste any time, I scheduled an appointment that weekend for my own “panel of experts” to visit the space with me a second time: my sister and my husband plus two good friends – an architect and a local commercial real estate broker/developer. The building was built right before the turn of the 20th century, between 1896 and 1898. After the jump, find out what the experts uncovered and how our rent negotiations went...

Developer Shows How He'll Save the Minerva Wave

2008-05-09T15:00:11Z

Yesterday the developers of a building on 23rd Street and 7th Avenue that threatened to block the unobstructed sight line between Green-Wood Cemetery's Minerva statue and Lady Liberty had a demonstration to show that their project will preserve the view. The architect representing Green-Wood was there to ensure the measurements met up to the proposed new building height, along with the President and Vice Presidents of Green-Wood. And what a fascinating spectacle those proceedings were: They involved a construction worker hoisted 40 feet in the air via cherry picker, thus proving to folks standing by Minerva that the line of site to the Statue of Liberty would be retained. The coast was clear.
Pyrrhic Victory for Green-wood's Minerva [Brownstoner]

Garden of the Day: Another Greenwood Heights Goodie

2008-05-09T14:30:35Z

The garden fun continues in Greenwood Heights today. From the horse's mouth:

Our backyard is a small courtyard which had a prison-yard vibe when we bought the place 4 years ago. We designed it ourselves hired some terrific guys to build it for us (ipe deck & cedar trellis) and have been working on the plantings ever since. It's the perfect spot for bbq's and outdoor movies. We also built a minimalist stucco flat roof shed/playhouse which is not pictured.

We're loving this. Comfortable but modern.
Garden of the Day: HGTV Does Greenwood Heights [Brownstoner]
Garden of the Day: PLG Make-Over [Brownstoner]
Submit Your Garden for 'Garden of the Day' [Brownstoner]

Burg Wants Cinema and Pharmacy—Not Galleries, Clubs

2008-05-09T13:57:24Z

Greenstone Realty did a survey of 200 people roaming the streets of Williamsburg and published the results in its marketing brochure for The Edge's retail space. The following is a sample of their retail wish list, in descending order: 177 respondents said they want a cinema, 140 want a pharmacy, slightly fewer want more clothing stores (129 described themselves as fashion freaks), and 129 want more food and gourmet markets. Clubs came in last, with only 29 respondents saying the neighborhood needs more places to get drunk and boogie. Second to last was (surprise!) galleries—39 people said they want more places to view and buy art. Other interesting tidbits: 82 people said they dislike the warehouses and manufacturing, and 101 said they dislike the neighborhood's gentrification. Almost everyone felt there needs to be more retail. While 181 people said Williamsburg is "the coolest place in Brooklyn," only 101 said it's cooler than Manhattan. See the full results after the jump...
Burg Throwdown! The Edge vs. Northside Piers [Brownstoner]
Photo by everyplace.

Carlton Mews Back on Track, Ready to Dig

2008-05-09T13:35:38Z

Rumors of Carlton Mews' demise have been greatly exaggerated, it appears. A couple of months ago, very well-placed tipster sent word that the developers of Carlton Mews, the landmark-compliant new townhouse development (plus church conversion) at 233 Carlton Avenue in Fort Greene, was "on life support." The project has been a long time coming and the developers have patiently worked closely with the community and LPC on the plans for a couple of years, so this was sad news to say the least. So we were psyched to get a tip yesterday that there was some new activity at the dormant site. We biked over and, sure enough, a contractor was getting ready to remove the trailer in anticipation of excavation work beginning within the next week. Turns out the New Building application was approved on May 6. Evidently, whatever financing troubles (if any) they'd been having have now been solved. Rock'n'roll!
Carlton Mews "On Life Support"? [Brownstoner] GMAP P*Shark DOB
LPC Gives Go-Ahead to Carlton Mews Project [Brownstoner]

Community Board Moving to Nuke Union Hall

2008-05-09T13:00:25Z

Last night Community Board 6's landmarks/land-use committee dealt a harsh (albeit symbolic) blow to local watering hole and performance space Union Hall. After a lengthy and often rancorous public hearing about renewing the Park Slope bar and venue's liquor license, the committee voted 6 to 2 in favor of a motion that denies Union Hall a renewal unless the business's owners sign a contract stipulating that they will take measures to ameliorate noise, such as stopping the sale of alcohol after midnight. Although the motion is ultimately only advisory, the committee member who introduced it—Lou Sones, who himself owns a bar, The Brazen Head on Atlantic Avenue—described it as the community board's "nuclear weapon" in terms of being a powerful indication to the State Liquor Authority that Union Hall is disturbing the lives of nearby residents. The motion was introduced after a two-hour-long pubic hearing in which many supporters of Union Hall, which is on Union Street between 5th and 6th avenues, spoke about how much they appreciated the business. A good number of residents who live near the establishment, meanwhile, described how noise from the business and its patrons was negatively affecting their quality of life. More people at the hearing, in fact, spoke out in support of Union Hall than against it. Find out what they had to say, and read the anti-UH faction's claims, on the jump...

Friday Links

2008-05-09T12:10:47Z

Crown Heights. Photo by stan.
New York’s Coveted Public Schools Face Pupil Jam [NY Times]
Homeowner Rescue Bill Passed Despite Veto Threat [NY Times]
Deal to Build at Railyards on West Side Collapses [NY Times]
Questions of Rent Tactics by Private Equity [NY Times]
Marty: Don't Dump Homeless in C. Hts [Daily News]
Ask Babs: Should I Rent or Buy? [Daily News]
ESDC: Site 5 Delay Expected [AY Report]
Homeownership Rates Slipping [Matrix]
'10 Plagues of the Subway' [AMNY]
Weekend Subway Guide [NY Post]

Thursday Blogwrap

2008-05-08T20:30:02Z

Carroll Gardens Parade. Photo by natalie1992.
New PA Chief Not So Sure About This Atlantic Yards [Daily Intel]
Fossella Admits to Having Love Child in Virginia [Gothamist]
Red Hook Ikea Progress Report: Finally Furnished! [Racked]
Bushwick Street Style: ‘I Love the Ghetto’ [BushwickBK]
Vid: "Coney Island Baby" By Tom Waits [Kinetic Carnival]
David Byrne Q&A at BAM [Bumpershine]
Necessary Butchers [A Year in the Park]