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Thursday Linkage
Manhattan Bridge Sky. Photo by Joseph O. Holmes
Hot Decorative Concrete [NY Times]
Call It Satmar-Gate [NY Daily News]
Cheap Hotel or High-Class Housing [A Brooklyn Life]
Why the Daily News Digs Brooklyn [Bococa.org]
Melanie’s Juices on Fulton [Bed Stuy Gateway]
Nosh on Atlantic Avenue [Eating for Brooklyn]
Photo Quiz: Gowanus Gothic #3 [Dope on the Slope]
10/27/2005 8:30 AM
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MAS Proposed Downtown Landmark #13
Where: 25 Elm Place
When: 1899
Why: Loesser’s was once one of the most elegant stores in Brooklyn. At the turn of the century, Francis Kimball designed a monumental new store building facing onto Elm Place. Although altered on the lower floors, the bulding retains much of Kimball’s brick and terra cotta detail, notably in its tall arcades. Kimball was one of the leading architects in America at the time and designed two other major buildings in Brooklyn – the Montauk Club and Emanuel Baptist Church. Co-joined just north of the Kimball Building remains an earlier small commercial building with Romanesque details.
Architecturally Significant Buildings [Municipal Arts Society] GMAP
10/26/2005 2:33 PM
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House of the Day: Crown Heights Craigslister
We’re generally pretty skeptical about the brownstone listings on Craigslist and so don’t spend much time weeding through all the noise. We came across this Crown Heights “mansion” (their word, not ours) and thought it might have some potential (we’re a sucker for a good turret). Anyway, it’s probably a little overpriced at $899,000 given the neighborhood and the fact that this block doesn’t look like it has any particular charm. Still, if the claim of being “loaded with original details” has any truth to it, it might be worth a look. We don’t know anything about the brokerage firm, Apartment and Homes, either. Caveat Emptor.
Bergen Street Mansion [Craigslist] GMAP
10/26/2005 11:49 AM
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Stumbling Across 11 Second Place
When we were out doing our ground-breaking story on the Halloween decorations in Carroll Gardens last weekend, we strolled by the development at 11 Second Place. Frankly, we were unaware of the project until we stumbled across it. And even though we don’t think the building fits in too well with the brownstone block, for some reason we think it may turn out to be reasonably nice. From the looks of the Corcoran website, so do a few other people: Five our of seven of the condo apartments are already in contract at prices ranging from $489,000 to $1,275,000. How are neighbors feeling about this larger-than-normal building going up on the block?
11 Second Place [Corcoran] GMAP
10/26/2005 10:55 AM
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The Making of the Defenders Arch
The Defenders Arch (aka Soldiers and Sailors Arch) at the entrance to Prospect Park at Flatbush and Eastern Parkway has a rocky history, we were interested to learn. According to a fascinating article in the most recent issue of the Park Slope Reader, the park’s architect, Calvert Vaux, originally filled the plaza with plants and small statues. While the park was a hit, the plaza design flopped when it was completed in 1873, and in 1889 Brooklyn Mayor Seth Low held a competition for a monument to fill the space. A classic Roman-style design by John Hemenway Duncan (who would later design Grant’s Tomb) was chosen but also failed to win the public’s admiration and so Stanford White was called in to do some damage control. With the help of Frederick ManMonnies, architect and master sculptor, White oversaw the addition of new statues and structural additions to house them. By 1902, the arch as we know it was completed, though the oval site on which it sits did not start being called Grand Army Plaza until 1926. In 1973, the arch received landmark status.
Story of a Brooklyn Icon [Park Slope Reader]
10/26/2005 10:13 AM
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Heights Couple Ups Price Despite Slowing Market
The New York Observer today tells the story of the marketing of 82 Remsen street, a 37.5-foot-wide townhouse in Brooklyn Heights owned by Neil and Anne Estern for the last 50 years.
The Federal mansion initially landed on the market last winter for $10 million; it was listed with Kevin J. Carberry, an independent Brooklyn broker who has been working in the area for over 30 years.”I was showing it for about two months, and I gave them two offers during that time, said Mr. Carberry, who declined to specify the exact price. Other brokers convinced them that it was worth more.”
Next, the property was listed for $11 million with Liz Fishman of Stribling and Associates, before being scooped up a few weeks ago by Corcoran brokers Ellen Newman and Yolanda Johnson Vogelzang. Considering that Mr. Carberry was able to get offers at $10 million, increasing the asking price became a viable option. “Pricing is not an exact science, said Ms. Newman, who admits that they have already shown the luxurious property to several potential buyers. They had a lot of direct interest at $10 [million]. When we took it, they wanted to go back to $12 [million].”
The Observer notes that either price would break the record of $8.5 million for the sale of a Brooklyn residence. Right now, the highest asking price is $16 million (down from $20 million earlier this year), for a five-story townhouse on Columbia Heights.
Ante Up in Brooklyn Heights [NY Observer]
82 Remsen Street [Corcoran]
10/26/2005 9:37 AM
Comment
Feuding Hasidic Groups Brawl in the Burg
We lived on the South Side for two years and had no idea of the bitter feud that lay behind the insular facade of Hasidic Williamsburg. Yesterday, however, this feud boiled over into a full-fledged brawl, according to the New York Post, that drew dozens of cops in riot gear to the Synagogue where the trouble started. “There was chaos,” said worshipper Joel Klein, 29, who said he was pulled from the Yetev Lev Bikur Cholim synagogue on Rodney Street by cops. “It was like a war zone.” The bitter feud dates back to a longstanding dispute between two brothers who both claim to lead the Williamsburg Satmar congregation and its system of rabbinical yeshivas, religious schools and social services. Apparently a court decision last week in favor of one of the brothers sparked the melee, which occurred on the Jewish holiday, Shmini Atzeret. Did anyone of you happen to pass by this? Was it really as sensational as the papers suggest?
Hasidic Fued Boils [NY Daily News - Photo]
Clashing Satmars Brawl in Burg [NY Post]
10/26/2005 8:50 AM
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Wednesday Linkster
Refined in Dumbo. Photo by Calla Lillie
Prospect Heights iPod Robbery [NY Times]
Where to Find Cool Wallpaper [Apartment Therapy]
What’s Up with the F Train [OTBKB]
200 Chickens Rescued from Brooklyn Lot [AnimalConcerns.org]
New Restaurant in Prospect Heights [Daily Heights]
Corcoran Gets Foxton Car Treatment [Rat and Mouse]
10/26/2005 8:32 AM
Comment
MAS Proposed Downtown Landmark #12
Where: 470-472 Fulton Street
When: Circa 1900
Why: This four-story commercial building retains much of its original architectural character, including its three-sided, angled, pressed-metal bays. Of special interest are the three surviving cat faces, composed of classical details such as swags and anthemia. Although they may have originally been part of an advertisement, these cat heads appear to be a unique feature of the original decorative scheme.
Architecturally Significant Buildings [Municipal Arts Society] GMAP
10/25/2005 3:07 PM
Comment
House of the Day: Cool Critter on Clarkson
We loved the looks of this place at first glance and even more when we saw the interior pictures. And at first glance at the price, we thought this was a winner. Then we took a closer look at the square footage (the house is definitely on the smaller side) and realized that you’re paying about $300 a foot for a place that’s gonna need another $50 to $100 a foot of renovation work. All of a sudden, it’s not feeling like a steal for the area (which is PLG, right?). Nonetheless, for some reason, we’re feeling this one — which is sometimes a lot more important than hard metrics and valuations.
25 Clarkson Avenue [Corcoran] GMAP
10/25/2005 11:33 AM
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Existing Home Sales Hold Close to Record
October 25, 2005 — Sales of existing homes held at the second highest pace on record in September, with sales surging in some areas following Hurricane Katrina, according to the National Association of Realtors®. Total existing-home sales including single-family, townhomes, condominiums and co-ops were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 7.28 million units in September, unchanged from August. Sales were 7.2 percent above the 6.79 million-unit level in September 2004, and were second only to a rate of 7.35 million in June of this year. David Lereah, NAR’s chief economist, said near-record activity was supported by spiking home sales in areas surrounding the Hurricane Katrina disaster zone. We are now getting some hard data from this region, with spot checks showing sharply higher home sales to residents who were displaced by the hurricane. The sales surge is more than offsetting declines in the disaster zone, he said.
Existing Home Sales Hold [Wall Street Journal]
10/25/2005 10:53 AM
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What Are Portland and Dekalb Doing Here?
This pair of buildings at 260-262 St. James Place recently caught our eye. Bearing the same names as nearby streets, these beautiful facades must have some interesting history behind them. Anyone got any ideas? GMAP
10/25/2005 10:45 AM
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Downtown Intersection Critically Flawed
We just got a chance to read the Project for Public Spaces paper on “re-Imagining Brooklyn’s Inner Core” and thought that they make an excellent point that tends to get lost in all the arguing about Atlantic Yards:
The Forest City Ratner proposal for the Atlantic Yards has many weaknesses. But the truth is that no development–even one much stronger than what’s on the table now–can truly succeed on that site unless we also address the area around the intersection of Atlantic, Flatbush, and Fourth Avenue. This intersection should be an iconic space–a source of pride for Brooklyn as a whole…Right now it is dominated by vehicles — it’s just a place to drive through. The pedestrian experience is a nightmare, and there is no plan to deal with this major obstacle. Any development on any portion of this intersection will be a failure if surface transportation issues are not dealt with.
Re-Imagining Brooklyn’s Inner Core [PPS.org]
10/25/2005 10:01 AM
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Brokovich Turning Sights on Greenpoint Oil Spill
Erin Brokovich is turning her sights on Brooklyn. More specifically, the environmental crusader who helped win a $333 million settlement for poisoned residents of Hinkley, CA is working with the law firm of Girardi & Keese on a class action suit filed by 11 residents of Greenpoint. The plaintiffs are calling to task ExxonMobil, Chevron and BP for ignoring the millions of gallons of oil that have allegedly seeped under their homes and into the water supply around Newton Creek. Brushing off the allegations, ExxonMobil spokesman Brian Dunphy said, “We really do take our environmental responsibilities very seriously.”
New Brokovich Crusade: Brooklyn [NY Daily News]
10/25/2005 9:36 AM
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Blog Addiction Hurting Worker Productivity
We know how much time we spend reading blogs at work–and we’d probably spend even more if our firewall didn’t block half of them. According to a recent study by Ad Age, we aren’t alone:
About 35 million workers — one in four people in the labor force — visit blogs and on average spend 3.5 hours, or 9%, of the work week engaged with them, according to Advertising Age’s analysis. Time spent in the office on non-work blogs this year will take up the equivalent of 2.3 million jobs. Forget lunch breaks — blog readers essentially take a daily 40-minute blog break.
How much time do you spend reading blogs every day?
What Blogs Cost American Business [Ad Age]
10/25/2005 8:58 AM
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Tuesday Links
Nine by Nine. Photo by Gil Shapir
A House Where Time Stopped [NY Times]
Bankruptcies Surprise Banks [NY Times]
Raise Roof on Rents [NY Post]
Landmark Battle for Trylon Theater [NY Daily News]
Traffic Reversal [Starts & Fits via Curbed]
New York Changing Gallery [The Morning News via Kottke]
Open Shelving Options [Apartment Therapy]
Design According to Murray Moss [Business Week]
10/25/2005 8:22 AM
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MAS Proposed Downtown Landmark #11
Where: 505 Fulton Street
When: 1890
Why: This powerful building, with its sumptuously ornamented entrance arch, was designed as a department store and warehouse by one of Brooklyn’s most prominent late-19th century architectural firms. Built by Henry Offerman for Wechsler Brothers, it is among the masterpieces of Romanesque Revival design in Brooklyn.
Architecturally Significant Buildings [Municipal Arts Society] GMAP
10/24/2005 2:03 PM
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Halloween on First Place: Day 1
Excitement for Halloween is mounting in the Brownstoner household, so we took a field trip with young Ms. B over to First Place in Carroll Gardens on Saturday. Despite the weather, the two blocks between Court and Henry were a big hit–about half of the front yards had some variation of ghost, skeleton or witch on display. We’ll give you a taste every day this week. GMAP
10/24/2005 12:59 PM
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zipport
May 21, 2012 | 02:16 PM