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Thursday Blogwrap
Greenpoint, Brooklyn. Photo by I like green.
Brooklyn-based Etsy Raises $27 Million in Fourth Round [Dumbo NYC]
Forbes: New York in Top 5 Most Miserable Cities [Gothamist]
On Beard Street: Swedish Family Seeks Members [Curbed]
Improvements at Boerum Hill Post Office? [GL]
NY Sun Grades Private Schools [Brooklyn Heights Blog]
A Tour of Cambridge [CH Blog]
01/31/2008 4:27 PM
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Closing Bell: The Psychology of Pricing a House
Round numbers may be bad for business when it comes to selling a house, according to three profs from Cornell University. The current issue of The Atlantic Monthly picks up the story:
The authors showed their subjects a listing for a house along with various prices, and asked whether those prices seemed high or low. Precise prices like $391,534 were seen as cheaper than round ones like $390,000, even though the round prices were actually lower. The authors then examined more than 27,000 real-estate transactions on Long Island and in South Florida and discovered the same effect at work in real-life deals. In South Florida, having at least one zero at the end of the list price lowered the final sale price by about 0.72 percent compared with houses listed at a similar price, three zeros lowered it by 0.73 percent, and each additional zero lowered it another 0.39 percent.
Can any readers back this up with anecdotal evidence?
Primary Sources: Pound Foolish [The Atlantic]
01/31/2008 4:00 PM
Comment
Today on the Forum
Here are some of the items posted recently on the Brownstoner Forum:
Info Needed About This Wincroft Stove
What’s the Best Site for Mortgage Calculations?
Need Help Valuing 242 Washington Avenue
Help Hanging TV and Doing Plasterwork?
Suggestions for Tenant Background Checks?
How To Find Out if Property Has Liens?
01/31/2008 3:02 PM
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StreetLevel: Weather Up on Vanderbilt
As the pic above shows, the interior of Weather Up—the fancy new cocktail bar on Vanderbilt between Dean and Bergen that’s scheduled to open in a few weeks—is looking just about complete. The white tile motif has been extended to the outside of the bar (see photo on jump), and one of the business’s partners told Grub Street he wanted to make the former storefront church into something of a jewel box. Weather Up comes c/o one of East Side Company Bar’s original investors, and Sasha Petraske (the mastermind behind Milk & Honey and Little Branch) is consulting on the bar’s drinks, according to an Eater report.
Cocktail Stirrings on Vanderbilt [Brownstoner] GMAP
ProHi Secret Bar Update [Eater]
Prospect Heights Cocktail Den Promises Back Garden, Oysters [Grub St.] (more…)
01/31/2008 2:26 PM
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House of the Day: 10% Off at 155 Warren Street
A 10% price reduction might not sound like all that much, but when the original asking price was $8,750,000, as in the case of 155 Warren Street, it translates into “savings” of $875,000. Judging from the 134 comments this generated as a House of the Day in October, however, we’re guessing that popular opinion will still be that the new number of $7,875,000 is still a pie-in-the-sky price. Given that it’s still coming in at over $1,100 a foot, we’d tend to agree.
155 Warren Street [Brown Harris Stevens] GMAP P*Shark
House of the Day: $8.75 Million in Cobble Hill? [Brownstoner]
01/31/2008 1:25 PM
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Condos of the Day: 134 St. Marks Place
It’s tough to beat this new Scarano-designed condo in the North Slope for proximity to Fifth Avenue retail and all the subway lines at Atlantic (not to mention that as new construction, it’s something of a rare bird in this neck of the woods). That said, buyers don’t seem to be falling all over themselves to ink deals here: The development’s been listed for a few months now and Corcoran’s website isn’t showing any units in contract. The seven listings are running between $535,000 and $565,000 for the one-bedroom, one-baths; around $740,000 for the two units that top 1,000 square feet; and $995,000 for the biggest unit, a 1,352-sf two-bedroom, two-bath. 134 St. Marks’ pricing is similar to what units at the Crest and Novo were asking, and (for our money, anyway), 134′s location is a lot better—so we wonder why more of these aren’t in contract. (Market jitters? Uninspired interiors?) Anyone checked them out?
134 Saint Marks Place [Corcoran]
134 Saint Marks Place [Brownstoner] GMAP
01/31/2008 12:39 PM
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Development Watch: 144 South 4th Street
Just down the block from our first apartment in Brooklyn, a ten-story residential building is in the early stages of development. Designed by Nataliya Donskoy, a Scarano protege responsible for the makeover of 140 Degraw Street, the structure is planned to include 75 units over 134,000 square feet. An adjacent existing building on the same zoning lot will be reborn as a commercial property with the off-street parking required by the apartments. This should be a doozy. GMAP P*Shark DOB
01/31/2008 12:03 PM
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Inside Third & Bond: Week 22
Today the folks at The Hudson Companies try to put aside their worries about the economy and discuss all the marketing decisions that loom on the horizon.
Our demolition is done, we’re revising the pile design, bidding out the plans to subcontractors, and negotiating construction financing terms. We’re gearing up for the construction phase as we warily view all the ongoing economic indicators. While we appreciate that condo sales are still strong and interest rates are way down, we don’t feel the least bit relaxed. And it’s at this juncture of a project, that we begin to turn our focus to the next big thing in our project planning…..marketing.
Marketing—the very word probably brings major eye rolling to many a Brownstoner reader… (more…)
01/31/2008 11:28 AM
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AY Demos: 626 Pacific Going; Ward Bakery May Be Next
Whether or not Bruce Ratner is actually sweating Atlantic Yards financing right now (on that subject, this Daily Intelligencer article by Chris Smith is a good read), it doesn’t seem like anything’s going to stop the bulldozers in Prospect Heights over the next couple of weeks. Here’s what’s set to fall:
1. 626 Pacific Street: Demolition is starting on this red-brick warehouse, which is right next to Casa de Goldstein. GMAP
2. Carlton Avenue Bridge: According to this week’s ESD press release on Atlantic Yards construction activity, workers are going to begin demolishing the southern portion of the bridge. As shown in the pic above, the bridge is now completely blocked off. GMAP
3. Ward Bakery Building: The ESD says “mobilization for demolition” of the warehouse, where a section of the parapet collapsed in April, will begin over the next couple of weeks. Last year, there was an unsuccessful drive to save the building. GMAP
These are in addition to 647 Dean Street, whose last gasps we chronicled a couple weeks back.
01/31/2008 11:00 AM
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Williamsburg’s Goody-Goody Greenbelt
The marketers behind a new Williamsburg condo called Greenbelt are really pushing the condo’s eco- and artist-friendly features. The Greenbelt team says the eight-unit building 361 Manhattan Avenue is expected to receive an LEED Gold rating and save around 46 percent of a standard building’s energy costs (its many green bells and whistles include a solar energy collector on the roof and a passive heat recovery system). The building is also going to have a 4,000-square-foot, nonprofit performing arts center on the ground floor. So it’s definitely got great credentials—but will it sell? The units are mostly two-bedrooms; the single, 710-square-foot top-floor one-bedroom is going for $599,000, while the two-bedrooms topping 1,000 square feet are going for between $759,000 and $815,000. The healthy sales at the green condo in the South Slope, 515 Fifth Avenue, certainly indicate that the market is receptive to eco-friendly builds—we’ll find out if that’s true in the Burg, too.
Greenbelt [Homepage] GMAP
Greenbelt Listings [Apts and Lofts]
Williamsburg’s Greenbelt Getting Green [Curbed]
01/31/2008 10:30 AM
Comment
Strong Place Church Construction Update
Over the weekend, Michael Ingui of Baxt Ingui Architects sent in a progress report on the Strong Place Church conversion that the firm is overseeing. Below is a condensed version.
The Strong Place Church is going very well, but a little slow. It has been incredibly challenging to keep the church standing. The contractor and engineer devised an elaborate structural steel system that spanned the entire width of the church so that they could complete structural concrete work below. After the concrete foundation work was competed at the side walls the permanent structural steel above was installed. This was an incredibly time-consuming task, adding many weeks to the timeline, because the steel workers needed to carefully thread the massive pieces of steel through the maze of shoring steel. Once the steel was in place at the sides they removed the shoring steel so that work could commence in the center portion of the church. (more…)
01/31/2008 10:01 AM
Comment
Despite Strides, Not Everyone Happy with the DOB
Although construction site tragedies like the one yesterday in Clinton Hill and the death a few weeks ago at Trump Soho have led some to renew calls for reform at the Department of Buildings—the most strident so far has come from Councilman/mayoral candidate Tony Avella, who wants DOB Commissioner Patricia Lancaster to resign—the department just released a report detailing stepped-up vigilance. The report notes that far fewer building applications are being professionally certified (or signed off on by an agent of the developer rather than the DOB), with the number of professionally certified applications for new buildings decreasing by 32.7 percent from this time last year. DOB inspectors are also issuing more violations: The number of violation citations rose from 11,979 to 12,332 between the first half of fiscal year ’07 and the first half of this fiscal year. Although the DOB is clearly trying to clean up its act, there’s widespread dissatisfaction with its operations. An excellent article in City Limits examines the matter, and the general consensus among building professionals and politicians is that the DOB needs more funding and construction workers need more training. The story quotes Louis Coletti, president of the Building Trades Employers’ Association, who says, DOB has always been reactive…They need more resources.
BREAKING: Worker Killed at 525 Clinton Avenue [Brownstoner]
Trying to Make it Safer to Do a Dangerous Job [City Limits]
Photo by Tracy Collins
01/31/2008 9:31 AM
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Violet Tide Coming to Downtown?
Downtown Brooklyn might become something of a college town. According to a report in Washington Square News, NYU’s new 25-year expansion plan includes taking around 1 million square feet of space in Downtown Brooklyn. While NYU hasn’t released details about how it would expand across the East River, the plans are presumably tied to the school’s merger with Polytechnic (though the school already snatched up some graduate housing at 67 Livingston on its own). It’s unclear whether the university would build new facilities or whether it would merely use existing space. Think this is good news for the rapidly transforming area? From a supply-demand perspective, it seems like it could only bolster the market.
NYU plans expansion into Govs Isle, Brooklyn [Washington Sq. News]
Downtown Brooklyn in Transition [Brownstoner]
Photo of Downtown by chickitykd.
01/31/2008 9:00 AM
Comment
Thursday Events
Joanna Newsom at BAM
Today and tomorrow, Joanna Newsom performs her album Ys alongside members of the Brooklyn Philharmonic as part of the “BP Presents” series. Michael Christie conducts. A set with her band follows. Thursday and Friday, 8:00 p.m. $25 to $55. Brooklyn’s Academy of Music’s Howard Gilman Opera House, 30 Lafayette Avenue. (718) 636-4100.
Tipping Points Panel
Tonight, Pratt Institute hosts a panel entitled “Tipping Points: Art, Design, Architecture, Politics, and Civic Engagement.” Susan Szenasy, editor in chief of Metropolis Magazine, moderates; Panelists include councilmember Letitia James; Assistant Commissioner for Urban Art and Planning Wendy Feuer; Laurie Kerr of the Mayor’s Office for Long Term Planning and Sustainability; Blaise Backer, director of the Myrtle Avenue Revitalization Project; Habana Outpost owner Sean Meenan; Deborah Marton, Executive Director of the Design Trust for Public Space; and Coordinator of Pratt’s EMS program Eva Hanhardt. A reception will follow. Thursday, 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Higgins Hall, Pratt Institute (southeast corner of Lafayette Avenue and St. James Place).
CB1 Landmarks Committee Meeting
Tonight CB1 Landmarks Committee will get a look at CPC’s proposed alterations and additions to the Domino Sugar Factory. 435 Graham Avenue, 6:30 p.m.
Have an event you think we should list? Send it along to events@brownstoner.com.
01/31/2008 8:25 AM
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Thursday Links
Park Slope. Photo by redheadedjesus.
Fed Moves Again, Cutting Key Rate by Half a Point [NY Times]
Quarter’s Weak Growth Adds to Signs of Slowdown [NY Times]
Congestion Pricing Plan Is Panned in Albany [NY Times]
Wind Knocks Worker Off Clinton Hill Scaffold [NY Daily News]
Bklyn Cyclist Death Sparks Fundraising [NY Daily News]
What Does the Future Hold For NYC Hotels? [NY Sun]
New Website Monitors NYC Blocks [NY Sun]
Every School Takes a Budget Hit [NY Post]
Tips For Taking Over a Lease [NY Post]
01/31/2008 8:00 AM
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Wednesday Blogwrap
Windsor Terrace. Photo by lemontwothree.
Gothamist Turns 5, Win Tickets to our Show! [Gothamist]
Windsor Terrace Dog-Napping Victim Found! [GL]
What’s up with the Von King Park Dog Run? [Bed Stuy Blog]
Fulton: Armpit of the Neighborhood [CH Blog]
Dumbo Turning Greener [Dumbo NYC]
Brooklyn Brews [Curbed]
01/30/2008 4:34 PM
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Closing Bell: It’s Good To Be The King
Of Dumbo, that is. As if his Clocktower pad wasn’t already sweet enough, David Walentas recently had work completed on the solarium, just in time to avoid any pesky dealings with the Landmarks Preservation Commission.
1 Main Street Rooftop Solarium [Dumbo NYC] GMAP
01/30/2008 4:00 PM
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Today on the Renovation Blogs and Forum
There’s one new post on the Renovation Blogs:
Taming the Jungle [Windsor Terrace Reno]
Here are some of the topics posted on the Forum today:
Digging a Well in Ditmas Park Backyard
Antique Marble Mantel For Sale
Do I Need a Buyer’s Broker for Brooklyn Heights?
Someone to Fix Our Facade and Stoop?
Clinton Hill Condo or a Bed Stuy Brownstone?
Installing Separate Heating Units in 3-Family?
01/30/2008 3:02 PM
Comment
StreetLevel: Baby Biz Out, Barber In on Fifth Ave.
The pace of retail turnover on Fifth Avenue shows no signs of slowing. However, at 143 Fifth off Douglass, the gentrification tide appears to be reversing: A good old-fashioned barber is going to replace the out-of-business perfume/body potion/candle shop. And right next door, the baby-toy and clothing store Romp is calling it quits after three years. (Romp fans will still be able to get their fix on the Web; the bricks-and-mortar location is shuttering because the store’s owner is moving away.) No word yet on what’s going to replace Romp. GMAP
01/30/2008 2:30 PM
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UPDATE: Scaffold Collapse To Blame at 525 Clinton Avenue
According to an eyewitness, the man who was killed this morning on site at 525 Clinton Avenue was working on the interior of the top floor when the high winds created a wind-tunnel effect that allegedly blew him through the glass window and to his death. This is all the more surprising given our report last summer that the development was using a new, unusually thick (four inches) type of glass called Visionwall. The eyewitness reminded us that the winds can get especially bad in Clinton Hill because it is, after all, on a hill. Unbelievable.
UPDATE: Here’s an update we just received from DOB:
Upon inspection, Buildings engineers and inspectors determined a three-frame pipe scaffold installed on the roof of the new building under construction had collapsed. Sections of the pipe scaffold collapsed onto the 2nd floor and 12th floor setbacks of the new building under construction. Preliminary reports indicate three workers on the pipe scaffold were performing stucco work on the exterior of the rooftop bulkhead at the time of the incident. The workers were employed by a sub-contractor, Bell Tower Enterprises, retained by the general contractor overseeing construction of the new building, Clinton Court Development LLC.
Given this new information, we’re redacting the earlier eyewitness account until we can get more information.
BREAKING: Worker Killed at 525 Clinton Avenue [Brownstoner] GMAP
Photo by Gary Brubaker
01/30/2008 1:33 PM
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Feb 09, 2012 | 11:02 AM