Bar Takes Shape in Crown Heights Garage

Workers are transforming a decrepit 870-square-foot garage at 1095 Bergen Street in Crown Heights into a neighborhood watering hole. From what we could see, the building appears to have been completely renovated, except for the cornice and the roof, and a new glass storefront has been installed.

While the bar doesn’t have a name yet, the owners are tentatively calling it “Bar Bertrand,” a combination of the street names Bergen and Nostrand, the closet cross street, DNAinfo reported back in May. The space will have 44 seats and a view of the Walt Shemal Community Garden next door on Dean Street. Owners Palmer Thompson-Moss and Dane Risch told the publication they want the bar to feel “casual, but elegant.”

Thompson-Moss is an architect who rebuilt a brownstone in the neighborhood, and Risch is a longtime bartender and manager who’s worked at Bubby’s in Tribeca and Botanica on East Houston, DNA said. The pair bought the building for $349,000 last year, according to public records.

Community Board 8 approved their liquor license in May, but the application is still pending with the state. Click through to see a closer photo. GMAP