Brownstoner is Brooklyn's most read
website about real estate, renovation
and neighborhood news. Read More»
Roof Damage at Landmarked Jay St. Firehouse
A reader sent in this picture of major damage to the southern roof of 29 Jay Street, the landmarked Brooklyn Firequarters. Pratt Area Community Council received a grant to restore this building back in 2010, but for now it is still under city ownership. Here’s Damon Strub, the architect for the project, with an update on its pending renovation:
“The sloped roof is damaged and has been for several months now. The firehouse is still owned by HPD and they are doing their usual level of maintenance. The project is currently scheduled to move forward into construction this June – however, it has been scheduled to move forward quite a few times in the past – only to be cancelled and backed up at the last minute – so we are not holding our breath. It’s a shame that HPD cant get their act together on this building. It and its tenants deserve better.”
Fix-Up for Jay Street Firehouse [Brownstoner] GMAP
05/22/2012 9:00 AM
Comment
Closing Bell: Inside Loew’s 46th Street Theater
The very cool blog After the Final Curtain posted photographs of the Loew’s 46th Street Theater, a theater built in 1927 now fallen into disrepair. It was built as the first atmospheric theater in New York City, designed to look like “a night sky in an Italian garden.” Clouds were even projected across the ceiling. According to ATFC, “the 2,675 seat theater was acquired by the Loew’s Corporation in August 1928, and closed so renovations could be made to the sound equipment. It reopened on September 10, 1928 as the Loew’s 46th Street Theatre.” In the 1940s the “night sky” effects fell into disuse. In 1970 the space became an independent movie theater, later that year it reopened as a concert hall and hosted bands like the Grateful Dead and the Bee Gees. That closed in 1973, and it has been used for furniture storage since. This isn’t to be confused with the Loews King Theater on Flatbush Avenue, currently under renovation.
Loew’s 46th Street Theatre [After the Final Curtain]
05/21/2012 4:00 PM
Comment
Prospect Park West Medians Almost Complete
Here’s how they looked over the weekend, here’s how they looked one month ago.
Pedestrian Islands Going In on Prospect Park West [Brownstoner]
05/21/2012 2:40 PM
Comment
Recognize This Home?
An out-of-town reader writes in: “We are looking to find my adopted grandfather’s history and all we have is a couple of pictures of him in front of his house in Brooklyn. My mother has been searching for years within legal documents to no avail, and I am hoping these images are a clue to the location. I think the number on top say 335 – but these pictures are from the early 1900′s – so things may have changed a bit. I know you all see A LOT of locations, so I was wondering if this building structure looks like a specific place, or has the housing design of a specific section of Brooklyn?” Can anyone offer any help?
05/21/2012 2:15 PM
Comment
Rental of the Day: 75 Poplar Street
Here’s a one bedroom corner apartment for rent at 75 Poplar Street in Brooklyn Heights. It’s a compact layout but doesn’t look terribly small. (Or if it is, the high ceilings give a nice sense of space.) Otherwise, everything looks recently renovated and the unit comes with a washer/dryer unit and shared backyard. Nice location as well! The total rent is $2,850, all utilities included. Update: the owner tells us the price has been dropped to $2,700/month.
75 Poplar Street [FRBO] GMAP P*Shark
05/21/2012 12:30 PM
Comment
Checking In at a $270,000 Red Hook Townhouse
The owner of this cheapo Red Hook townhouse wrote in to us, two years after they snatched up the property at a foreclosure auction for $270,000. Back then, the discussion centered on whether or not this was a good buy, considering that the townhouse looked like it needed serious work. The owner says: “Yes, it was a great buy. We did a total gut-reno and it was a lot of work but it took nowhere near 500K to fix it up. (The inside is twice as nice as the outside.) I am not a bank, a flipper, a hipster (I hope), a tearer-downer and luxury cinder-block builder…and there was no lein. I haven’t been shot on the way home. It’s blissfully quiet, and I have the nicest neighbors. I love living here.” So now you know! Click through for a 1930 tax photo of the building.
A Red Hook Townhouse for $270,000? Yessiree Bob [Brownstoner] GMAP (more…)
05/21/2012 12:00 PM
Comment
The Big Reveal: 110 Amity + 314 Hicks
Two townhouse projects in Brooklyn Heights and Cobble Hill recently lost scaffolding. The first is 110 Amity Street, the single family, Cobble Hiill townhouse already under ownership. (It is next door to the larger townhouse project under construction at the old Lamm Institute.) It pretty much turned out like the rendering. The second is Brooklyn Heights’ 314 Hicks Street, on the corner of State Street. It’s a “modern reinterpretation” of a single-family townhouse, but this one’s still on the market. According to the developer’s website, it’s still asking $6.4 million. Like the way they turned out?
The New Build Next to 110 Amity Street [Brownstoner] GMAP
Townhouse Going Up at 314 Hicks Street [Brownstoner] GMAP
05/21/2012 11:30 AM
Comment
Brooklyn Eagle Building Not Long for this World
Only a week after developers announced the sale of the Brooklyn Eagle building at 30 Henry Street (for $3.5 million), they filed a permit for building demolition. What’s to go up in its place? A five-story, six-unit condo building that looks like this. Plans also call for underground parking, balconies, and a courtyard with a waterfall. This is just north of the Brooklyn Heights Cinema at 70 Henry Street, which will likely be demolished soon for this new rental development.
Price Tag for 30 Henry Street? $3.5 Mil [Brownstoner]
LPC Designates Bank, OKs 30 Henry Street Design [Brownstoner]
30 Henry Application Returns to Landmarks Tomorrow [Brownstoner]
No Decision From LPC on 30 Henry Build [Brownstoner]
Renderings Revealed for 30 Henry Street [Brownstoner]
30 Henry Street Chasing a Waterfall [Brownstoner]
Brooklyn Eagle Building on the Market [Brownstoner] GMAP
05/21/2012 11:00 AM
Comment
Closing Bell: It’s Record Fair Weekend!
Usually the Brooklyn Flea holds a record fair in the fall, but this year it’s happening twice! So this Saturday at the Williamsburg Smoragsburg, expect around 25 record vendors, music performances, and (of course) lots of food. Here are all the details! As for the regular markets, the Saturday Smorg will be held as always in Williamsburg, the Brooklyn Flea will be Saturday in Fort Greene and Sunday in Williamsburg, and the SmorgasBrewery still runs Sunday afternoons at the Brooklyn Brewery Tasting Room. Here’s a list of some new Flea vendors (including cowboys and vintage clothing) and some new Smorg vendors (including jerk chicken and bok choy). And here’s how you get to all those markets.
Photo by panda073
05/18/2012 4:00 PM
Comment
Growth Spurt for 270 St. Marks Avenue
The three-story, six-unit building at 270 St. Marks Avenue between Vanderbilt and Underhill really shot up since construction began in March. According to DOB permits, the development will be separated into two three-story buildings, each with three units.
Work Starts on Small New Prospect Heights Development [Brownstoner] GMAP
05/18/2012 2:40 PM
Comment
Details on the Sacred Sites Open House Weekend
Yesterday we mentioned the open house at Brown Memorial Church in Clinton Hill, which, it turns out, is part of a huge open house weekend for sacred sites around New York State. The NY Landmarks Conservancy is hosting its second annual state-wide Sacred Sites Open House weekend, which means hundreds of New York religious institutions will open their doors to people from the community. There are eight open house locations in Brooklyn: Brown Memorial Church on May 19th from 11 to 2:30pm; the Church of St. Ann and the Holy Trinity on May 19th 2 to 4pm; Congregation Beth Elohim on May 19th, 6 to 7pm, with a concert at 7-8:30; the Old First Reformed Church on May 20th, 1 to 5pm; Our Lady of Lebanon Cathedral at May 20th 1 to 4pm; Plymouth Church on May 19th, 12 to 4pm; St. Pauls Evangelical Lutheran Church of Williamsburg on May 19th from 10am to 4pm (with an unveiling of new Landmark plaque 1pm); and Temple Beth Emeth (pictured) on May 19th 1 to 3pm. Go to the website to see a list of all the participating sites.
Temple Beth Emeth by Forgotten NY
05/18/2012 12:00 PM
Comment
26 Garden Place Sells Above $5 Million
Here’s your massive Brooklyn Heights sale for the week: 26 Garden Place hit public records for $5,450,000. It was asking $5,500,000 when it first hit the market in December 2010. Streeteasy shows a minor price cut to $5,290,000 in mid-2011; the listing was pulled a month later; and then reemerged for an even lower price of $4,950,000. Guess it pays to be patient! The building was also listed for rent at $15,000/month. Here’s a picture of the very nice layout and there are a few interior pics still up on Streeteasy. Contractors were already hard at work at the house yesterday afternoon.
HOTD: 26 Garden Place [Brownstoner] GMAP
05/18/2012 10:00 AM
Comment
192 Water St. Developers Will Take on 185 Plymouth St.
Looks like the developers of Dumbo condo build 192 Water Street are behind the planned renovation of 185 Plymouth Street, a major conversion job heading to the LPC next Tuesday. (192 Water Street update: it’s fully closed and occupied, less than a year after the sales launch.) AJ Pires from Alloy Development says 185 Plymouth in the very early stages, but the project will be very similar to 192 Water Street. In his words: “At 185 there will be 9 or 10 large, family units and we’ll do a similar treatment of the existing warehouse building. Some differences at 185 are that most units will have outdoor space, and there’s an interior courtyard that all units will have views to. 185 also has 13-14 foot ceiling heights which are a couple of feet taller than 192 Water. Half of the units also have water views.” Earlier this week the CB2 Landuse Committee approved facade changes, including a rooftop addition for two penthouse units. Here are a few more cool facts from the architect: since there’s no real sidewalk on Plymouth (it’s mostly cobblestone), they plan to continue the cobblestone into the lobby to create the feeling of a continuing street. And the building, previously a brillo pad factory, had a bridge opening across to 205 Water Street, also part of the factory. The indentation for the old bridge remains (at right), so the architects plan to install a projecting bay window there made of a sheer plate of glass.
Dumbo’s 185 Plymouth Heading to the LPC [Brownstoner] GMAP DOB
05/18/2012 9:30 AM
Comment
Municipal Building Heading to Landmarks Soon
Community Board 2′s Landuse Committee gave it’s blessing to the exterior changes on the first and second floor of the Municipal Building, soon to be cleared out for several retail tenants. Developer Al Laboz and his architect presented plans pretty similar to that of the rendering above: on the first floor, the bases of the windows will be cut to make space for doors and display windows. There will be five entryways along Joralemon and Court Street and all the grates on Court Street will be covered over. Not pictures are the three kinds of signage proposed: illuminated signage on the ground-floor, awnings over the five different entrances on the first floor with lettering on the skirt, and awnings on the second floor with no signage. (They pulled inspiration from multi-story retail lining Manhattan’s 5th Avenue.) They are considering illumination behind the glass on the second floor but, that, as well as the second floor awnings, require special permission from the Public Design Commission. As for those retail tenants: still no word beyond that “upscale restaurant” but CB2 was promised no bank, pharmacy, drug store, or fast food joint. The development’s date with LPC is June 5th.
City Picks Al Laboz to Develop Municipal Building [Brownstoner]
05/18/2012 9:00 AM
Comment
Weekend Events
Public Art Dedication: TIMECAST by Nobuho Nagasawa
Brooklyn Greenway Initiative (BGI) announces the public art dedication of TIMECAST by artist Nobuho Nagasawa on Saturday, May 19, 2012 at 1:00PM in the Columbia Waterfront District. Nagasawa’s art was commissioned in 2004 by the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs under its Percent for Art Program and the NYC Department of Transportation as part of the Columbia Street Reconstruction project, which included the Columbia Street segment of the Brooklyn Waterfront Greenway. Nagasawa received an Excellence in Design Award for TIMECAST from the City of New York Art Commission in 2007. More info and to RSVP.
It’s My Park Day at Underhill Playground
Friends of Underhill Playground needs your help sprucing up our playground for Spring and Summer. Join us on It’s My Park Day, this Saturday, May 19th from 10am to 1pm. Underhill Playground is located in Prospect Heights on Underhill Avenue between Prospect and Park Place. We will be weeding the planting beds, cleaning, tossing old toys and caring for the street tree beds around the perimeter of the Park. The Parks Department and Prospect Heights Street Tree Task Force will be lending some tools, but if you have gloves or extra gardening tools, please bring them! Local arts teacher Isabel Cruz of The Bluebell Studio will be on hand to run nature-based arts & crafts for the kids. Cupcakes donated by BCakeNY and coffee donated by Pennyhouse (on Washington Ave.) will provide fuel for lots of good work! And please bring your reusable water bottles so that we can minimize the amount of trash we send to the landfill!
Brooklyn Flea + Smorgasburg
The Flea and Smorgasburg are on as usual this weekend, with one big extra: The Brooklyn Flea Record Fair will take place inside Smorgasburg on Saturday in Williamsburg. On Saturday, the Flea is held at 176 Lafayette Ave. (between Clermont + Vanderbilt Avenues) in Fort Greene. On Sunday, the Flea will be at 27 North 6th Street (between Kent Avenue + East River). Saturday at the Williamsburg location is also the home of our all-food market, Smorgasburg. The Flea features over a 150 vendors offering a great mix of vintage, antiques, jewelry, and amazing food. Saturday & Sunday, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Free.
After the jump, Green-Wood bird watching and Shakespeare at BBP…. (more…)
05/18/2012 8:45 AM
Comment
Thursday Blogwrap
Outdoor Bars We Love [Brooklyn Based]
Public Art Dedication Saturday May 19 [Word on Columbia Street]
Rat-Squirrel House Sheds Its Scaffolding [Lost City]
Studios Take Back Supremacy in Brooklyn Rental Market [The Real Deal]
The Gatekeepers: Calli Genzale and David Massoni of Talde [Eater]
Be Warned: GoogaMooga and Half Marathon Hit Prospect Park This Weekend [Ditmas Park Corner]
No Weekend, Holiday Parking In Manhattan Beach Until September 15th [Sheepshead Bites]
Photo by croppold
05/17/2012 4:30 PM
Comment
Open House at Brown Memorial This Weekend
This weekend the Brown Memorial Church will take place in the Sacred Sites Open House weekend, sponsored by the New York Landmarks Conservancy. It will be at the church, 484 Washington Avenue in Clinton Hill, this Saturday from 11a.m. until 2:30pm. The church is also a nominee for the Partners in Preservation grants and the voting days are running low! They are seeking a grant for the complete restoration of the at-risk Tiffany stained glass. Voting ends this Monday. Below are some historical details on the church itself:
Brown Memorial was originally built as the Washington Baptist Church by architect Ebenezer L. Roberts in 1860, as commissioned by oil magnate Charles Pratt. The Brown Memorial Baptist congregation was founded in 1916 and purchased the building in 1958. This landmark church is one of New York City’s finest examples of Early Romanesque-Revival style. The church’s exterior is an imposing and majestic structure, dominating the landscape and skyline while the interior sanctuary has curving wooden pews, a three-sided balcony, ornate plaster work, a large beautiful mosaic just behind the pulpit, a pipe organ in the balcony and twelve museum-quality Tiffany stained glass windows – including two extraordinary representations: “The Pilgrims” and “The Resurrection.”
05/17/2012 2:40 PM
Comment
One-Room School House Looking for Home in PLG
Brooklyn-based teacher Noah Apple Mayers is working with a group of parents to start an “urban one room school house” in Prospect Lefferts Gardens, to be called the Brooklyn Apple Academy. The hope is to open a school in a basement space of PLG (not determined as of yet) and offer a three-day-a week program for students ages four to six. They are accepting four to six students for the year but hope that number grows, especially if the school expands to five-days-a-week. The tuition will be approximately $8,000 per term. If you’re interested, email Brooklynappleacademy@gmail.com.
05/17/2012 2:00 PM
Comment
Rental of the Day: 313 Adelphi Street, #2
Swoon! Here’s a spacious, well-lit, nicely-located one bedroom at 313 Adelphi in Fort Greene. Just check out the size of that bedroom. For all this: $3,200 a month.
313 Adelphi Street, #2 [Corcoran] GMAP P*Shark
05/17/2012 12:30 PM
Comment
panyl
May 21, 2012 | 02:16 PM