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Beasties Park Naming Effort Moves South
In the aftermath of the death of Beastie Boys member and Brooklyn native Adam Yauch earlier this month, a group of fans began a Facebook campaign to rename Squibb Park at the northern end of Brooklyn Heights after the famous rapper. That effort, which has attracted over 2,000 ‘Likes’ to date, recently took a turn, though, when wife of one of the surviving members of the band contacted the organizers via Facebook earlier this week to try to get everyone on the same page with an alternate plan: “I just wanted to let you know that Adam ‘Adrock’ Horovitz has already begun working with the Parks Commissioner to fix up and rename State Street Park where Yauch actually played as a kid to Adam Yauch Park. It would be great to get people behind THIS idea as it won’t hurt the Squibb family.” The State Street Park in question is at the southern end of Brooklyn Heights in Willowtown and actually already has a name–Palmetto Playground–though Park officials did confirm to Fox 5 News that they were looking into the request. State Senator Daniel Squadron has already honored Yauch with a resolution on the Senate floor.
Adam Yauch Park Closer to Reality [Brooklyn Heights Blog]
05/25/2012 10:01 AM
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Co-op of the Day: 15 Clark Street, #4C
There’s something very pleasing about the almost perfectly rectangular layout of this three-bedroom co-op at 15 Clark Street in Brooklyn Heights. The fourth-floor apartment is organized around a center hall and features a stand-alone dining room in addition to three bedrooms and three baths. While some of the interior decoration is a little distracting, the place clearly has good prewar bones along with an attractively renovated kitchen. That kind of line-up doesn’t come cheap in The Heights: The asking price is $1,899,000.
15 Clark Street, #4C [Sotheby's] GMAP P*Shark
05/23/2012 12:57 PM
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Last Week’s Biggest Sales
1. BROOKLYN HEIGHTS $5,450,000
26 Garden Place GMAP P*Shark
We covered this sale last week. It first asked $5,500,000 before a few price cuts. Entered into contract on 4/12/12; closed on 5/9/12; deed recorded on 5/16/2012.
2. MIDWOOD $3,400,500
1025 East 24th Street GMAP P*Shark
This one-family, two-story house is on a 5,000-square foot lot. Entered into contract on 2/29/12; closed on 4/30/12; deed recorded on 5/14/2012.
3. FORT GREENE $3,285,000
181 Washington Park GMAP P*Shark
A HOTD this September. Ask: $3,450,000. Entered into contract on 1/16/12; closed on 4/24/12; deed recorded on 5/14/2012.
4. PROSPECT HEIGHTS $2,293,000
1 Grand Army Plaza, #7B GMAP P*Shark
A three bed/three-and-a-half bath unit. First listed as $2,200,000, then $2,175,000, then $2,395,000. Entered into contract on 3/6/12; closed on 5/3/12; deed recorded on 5/18/2012.
5. PARK SLOPE $1,800,000
937 Union Street, #10 GMAP P*Shark
A three bed/three bath unit. Asking $1,850,000. Entered into contract on 3/12/12; closed on 5/1/12; deed recorded on 5/16/2012
05/22/2012 11:30 AM
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Tobacco Warehouse to St. Ann’s in Bridge Park Deal
An agreement reached [yesterday] will provide for the expansion of Brooklyn Bridge Park and for the preservation of historic structures at the Park, substituting new parkland for any lost if regulatory approvals are secured to re-use the structures for other cultural or commercial purposes. The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, Brooklyn Bridge Park, Brooklyn Bridge Park Development Corporation, Brooklyn Heights Association, Fulton Ferry Landing Association, New York Landmarks Conservancy, Preservation League of New York State, and St. Ann’s Warehouse, a non-profit Brooklyn-based performing arts organization, have settled a disagreement over the process for developing part of the park, which houses two historically significant structures. The Agreement – which resulted from litigation brought by the Brooklyn Heights Association, the Fulton Ferry Landing Association, the New York Landmarks Conservancy, and the Preservation League of New York State — will require state legislation and National Park Service approval to effectuate any development and re-use of the structures. Subsequent to this agreement, State Senator Daniel Squadron and Assemblywoman Joan Millman secured an additional community planning process and expanded community participation. The agreement will allow for the preservation and adaptive re-use of the historic Empire Stores as a mixed-use retail and commercial development that will provide vital revenue to help fund Brooklyn Bridge Park’s operation and maintenance costs. These improvements will restore the Empire Stores, which is currently in deteriorated condition and closed to the public. The agreement also sets the stage for the preservation of the Tobacco Warehouse and starts a process to secure regulatory approval for re-use of that structure as a cultural and community-use venue. Redevelopment of the Tobacco Warehouse would create a theater space, an outdoor public garden, and a community room for use by schools, community organizations and the public. St. Ann’s Warehouse has been conditionally designated as the lessee of the Tobacco Warehouse.
The Daily News has a translation of the news in English that is comprehensible: “Under the settlement, the St. Ann’s plan, which includes a theater space and an outdoor garden, will be able to go forward – eventually. First, city officials will have to get state legislation and approval from the National Parks Service for the development, expected to take about a year. The city will move the paint shed and water meter testing facility currently located under the bridge and turn it into part of the park, a Bloomberg spokeswoman said.” Here’s hoping this all works out.
Brooklyn Bridge Park to Expand Under Deal to Settle Tobacco Warehouse Lawsuit [NY Daily News]
05/22/2012 9:30 AM
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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
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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
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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
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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
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New Building, and Cinema, for 70 Henry Street
After some controversy, it looks like the Brooklyn Heights Cinema building at 70 Henry Street will make way for a new five-story rental build. Last night the architects Gerner Kronick + Valcarcel presented plans to the CB2 Landuse Committee for a five-story, 17-unit build with a movie theater on the first floor and in a section of the basement. The theater will still run under the ownership of the Brooklyn Heights Cinema with a lobby on the first floor and the theater in the basement. There will also be commercial space along Henry Street. Architect Randolph Gerner immediately addressed preservationists’ concerns that the building was “an integral part of the Brooklyn Heights Landmark District and should not be demolished.” He said the lot originally housed a five-story tenement with a one-story attached building for the proprietor of the site. A commissioned historical report of 70 Henry deemed that the one-story building (now the theater) underwent enough change that it “no longer retains its historical significance.” And so the replacement is decidedly modern; as Gerner said, “We’re borrowing from historic materials in a modern fashion.” The proposal involves a brick facade and massive steel windows that feel reminiscent of the look at the 20 Henry Street addition, sans balconies. The committee approved the design and seemed pleased that the movie theater would be retained. It wasn’t brought up, but it looks like there will only be a single screen. The lease for the Brooklyn Heights Cinema is up in June. If you’ll excuse a very blurry photo of the rendering from last night, click through to the jump. The architect told us he’d rather wait to release an official image after the vote from the LPC.
Preservationists: Heights Cinema Shouldn’t be Demolished [Brownstoner]
Brooklyn Heights Cinema Owner on 70 Henry Development [Brownstoner] GMAP
Photo via PropertyShark (more…)
05/17/2012 9:30 AM
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More Rooms and a Restaurant for the Bossert Hotel
Last night more details were revealed about the Bossert’s conversion back to a hotel at a Community Board 2′s Landuse Committee meeting. Architect Gene Kaufman, in the first formal presentation for the development, asked CB2 to change the use from an existing community facility to a transient hotel. The well-known back-story: The Jehovah’s Witnesses bought this building, known as the “Waldorf Astoria of Brooklyn” in the 80s, and got a variance to use the building as a free hotel to visiting Jehovah’s Witnesses. On the exterior, very little about the building will change under new ownership. Repair and restoration will go where needed; the historic entrance on Montague Street will remain; and only some flagpoles and signage will be added. Here are the interesting plans: The current 224-room configuration will be upped to 302 rooms; there will be a small restaurant open to the public with an entrance on Montague; and the rooftop lounge will be restored (!!!!), most likely with public access. The few residents who lived, and continue to live, at the hotel before the Jehovah’s Witnesses bought it will remain. Otherwise, the majority of the spectacular interior will be kept as is. The biggest issue voiced in the public hearing concerned parking and traffic. There will be no parking lot at the hotel, but a valet service for the hotel will work with commercial garages in the neighborhood. Nearby residents worried taxis would clog up Montague Street. Other residents voiced concern that no notice was given of the public hearing, and the board had some unanswered questions about the management plans for the hotel. Due to these issues, the Landuse Committee voted to table the motion until they had more information. Also still no word on the final price of the building (rumored to be around $90 million); word at the public hearing is that it’s still under contract.
Bistricer to Buy Bossert Hotel, Kaufman to Renovate [Brownstoner]
Brooklyn Heights’ The Bossert Will Be a Hotel Again [Brownstoner]
05/17/2012 9:00 AM
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Price Tag for 30 Henry Street? $3.5 Mil
We’ve known for a long time that a Dumbo-based developer purchased 30 Henry Street in Brooklyn Heights, also known as the Brooklyn Eagle building, and has plans to redevelop the property that have already been approved by the Landmarks Preservation Commission. What was not known until brokerage Massey Knakal sent out a press release today was how much the property’s new owner paid. Via the press release: “[We are] pleased to announce that a historic district development site located at 30 Henry Street has sold for $3,500,000 or $209 per buildable square foot. The subject property is a development site located on the corner of Henry Street & Middagh Street. The site is located in a R7-1 zone w/ a C1-5 overlay, allowing for a total of 16,740 buildable SF.” The asking price was $3 million.
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
05/15/2012 11:12 AM
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Condo of the Day: 166 Montague Street, #5C
166 Montague Street, aka the Franklin Trust Tower, is one of the most architecturally impressive buildings in Brooklyn Heights. The building was converted to condos back in 2008 just as the market was heading south so the sponsor ended up renting out a number of the units. This fifth-floor two-bedroom is one of them. While perfectly attractive and with nice amenities and fixtures, the interiors of the 1,218-square-foot pad are a bit of a disappointment to us compared to the exterior. Nonetheless, the location, light, views, pedigree, etc. all make this a pretty nice catch. Asking price is $1,499,000, up from $1,260,000 back in 2008. Sound about right?
166 Montague Street, #5C [Halstead] GMAP P*Shark
05/14/2012 12:54 PM
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Rental of the Day: 123 Henry Street
This looks like a cute studio apartment in Brooklyn Heights, at 123 Henry Street. The alcove for the kitchen is a real perk, and it appears there’s more space to work with here than you’ll get from a traditional New York studio. The rent is $1,900/month. Like it?
123 Henry Street [Corcoran] GMAP P*Shark
05/14/2012 12:30 PM
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Bistricer to Buy Bossert Hotel, Kaufman to Renovate
Well, that didn’t take long! As we reported last week, Brooklyn Heights’ Bossert Hotel, one of the most landmark-y landmarks in all of the borough, is likely to be returned to its original use as a hotel, and now there are city filings to prove that: According to Department of Buildings records, developer and high-profile landlord David Bistricer has plans to turn the structure into a 302-unit “HOTELS, DORMITORIES,” in DOB-speak. Meanwhile, according to the filings, the architect of record on the job is Gene Kaufman, who has been in the news lately for his plans to renovate the Hotel Chelsea in Manhattan, a landmark in its own right. Bistricer had this to say to us about the plans for the Bossert: “The facade is not going to be touched because it’s in impeccable condition. The present owners kept it in very good shape. The plans have not been finalized for the interior of the building but we are going to upgrade the plumbing and electrical.” Well, now we know who some of the players are for a building that qualifies as a national treasure, since it is public record. What is not yet public record is how much the Jehovah’s Witnesses’ are in contract to sell the structure for, though some real estate insiders we have spoken to opine that it could be close to the $90 million price that the property almost sold for back in 2008.
Brooklyn Heights’ The Bossert Will Be a Hotel Again [Brownstoner]
The Bossert Hotel’s Past, Present and Possible Future [Brownstoner]
The Bossert Finds a Buyer [Brownstoner]
Watchtower Divestment Continues: The Bossert on the Block [Brownstoner] GMAP
05/14/2012 11:16 AM
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Area Yoga Opens Tomorrow on Montague Street
Tomorrow Area Yoga opens at 144 Montague Street, between Clinton and Henry Streets, for its first day of classes. There’s a special going this Friday, Saturday, and Sunday where you can bring a friend for free. Class cards are valid at this location and the Area Yoga in Carroll Gardens. A single class costs $11 and a 10-class card costs $85. Click through for the class schedule for this weekend! GMAP (more…)
05/10/2012 2:00 PM
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Co-op of the Day: 18 Cranberry Street, #1
This new listing at 18 Cranberry Street raises the old “Would you rather have half a house in Brooklyn Heights or a whole house in Fort Greene?” question. This lower-duplex in a 25-foot-wide townhouse has a lovely parlor floor complete with high ceilings and original architectural detail combined with a garden-level floor that is perfectly nice but feels a little dated design-wise, like it was last renovated in the 1980s. Is it worth $2,450,000? Only time will tell.
18 Cranberry Street, #1 [Brown Harris Stevens] GMAP P*Shark
05/10/2012 12:56 PM
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125 Court Tenants Sue Two Trees and Withhold Rent
All is not well on Court Street. According to a press release yesterday, tenants of 125 Court Street, the large rental building at the northeast corner of Atlantic Avenue, are on rent strike and have initiated a lawsuit against landlord Two Trees Management. The suit alleges that the landlord has run afoul of the 421a law (which gave the project a 25-year tax abatement) “due to fraudulent misrepresentation of the Housing Preservation Development (HPD) approved rents for each unit and fraudulent lease renewal increases that used a deceptive base rent and did not adhere to the Rent Guidelines Board’s increases.” Jack Lester, the lawyer on the case, told us that rent was typically 20 to 30 percent higher than what was allowed by the 421a law when tenants tried to renew their leases. The tenants stopped paying rent this fall and winter, due to the rent dispute and complaints about water damage to the building, specifically mold. There will be a trial at the NY Supreme Court concerning the non-payment of rent in a suit filed by Two Trees Management. Two Trees emailed in a terse rebuttal to Curbed: “These allegations are completely baseless and have absolutely no merit. Beyond that, our focus has been providing the highest quality of service to our tenants and we will continue to do exactly that.”
Brooklyn Tenants Sue Landlord Two Trees, Begin Rent Strike [Curbed] GMAP
05/09/2012 9:00 AM
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House of the Day: 75A Willow Street
The eventual buyer of this new listing at 75A Willow Street in Brooklyn Heights will probably end up spending some dough reconfiguring the triplex-over-duplex configuration but at least they’ll have some great raw material to work with. The five-story brownstone may be on the skinny side (16 feet) but there’s lots of historic detail and the proportions are otherwise quite generous. The ask? $3,350,000.
75A Willow Street [Corcoran] GMAP P*Shark
05/08/2012 1:29 PM
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Last Week’s Biggest Sales
1. PROSPECT HEIGHTS $5,100,000
1 Grand Army Plaza, #PH16S GMAP P*Shark
The most expensive unit to sell at OPP! And on of the most expensive condo sales in the entire borough. We wrote a post about it last week. The buyer was anonymous, but rumor was they already own a unit in the building. Entered into contract on 3/28/12; closed on 4/18/12; deed recorded on 5/2/2012.
2. PROSPECT HEIGHTS $4,900,000
1 Grand Army Plaza, #PH16N GMAP P*Shark
And the second most expensive sale in the building, and again one of the most expensive condo sales in Brooklyn. No word on this buyer either. The listing says this unit is 3,274 square feet. It was asking $4.9 million. Entered into contract on 3/28/12; closed on 4/18/12; deed recorded on 5/1/2012.
3. BROOKLYN HEIGHTS $4,075,000
142 Willow Street GMAP P*Shark
This looks like an internal sale, as no listing went online. Entered into contract on 2/8/12; closed on 4/18/12; deed recorded on 4/30/2012.
4. PARK SLOPE $3,410,000
833 President Street GMAP P*Shark
A HOTD in February. The ask was $3,450,000, but we said “It’s a nice place to be sure but ultimately we think the configuration–which includes the placement of the small kitchen on the second floor–is going to make that difficult.” Entered into contract on 3/9/12; closed on 4/18/12; deed recorded on 5/2/2012.
5. CLINTON HILL $3,000,000
410 Waverly Avenue GMAP P*Shark
This is a double-wide carriage house with plenty of exposed beams to show for itself! We thought, “Some of the bedrooms feel a little small given that the building itself is 6,400 square feet large but otherwise the $2,995,000 listing looks very nice.” Apparently others thought so, too. Entered into contract on 12/20/12; closed on 4/10/12; deed recorded on 5/1/2012.
05/08/2012 11:30 AM
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Brooklyn Heights’ The Bossert Will Be a Hotel Again
The Bossert, once known as the “Waldorf Astoria of Brooklyn” and more recently owned and renovated by the Jehovah’s Witnesses, will return to its original use as a hotel. It’s unclear whether this is part of a plan to try to sell the building again. According to a public hearing notice sent out by Community Board Two, a variance application was filed to allow the “reconversion of the existing community facility hotel back to its original, transient hotel use.” The Jehovah’s Witnesses bought the Bossert in 1988 and meticulously restored the building after it sat for years in disrepair. Under the Jehovah’s Witness ownership, the Bossert was used as a free hotel, as long as the visitor was a Jehovah’s Witness. The group put the building on the market back in 2008. Later that year, there was word the building sold for $90 million and would be converted to student housing. That never happened and, according to public records, the building is still owned by the Witnesses. The 200,000-square-foot building is now configured into 224 apartments. If you’re interested at speaking at the public hearing it’s Wednesday, May 16th, 6pm at the Dibner Library at 5 Metrotech Center.
The Bossert Hotel’s Past, Present and Possible Future [Brownstoner]
The Bossert Finds a Buyer [Brownstoner]
Watchtower Divestment Continues: The Bossert on the Block [Brownstoner] GMAP
05/08/2012 10:00 AM
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adam_dahill
May 21, 2012 | 02:16 PM