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January 12, 2006

What's Up With The New Building on Myrtle?

A reader sent us this photo of this new building on Myrtle Avenue at Adelphi. We didn't know anything about it but share his curiosity. As far as we're concerned, the design works fine for a commercial avenue like Myrtle though we're not wild about the break in the rooflines. Nothing to get our knickers in a twist about anyway. Anyone got the goods? Who built it? What's it being used for? GMAP

Comments

Very appropriate modern architecture for this context, nice scale, building has a bit of interesting contrast to the surrounding but fits very well.
It is a masterpiece if you compare it to atrocities like 880 Bergen Street from yesterday.
I think there is quite few interesting new construction going on in FG (Vanderbilt, Ft Green place)
I am very happy to see this kind of stuff on Myrtle ave. and i think more will follow especially in Clinton hill section.

Posted by: malymis at January 12, 2006 10:56 AM

I like it! And I'm glad to see that people are investing in Myrtle Ave. Now if we can just get more thriving businesses in on that stretch of the ave.-- it seems like a lot of businesses are boarded up & I can't quite figure out why. Seems like a very promising place...

Posted by: Anonymous at January 12, 2006 10:59 AM

Loft condos? Kind of reminds me of the sketches for the evenutal "Switch Building" on Norfolk St on the LES.

Posted by: babs at January 12, 2006 11:06 AM

there also seems to be another one going up around the corner that looks similar.

as for the businesses failing, blame the Myrtle Ave BID. they offer very low initial rents then jack em up. no one can afford $4500 a month on myrtle.

Posted by: g at January 12, 2006 11:13 AM

This looks so much better than the typical Fedders construction going up around Brooklyn.

Posted by: DN at January 12, 2006 11:34 AM

Wow. I walked right under that the other day and didn't even notice because I was on the same side of the street. I think that Malymis is right that we might see more of this stuff in the non-landmarked areas. Look at the Salle house in lower Ft. Greene, and the Muniz place in eastern CH. It'd be great to see more of those industrial stretches re-purposed into more architecturally interesting loft-style residences. 'Stoner - you discussed the upper stretch of Washington Ave as a good candidate in some posts a while back. If this particular development were on the other (north) side of the street, it'd be in the same Wallabout nabe as the Washington Ave stretch you looked at. In addition to my afore-posted musings re what to buy, I've also long harbored ideas about those industrial stretches of Lexington, Quincy, etc. Would love to find something for sale along there.

Posted by: Mr. Minerva at January 12, 2006 11:53 AM

Does anyone know why Adami hardware on Myrtle near Waverly moved across the street to a location about the 1/4 of the size they previously had. Their original location is a large one story concrete building which is next to a vacant lot on the corner of Waverly. Possible new construction?

There seems to be quite a few things opening on Myrtle although some haven't lasted some have.

Posted by: Anonymous at January 12, 2006 12:12 PM

The Adami hardware store is going to be a bank. I was told a BoA. Adami will expand their new location to include the barbershop and the One Last Look store when those leases expire.

Posted by: BrooklynWriter at January 12, 2006 12:30 PM

Adami was long ago originally in the spot they're in now. They moved across the street into the larger store in the seventies. The Adami's are good business people and I imagine they see the threat from the new home depot and have adjusted scale accordingly.

Posted by: BeenHereForever at January 12, 2006 1:16 PM

this looks very similar to a building going up near the dekalb L stop. i wonder if they are related?

Posted by: bushwicker at January 12, 2006 1:18 PM

Gustavo opened the new hardware.
adami retired. hard to let him go but it was time!

Posted by: g at January 12, 2006 1:37 PM

The buildings across the street from this building on Myrtle are boarded up, because Pratt Institute is purchasing all the buildings, not renewing leases, razing the buildings, and then building a brand new combination bookstore/Barnes & Noble for the students, with a possible Starbucks.

The old Adami is going to be Bank of America. I've never gotten any helpful advice from the people working at the hardware store, and they seem to be overpriced too, however, it's nice to have them nearby, even though it would help if they were open on Sundays.

Posted by: alan at January 12, 2006 1:41 PM

Why would Pratt build a new bookstore if they just built a bookstore a little bit further down Myrtle?

Posted by: Anonymous at January 12, 2006 2:07 PM

While a b&n right there would make me drool. I also doubt that since Pratt just opened an art/book store a couple blocks away.

Posted by: Anonymous at January 12, 2006 2:18 PM

wow, all news to me... and right around the corner from us. I knew Adami had moved and I was sad about the downsizing. but it sounds like they will be expanding. and a new B of A! that's great for me. i was considering changing banks because it's been a pain since I moved to brooklyn.

alan- you're talking about Myrtle btwn Adelphi and Carlton for the new Pratt buildings?

Posted by: lc at January 12, 2006 2:22 PM

The building to the right of the one above is also a new building, sort of. It (the corner building, at Adelphi and Myrtle) was condemned a long time ago (used to be a drug store), and sat vacant, burned out and condemned for many years, until it and the one next door (the one above) started to be torn down, which was necessary, since they were condemned. But the corner building they actually only tore down to the first floor, whereupon they just started building on top of it, new cement blocks on top of old ones, all covered by a scrim of brown paint. Scary stuff. Sadly, across the street, Pluto's Triplets just closed in December, one of the last of the great coffee shops on myrtle. Now there's just the Comfort Kitchen. Goodbye Sammy. I sincerely doubt the rumor of a B & N; that would just about break my heart.

Posted by: willingd at January 12, 2006 2:42 PM

The young guy who owns the shoe store next to the new building told me he's seen the blueprints for across the street. The plan is for approx. 30 units of affordable housing.

Posted by: Anonymous at January 12, 2006 2:51 PM

Yes, I'm taking about Myrtle between Carlton and Adelphi. I got all my information from The Pillow Cafe owners on Myrtle and Adelphi as they are apparently trying to stop the Starbucks from possibly coming in. As for the B&N, it would also sell text books which the Pratt Store strength seems to be art supplies, but who knows. Ft. Greene is lacking in book stores, so it would be a welcome addition.

Posted by: alan at January 12, 2006 3:25 PM

A bookstore would be great. I bet the area could even support a good used bookstore, its a bit of hike to any now.

Posted by: Anonymous at January 12, 2006 3:28 PM

I'd love a nice CVS/Eckerd/Rite Aid (anything BUT Duane Reade). And an HSBC.

Posted by: lesterhead at January 12, 2006 4:05 PM

I too would be broken-hearted by a B&N/Starbucks on Murder Ave. I've been around this stretch for many years, and it has been evolving so nicely. It has such a great small-town feel. Any chain is going to kill that dead. RIP Pluto's.

Posted by: anonymous at January 12, 2006 5:41 PM

i hope brownstoner continues to start up discussions on the development of Myrtle since everyone seems to be in the loop but me. my first choice would be a D'agastinos or nice grocery. well if I'm dreaming here, I might as well wish for a Trader Joe's...

Posted by: lc at January 12, 2006 5:55 PM

'Stoner, have any info on development projects on Fulton Avenue, specifically east of Vanderbilt Avenue? If I was a betting man, I would have bet my life that Fulton would've taken off faster than Myrtle! I was dreadfully wrong! Fulton between Vanderbilt and Classon is in dire need of business development. Would it kill anyone to open up a charming restaurant or cafe in that neck of CH?!?!?!

Posted by: BrownBomber at January 12, 2006 6:13 PM

BrownBomber. Bodegas is a nice restaurant.
Somone could say it is charming.

Posted by: malymis at January 12, 2006 6:25 PM

One the advice of another poster here I tried Kush for lunch and thought it was really good. The food took a while but only because they cooked it all to order. I agree we need more good restaurants in the neighborhood but BrownBomber if you haven't been, you should check Kush out. Easily the best restaurant between Vanderbilt and Classon (not exactly high praise, I know). Sorry to be off topic.

Posted by: TW at January 12, 2006 6:30 PM

I second the hope that development on Fulton will take off. And, I also incorrectly guessed many moons ago that Fulton would take off before Myrtle. True, we have Bodegas and a nice wine shop (Olives, I think), and further down Outpost Cafe (closer to Downing), but decent shops and services are dreadfully slow in coming...

Posted by: KCF at January 12, 2006 6:31 PM

As someone who has had a business relationship with B&N for over a decade, I'll eat my hat the day they open a store on Myrtle. Which is not to say they aren't hugely RE savvy -- it's been the path to their complete dominance of the NYC market. I often hear from folks who long to see interesting independent bookstores open up in their neighborhoods. Truth is, the profit margin in bookselling averages about 1-3% (no kidding -- it's an industry stat) and many people see them more as a venue to drink coffee, use their laptop, and browse but not buy. Sorry to sound peevish but if there's any message here, it's an exhortation for everyone to put their money where their mouth is when a local business opens up that they like.

Posted by: Anon at January 12, 2006 6:45 PM

And the staff/owners at Kush are super nice.

Posted by: babs at January 12, 2006 7:17 PM

I'm just hoping and praying for the best. Bodegas are not charming - gourmet groceries who cater to the neighborhoods increasingly upscale clientele are. The bodegas, for the most part, invite and tolerate loiters and other "no gooders", especially on Fulton. It's just bad business - creates a very unwelcoming environment.

Posted by: BrownBomber at January 12, 2006 8:15 PM

Isn't Kush in the row of stores on the last block of Putnam from Grand to Cambridge where it runs into Fulton at the laundromat? And wasn't it posted that they are going to be replaced by a high-end apartment building?

Posted by: Roberta at January 12, 2006 9:46 PM

Bodegas is the name of a restaurant at Wavery and Fulton.

Posted by: Roberta at January 12, 2006 9:47 PM

Someone upscale MF'er walked into my bodega on Fulton.
Mumbled something about it "not being charming"
My little dog didn't like his looks. Ripped his balls off.
Blood everywhere. Nasty.

Posted by: Anonymous at January 12, 2006 10:00 PM

I live around the corner, casually work in real estate, and have met the owner of the new building posted above. It will be condos, not sure how many, but the owner will be living in one of them.

As for across the street on the corner of Clermont, I hang out in Pillow a lot too, and Alan, rumours of Pratt buying up that land, and/or B&N going in are just that, rumours. Just check Property Shark or Dept. of Finance records to see the new owners buying up the land. There was an article in the Brooklyn Eagle a ways back with a rendering of the planned building, but it looks like they abandoned that plan to make the site larger. They must have bought out Pluto's and the others. I just hope they don't keep going down the block. Another rumour has it that the developers are backed/financed by Ratner, which is why they've been able to just sit on the property for so long while buying up more. OK, just found the original rendering, it's still up on the developers website: www.brpdev.com/. Again, it's very outdated as the building site is almost twice as large as was when this rendering came out.

Someone else made a comment about the Myrtle Avenue BID charging high rents. BID's don't set retail rents, landlords do. The owner's of Pillow work closely with the BID, and they've said that the BID has been trying to convince property owners on Myrtle to keep their retail rents affordable in order to attract local businesses, but many of the new investors that have come to the avenue speculating on further improvements want the so-called trouble-free tenant, i.e. the chain, to come in and pay them high rents. Little do they know, most chains aren't interested in Myrtle (not yet, that is), and they're no fools. They're not going to pay over market rate. All this being said, the large site that is growing at Clermont means new construction, and most new construction of that size inevitably means that the developers will go after chains, since they are deemed "credit-worthy" by the banks and financers.

Sorry, long post. As for the Adami's and other recent info on Myrtle, I usually check out www.myrtleavenue.org which has some pretty good info, plus business listings and menus. These guys, MARP and the BID, are part of the reason Myrtle has been evolving fairly nicely, and relatively faster that the eastern part of Fulton.

Posted by: Anonymous at January 12, 2006 11:28 PM

The eastern part of Fulton is in East New York.

Posted by: Roberta at January 12, 2006 11:52 PM

Anyone see the fence going up on Hall and Washington for the new "lux condos"? Does anyone know anything about them? I called for info but was told it would be about two months before they had anything on a website, etc.

Posted by: anon at January 12, 2006 11:52 PM

Just to hijack this thread again, I agree with anon 6:45, whether Myrtle or Fulton, the message is to put your money where your mouth is and actually use the decent businesses in the neighborhood as much as possible. Flourishing businesses will attract others.

Posted by: TW at January 13, 2006 11:39 AM

Amen!! There's no help better than self-help! I'm a big proponent of having friends from other nabes meet in FG/CH for dinner and drinks. Every little bit helps!

Posted by: BrownBomber at January 13, 2006 4:42 PM

Speaking of supporting locally owned businesses, for dinner, if you haven't tried "abistro" yet on Carlton Avenue just south of Myrtle, you really must. The owners, a husband and wife team, live just two doors down from the restaurant. They've been open almost a year now, serve Senegalese fusion, the food is great, and in my opinion, very consistent compared to many in the hood. It's sort of hard to spot, white storefront, small space. But bring your own wine, their still working on the liquor license.

Posted by: Anonymous at January 13, 2006 5:54 PM

Re: the fence and new development at Hall and Washington, the lot's for sale along with accepted development plans for 54 units, for only $10M. Get it while it's hot! :)
Check it out: 163-171 Washington Avenue, http://www.masseyknakal.com/

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January 12, 2006

What's Up With The New Building on Myrtle?

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