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October 21, 2008

Checking In On 166 Montague Street

The renovation of the former Franklin Trust building at 166 Montague Street in Brooklyn Heights is moving along, and the sellers are gradually releasing apartments into the market. To date, three are on the market and another four have gone into contract at prices ranging from $850,000 to $1,240,000, leaving 17 more units yet to make their debut. So far, the A-line appears to be the clear favorite. Any readers checked it out yet?
166 Montague Street Listings [StreetEasy] GMAP
Update on the 166 Montague Street Conversion [Brownstoner]
Franklin Trust on Montague Going Residential [Brownstoner]

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serious question here. but is nyc in general just becoming one gigantic residential area? why is every single non residential building turning into super expensive condos? can't these buildings be turned into more fun things? or small apartments that cost a little less? so many of these buildings have such character and to fill them up with bland people living bland lives with bland home furnishings is just sad.

-rob

Posted by: PitbullNYC at October 21, 2008 10:08 AM

What would be the fun thing?

Not that I don't somewhat agree with you, but mostly what I find depressing about these developments is that for "luxury" developments, they're usually kind of small and bland. At least this one shows some vision. A tv in the master bath! Built into the mirror!! How cool is that?

Also, compared to what some things are priced, these actually sound like a good deal.

Posted by: Heather at October 21, 2008 10:22 AM

"bland people living bland lives with bland home furnishings is just sad."

so anyone who lives in one of these buildings is automatically characterized as this?

so if you are white, have a good job, have a couch from crate and barrel, and do go out till 4am on tuesday nights you are bland.

god forbid someone who works hard for a living gets to live in a nice building in a nice neighborhood.

Posted by: RobertMosesJr at October 21, 2008 10:29 AM

sorry - should say "don't go out" not "do".

Posted by: RobertMosesJr at October 21, 2008 10:30 AM

so if you are white, have a good job, have a couch from crate and barrel, and do go out till 4am on tuesday nights you are bland. --- yeah pretty much. :-/ just joking. sorta.

-rob

Posted by: PitbullNYC at October 21, 2008 10:42 AM

I like the a-line layout, but I wonder if they are so very popular. perhaps the line is just closest to completion and thus first released.

Posted by: Ringo at October 21, 2008 10:46 AM

ok rob - i get it.
so all new brooklyn heights developments in nice buildings should have a common lounge that has salsa nights every tuesday (or some other non-white dance.. wait, all dances are non-white.. nevermind) - where people can stay up dancing until 4am and just take the elevator back up to their eclectically furnished apartments - to then pass out on the floor and wake up at noon the next day and head to their barely above minimum wage job at the used vinyl record store.

i'm not sure what the developer is thinking not designing and marketing his building to suit this crowd??

Posted by: RobertMosesJr at October 21, 2008 11:12 AM

please stop saying "white" it has nothing to do with what i posted. dont bring race into this jeez.. and yes if that building was a salsa club instead of a boring condo i'd be VERY happy. that's my point. nothing to do with white people jeez.

*Bfly*

Posted by: PitbullNYC at October 21, 2008 11:24 AM

Oh yeah really moving along.....at this rate 2011 should be a safe move-in date.

Posted by: fsrg at October 21, 2008 11:26 AM

and robert moses jr is seriously SERIOUSLY trying a lil too hard for quote of the day.

-r

Posted by: PitbullNYC at October 21, 2008 11:32 AM

anyway you look at it.. your comment was ridiculous - race or no race.

how can you make such a generalized comment that anyone who can afford an expensive place like this has to be "bland". i'll bet you biff lives in a place just like this right around the corner. (oh wait, there i go contradicting myself again, nevermind).

sorry, but all the non "bland" people whose parents can afford a place like this for them live in williamsburg. they should stay there.

Posted by: RobertMosesJr at October 21, 2008 11:42 AM

The issue with many historic office buildings is that the floors are not large enough to accommodate many kinds of office tenants. They are actually much better suited for residential layouts. If it were not for the ability to adapt historic commercial buildings and industrial buildings into residences, whole swaths of the city such as SoHo, Tribeca, and DUMBO would have been razed and replaced with standard-issue modern highrise construction. I am a big fan of this sort of conversion and do not think it is boring in the least. This particular building is an architectural gem. A Romanesque-style skyscraper dating back to 1891. It is a really special building in a terrific residential location. It makes all the sense in the world to redevelop it as apartments. The architecture and the location can't be beat. How anyone could say it is "boring" is beyond me. If you are looking for boring, visit one of the new cookie-cutter condo towers sprouting up like weeds at a location near you.

Posted by: sam at October 21, 2008 11:42 AM

im not getting into an argument with you robertmoses. you definitely twisted my words around. i didnt necessarily say the people living in these are necessarily bland.. just that turning such a cool building that could be used for something interesting (i.e. not just another residential conversation) would be great. what is the goal of nyc now? to be 100 percent residential by the year 2020? isnt that the definition of country/rural/suburban living? have you even heard about the task force about shutting night life down all over lower manhattan (yes there is an actual task force but no one seems to talk about it)? big clubs (and i do not go to clubs btw so dont even go there) and great venues are forced to shut down because now every little section of manhattan (and brooklyn too) is turning into a residential cesspool. yeah yeah i know, move to detroit. whatever. sorry i didnt mean to derail this thread, but i needed to get this out and not have my words twisted.

-rob

Posted by: PitbullNYC at October 21, 2008 12:49 PM

sam, okay i didnt even think about that point. true..

-rob

Posted by: PitbullNYC at October 21, 2008 1:01 PM

but i never said the OUTSIDE of the building was boring, just what the INSIDE is being turned into. a beautiful building like that should serve a better purpose than to house people.

-rob

Posted by: PitbullNYC at October 21, 2008 1:02 PM

ok rob - fair enough

"i didnt necessarily say the people living in these are necessarily bland.. "

you did - but i'll accept this revision.

maybe i just took offense to the comment b/c i'd love to live in this building and was considering looking at it (although it's doubtful i can afford it) and realized that i must be one of the bland lives you were referring to (which is probably true by the way). so i apologize for my anti hipsters who hate me sentiment.

but - i think taking industrial / office buildings like this and adapting for residential use is a great idea, they make for excellent spaces to live in. 110 livingston is probably a close (albeit larger) example.

"big clubs (and i do not go to clubs btw so dont even go there) " - cmon rob, i know you really wanted this to be brooklyns version of the palladium, admit it.

Posted by: RobertMosesJr at October 21, 2008 1:52 PM

lol okay yeah i kinda do. ha. sorry about my original "bland" comment. if i could afford to live in a unit in the building you know id be there in a heartbeat as well.

-rob

Posted by: PitbullNYC at October 21, 2008 3:16 PM

oh NO!... please dont let THIS turn into residential housing too!..

Party Monster Palace —Attention all early-'80s clubkids that have become rich investor types (we know you're out there): The Limelight can be yours for somewhere around $60 million. Apparently a deal to turn the old church/club into a private event space fell through, and the owner is willing to sell (or rent for $2.4 million per year). It was last the nightclub Avalon, of course. [BlackBook]

-rob

Posted by: PitbullNYC at October 21, 2008 3:38 PM

There are so many professional trolls on this site now. It's just nowhere near as easy as it once was.

Posted by: Polemicist at October 21, 2008 5:07 PM

what is a professional troll? are they licensed by the state? Having been away from the site for a few days I found today's comments to be rather boring and spare. Perhaps an indicator of a local downturn in r.e. markets?

Posted by: sam at October 21, 2008 7:52 PM

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October 21, 2008

Checking In On 166 Montague Street

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