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January 9, 2009
What's Going On at 43 Empire Boulevard?
Does anyone have any idea what the story is with this shuttered gas station at 43 Empire Boulevard? It hasn't changed hands since 1985, according to public records, and there are no building permits filed for it. Any ideas? While it's not exactly the high-rent district, it is located at quite a high-traffic intersection. GMAP P*Shark
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IF YOU LOOK AROND U WILL SEE ALOT OF GAS STATION ARE CLOSING
UP.
Posted by: CROWNHEIGHTSER at January 9, 2009 12:02 PM
No idea about this one, but gas stations often have problems with rusty old gas tanks. Since the costs of environmental remediation can be enormous, it's not uncommon to see abandoned stations sit idle for years.
Posted by: toadie at January 9, 2009 12:04 PM
That whole area (the 8-way junction of Flatbush, Franklin, Ocean, Washington and Empire) would be a great locus of higher-density residential and commercial development. There's an express subway, entrances to both the park and the botanic garden, a ten minute walk to Grand Army Plaza/Library/Museum. There's little there now but a Wendy's, Popeyes, McDonald's, this shuttered gas station and a depressing Phat Albert's in a beautiful warehouse building. This area could be really great, but given the current downturn, and the halting of development projects in PLG/Crown Heights (like the tower that was slated for Lincoln Rd./Flatbush), it doesn't look like anything good is going to happen there for some time. Maybe it's the curse of Ebbets Field?
Posted by: Frederick Law Homestead at January 9, 2009 12:07 PM
what do you guys think about a fitness center in that area
Posted by: proudofbrooklyn at January 9, 2009 12:59 PM
A fitness center would be ideal in the old Taystee Bakery site aka Phat Albert's.
Posted by: BrooklynIsHome at January 9, 2009 1:09 PM
"it's not uncommon to see abandoned stations sit idle for years"
This was the case at Bedford and Parkside Avenues, at the other end of PLG. A number of slightly less ugly than usual Fedders houses were built there recently. They don't appear to be selling. Let's hope something better will eventually be built at the Empire Blvd. site. Other sites on Empire have become self storage facilities--even Fedders buildings might be better than that.
Posted by: Bob Marvin at January 9, 2009 1:55 PM
gas stations were the last things scooped up for development at the height of the market.
with the expected high sales point of the finished product, remediation was a tolerable expense.
not so much anymore.
Posted by: bkn4life at January 9, 2009 1:56 PM
proudofbrooklyn,
I think a fitness center would do very well at that site. When the PLG community was polled for a wish list for the commercial space in the (presumably)stalled Lincoln Road tower, that was one of the most popular choices. I think there's a lot of pent-up demand in PLG for such a facility.
Posted by: Bob Marvin at January 9, 2009 2:01 PM
Brownstoner:
This location is near an entrance to Prospect Park, which I remember using as a boy growing up in Crown Heights during the 1950's.
My father would take my little brother and me to the park to catch fire flies on spring and summer nights. Part of the trip was stopping at a Weston's hamburger stand nearby on Empire Boulevard (or was it Wetson's?).
Burgers were 12 cents!
Total cost of evening's entertainment: 3 X 30 cents round-trip bus fare = 90 cents; 3 X 12 cents for hamburgers = 36 cents; grand total = $1.26.
It was possible to live well and cheaply in Brooklyn in those days. (The burgers were small and not the fat-laden behemoths they are now!) And for a young father to bond with his kids without dropping a bundle.
We'd put the fire flies in glass jars with perforated metal lids so the little guys could "breathe" and then watch their eery glow while we went to sleep back home.
Because of those nights Empire Boulevard, ugly as it is, has pleasant associations for me.
Nostalgic on Park Avenue
Posted by: NOP at January 9, 2009 7:01 PM
I used go to the mechanic next door to this gas station. They just closed one day. Maybe development is slated for that intersection. I agree it is and excellent location in terms of exposure and accessibility, but in this market, what would do well?
Posted by: i_heart_brooklyn at January 10, 2009 12:50 AM
Story has it that the owner of the mechanic place sold his shop to a developer. The same developer also bought out the church and gas station. I know the owner of the mechanic shop and he's a greedy chap. Took the money and ran, gave the workers that worked there for 10 years, 2 days notice that the shop was closing. Sad part is that after hee made his profit from the sale, he didnt even give them a few dollars or even a full weeks pay.
So there you have it.
Posted by: Attention2detail at January 10, 2009 2:44 AM
I believe the lot sold about 1 year ago. It was marketed as a development site so I cant imagine it would make sense as anything else (until the inevitable short sale).
Anyone want to buy a gas station?
Posted by: slick at January 10, 2009 3:31 AM
Wetson's -- yum! Thanks for reminding me...
Posted by: babs at January 10, 2009 3:19 PM
Bon the reason i asked is because im involved with some people to open a state of the art gym and fitness center one block over at 73 Empire Blvd next to the laundromat. we are hoping to open in may of this year and I am happy that we will fill a demand in the neighborhood
Posted by: proudofbrooklyn at January 10, 2009 6:22 PM
Babs:
Remember when portions were small and kids were skinny?
Small burgers, small bagels, small bottles of Coke.
Those Wetson (thanks for the correction) patties were no less satisfying than MacDonalds today.
What's happened to this country?
Just got back from lunch at a local French bistro and even there, kids were twice the size I remember from back in the day!
It can't be healthy.
Maybe Obama will help set us straight by example. If only he'd give up smoking!
NOP
Posted by: NOP at January 10, 2009 7:30 PM
proudofbrooklyn,
Good luck! I think a fitness center would make many people in PLG (and, I imagine, CHS) very happy.
NOP,
IIRC Wetson's was an imitation MacDonalds, at a time when there were NO McDonalds at all in NYC. When McD's introduced the "Big Mac" in the late '60s, Wetson's had an identical looking "Big W."
Posted by: Bob Marvin at January 11, 2009 4:28 PM
There was supposed to be a fitness center just east of the laundromat near McDonald's - apparently thats on hold.
Posted by: Crownlfc at April 25, 2009 9:43 PM
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