4th Avenue
October 27, 2009
StreetLevel: Pediatrics Office Coming to 4th Ave
Premier Pediatrics, which, according to its website, already has two locations in Brooklyn, will be opening an office in the rental at 110 4th Avenue, on the corner of Warren Street. It's nice to see a ground-floor tenant of any stripe in a new 4th Avenue building.
Checking in on 110 4th Avenue [Brownstoner]
110 4th Avenue Starts Renting [Brownstoner] GMAP
Facade Revealed at 4th and Warren [Brownstoner]
Development Watch: 110 4th Avenue Topping Out [Brownstoner]
October 21, 2009
Development Watch: 574 4th Avenue
Last time we took a look at the big 80-unit development on 4th Avenue and 16th Street, its construction netting had come down partially and the facade was starting to be visible. The finished product is starting to come into clearer focus, with the exterior's shiny metallic stuff now on display as well. No question: This one is classic 4th Avenue and classic Bricolage. By the by, a poster on the Forum said yesterday that there's a rumor swirling around the neighborhood that this building will be housing for recovering drug addicts, but we called the developer's office and they said that's bull—it's just going to be a regular rental.
Development Watch: 574 4th Avenue [Brownstoner]
Development Watch: 574 4th Avenue [Brownstoner] GMAP
Development Watch: 574 4th Avenue Gets Going [Brownstoner]
October 20, 2009
4th Ave Pit Undergoing Slight Improvement
The would-be retail site on the corner of 4th Avenue and 3rd Street that's been in awful disrepair for awhile now was getting backfilled on Monday. The crew on the site said the work was mandated by the DOB, which has recorded a bunch of violations on the property for stuff like its crummy construction fence, copious debris, etc. The site was at one point rumored to be a future Starbucks location, but that obviously didn't happen and it was put on the market about a year ago. The parcel's price, originally $3.25 million, is now down to $2.75 million.
StreetLevel: Starbucks Sweet on 4th Ave.? [Brownstoner] GMAP DOB
October 9, 2009
Horror Show Friday: Scary Winds on 4th Ave & Carroll
The stalled construction site on 4th Avenue and Carroll Street is spooky no matter what mother nature's up to, but throw in some heavy winds and the scene gets seriously chilling. Above, a video to commemorate what it looked like during Wednesday's big gusts. The winds knocked the traffic barriers in front of the development out onto 4th Avenue and also downed some of the construction fence. A bunch of people called 311 and the problems were remedied by late afternoon. Word on the street is that the developer of the building has finally secured financing and is going to restart the project within the next couple weeks. GMAP
October 7, 2009
StreetLevel: New 4th Avenue Bar On Tap
A bar called The Sackett is scheduled to open in a week or so in the former Latin American Cafe space near the corner of 4th Avenue on Sackett (natch). The watering hole will mainly focus on classic cocktails but will also have four beers on tap and a selection of bottled brews. GMAP
October 6, 2009
Development Watch: 150 4th Avenue Rising
The skeleton of the large, Ismael Leyva-designed project on 4th Avenue between Douglass and Butler is now showing itself above its construction fence. The rendering below the photo represents what the building is eventually supposed to look like, at least as of almost a year ago. The development is going to be 12 stories high and have 95 units.
Development Watch: 150 4th Avenue [Brownstoner] GMAP DOB
August 28, 2009
Sign of the Times on 4th Avenue
For many months now there's been a sign on the long-dormant development site at 4th Avenue between 7th and 8th streets advertising that it's for sale and including a rendering of a classic 4th Avenue condo-to-be. A new, bigger sign recently went up that indicates the seller is motivated, since it says that the price has been reduced. This listing for the property says it costs $3.2 million, though it's unclear whether that's been updated with the new price chop. GMAP DOB
August 27, 2009
Raccoons Evidently Digging 4th Avenue
We've heard reports of four separate raccoon sightings on or near 4th Avenue over the past week. Three of the sightings were on Carroll Street—one guy says he saw a raccoon scurrying from the stalled construction site on the corner of Carroll out onto the avenue—while the fourth was close to the entrance of J.J. Byrne Park on 3rd Street. The iPhone pic to the right was captured two nights ago by one of the employees of the car service on Carroll and 4th. The driver says the raccoon hissed at him when he was going in for the close-up. GMAP
August 20, 2009
How the Argyle Greets 4th Avenue
Following in the footsteps of another 4th Avenue masterpiece new condo, the Crest, behold the latest grate addition to the Park Avenue of Brooklyn's streetscape, this time c/o the Argyle. Jane Jacobs would love this! GMAP
July 29, 2009
Taking the Pulse of 4th Avenue's Inventory
Sure, sometimes it seems like there are countless new condos on 4th Avenue, but, in fact, between the expressway and Atlantic Avenue there are only five that currently have units for sale. Some of the recent-vintage builds ended up being rentals, and it's unclear whether the next few that seem likely to actually finish construction, such as 574 4th Avenue, will be rentals or condos. Herewith, the latest numbers available on Brooklyn's Park Avenue condo inventory:
500 Fourth Avenue: Its marketers claimed last month that 20 percent of the 156 units are in contract. So: Around 125 available.
The Argyle: 8 out of 60 units remain, per Corcoran's listings page.
The Novo: 1 unit left for sale, according to StreetEasy.
The Crest: 2 units left unspoken for, says StreetEasy.
The Elan: Broker said last month 7 units were in contract; since then, 18 of the 32 units have been listed as rentals. Thus: 25 available depending on how you look at it. (While this one's about 20 yards from 4th Avenue proper, we're considering it 4th Avenue in spirit.)
Final analysis: Give or take, there are about 160 new condos to sell on 4th Avenue right now. A decent amount, yes, and there are more coming eventually. But it's not a Williamsburg-esque condopocalypse situation. And, at the end of the day, there's really only one building, 500 Fourth, accounting for the overwhelming majority of inventory.
Inside Hotel Le Bleu's Restaurant
A few weeks ago Vue, the restaurant on the 8th floor of 4th Avenue's Hotel Le Bleu, opened for biz. That there above is what it looks like, and the second shot is of the al fresco terrace area with its view stretching from the Gowanus Canal to Downtown Brooklyn and beyond. The restaurant's operators are also going to open a rooftop lounge in about a week and a half. Vue's menu is here; apps run from $7-$12 and include stuff like samurai spiked crab cake, while entrees go from $17 to $28. There have been a few writeups about the Vue, with the Times, for example, talking about the executive chef's background (he "worked at the Monkey Bar and is the chef at China 1 in the East Village"). The most scathing commentary thus far comes from FIPS who says, in part, "The place was decorated in a budget/wannabe hipster/chic style."
Off the Menu [NY Times] GMAP
Da View: Hotel Le Bleu Was Le Ridiculous [FIPS]
July 24, 2009
Development Watch: 574 4th Avenue
Now that the netting is partially down on the 12-story, 80-unit development on 4th Avenue near the expressway, one gets a pretty good sense of what this Radusky-designed (condo? rental?) is going to look like when all's said and done.
Development Watch: 574 4th Avenue [Brownstoner] GMAP
Development Watch: 574 4th Avenue Gets Going [Brownstoner]
July 17, 2009
Development Watch: 150 4th Avenue
Back in December, Curbed showed the world what the Ismael Leyva-designed building on 4th Avenue near the corner of Butler is slated to look like. There wasn't a great deal of action at the site over the winter, but nowadays excavation work appears to be going full speed ahead. The development (we don't know if it's going to be a condo or rental) is supposed to be 12 stories and have 95 units.
Huge Ismael Leyva Brooklyn 'Park Ave.' Development Revealed [Curbed]
Development Watch: 150 4th Avenue [Brownstoner] GMAP DOB
The Elan Goes Partially Rental
Only a couple weeks ago we noted that sales at the Elan, the condo on 1st Street between 4th and 5th avenues, have been very sluggish; now, via an eagle-eyed Forum poster, we learn that it's gone at least partially rental. StreetEasy says rents on 18 of the building's 32 units are ranging from $2,200 for a 946-sf 1-bedroom to $4,500 for a 1,512-sf 3-bedroom. There are also still sales listings up for the building and three units have sold.
Checking in on The Elan [Brownstoner] GMAP
June 26, 2009
What's Going on at Katan's No-Go 6th Street Site?
Once upon a time, in a boom now past, Isaac Katan had plans to develop a 4th Avenue building half a block away from the Novo, which he also had a hand in. The 12-story, 107-unit project hasn't seen any action on the DOB-permit front in more than a year, and nothing's happened in real life at the site since then, either. The only thing of note concerning the parcel this year, in fact, is that Property Shark recorded a lis pendens on it in January. Until now: A reader sent in the above photograph, noting that the site is has started sporting signs from the commercial brokerage Kalmon Dolgin that tout a "prime retail space." Her questions, and ours: "Any thoughts on what might move in? Also on our minds: Why is it being sold as a retail site and not a development site?" Anyone know?
New Entry in the 4th Avenue Development Game [Brownstoner] GMAP DOB
June 25, 2009
500 Fourth Avenue 20% Sold; Opening in Fall?
Elliman released a press missive yesterday about the biggest new 4th Avenue condo currently on the market, 500 Fourth, which is between 12th and 13th streets. Takeaways: The 156-unit development is "over 20% sold in less than two months" (impossible to verify since closings haven't been recorded yet) and is scheduled to be move-in ready in "late fall." Also, the building will have a large lounge area called "Club 500" and a 24-hour lobby attendant. Prices are ranging from $342,000 to $1,077,000.
500 Fourth Avenue [Official Site] GMAP
June 24, 2009
It Came From 4th Ave: The Electryifying Conclusion!
When we last checked in on the 4th Ave sliver at the corner of Carroll, the rental building's facade was sporting a snazzy new layer of cinder blocks. More recently, however, the cinder blocks have been covered with the same materials used on the side of the building—though the colors of the two sections of street-level facade are now different, and it's unclear when, if ever, the discrepancy will be remedied. Still: Progress! The other new thingamajig on the structure is a gated garbage can area that may well turn out to be the best looking thing about this building.
It Came From 4th Ave! [Brownstoner] GMAP
June 8, 2009
First Closings Recorded at the Argyle
As anticipated, the first closings at the Argyle, the condo on 4th Avenue and 7th Street, have occurred. Last week, three closings were recorded in city records. Among them: Unit 6C sold for $491,790; according to the building's amended condo declaration, it's a 695-square-foot one-bedroom. The buyers went into contract last August. Meanwhile, unit 3J sold for $701,574. The 1,043-square-foot two-bedroom went into contract last March. Corcoran's listings page for the 60-unit building shows that 11 of its condos are still on the market.
Argyle Listings [Corcoran] GMAP
DOB OK's the Argyle [Brownstoner]
The Argyle Unveiled [Brownstoner]
May 29, 2009
Development Watch: 574 4th Avenue
Progress on the 12-story, 80-unit building on 4th Avenue near Prospect Avenue is marching on, and it's grown to its full height since last we checked in. A rendering of what the finished product's supposed to look like was on Gowanus Lounge back in February.
Development Watch: 574 4th Avenue Gets Going [Brownstoner] GMAP
Development Watch: 574 4th Avenue [Brownstoner]
Radusky’s 574 Fourth Avenue Revealed: How’s He Doing? [Gowanus Lounge]
StreetLevel: Bar Great Harry Spinoff Opening on 4th Ave
The owners of Smith Street's Bar Great Harry—a beer snob's paradise—are getting ready to open a new joint near the corner of 4th Avenue and Carroll. The bar will share a wall with the former lesbian bar Cattyshack (which closed down early this year and in its present incarnation seems to be rarely open) but does not have anything to do with its neighboring establishment. The BGH biz will have an outdoor space that its owners say will lend it a beer garden vibe, and the emphasis will be on craft beer, with 24 draft lines and a couple of casks. It should be open by late August or early September. GMAP
May 26, 2009
DOB OK's the Argyle
'Tis the season of TCO's, it seems: A reader tipped us off to the fact that the Argyle, the 60-unit condo on the corner of 4th Avenue and 7th Street, got its temporary certificate of occupancy last week. Closings are slated to start this week. Corcoran's listings page for the building shows 12 units still for sale, with prices ranging from $459,000 for a one-bedroom to $965,000 for a three-bedroom.
Argyle Listings [Corcoran]
The Argyle Unveiled [Brownstoner] GMAP
May 1, 2009
It Came From 4th Ave!
Pictures can't really do justice to the latest addition to 4th Avenue's much-vaunted streetscape and retail scene. Cinder block-o-licious! GMAP
December 19, 2008
Trouble At at Fourth Avenue Tower-to-Be
683 Fourth Avenue was originally to be a 10-unit, 10-story tower, per the permit filed in 2006. The architect? Mr. Scarano. We found this rendering on the Cardinale Web site, claiming a 20,000 square foot project consisting of "12 units and stories of residential condominium space with units available in 2009." The date seems unlikely. There's a stop work order on the property, for one thing. Also, wasn't that Scarano fella being sued? GMAP DOB
December 9, 2008
150 4th Avenue: The Renderings
When last we looked at 150 Fourth Avenue at the end of September, not much was happening, thanks to a Stop Work Order and some other snafus. All we knew was the architect's name, the Oro's Ismael Leyva, and the info from the DOB: 12 stories and 95 units. So here, courtesy of Curbed, is what the project will look like someday. And also here, in the last photo, is what the block of row houses looked like before, replete with turreted building on the end. They were demolished, after move outs and evictions, to make way for the project, which Curbed also reports has no construction loan secured yet. So, thoughts on the newest addition to Brooklyn's Park Avenue?
Huge Ismael Leyva Brooklyn 'Park Ave.' Development Revealed [Curbed]
Development Watch: 150 4th Avenue [Brownstoner]
November 14, 2008
Parting Ways for Flatbush and Hanson Place
As long as we're on the subject of this intersection, we noticed that the link between Ashland, Hanson Place and Flatbush has been severed, part of the plan to make the intersection more pedestrian-friendly. This creates a mini pedestrian plaza in front of the refurbished One Hanson Place, which will be part of the greenstreets program (and conveniently located next to Midtown Florist, if that business will indeed be staying). Question to you transportation planners out there: even if this makes things better for pedestrians, how will it affect the traffic flow? Lord knows, if that arena ever comes, many more cars will be flooding the area.
Update: g-man has informed us that the revised traffic plan is here [pdf], and that left turns will now be allowed from Third Avenue, which might relieve a bit of traffic from Fourth.
Latest Restaurant Additions
-
Chickadee Chick
added November 6, 2009 12:00 PM in Park Slope -
Vutera
added November 5, 2009 12:00 PM in Williamsburg -
Park Cafe
added November 4, 2009 12:00 PM in Park Slope -
Bahia
added November 3, 2009 12:00 PM in Williamsburg -
Aqualis Grill
added November 2, 2009 12:00 PM in Fort Greene -
Wombat
added October 30, 2009 12:00 PM in Williamsburg -
Organic Heights
added October 29, 2009 12:00 PM in Park Slope -
Giardini Pizza
added October 28, 2009 12:00 PM in Carroll Gardens -
Rye
added October 27, 2009 12:00 PM in Williamsburg -
Bati
added October 26, 2009 12:00 PM in Fort Greene