Bay Ridge
November 3, 2009
The Gingerbread House Hits the Market
The Gingerbread House, the famous Arts & Crafts residence designed by architect James Sarsfield Kennedy, is for sale. (While it is more popularly known as the Gingerbread House, Forgotten NY points out that its formal name is the Howard E. and Jessie Jones House.) The 5,800-square-foot structure of uncut stone sits on a verdant one-acre lot at 8220 Narrows Avenue just a block from the waterfront. With its thatched roofs and endless interior architectural details, the 1916 house is definitely one of a kind. And it comes with a one-of-a-kind price tag of $12,000,000. This should be interesting.
8220 Narrows Avenue [Brown Harris Stevens] GMAP
September 23, 2009
Brooklyn Food & Drink Round-Up
New Restaurant & Bar Openings
Grub Street sneaks a peek inside Mercat Negre in Williamsburg and shows us the restaurant's roof deck, pictured above. The NY Times says it's scheduled to open tomorrow at 65 Grand Street (at Wythe Avenue)... The Strong Buzz reports that the GM of 'inotecca is teaming up with Mike Burkett (a.k.a. Fat Mike from NOFX) to open Thistle Hill Tavern this December or January: "The restaurant, which will be located at corner of Seventh Ave. and 15th St. in the South Slope, will serve robust regional seasonal cuisine in a very laid back, turn-of-the-century tavern setting." ... According to Eater, the old Baron's at 98 Nassau Avenue in Greenpoint is now The Keg And Lantern, "a bar and grill serving classic pub fare." ... And Bushwick BK says that the Hibachi Tiki Hut is now open and serving "wood-fire barbeque cuisine" at 890 Broadway (at Belvidere Street).
More Food at Fort Defiance?
New York magazine shares our love for Fort Defiance, and hints at what the future may hold for this Red Hook spot: "There are plans, gas service pending, to fire up the stoves and start offering daily specials, like red beans and rice and oysters Rockefeller. But [owner St. John] Frizell says he won’t turn the joint into a full-fledged restaurant. For him, the café-bar-what-have-you model serves the neighborhood, and its quotidian appetites, quite nicely."
Homebrews by Brooklynites, for Brooklynites
"Stephen Valand, 23, and Erica Shea, 25, quit their jobs earlier this year to start the Brooklyn Brew Shop, which makes gallon beer-brewing kits sized for New York City apartments," says the New York Times. The fledgling company's current DIY brews include Grapefruit Honey Ale and Chocolate Maple Porter. The $40 kit (grains included) seems like a pretty solid gift for a beer enthusiast. Has anybody tried their brewing system yet?
After the jump: Bushwick's pastoral wonderland, karaoke confusion in Bay Ridge, and more love for the food vendors at the Flea...
September 17, 2009
House of the Day: 7543 Shore Road
Some folks got a little grumpy a couple of weeks ago when we poked some fun at a McMansion in Bay Ridge, saying we should have focused on some of the beautiful architecture in the area (and there's plenty). Today's House of the Day at 7543 Shore Road isn't the finest example in the nabe, but it's got a nice feel to it, plus it's gigantic and has water views. It ain't cheap though! $4,200,000. Hmmmm.
7543 Shore Road [Corcoran] GMAP P*Shark
September 16, 2009
Hospital Sells Building and Closes Down
Yesterday the sale of the building that housed Victory Memorial Hospital, on the Bay Ridge-Dyker Heights border, was recorded in public records, and the price tag—$45 million—makes it one of the biggest commercial transactions in Brooklyn this year. The story behind the sale is a sad one: The hospital had been facing bankruptcy for a couple years now, and at the beginning of September it laid off 250 workers. A person who works at the facility said Victory officially closed down on Saturday and that half of the building is now being used as a nursing home and half is being operated by SUNY Downstate Medical Center. The deal for SUNY Downstate to take over the facility was reached last year, and a spokesman for the organization said they began taking over some of Victory's operations last May. The buyers of the building are a firm called Rockaway Parkway Associates, who did not return calls for comment. Victory had been around for more than 100 years. GMAP P*Shark
Photo from Property Shark.
September 4, 2009
Bay Ridge McMansion
Returning from our refinancing closing a couple of weeks ago, we drove down Ridge Boulevard in Bay Ridge for a few blocks. There were some very charming houses we saw. This one at the corner of 86th Street was not one of them.
September 1, 2009
P.S. 971 Rising
The city is in the process of building a new public school at the corner of 63rd Street and 4th Avenue in Bay Ridge. The new building, which is already topped out at four stories, will house P.S. 971, a new 379-seat early childhood center. The school, which serves children in pre-K through second grade, is expected to open for the 2010 school year. GMAP P*Shark DOB
August 12, 2009
Green Church Completely Gonezo Now
After receiving a Stop Work Order last month for threatening the structural integrity of a neighboring property, demolition has continued this month on all that was left of the church school that used to sit behind the beloved Green Church in Bay Ridge, until, that is, the pastor sold out to a developer who tore the thing down and then decided he didn't want to build there after all. Now, in a 'silver lining' kind of a way, the city is proceeding with plans to build a 680-seat elementary school on the site. That vision took one step closer to reality this week: The Bay Ridge Journal wistfully reports that the Sunday school building of the Bay Ridge United Methodist Church "is no more." The community is hoping that the new school will incorporate some elements of the former church, such as the stained-glass rose window, into its construction. GMAP
Green Church Bulletin, August [Bay Ridge Journal]
Green Church Bulletin, July [Bay Ridge Journal]
SWO at the Green Church [Brownstoner]
City Council OK's School for 'Green Church' Site [Brownstoner]
Green Church Goes Educational [Brownstoner]
Green Church Can't Go Co-op...Yet [Brownstoner]
The Green Church Bites the Dust [Brownstoner]
On to the Afterlife for Green Church [Brownstoner]
Photo from the Bay Ridge Journal
July 15, 2009
SWO at the Green Church
A month ago the City Council approved a plan to build a new 680-seat elementary school on the site where the Green Church in Bay Ridge used to stand; it no longer stands because the pastor sold out to developer Abe Betesh who tore the 109-year-old structure down with the intention of building condos on the site. The blog Beehive Hairdresser swung by on Monday to check on the progress only to discover that the site had been slapped with a Stop Work Order that morning. (The photo, also from Beehive, is of the old church school that is still being dismantled.) The offense? The project's excavation was undermining an adjacent building.
Green Church Demolition Update! [Beehive Hairdresser]
City Council OK's School for 'Green Church' Site [Brownstoner]
Green Church Goes Educational [Brownstoner]
Green Church Can't Go Co-op...Yet [Brownstoner]
The Green Church Bites the Dust [Brownstoner]
On to the Afterlife for Green Church [Brownstoner]
June 16, 2009
City Council OK's School for 'Green Church' Site
After the pastor of the Bay Ridge United Methodist Church shockingly sold out last year, developer Abe Betesh tore down the treasured building to make way for a 70-unit condo development. Then the market collapsed and all of a sudden the philistine became open to doing a deal with the School Construction Authority initially proposed by one of the demolition's biggest opponents, Council Member Vincent Gentile. Last week, reports the Brooklyn Paper, the City Council signed off on a plan to build a 680-seat elementary school where the church used to stand. "[Bay Ridge] is home to dedicated teachers and inspiring students," Gentile said in a statement. "And now we’re a step closer to getting them the space and resources they deserve!" Happy ending? A school's certainly better than condos, but the tear-down is still unforgiveable.
‘Green Church’ School Approved [Brooklyn Paper]
Green Church Goes Educational [Brownstoner]
Green Church Can't Go Co-op...Yet [Brownstoner]
The Green Church Bites the Dust [Brownstoner]
On to the Afterlife for Green Church [Brownstoner]
Photo by Ben Muessig for Brooklyn Paper
May 20, 2009
Brooklyn Food & Drink Round-Up
"Uber-Audible Ice Cream Truck" by amanda.mccreary
Ice Cream Truck Jingles: Hot or Not?
"One group of concerned citizens in Brooklyn is taking action against the incessant, insipid jingles reverberating on all sides of McCarren Park. They've put up signs decrying the noise pollution, and formed a Yahoo Group to share and document their noise complaint calls to 311 and the local precinct," says Gothamist. But Miss Heather of New York Shitty says, "The 94th Precinct (understaffed as it is) has better things to do than chase ice cream trucks. Get over it." Whose side are you on?
In related news: Grub Street reports, "This past weekend, aspiring Mister Softee Nick Morgenstern unveiled the cart he plans to station outside his Fort Greene restaurant, the General Greene, all summer."
News from reBar and Kif
Gothamist also says that Lori D’Agostino (formerly of Loulou) is now cooking at reBar (147 Front Street, Dumbo), and her menu includes "whole-roasted Idaho Brook Trout, Prince Edward Island Mussels with Coconut Curry Sauce, and molasses-brined Pork Tenderloin." Plus, Kif (219 DeKalb Avenue, Fort Greene) has expanded their garden to seat 40, and Grub Street shares photos of the casbah-inspired space.
Recently Reviewed: Brooklyn Public House and Vutera
Time Out New York gives Brooklyn Public House (247 DeKalb Avenue, Fort Greene) a thumbs down: "Like a starlet with beauty but no talent, Fort Greene's latest drinking addition, a refined tavern with all the requisite old-timey trappings, offers lots of flash and little substance." Ouch. Meanwhile, Restaurant Girl gives Vutera (345 Grand Street, Williamsburg) 3 out of 5 stars, recommending the "tender, red wine-braised lamb shank with baby carrots and polenta."
After the jump: Locally harvested Brooklyn oysters, Red Hook lobster rolls, another award for Lucali, a Bay Ridge food tour, and a bartending academy for "the young and tragically hip"...
May 14, 2009
Bay Ridge Apartment Building Sale Biggest of Year So Far
The rental building at 333 Ovington Avenue between 3rd and 4th Avenues just sold for $11,225,000, making it the largest real estate deal of the year so far in Brooklyn. The price tag translated into a 6% cap rate, a level that was achievable in this market because of the below-market rents in the 119-unit elevator building. Massey Knakal, which represented the seller, reported that it received 25 offers for the property. GMAP
January 7, 2009
Brooklyn Food & Drink Round-Up
Closings: Patois, Bay Ridge Chip Shop, and Jill's
"Alan Harding just called to say that Patois, the pioneer restaurant on Smith Street in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn, that he opened in 1997 will close on Sunday. Brunch and dinner will be the last service," reports Florence Fabricant for the New York Times. Plus, Eater reports that the Bay Ridge branch of Chip Shop was shuttered on New Year's Eve, and Brunch Anytime says that Jill's, the health food joint at 231 Court Street, closed on December 29.
Openings: Three New Bars
The East Village bar D.B.A. has opened a second location at 113 North 7th Street between Berry and Wythe streets, says Grub Street — and they've got 16 beers on tap, 3 hand-pulled real ales, and "artisanal cheeses, charcuterie, and other things that go well with beer." Cornelius, a new cocktails-and-small-plates spot is set to open at 565 Vanderbilt Avenue at Pacific Street in Prospect Heights this Monday, January 12, Eater reports. And Brunch Anytime heard a rumor that "the owners of Bar Great Harry have put in papers to secure the spot across from the old Trout on Smith Street (which use to be an optometrist) for a new bar."
After the jump: Roots Cafe, Five Leaves, Buttermilk Channel, Kelso of Brooklyn, and Morton's vs. Peter Luger...
December 15, 2008
Green Church Goes Educational
Those despairing over the demolition of Bay Ridge's Green Church might feel a tad better with the latest news about the site: rather than a 70-unit condo building, a school will be built there, reports the Brooklyn Paper. Earlier this month, a "For sale or lease" sign had been affixed to the property, at Fourth and Ovington Avenues, offering "School, Medical, Not-for-Profit or Residential," as possibilities. Seems the School Construction Authority, which was considering nabbing a couple of other properties through eminent domain, took notice. They are "planning to purchase the former site of the emerald-hued Bay Ridge United Methodist Church to construct a kindergarten- through eighth-grade school that could seat between 600 and 700 students, according to Dena Libner, a spokeswoman for Councilman Vince Gentile (D–Bay Ridge)." Developer Abe Betesh bought the land for $9.75 million, then apparently decided to sell when the condos were a no-go; the article doesn't say how much the School Construction Authority would pay Betesh.
Green Church to Become a School [Brooklyn Paper]
December 4, 2008
Green Church Can't Go Co-op... Yet
For months, preservationists and architecture-lovers of all stripes worked diligently to prevent the demolition of the 1899 Green Church in Bay Ridge, but to no avail. By the end of October, the building was being dismantled, its details carted off to salvage companies. The church's plan for the site was 70 condos, having sold the property to developer Abe Betesh for $9.75 million, though the DOB rejected their earlier permit requests. Such hurdles continue, reports the Brooklyn Eagle. "At the site of the 'green church' destroyed in mid-October, Betesh has posted a 'For Sale or Lease' sign this week, the same week the site, at Fourth and Ovington avenues, was featured in a New York Times article about preservation of houses of worship in the city." The sign apparently reads, "School, Medical, Not-for-Profit or Residential." Could the bad publicity be the cause of the sale? Seems like a lot of work to go through, to raze a beloved property and then unload it to the highest bidder.
‘Green Church’ Co-op Plans Fall Through [Brooklyn Eagle]
Photo from cbder.
December 3, 2008
Brooklyn Food & Drink Round-Up
Coming Soon: Reginella
193 Atlantic Avenue, between Court and Clinton
VittlesVamp snapped this photo of the signage at Reginella, the new occupant of the old Sanaa space. VV says: "I learned that the cast and crew behind the Yemeni restaurant that used to occupy the space is simply reinventing themselves with a renovation and Italian-sounding name... I do hafta wonder if should I be looking forward to some sort of bizarre fusion fare that'll have me trying Veal Parmigiana served in Pita instead of a Hero roll. Then again, that doesn't sound too dreadful."
Is Miriam's Cobble Hill Branch Closed?
229 Court Street, betweeen Baltic and Warren, Cobble Hill
"Looks like Cobble Hill's outpost of the restaurant, Miriam is now closed. The service was always bad at that location but sad to see it go as it was a good brunch go-to spot," writes Brunch Anytime. We called the Cobble Hill branch this morning to confirm, but the number has already been disconnected. Bummer! Guess we'll have to head to Park Slope for our Sunday morning shakshuka.
Bar Tano/Bar Toto Owners Opening New Cafe
1302 8th Avenue at the corner of 13th Street, Park Slope
The Brooklyn Paper reports: "The owners of Bar Toto and Bar Tano — the sleek, Euro-modern bar-cafes — are expanding their mini-empire to include an all-day cafe in the Eighth Avenue storefront just vacated by the failed Pumpkins Organic Market... the menu would be similar to the formula that has made Bar Toto, on Sixth Avenue and 11th Street, and Bar Tano, at the still hardscrabble corner of Third Avenue and Ninth Street, so popular (try the white bean bruschetta) — but this eatery will be open for all three meals."
After the jump: America's Next Top Model winner is working as a barista in Park Slope, a new Portuguese BBQ joint, the 105-year-old Brooklyn business that "literally shapes your diet," and more love for Char No. 4...
November 28, 2008
Eminent Domain in Bay Ridge
On 4th Avenue in the 80s, the School Construction Authority hopes to put a 480-seat school to help alleviate crowding at PS 104 and 185. Only problem: private citizens own the property. So the possibility of eminent domain is being invoked, the first time many folks can remember it being used for a school (though surely preferable to some than using it for private development). The property owners had other plans in mind. "The possibility of eminent domain - which is typically used for projects that would benefit the public - has put plans for a grocery store and medical center on hold for the swath of Fourth Ave. between 88th and 89th Sts," writes the NY Daily News. Since a grocery store or medical center can be classified as good for the public, too, that clouds the argument that a school is the property's most beneficial incaration. Matthew Brinckerhoff, a lawyer who has worked on eminent domain issues at Atlantic Yards, agrees a school is a "quintessential public use," but says "[the School Construction Authority] should target a spot that doesn't already have another public purpose in mind."
Eminent Domain Cloud Darkens Bay Ridge Neighborhood [NY Daily News]
November 3, 2008
Bay Ridge Greenmarket: Popular, Temporary
When Key Food on Third Avenue and 94th Street closed in June, Bay Ridgers lamented the lack of good produce in the hood. But lament turned to joy in October, when a green market opened, and area arugula-eaters could get their fill. Well, hold the joy after all. "Three days before the market opened, an article in The Brooklyn Paper said that come January, the farmers and beekeepers would have to clear out or shut down to make way for a Walgreens drugstore," writes the NY Times. "Michael Hurwitz, director of the city’s Greenmarket program, is hoping to persuade Walgreens to let the farmers stick around. At the same time, a number of local residents have rallied to save the market." David Marangio, a real estate agent, is searching for an alternative space for the farmers. He also happens to be one of the organizers of the Bay Ridge Food Co-op. That endeavor, too, is looking for space.
A Greenmarket, With a Clock Ticking [NY Times]
Photo by eggrollboy.
October 25, 2008
Weekender: The Green Church Bites the Dust
Sad. Sad. Sad. And to think that the pastor was the one who sold the church out.
Last Days of the Green Church [Flickr via GL]
On to the Afterlife for Green Church [Brownstoner]
Photos courtesy of Joe Marino
October 20, 2008
Another Bay Ridge Teardown
The Green Church isn't the only preservation casualty in Bay Ridge. Local blog Beehive Hairdresser sounds the alarm about the teardown of an old Victorian house at 245 83rd Street. Unfortunately, it looks like it's a day late and a dollar short: Demo permits were already been granted earlier this year. In the meantime, says the blog, "the owner seems to be trying to allow nature to due his bidding desire of tearing the place down."
September 30, 2008
Bay Ridge Gets Green Market
The disappearance of grocery stores in Brooklyn has caused a lot of consternation among residents, and plenty in Bay Ridge. So folks there will be happy to hear that a green market is opening in the neighborhood; in fact, the market will set up in the parking lot of the former Key Foods at 9408 3rd Avenue, which neighbors fought hard to keep open. Yesterday, Councilman Vincent Gentile held a press conference to announce the arrival of fruit and veggie vendors in the borough's southernmost farmers' market. Alas, The Brooklyn Paper says the market is temporary; the Key Food will turn into a Walgreens by next summer, and probably want their parking lot back.
Veggie Good News for Ridge [Brooklyn Paper]
Bay Ridge Brooklyn. Photo by jokerswildnyc.
September 22, 2008
On to the Afterlife for Green Church
Looks like it's curtains for the 109-year-old Green Church in Bay Ridge, which preservationists had been pulling for all summer. The DOB approved demolition permits on Friday, and work will begin to remove the roof and tower. In July, a permit for a seven-story, 72-unit new building was filed. That one, however, is still not approved.
Final Prayers for the Green Church? [Brownstoner]
Deconstruction of Green Church. Photo by cbder.
September 17, 2008
Wednesday Food & Drink Round-Up
Trader Joe's: Opening Next Friday?
130 Court Street (at Atlantic Avenue)
Lost City snapped some photos of the newly installed signage at Trader Joe's and describes the scene: "Burly men were busy loading in boxes through the front entrance. Progress has been made, but a lot more must be done in the next two weeks if the store is to open at the end of September as promised." The Brooklyn Paper says they're set to open next Friday, September 26.
James Scores One Star
605 Carlton Avenue (St. Marks Avenue), Prospect Heights; (718) 942-4255
"[Chef Bryan] Calvert owns and manages it with his wife, Deborah Williamson. They live in the apartment smack above the space it inhabits, which used to belong to Restaurant Sorrel. When Sorrel went out of business they pounced, recognizing an easy commute when they saw one... It’s an example of how quietly sophisticated the food at restaurants fashioned as affordable neighborhood bistros has become. No bigger, brasher restaurant around town served me an heirloom tomato salad this summer that I enjoyed any more than one at James." [NY Times]
The Village Voice "Bagel Smackdown!"
The Voice's Sarah DiGregorio and Robert Sistema sampled bagels from Brooklyn, Queens, and Manhattan in hopes of finding the best in the city. They weren't so impressed with Bagel Boy, which has locations in Bay Ridge and Sheepshead Bay, but Park Slope's Bagel Hole got high marks -- and won the prize for Best Pumpernickel Bagel.
After the jump: More Praise for La Superior, a status report on the Brooklyn Heights Gristedes, early reviews of No. 7, Nigerian in East New York, and more...
September 10, 2008
Bay Ridge Becoming McCondo Central?
As the battle to save Bay Ridge's Green Church from being razed and reborn as condos winds down, the Observer finds the neighborhood is becoming a haven for such "McCondos." Despite a three-year-old rezoning preventing "'out-of-character development' in the low-rise neighborhood," they write, "tensions between nostalgic residents and developers who continue to squeeze three- and four-story apartment buildings into plots once occupied by single-family homes show no signs of abating." Residents fear the area will become another "mini Manhattan," or transform at the pace and scale of downtown Brooklyn. Perhaps as offensive to some as the onslaught of "Feders" buildings are the demolition of century-old limestone townhouses and single-family Victorian homes, the old preservation-versus-progress paradigm, that inevitably recalls nostalgia for an earlier time and extends beyond an attempt to rescue buildings. As one resident said, "We were just telling my brother's kids about how all the kids in the neighborhood used to play stickball in the street when we were young. Now all the kids are inside playing those electronic games. The whole neighborhood thing is really changing."
McCondos in Bay Ridge [NY Observer]
Bay Ridge Row Houses. Photo by bondidwhat.
September 8, 2008
Final Prayers for the Green Church?
The battle to save the 109-year-old Bay Ridge United Methodist Church, otherwise known as the Green Church, may be lost. Though 1,179 signatures were gathered supporting the church's preservation and delivered to State Senator Martin Golden in June, his office told the Brooklyn Paper, "Sen. Golden believes it will take a financial angel to save [it]." No angels have appeared. Instead, a Brooklyn Paper photographer spied folks whisking away architectural salvage items from the church in an Olde Good Things (a Flea vendor) truck in August. It is the pastor himself, Robert Emerick, who wants to see the building demolished, in favor of a smaller building (this one is in need of repairs and difficult and expensive to maintain, he says) and condos. Already, a demolition request has been filed with the DOB, though they rejected plans for a seven-story, 72-unit apartment building, 42-car parking lot and smaller church on the site. Still, the feeling among both sides is that it's a temporary stay. One politician still willing to fight for it is Councilman Vincent Gentile. Kathy Walker, a member of the Committee to Save the Bay Ridge United Methodist Church, told us, "There isn't much folks can do at this point except contacting Councilman Gentile and telling him he has their support and vote." In the meantime, some spirit of cooperation persists; the 30 members of the church are worshiping nearby, at the Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd on the corner of 74th Street and 4th.
Salvage Crews Move in on Green Church [Brooklyn Paper]
August 21, 2008
Air Rights and Cell Towers War in Bay Ridge
The Brooklyn Paper reported yesterday on cellphone towers being installed on the roof of a Bay Ridge Building at 8701 Shore Road, inflaming a neighborhood-wide issue. Some folks have health concerns regarding the antennae, though Verizon says they don't emit more radiation than a radio. Some residents who helped dissuade the company from installing them on a local school now find them on their very own rooftops. The co-op board apparently approved the installation; good way to make money for the building's coffers, though clearly not all co-op members agree. One says there was never a vote on the proposed installation at all.
Can You Hear Them Now? [The Brooklyn Paper]
Bay Ridge Cell Wars Redux: 8701 Shore Rd. [Bay Ridge Rover]
Photo by Kate Leonova for PropertyShark
Latest Restaurant Additions
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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