November 6, 2009

85 State's Roller Coaster Ride

The pricing of 85 State Street in Brooklyn Heights sure has been interesting to watch, and now that the renovated five-story townhouse's sale for $3.4 million has been recorded in public records, a trip down memory lane seems in order:

9/2005: The house trades hands for $2.5 million in an estate sale.
3/2006: Only 6 months later, the 5,000-sf property flips for $3.2 million to a developer.
1/2007: The house is placed on the market by Corcoran for $5.8 million.
5/2007: Brown Harris Stevens takes over the listing and prices it at $5.95 million.
1/2008: The listing jumps to Halstead and is priced at $5.75 million.
2/2009: A series of price cuts brings the asking down to $4.2 million.
6/2009: Warburg takes over marketing but doesn't cut the price further. Listing now says: "Offered at less than cost! Stunning XXX mint Brooklyn Heights townhouse...the home has just undergone a complete renovation from top to bottom."
10/2009: The house finally sells for $3.4 million.

House of the Day: 85 State Street [Brownstoner] GMAP
85 State Street [StreetEasy]

November 5, 2009

Mrs. B Side-Swiped In The Heights

A few minutes ago Mrs. B was side-swiped on Pierrepont Street in a hit-and-run by a yellow cab with medallion number 3Y65; there were three small children in the back of the car. No one was hurt but we're out a side view mirror. We reported it to TLC but don't have a lot of faith they'll do anything about it. It will be interesting to watch the slow wheels of bureaucracy turn though. Anyone have any relevant experiences to share?

Co-op of the Day: 75 Henry Street, #19A

This one-bedroom co-op is one of the nicer ones we've seen at 75 Henry Street. The views from the 19th floor don't hurt, but the recent renovation itself looks quite nice. For a full-service building, the monthly maintenance of $794 is pretty reasonable for the 750-square-foot pad. There's also a balcony thrown into the mix. The price was just reduced from $595,000 to $565,000. There's an open house on Sunday from 12 to 1:30. You likey?
75 Henry Street, #19A [Corcoran] GMAP P*Shark

November 4, 2009

Co-op of the Day: 32 Willow Place, #9

If you can handle the railroad layout and the fact that there's only one small bathroom, this two-bedroom co-op at 108 Pierrepont Street in Brooklyn Heights if you're a buyer who puts a premium on old-world charm. The master bedroom and hallways have lots of original detail and the kitchen and living area appear to have been recently renovated. Not usually fans of exposed brick, we think it works nicely in this case. The 900-square-foot apartment has a monthly maintenance of $870 and is asking $710,000. You buying?
32 Willow Place, #9 [Corcoran] GMAP P*Shark

November 3, 2009

House of the Day: 28 Middagh Street

42 Middagh Street is charming as all heck from the outside, and the modern renovation that was recently performed on it looks quite tastefully done as well. Still, the asking price of the Brooklyn Heights house seems pretty pricey at $4,200,000, especially when you consider the current owners paid only $1,280,000 back in 2004. We're sure they didn't scrimp on the makeover but we also doubt they dropped three million bucks on it. Thoughts?
28 Middagh Street [Brown Harris Stevens] GMAP P*Shark

November 2, 2009

The Roebling Inn Cometh

From the Brooklyn Heights Blog comes word of an incremental step towards the neighborhood's much-anticipated new watering hole. The old signage from when 97 Atlantic Avenue was occupied by Magnetic Field just came down, the blog notes, clearing the way for a new spot which, according to the liquor license, will be called the Roebling Inn. BHB believes it's being brought to you by the same people behind the popular Brooklyn Inn in Boerum Hill. GMAP

October 27, 2009

House of the Day: 42 Grace Court

This new listing at 42 Grace Court is not for the faint-of-wallet, but if you've got the dosh, you could do a lot worse. The five-story, 6,500-square-foot brownstone has been restored in an eco-friendly manner while retaining most of its old-school cred. Not that the eventual buyer will probably need it, but there's also a potential income stream from a second unit. As for the asking price of $5,950,000, who the heck knows. At those levels, it's anybody's guess.
42 Grace Court [Corcoran] GMAP P*Shark

CB2 Parking Holiday Almost Over

For the past couple of months, drivers in parts of Brooklyn Heights, Boerum Hill, Downtown Brooklyn and Fort Greene have not had to deal with the hassles of moving their car twice a week for street cleaning—or dealt with the tickets for forgetting to do so. But now the free ride is set to end on November 9, reports The Brooklyn Paper. The good news (for residents) is that in most locations cars will only have to be moved once a week going forward; the bad news for non-locals running errands or paying a social visit is that parking turnover is likely to be less than it has been.
Alternate Side Parking Returns to Parts of Heights [Brooklyn Paper]
More Alternate Side Suspensions in CB2 [Brownstoner]

October 26, 2009

Copter Rage in Brooklyn Heights

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Not in my back river? Some Brooklyn Heights residents are complaining about noise from the Downtown Manhattan heliport, says an article in the Post, and they're less than thrilled about plans to allow dozens more sightseeing flights to take off from the facility every day. The Brooklyn Heights Association wants helicopter tours completely banned: "What we have now is best described as a free-for-all of helicopters criss-crossing over Brooklyn Heights, at distances no greater than a few hundred feet," the group wrote in a letter to the EDC. A neighborhood resident says he no longer uses his balcony because the helicopter noise means "even nose-to-nose conversation is impossible." The Post had a similar story about helicopter noise this summer in which residents said the din has become worse recently. Any Heights or Dumbo residents care to comment on how big a quality-of-life issue this is?
B'klyn Hts is Chopping Mad [NY Post]
Photo by nautical2k.

October 21, 2009

Gatehouses Land in Brooklyn Bridge Park

While Matt Damon filmed his latest movie at Fulton Ferry Landing yesterday, Brooklyn Bridge Park received delivery of the gatehouses at both Pier 1 next door and Pier 6 down by Atlantic Avenue. The gatehouses, which, as we understand it, will house mechanicals as well as mark the entrances to the park, were manufactured off-site in New Jersey before being trucked in. They will eventually be clad in wood verticals using old growth long leaf southern yellow pine salvaged from the Cold Storage Building being demolished at Pier 1. How cool is that!

October 20, 2009

Some Traction at One Brooklyn Bridge Park?

Some sales news about One Brooklyn Bridge Park, via Curbed...A press release from the development's marketing team suggests that the recent round of large price cuts may be having the desired effect: "In less than one month, the building has signed 12 new contracts and eight contracts out." Not too shabby.

October 19, 2009

Streetlevel: New Nails Spot for The Heights

According to this sign in the window at 210 State Street, there's a new nail salon coming to the ground floor of the big rental building at 125 Court Street. We hear that it's supposed to open as soon as November. GMAP

Co-op of the Day: 2 Grace Court, #4T

We love the building and location, but some of the usual charm of 2 Grace Court in Brooklyn Heights seems to have been lost in the recent renovation. Of course, it could just be the kitchen tiles and generic interior decoration—both of which are easily fixable—that we're reacting to, plus we're a little weird in that we don't like prewar walls to look too smooth and finished. After all, the parquet floors are still intact and it's a nicely laid-out one-bedroom. And for a full-service doorman building, the monthly maintenance of $646 is a great deal. The asking price is now $499,000, down $26,000 from when it hit the market in May. What say ye?
2 Grace Court, #4T [Brown Harris Stevens] GMAP P*Shark

October 14, 2009

Co-op of the Day: 70 Remsen Street, #7D

Here's an attractive studio in a beautiful old building in Brooklyn Heights. The seventh-floor co-op at 70 Remsen Street, which is asking $319,000, has a nice clean feel as well as standard prewar touches. The monthly maintenance of $805 is less than ideal, but you are getting a full-time doorman and all your utilities thrown into the deal.
70 Remsen Street, #7D [CoreNY] GMAP P*Shark

October 9, 2009

One Brooklyn Bridge: On the Retail Hunt

Developer RAL Companies and Affiliates opened its doors to retailers in 2007 for its 75,000 square feet of space in One Brooklyn Bridge Park, a luxury condominium in Brooklyn Heights along the waterfront. The Real Deal reports that Ian Levine, the company's COO and CFO, claims to be in discussions with two restaurants and a high-end market. Levine would not, however, disclose the retailers' names or details of the possible deals. One Brooklyn Bridge Park, like many other new, luxury condominium buildings, has been struggling to fill vacancies, and vacancies have probably contributed to the lack of retail interest. The developer and the marketing firm, Winick Realty Group, are hoping that when the Brooklyn Bridge Park is complete on Pier 6, more foot traffic (currently there is little to none) will come to their isolated location along the waterfront and drum up interest in condominiums and retail space.
One Brooklyn Bridge Park in Talks with Retailers [Real Deal] GMAP
Price Cuts at One Brooklyn Bridge Park [Brownstoner]
Rentals, Price Cuts and Loan Extension at 1BBP [Brownstoner]

October 7, 2009

Exhibit: LPC Sometimes Digs Newfangled Buildings

lpc%20exhibit.jpg
An exhibit called Context/Contrast that opened yesterday at The Center for Architecture focuses on contemporary buildings in historic districts that the LPC has approved since 1967. A few of the examples the show is going to spotlight are in Brooklyn Heights, like 322 Hicks (above left) and 125 Joralemon (right). Of course, not all of these approvals have been welcomed with open arms. Per Brooklyn Heights Blog, the early '90s renovation of 125 Joralemon was criticized by a Heights preservationist as a "Disney-like mockery of historic preservation."
Context/Contrast Exhibit [Center for Architecture]

October 6, 2009

Streetlevel: New Pharmacy for Atlantic

It looks like Brooklyn Heights is getting a new pharmacy. When we passed by last week they appeared to be stocking the shelves for what is being called Heights Apothecary. GMAP

Co-op of the Day: 55 Pineapple Street, #7H

This studio at 55 Pineapple Street isn't exactly expansive, but it is an attractive apartment in an attractive building in Brooklyn Heights. And it's under $300,000. $279,000 to be exact. The maintenance of $648 seems a little steep for a 420-square-foot place in a non-doorman building. After tax, a new owner would end up with a monthly after-tax tab of around $1,600. Worth it?
55 Pineapple Street, #7H [Douglas Elliman] GMAP P*Shark

Tea Lounge Closing and Unopening

Back in March, it looked like Tea Lounge, the cornerstone of laptop culture in Park Slope and Cobble Hill, was going to birth its third store in Brooklyn Heights, at the St. George Tower at 111 Hicks Street. The Brooklyn Paper reports today, however, that owner Jonathan Spiel has scrapped the idea due to the high demands of the co-op board that owns the building. He also closed the Cobble Hill location on Court Street due to low sales, and he closed the original Tea Lounge on Seventh Avenue and Ninth Street in Park Slope a year ago, due to hikes in rent, even though sales were healthy. That leaves just the Union Street location near Seventh Avenue, where sales are also lagging due to the recession. If he can weather the economy, Spiel hopes to open more stores in Park Slope, Crown Heights, or Brooklyn Heights. “We are not where we were a year or two ago, but we’re still surviving,” he told the Paper.
Tea Lounge Coming to The Heights? [Brownstoner]
Beloved Slope Coffee Bar Won't Open in the Heights [Brooklyn Paper]
Photo by Allyse Pulliam/Brooklyn Paper

October 5, 2009

Co-op of the Day: 66 Orange Street, #3C

You don't see a lot of real three-bedrooms in Brooklyn Heights for under a million bucks, so this place at 66 Orange Street asking $879,000 might appeal to a certain segment of the market. The 1,124-square-foot co-op is attractive if a little plain (there's not a lot of prewar detail despite its being in a prewar building); the maintenance of $1,347 is a tad high but not too out of whack. Think this will strike a sweet spot in the market?
66 Orange Street, #3C [Douglas Elliman] GMAP P*Shark

280 Hicks Up For Auction

As Curbed reported last week, the rundown but beautiful carriage house at 280 Hicks Street in Brooklyn Heights will go up for auction next Tuesday. The house belonged to Alfred Palmer, who also used to own 135 Joralemon Street and was something of a neighborhood character. The starting bid for the 2,875-square-foot house is $2,000,000, which might be a little aggressive considering it's a candidate for a complete gut renovation. (Does anyone know what happens if it fails to sell?) Other properties up for sale that day include a Remsen Street co-op and a couple of Bed Stuy townhouses. GMAP

Brooklyn Bridge Park: Progress and Funding

Blogs, magazines, and other media have enjoyed observing the progress of Brooklyn Bridge Park along the former industrial parks south of the bridge, and this weekend NY1 joined the crowd. The report covers what you already know and many Brooklynites are eagerly anticipating—the playgrounds, fields, greenery, scenery, views, boating, etc.—but also mentions the nitty gritty of its current funding. The $100 million piers, Pier 1 and Pier 6, should be finished by December. The city and state have committed to $225 million for the entire park, but NY1 mentions that not all of these funds are available. The president of the Brooklyn Bridge Park Development Corporation says that they will be able to fund the rest of the project, the space between the two piers, over the next four years.
Brooklyn Bridge Park's Spiral Pool Taking Shape [Brownstoner]
Brooklyn Bridge Park Takes Shape [NY1]
Rendering via Brooklynbridgeparknyc.org

October 1, 2009

House of the Day: 171 State Street

Very nice indeed! 171 State Street just hit the market and it's a beauty. The center-stair brownstone in Brooklyn Heights has mucho original charm—fireplaces, pier mirrors, parquet out the wazoo. Given the charm factor and the location, the asking price of $2,895,000 sounds reasonable to us. Thoughts?
171 State Street [Corcoran] GMAP P*Shark

September 29, 2009

Co-op of the Day: 96 Schermerhorn Street, #9G

This listing at 96 Schermerhorn Street in Brooklyn Heights could use better photos and is only for the young and agile given the precarious ladder to the bedroom, but the views and high-ceilings might be enough to catch the interest of some young whippersnapper. Of course, he'll have to come up with 20 percent of the $315,000 asking price and be ready to pay the monthly maintenance of $868, which isn't so bad considering it's a doorman building.
96 Schermerhorn Street, #9G [Corcoran] GMAP P*Shark

September 28, 2009

Confirmed: Björk and Barney Take the Heights

bjork%20barney%20buy%20092009.jpg The rumor about Björk and Matthew Barney buying in Brooklyn Heights was true! The singer and artist bought a sprawling apartment in a transaction that was recently recorded in public records. (No, we're not going to publish the address.) This much can be said, however: It was a multi-million-dollar purchase at a coveted address. Welcome to the borough!
Björk Moving to Brooklyn Heights [Brownstoner]

Brooklyn Heights