Brooklyn Heights
May 27, 2008
Co-op of the Day: 160 Columbia Heights
After six weeks on the market at $699,000, this one-bedroom co-op at 160 Columbia Heights has been reduced to $649,000. At 750-square-feet, it's a solid one-bedroom, but it's still only a one-bedroom; and as cool as we find the Deco exterior (and as sweet as the views are), it's not a fancy building by any stretch. So the question is, Will $850 a foot fly?
160 Columbia Heights [Corcoran] GMAP P*Shark
Emergency Demo at 100 Clark Clears Tenants
After years of neglect, the beautiful brick building at the corner Clark Street and Monroe Place in Brooklyn Heights was partially torn down over the weekend due to conditions that were deemed "imminently perilous to life"; two floors of the 15-unit building were torn down following a 311 call that reported visible buckling. "It's been a very, very badly neglected building," Frank Folisi, landlord of the building next door, told The Post. "Everyone who has owned this building has taken money out of it and not put any money into it. I don't walk on that side of the street anymore.
The theory over on the Brooklyn Heights Blog is that owner Penson Companies, which bought the building for $3,650,000 in 2006, had a strong financial incentive not to step in sooner to save the building. Why's that? Because condemnation was the only way to get free and clear of the three remaining rent-stabilized tenants. The marketing document (excerpted on the jump) Penson has been using in recent months to try to sell the building (the price had started at $4.45 million but had recently gotten as low as $3.5 million) reveals that the tenants were paying monthly rents of $550, $617, and $575 and that approved plans had been approved by Landmarks for a rear extension that would have taken the size of the building from 8,000 square feet to 9,750 square feet. So we're talking about the difference between the building being worth $3.5 million and $10 million. Sound like reason enough to look the other way? Now, many questions remain: What happens to the homeless tenants? Will the rest of the building be torn down? What will Landmarks require for rebuilding? Are there any criminal consequences for this type of neglect? Enquiring minds want to know.
Tenants Flee Buckling Heights Building [NY Post]
Penson to Brooklyn Heights: Drop Dead [Brooklyn Heights Blog]
'Dereliction of Duty' in Brooklyn Heights [Brownstoner]
Photos 1-9 by Ali Lovell; 10 by Chris in the Heights
Continue reading "Emergency Demo at 100 Clark Clears Tenants"
May 22, 2008
Landmarks Rejects Plan To Turn Courtyard Into Garage
The Landmarks Preservation Commission still doesn't like the Pinnacle Group's proposal to turn Riverside Apartment's courtyard ino a 134-car, two-level parking garage (for rendering of the proposal, click here). Landmarks spokeswoman Lisi de Bourbon wrote us, "The [Tuesday] hearing took about 2 hours, and the vast majority of people who testified opposed the propject. The Commission said the proposal needed to be substantially reworked, but took no vote. The Commissioners said that the apartment complex represents a significant improvement in affordable housing during the last decade of the 19th century. They said allowing the garage to be built in its proposed form would dishonor the spirit and socially conscious intent of the complex. What sets the complex apart from earlier tenements is that it occupies only half of the lot its built on to maximize light and air into the apartments. The garage would derogate from the purpose of the building, depriving residents of open space. No date was set for a return." Riverside tenants have accused the landlord of planning to turn the building condo (which Pinnacle denied) and of planning to profit by sharing the garage with Brooklyn Bridge Park-goers. For Landmark's decision on the BAM Cultural District streetscape improvements, click on the jump...
Preservationists Scuttle Brooklyn Heights Garage [NY Sun]
Garage Plan for Heights Building Rears Its Head Again [Brownstoner]
Continue reading "Landmarks Rejects Plan To Turn Courtyard Into Garage"
May 21, 2008
Wednesday Food & Drink Round-Up
Yummy Sundays: The Times Hits the Flea
This week's "$25 and Under" column in the Times raves about the tasty treats available at the Flea. Writer Peter Meehan talks about the "utter scarfability" of the Vaquero family's elotes (the cheese, mayo, and chili powder-slathered ears of corn that you've probably sampled at the Red Hook ball fields) and gushes over the Salvatore Bklyn Ricotta cannoli -- claiming that they're the best he's had outside of Sicily. He also shares kind words about the offerings from the Kumquat Cupcakery and Nunu Chocolates, and looks forward to forthcoming vendors — like Hot Bread Kitchen, McClure's Pickles, Korean Restaurant Do Hwa, and Rafael and Fernando, purveyors of the much-craved pupusas and huaraches from the Red Hook ball fields.
What Brooklyn Really Needs: Supermarkets
"Out in Bay Ridge, neighbors are petitioning against the closing of a Key Food on Third Avenue and 95th Street, which is slated to become a Walgreens... Meanwhile, over in Brooklyn Heights, a Gristedes closed by a fire is of such vital importance to the neighborhood that construction crews are working around the clock to get the place back online... You can do without a dry cleaner, and you can do without a cool bar, but live somewhere where there’s no supermarket, and you’re in a tough spot, FreshDirect or no." [Grub Street]
Homemade Tamales on Sackett Street
"I always wondered about the lady who set up a tent on Sackett near Smith and sells homemade food including tamales. Well, there was a block-long stoop sale last weekend and I finally was able to check it out. Has a really moist and tasty tamale for $1.35. Just a tip for those who can't always make it out to Sunset Park," says Chowhound Carol Gardens. Another Chowhound, Puppimus adds: "She's only there Saturdays. Try her chorizo empenadas -- they're really greasily excellent."
After the jump: A kid-friendly wine cafe, modest uniforms for Williamsburg beer wenches, Dumbo gets a new liquor store, and Greenpoint caters to coffee lovers...
Multiple Price Cuts for Heights Houses
Not even Brooklyn Heights, the bluest chip in the borough, is proving immune to the pressures of a weakening market. Exhibit 1: Three of the lower-priced houses on the market in the area have recently had to undergo price reductions in their bids to find buyers. The most surprising of these, in our opinion, is 72 Middagh, a 3,450-square-foot former school house with its own parking that recently underwent a pitch-perfect renovation. This one started out three months ago at $2,995,000 and was just cut to $2,895,000. The historic colonnade of 47 Willow Place was not enough to reel in a buyer at the initial asking price of $3,450,000, so after just five weeks, it too had its price trimmed to $3,200,000. These two cuts follow the unsuccessful efforts of a succession of brokers to unload the suburban-modern carriage house at 43 Love Lane. Brown Harris Stevens, Stribling and Halstead gave it a go for most of last year, starting at an original asking price of $3,500,000. Coldwell Banker took over in February at $2,995,000. With no better luck, they cut the asking price to $2,745,000 at the end of April. Where's the bottom on this stuff?
72 Middagh Street [Corcoran] GMAP
47 Willow Place [Corcoran] GMAP
43 Love Lane [Coldwell Banker] GMAP
House of the Day: 43 Love Lane [Brownstoner]
HOTD: Love Lane Buyer, Wherefore Art Thou? [Brownstoner]
House of the Day: 72 Middagh Street [Brownstoner]
House of the Day: 47 Willow Place [Brownstoner]
May 20, 2008
'Dereliction of Duty' in Brooklyn Heights
Abandoned and unkept buildings can be a problem even in Brooklyn's most tony neighborhoods, in the worst cases becoming a fire hazard or haven for drug dealers, and in general reducing property values. The Brooklyn Heights Association looks into three such buildings in its spring newsletter, calling them a "Dereliction of Duty," and yesterday we came up with a few more details. The "majestic brownstone" at 194 Columbia Heights, "vacant and padlocked for decades," is owned by a psychiatrist with an office on Henry Street who did not return our calls. In 2004, he received a Department of Buildings permit to reduce the building from six families to a three but it appears no work was done after that. According to a neighbor, the house got caught up in a messy divorce in the 1980s and no one has lived there since. The neighbor said the owner made an attempt to sell the house but was unsuccessful despite its prime waterfront views. "Now word comes of tens of thousands of dollars owed in back property taxes," according to BHA (records indicate that the city at least attempted to foreclose on the property for outstanding taxes once before, serving a vacate order in 1986). Now that the owner missed the best time to sell, we wonder what will come of this place over the next decade.
The multi-family building known as 100 Clark Street nearly collapsed in 2004, according to the Brooklyn Eagle, and is still in miserable shape. The Penson Company bought the building for $3.65 million two years ago and has since put it back on the market (the listing isn't online but we were told the owner is still entertaining offers). Eastern Consolidated broker Ronda Rogovin told us the landmarked former mansion hasn't sold because it required major structural work and another broker said three rent stabalized tenants still live there. DOB records indicate no work has been done there for a year. The Brooklyn Eagle also reported that Landmarks approved increasing the building's square footage from 1,950 to 9,750 (woah five times the size).
Quaint 25 Willow Place has been vacant for over 40 years, according to the newsletter, adding "The house may soon be a candidate for Demolition by Neglect, a provision of the NYC Landmarks Law that allows the Commission to take an owner to court in order to save a landmarked building from irreparable deterioration." Owner Emma Lindberg (married to Charles Lindberg, different spelling than the famous aviator and son of the same name) still has a phone listing in Long Island at the same address the home was purchased under in 1970. The house across the street, 45 Willow Place, is occupied but its exterior is in worse condition. The BHA says, "Often there are intractable circumstances that prevent the sale of a property. But even where legal entanglements or family disputes make a sale difficult, the owners should accept their responsibility for the safety and visual integrity of the neighborhood." Anyone have more details on these mystery homes?
May 14, 2008
CB2 To Nip Liquor Licenses in the Bud (Light)
Park Slope's Union Hall isn't the only bar experiencing backlash from neighbors tired of overhearing peoples' drunk conversations. Community Board 2 District Manager Robert Perris told us his board plans to stop issuing new liquor licenses in certain areas where residents feel over-saturated with noisy bars. As a compromise, the board would suggest either a beer and wine license or an early closing time. The two "over-saturation" examples Perris gave were Atlantic Avenue near Henry Street in Brooklyn Heights (Brazen Head, Floyd, Last Exit, Magnetic Field, Montero's, Waterfront Ale House) and the intersection of Fulton Street and Lafayette Avenue in Fort Greene (Frank's Lounge, Moe's, Stonehome Wine Bar). Perris said the focus right now would be on suggesting beer and wine licenses as an alternative. "The relationship is clearer that the alcohol is part of the dining experience and not sort of the focus by itself." And if the applicant is absent at hearings, or otherwise "appears to us that they are intentionally or unintentially unwilling to have a conversation with us," the community board may recommend that the state not approve the liquor license request as standard protocol. The board is expected to vote on the official protocol change tonight. Editor's Note: To clarify, the above are measures that have been discussed, but nothing has been decided on. The issue will be discussed at the board meeting tonight.
Community Board Moving to Nuke Union Hall [Brownstoner]
Photo by Bryan Bruchman.
May 9, 2008
Brooklyn Heights House Tour Tomorrow
The annual Brooklyn Heights House Tour takes place tomorrow from 1 to 5 p.m. The tour, which costs $30, includes a townhouses of the Federal, Italianate and Greenk Revival variety as well as two carriage houses (one modern and one old-school). Tickets can be reserved by calling 718-858-9193; the tour kicks off at the St. Ann's School Lobby at 129 Pierrepont Street.
Brooklyn Heights House Tour 2008 [BHA]
BH House Tour 2007 [Brownstoner]
May 8, 2008
Waterfalls Project Rising in Brooklyn Bridge Park
A couple of readers today emailed us photos of the New York City Waterfalls project coming along between Piers 4 and 5 in Brooklyn Bridge Park. This is one of four such installations designed by Danish artist Olafur Eliasson; the other three are being constructed under the Brooklyn Bridge, on Governers Island and at Pier 35 in Manhattan.
Waterfall Art Project Coming to Life Under the Bridge [Brownstoner]
Top photo by Joe Flix; photo on the jump by Whitbo.
Continue reading "Waterfalls Project Rising in Brooklyn Bridge Park"
May 7, 2008
Co-op of the Day: 164 State Street FSBO
Spring is here and the FSBO'ers are coming out to play. First up, this floor-through at 164 State Street in Brooklyn Heights. A one-bedroom plus den or small second bedroom, the 900-square-foot place has been recently renovated and carries a relatively small monthly maintenance of $695. The bathroom has been recently renovated as has the kitchen. Asking price: $639,000. Think it'll sell? Decide for yourself at the open house on Saturday from 1 to 3.
164 State Street [FSBO] GMAP P*Shark
May 5, 2008
The Bossert Finds a Buyer
When The Watchtower Group announced that it was selling one of its marquee Brooklyn Heights properties, The Bossert Hotel at 98 Montague Street, back in January, the big question quickly became whether they'd clear the $100 million mark. Well, from what we're hearing, they have: According to a tipster who tends to know these things, Robert A. Levine, the same developer behind One Brooklyn Bridge Park (a Brownstoner advertiser), has locked up the deal for "north of $100 million." Given that the 224-unit building has 200,000 square feet of space that could easily fetch $1,000 a foot post-renovation, it doesn't seem like such a crazy price to us. Reached through his publicist, Levine had "no comment" on the deal (as opposed to a denial) and the Watchtower broker did not return our phone message before posting time.
Update: We're now hearing through another source that the price was $90 million and that RAL plans to turn it into student housing, at least in the near-to-medium term.
Watchtower Divestment Continues: The Bossert on the Block [Brownstoner] GMAP
Developer to Air Out 345 Adams Street
There are portions of 345 Adams Street, a city-owned building mainly occupied by the Department of Finance, that sunlight has never touched. Other parts, as in the last eight feet of the building's magnificent 16-foot ceilings, were blocked after the hideous but energy-efficient drop ceiling trend hit the nation by storm. But that will change now that Muss Development owns "the disgustingly ugly, city-owned office's" first two floors, 35,000 square feet, which the adjacent Marriott and Morton’s Steakhouse landlord intends to make beautiful and rent as retail space. Greenstone Realty CEO Robert Greenstone said Muss would remove the mezzanine and carve windows into the first two floors extending from Morton's to Willoughby Street. A third floor of "knock out windows" would be added in case the city wants to use them and sidewalk lights would illuminate the building at night. "We were going to put sconces on the walls but it looked too ordinary," said Greenstone, who is marketing the space. He provided us with renderings of the $18 million renovation that he said would be split between two high-end retailers. Of course Apple was brought up, but this time it's totally serious. (Did anybody really think the ultra-sleek iGadget manufacturer would move into the landmarked One Hanson Place, which though magnificent inside, is as far from the Apple aesthetic as possible before teetering into the viking look?) "They love iconic corners," Greenstone said of Apple, which he's worked extensively with in the company's effort to find their first Brooklyn throne. He said "One Hanson Place looks iconic but it's not iconic," mainly referring to what's outside (this is where architecture becomes important ). But 345 Adams Street is across from Borough Hall, Cadman Plaza and Brooklyn Heights, making it a top contender for "that iconic corner," said Greenstone. For those of you unfamiliar with the area, see jump for pictures of what's outside those future windows, taken from 16 Court Street ...
May 2, 2008
Streetlevel: Ice Cream Could be Fair Game For Sun, Flies
Clinton Hill isn't the only neighborhood with new outdoor seating in the pipeline. There's some good news for sun-worshipping sweet-tooths in the Heights: The Häagen-Dazs at 120 Montague Street gained approval from a Community Board 2 subcommittee last week to add sidewalk seating, according to District Manager Robert Perris. Zwei Schaufeln kugeln, bitte!