Closing Bell
February 27, 2008
Closing Bell: Neighbors Want 326 State to Clean Up Its Act
Looks like 326 State Street isn't winning any popularity contests in Boerum Hill. A reader snapped the photos above yesterday morning, which indicate a snowy mess covering much of the sidewalk in front of the building and a request for someone to get rid of the residue from last week's storm. Far as we know, no one's moved into the condo yet, and StreetEasy shows that five of 326 State's units are still on the market. Should be motivation to run a tight ship. GMAP
February 26, 2008
Closing Bell: Walgreens Gets the Rat Treatment on Myrtle
Last week a rat popped up on Clinton Avenue. This week it's Myrtle. The union boys are miffed that Walgreen's (the store's doing the work not the developer) is using "untrained and unskilled" workers (their words, not ours) to build out their new digs on the ground-floor of the Clermont Condominium at 375 Myrtle Avenue in Fort Greene. Just curious: What kind of permit does an organization need to get to display an inflatable animal in the middle of the street?
The Clermont Condominium Open For Business [Brownstoner] GMAP
February 25, 2008
Closing Bell: Ratner Gets Sued; Ward’s Doomed
The Observer is reporting on all things Bruce Ratner today. First off, they’ve got word that a Brooklyn "activist" by the name of Clive Campbell is suing Ratner, Jay-Z and Barclays Bank for $5 billion in slavery reparations. Campbell says that Ratner, Jay-Z and Barclays all stand to profit via Atlantic Yards “from the African Slave Trade and continue to profit from these gains, through a conspiracy dating back hundreds of years and continue to date to oppress Black people, enslave them, unlawfully deport them to all corners of the Earth.” (Barclays, which owns the naming rights to the Atlantic Yards arena, has conceded that companies it’s purchased may have been involved in the slave trade.) The Observer also reported today that Ratner recently purchased a 6,408-square-foot brownstone on the Upper East Side for nearly $7 million. (We think he could’ve gotten a better deal right here in Brooklyn—maybe even in Carroll Gardens, where we hear values are increasing quite a bit.) And, in a final bit of AY-specific news, the ESD sent out a press release today noting that demolition at Ward's Bakeryis going to continue over the next couple of weeks; barring unforeseen circumstances, it appears likely that the building will be all gone by the middle of March.
Hip Hop Founder Filing $5 B. Claim Against Jay-Z, Bruce Ratner [NY Observer]
Bruce Ratner Buys Brownstone, But (Surprise!) It's Not In Brooklyn [NY Observer]
Photo by threecee.
February 22, 2008
Closing Bell: McDonald's a Blight on Park Slope?
Bees to honey! Or McNuggets. Or…anyhow, when we read the Brooklynian headline "Hideous New Eyesore on 9th Street," we were so there. Turns out the eyesore in question is a big yellow awning for the recently renovated McDonald's between 4th and 5th avenues, and Brooklynian folks are calling it "mindblowingly ugly" and "g-d awful." (Sure is!) The larger question, however, surfaces toward the end of the thread: Is McD’s better or worse for the neighborhood than the porn theater it replaced? Jury's out.
Hideous New Eyesore on 9th Street [Brooklynian] GMAP
February 21, 2008
Closing Bell: Color Explosion Under the Bridge
Dumbo just got a whole lot more colorful. Earlier today, the artist currently known as Tattfoo mounted a version of his Nature Matching System work on the temporary fencing under the Manhattan Bridge at Front and Adams Street in Dumbo. According to Tattfoo's website, the system was developed "as a reminder to consume your daily recommended doses of color." The colors in the piece are taken from photographs of real fruits and vegetables. The artist also sells a placemat version of the work. Nice!
Nature Matching System Project [Tattfoo] GMAP
February 20, 2008
Closing Bell: A Curb Cut for Boerum Hill Historic District?
At next week's LPC public hearing, the commission is going to consider an application to create a curb cut smack in the middle of the Boerum Hill Historic District. The owners of 199 Dean Street have applied for a certificate of appropriateness in order to construct the cut. While we're not certain whether the owners are looking to kill a section of the sidewalk directly in front of the house or to its side, on Bond Street, we've seen curb cuts crappify brownstone blocks in order to create private parking so often that it's tough not to be wary of the 199 Dean plans. GMAP
February 19, 2008
Closing Bell: Taking the Measure of Fort Greene
A reader tipped us off to this sidewalk art project in Fort Greene, where the stenciling seems reminiscent of the "Park Slope Trail" that popped up on Union and Fifth Avenue. The signs are hanging on lampposts on opposite corners of South Portland and Hanson Place, one inviting passersby to record their height and the other soliciting "complaints" (apparently the complaints box affixed to it was taken down last week). Failed art, good art, incomprehensible art? We can't decide. GMAP
February 15, 2008
Closing Bell: Dumbo Goes Green
Per Metro, Dumbo is the first neighborhood in the city to sport recycling bins on its sidewalks. The initiative is part of the Dumbo BID's drive to make the neighborhood environmentally friendly; other aspects of the greenification include the instillation of 35 new bicycle racks, convincing restaurants to recycle cooking oil, and distributing canvas shopping bags and compact florescent light bulbs.
Green Dreams Around City [Metro]
February 13, 2008
Closing Bell: Sign o' the Times in Park Slope
A reader sent in this photo of a sign that was posted on Union and Fifth Avenue the other night, along with some insightful commentary: "It really made me realize that this kinda sums it up right now. The neighborhood is in a battle with itself." GMAP
February 11, 2008
Closing Bell: Wrecking Ball for 259 Berry Street
The group that paid $3,500,000 for this 60-by-60-foot warehouse at 259 Berry Street last March is finally springing into action: The permit to demolish the one-story building was issued at the end of last week. No word on what's going to replace it or who the architect will be. GMAP P*Shark DOB
Photo by Gregg Snodgrass for PropertyShark