Crown Heights
May 6, 2008
Streetlevel: Franklin Park Already Packed
Franklin Park, by the creators of Park Slope's Southpaw, is already packed after only being open a week. We stopped by the Crown Heights bar and beer garden on its opening night April 25 (totally packed) and last Friday, when even the patio was full despite the chilly weather. There're not many places like it in close proximity — featuring a large patio that welcomes (apparently) dogs and carryout, a unique beer list mostly for $5 or $6, good music (primarily hip hop), and a trendy yet comfortable atmosphere. We're going to go out on a limb here, but we think this is going to be The Summer Place for a lot of people living in Crown Heights, Prospect Heights and Prospect-Lefferts Gardens, and for people visiting the Brooklyn Museum two blocks away. Its success reminds us of when Enduro, a mid-priced bar and Mexican restaurant, opened 12 blocks away in Prospect Lefferts-Gardens. Almost instantly it grew into the neighborhood gathering place for a diverse cross-section of residents and is busy EVERY night of the week, probably beating out a lot of similar restaurants in Park Slope. While the photograph doesn't show the most diverse clientele, as the word gets out, we think the mix will be more representative of the overall neighborhood. The bar is located at 618 St. Johns Place at Franklin Avenue.
Streetlevel: Crown Heights Bar Goes to Bed Early
April 30, 2008
Wednesday Food & Drink Round-Up
Photo by roboppy
Bars in Battle with Neighbors
Park Slope's Union Hall (pictured above) is up for their liquor license renewal next week, and according to Eater, community members issued a 1200-word press release railing against this stroller-free establishment. Meanwhile, Gothamist reports that Greenpoint's Studio B has received a stop work order from neighbors who are hoping that the club's proposed tropical rooftop oasis will be nipped in the bud.
New Brooklyn Openings
Looks like there's nothing but love for the recently opened Root Hill Cafe on 4th Avenue an Carroll Street. Ed Levine describes their Clover-brewed coffee as "pretty amazing" and Slice loves the cafe's outdoor canine accomodations. Eater reports that a new bar and burger joint called Brooklyn Ice House is slated to open in the old Pioneer Bar-B-Q space on Van Brunt Street in Red Hook. And according to Time Out, Appertivo (279 Fifth Avenue at 1st Street) — part of Sotto Voce's mini-empire in Park Slope— is now offering a menu of "pastas like linguine with a chicken liver, sage, white wine and cream sauce," but their liquor license is still pending.
Best Outdoor Bites
Brooklyn Based shares a list of all their favorite restaurants and bars with outdoor seating, calling Rocky Sullivan's "the only rooftop bar in the city that can actually be called serene" and describing the table for two beside the fountain in Palo Santo's tiny backyard as the most romantic outdoor table in Brooklyn.
After the jump: Fresh Direct expands delivery range, the Voice says Barrio is overpriced, Gothamist hits Shachis and the Times visits Jake Walk...
April 24, 2008
Closing Bell: Crown Heights Photo Project
The above photos are from the Crown Heights Photography Project, an "intergenerational photo project" by the Citizens Committee for New York City that explores what it was like to grow up in the neighborhood during the 1970s until today. The photos will be on display Friday at Restoration Plaza, The Skylight Gallery, 1368 Fulton Street, third floor, from 5 - 8 p.m. More images and information about the photographers can be found here.
April 23, 2008
Streetlevel: Crown Heights Bar Goes to Bed Early
Crown Heights bar Franklin Park will open its doors for the first time this Friday—and will close at 2 a.m., according to the bar's website. We were wondering if its 2 a.m. closing time had anything to do with the fact that most of its space, 1,200 square feet, is outside. The inside is 800 square feet. Last week, the New York Post reported that the city's traditional 4 a.m. closing time "is facing its last call because community boards are approving liquor licenses for new establishments only if they close at 2 a.m." Totally lame, unless you live next door, of course. Franklin Bar co-owner Matthew Roff, who also co-owns Southpaw in Park Slope, told us the earlier closing time was more of a business decision, to initially gauge the street life in the area before staying open all night. At any rate, from 3 p.m. until 2 a.m. Franklin Park will be serving these beers on tap: Coney Island Lager, Kastel Rouge, Green Flash IPA, Schneider Weisse, Raddelburger, Ommegang, Six Point Righteous, Blue Point Toasted Lager, Original Sin, Jever, O'hara Irish Stout and Stone Pale Ale. The bar and beer garden is at 618 St. Johns Place, a few blocks from the Brooklyn Museum. Bring it on.
Franklin Park Bar & Beer Garden Coming to Prospect Heights [IMBIBLE]
Last Call: 2 a.m. Closing Time a Sobering Reality [NY Post]
April 22, 2008
Foreclosure of the Week: 872 Park Place
In a sign of the times, this five four-story brownstone at 872 Park Place in Crown Heights sold for $525,000 at the end of 2004 and now has a lien of $600,000 on it. The 3,600-square-foot, four-unit building is scheduled to be auctioned on Thursday at 3 p.m. at 360 Adams Street. Or you could try to go straight to Wells Fargo's lawyer at 718-204-2400.
872 Park Place [PropertyShark] GMAP
April 10, 2008
Co-op of the Day: 469 Eastern Parkway
This one-bedroom at 469 Eastern Parkway in Crown Heights is a beautiful, generously-sized apartment. Unfortunately, we don't think the days of a $400,000 one-bedroom (okay, $399,000 in this case) are here yet. After eight weeks on the market, the price was just shaved by $11,000 and we suspect it has further to go. That said, it'll make someone very happy some day. What do you think of the layout?
469 Eastern Parkway [Douglas Elliman] GMAP P*Shark
April 8, 2008
Development Watch: 1382 Bedford Avenue Revisited
We always find it funny when people try to tell you that you're not allowed to take a photo of a building from a public street. Such was the case when we popped by to check out the progress at 1382 Bedford Avenue. Grumpy construction managers aside, it's nice to see some new housing creation going on in this part of town. As we noted back in June, this is a 40-unit project. Anyone know whether it'll be condos or rentals?
Development Watch: 1382 Bedford Avenue [Brownstoner] GMAP P*Shark DOB
March 18, 2008
Checking in on 364 St. Mark's Avenue
Given the strange white smudging on the brick exterior and the fact that this place has been on the market since late 2006, we expected to find 364 St. Marks Avenue sitting in unsold purgatory when we went to look it up. On the contrary, 16 out of 20 units are spoken for. The remaining four apartments are all in the 1,000 to 1,100-square-foot range and asking between $543,500 and $599,000. The building's not going to end up on the cover of Architectural Digest anytime soon but the developer gets points for high ceilings and big windows.
364 St. Marks Avenue [StreetEasy] GMAP P*Shark
364 St. Mark's Avenue Coming Down the Pike [Brownstoner]
March 4, 2008
Admiring 1024 Dean Street
Driving through Crown Heights last weekend, we took notice for the first time of the building at 1024 Dean Street. The most striking conversion of an industrial building we'd ever seen in the area, 1024 turns out to have won an award from the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce in 2005. The 14,000-square-foot development known as the Ice House had to have been one of the first LEED-certified projects. The six-unit conversion was done on a $1.4 million budget (wow!) and from the street looks fantastic. Any readers been inside?
Building Brooklyn Awards - 2005 [Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce] GMAP P*Shark DOB
February 29, 2008
Rentals of the Week: Crown Heights North
Judging from this week's crop of rentals, there are still some decent deals to be had in Crown Heights. Clockwise from left to right:
1. 2-bedroom, top floor of brownstone, no fee, $1,595, Bergen at Kingston Ave.
2. New reno studio, $1,050, St. Johns at Nostrand
3. Gut reno 1-bedroom, exposed brick, $1,099, Bergen and Bedford
4. 3-bedroom, rent-stabilized, $1,600, Lincoln and Bedford
5. 500-sf 1-bedroom, $1000, Lincoln and Bedford