Park Slope
July 2, 2009
StreetLevel: Cleaners, Threading Joint Replace Argyle Office
The 5th Avenue storefront that used to be a sales office for the Argyle condo now has two new businesses: a dry cleaner and an eyebrow threading salon. According to a suspiciously fawning review on Yelp, the threading biz is the first of its kind in the Slope.
StreetLevel: The Argyle Closes Up Shop on 5th Avenue [Brownstoner] GMAP
City Council Vote Seals P.S. 133's Fate
Despite the valiant efforts of a number of concerned citizens and preservation-oriented groups (Park Slope Civic Council, Park Slope Neighbors, the Fifth Avenue Committee, the Historic Districts Council, Baltic Street Community Garden, Green Guerrillas; the Flatbush Gardener, New York City Community Garden Coalition), the City Council yesterday voted to support School Construction Authority's plan to demolish the historic building that currently houses PS 133 in Park Slope in order to build a new facility from scratch. The full council vote overwhelmingly went along with the wishes of Council Member Yassky to support the demolition; only Council Members Avella, Barron, James and Mendez opposed the plan. What a waste.
Council Subcommittee Hears Case of PS 133 [Brownstoner]
PS 133's Most Desperate Hour [Brownstoner]
New PS 133 Plans Revealed [Brownstoner] GMAP
SCA To Build New P.S. 133, Tear Down Old Building [Brownstoner]
Proposed School Replacement Facility for P.S. 133 [DOE]
July 1, 2009
Checking in on The Elan
Has the Elan, a 32-unit condo on 1st Street between 4th and 5th avenues, been the victim of bad timing, unrealistic expectations, or both? When we last took a look at the development in March, a round of price cuts had just been implemented, and five of the units were in contract. Three months later, although StreetEasy now shows no in-contract units, one of the condo's brokers says that seven units are, in fact, in contract—though not all of those are sure-fire closings, since the TCO took longer to materialize than the offering plan stipulated. However, the TCO finally did come through a couple weeks ago, and the first closing is scheduled to happen this weekend. Prices for units at the building range from $949,000 for a 3-bedroom to $599,000 for a 1-bed.
Price Cuts at The Elan [Brownstoner]
255 1st Street [StreetEasy] GMAP
June 30, 2009
StreetLevel: Bar Reis Sandwich Spot in Biz
Reis 100, the sandwich shop next to Bar Reis and c/o the watering hole's owners, opened last Thursday. As Grub Street reported, the shop is selling 100 different kinds of sandwiches, 70 of which cost $3.50. The other 30, which have more expensive ingredients like pate and salmon, cost $6.00, according to the menu posted in the window. GMAP
June 29, 2009
Slope Armory on Track to Open in September
The long-awaited opening of an athletic center at the Park Slope Armory is set to happen in September, according to Sean Andrews, executive director of the Prospect Park Y. The new, $16 million center that the Y is running was supposed to open early this year, but contractors are still putting the finishing touches on construction. While the centerpiece of the armory's renovation is the overhauled drill floor (above), which will be used primarily for track-and-field purposes, Andrews says the Y wants the facility to be a destination for community recreation. To that end, the armory will be outfitted with what Andrews calls 10 "very large" multi-purpose rooms and the Y will offer programs like mom-and-baby yoga at the center. Andrews says that basic membership will cost $40 a month for adults and, as at other Y's, financial aid will be available. Open houses and tours of the center are supposed to begin soon.
Slope Armory Should be Ready for Action by '09 [Brownstoner] GMAP
Slope Armory Athletic Center Comes Out to Play [Brownstoner]
Closing Bell: Park Slope Armory Lookin' Hot to Trot [Brownstoner]
Slope Century 21 Franchise Calls it Quits
Add another one to the growing list of shuttered brokerage storefronts: The Century 21 franchise on 5th Avenue between 8th and 9th streets is evidently out of business. Workers were clearing out the office last week. No word on what's going in the space next. GMAP
June 26, 2009
What's Going on at Katan's No-Go 6th Street Site?
Once upon a time, in a boom now past, Isaac Katan had plans to develop a 4th Avenue building half a block away from the Novo, which he also had a hand in. The 12-story, 107-unit project hasn't seen any action on the DOB-permit front in more than a year, and nothing's happened in real life at the site since then, either. The only thing of note concerning the parcel this year, in fact, is that Property Shark recorded a lis pendens on it in January. Until now: A reader sent in the above photograph, noting that the site is has started sporting signs from the commercial brokerage Kalmon Dolgin that tout a "prime retail space." Her questions, and ours: "Any thoughts on what might move in? Also on our minds: Why is it being sold as a retail site and not a development site?" Anyone know?
New Entry in the 4th Avenue Development Game [Brownstoner] GMAP DOB
Restoration of Slope Church Begins
OTBKB had an interesting post on Wednesday about the restoration of the Old First Reformed Church at 7th Avenue and Carroll Street. The restoration crew—30 teenagers and nine adults—came all the way from Ohio and have been camping out in the church. And this isn't the first time out-of-towners have chipped in to work on the church. Groups from Minnesota, Illinois and Ontario have come in recent years.
Volunteers from Ohio Begin Restoration of Historic Church [OTBKB]
June 25, 2009
StreetLevel: Dean Street Can Eat Cake
About a month ago a new bakery called Cake Ambiance opened on Dean Street, near the corner of Flatbush. According to the shop's website, it specializes in all sorts of confections, and the business runs baking classes. Anyone checked it out yet?
Cake Ambiance [Official Site] GMAP
House of the Day: 460 2nd Street
This two-family brownstone at 460 2nd Street is a looker, with lots of original woodwork prominently on display. The configuration—owner's triplex over garden rental—is also likely to appeal to the broadest swath of potential buyers. At 18 feet wide, however, the house is a tad on the narrow side, at least for one asking $2,380,000. It'll be interesting to see where this ends up selling.
460 2nd Street [Brown Harris Stevens] GMAP P*Shark
Facelift for Flatbush?
It's been more than three decades since the stretch of Flatbush Avenue that divides Prospect Heights and Park Slope had anything resembling a makeover. That's all about to change, as the North Flatbush BID begins to solicit bids from contractors for implementing a planting-and-bikerack-heavy redesign from W Architecture and Landscape Architecture. (Nevermind that the rendering above appears to actually be Park Place and not Flatbush.) "We haven’t had a facelift since the 1970s," the BID's Executive Director Sharon Davidson told The Brooklyn Paper. “We should be more of a destination than a conduit to Downtown Brooklyn.” With a recent kick-in from the Borough President, the project currently has $600,000 pledged toward it.
Could This Be the New Face of Flatbush Avenue? [Brooklyn Paper]
June 24, 2009
Development Watch: 580 Carroll Street
Although the developer of the Enrique Norten-designed condo at 580 Carroll wasn't able to get a thumbs-up from CB6 to make the project bigger, it's started to take shape since the last time we took a gander at it. The condo is supposed to have 17 units and include a 3,000-square-foot front garden and wooden boardwalk. (Rendering here.)
Development Watch: 580 Carroll Street [Brownstoner] GMAP
CB6 Doesn't Buy Carroll Street Hardship Claim [Brownstoner] P*Shark DOB
Co-op of the Day: 35 Prospect Park West, #8E
All of the apartments at 35 Prospect Park West that we've looked at to date have been real multi-million-dollar whoppers—this one for $4,950,000, this one for $6,000,000, and this one for $4,450,000—so today's $1,200,000 listing seems modest by comparison. The two-bedroom co-op is on the eighth floor and appears to get lots of light. The bedrooms and living room all have generous proportions and nice prewar details. The only major drawback we can see is the size and finish of the kitchen; given the adjacent dining alcove, however, this could be remedied fairly easily. Brown Harris Stevens also has another two-bedroom on a higher floor for sale right now; it's in estate condition and asking $1,350,000.
35 Prospect Park West, #8E [Brown Harris Stevens] GMAP P*Shark
Council Subcommittee Hears Case of PS 133
More meeting coverage from a Brownstoner reader, this one about a hearing on the threatened future of PS 133. We wrote a post last month that summarizes the issue and there's a petition here. You can also check out the State's opinion that PS 133 is a building of historical significance in this PDF.
Yesterday morning the City Council's Subcommittee on Landmarks, Public Siting and Maritime Uses heard testimony on the SCA’s proposed plan to demolish PS 133 and the community garden and replace it with a large building that will take up the top of the block between Butler and Baltic Streets. The SCA made a brief presentation that stressed the deterioration of the existing building (admitting that it had received little funding for upkeep) and stating that it would take approximately $15 million dollars to “simply address the deterioration of critical building components”. (This was the first time this figure, or any mention of existing building conditions had been raised by the SCA). The SCA called the Snyder school (the first one he built in Brooklyn) “quaint” and “lovely” but deteriorated.
SCA representatives continued their practice of misinformation – saying that they didn’t know if local residents had received requested source documents that describe contamination in the soil and ground water on the school site (the truth is that two weeks ago the SCA told residents that they will have to file for the documents under the Freedom of Information Law – despite the fact that they were cited in a public document); saying that the program for the school will be decided in the future (the truth is that the SCA has maintained in public presentations that the school serve two distinct school districts – 13 and 15 – and have even designed separate entrances for children from each district); saying that they had been in consultation with the State Historic Preservation Office on options for preserving the school (the truth is that SHPO has told plan opponents that they have been waiting, since December, for the SCA to provide a cost benefit analysis of new construction versus renovation); and maintaining that they have been consulting with local community representatives about the school design (the truth is that they have conducted two hearings at which residents were limited to 3 minute comments.)
Continue reading "Council Subcommittee Hears Case of PS 133"
June 23, 2009
House of the Day: 641 10th Street Revisited
This brownstone at 641 10th Street was a House of the Day back in September when it was listed at $2,399,000. At the time, we thought that the sellers would likely get close to their asking price but it looks like we were wrong. Here we are nine months later and the beautifully appointed pad is still on the market, only now at a slightly reduced price of $2,250,000. Other than the obvious shift in market, the one challenge that this place presents is its two-family, double-duplex layout. We could be wrong, but we suspect that most potential buyers for this type of place would prefer the more standard owner's triplex atop the single-floor garden rental. The kitchens in this place also aren't going to win it any friends. So what do you think the price needs to be to get this done?
641 10th Street [Townsley & Gay] GMAP P*Shark
House of the Day: 641 10th Street [Brownstoner]
June 22, 2009
Co-op of the Day: 170 Prospect Park West, #4L
We're loving this three-bedroom prewar co-op at 170 Prospect West in Park Slope. Beautiful old details, lots of windows and natural light and, except for the fact that there's only one bathroom, a nice layout; the rounded corner and the giant pier mirror in the living room are nice bonuses as well. According to our back-of-the-envelope calculations the apartment is well over 1,000 square feet, making its monthly maintenance of $888 quite reasonable. The asking price of $849,000 feels about right too. Agree?
170 Prospect Park West, #4L [Brown Harris Stevens] GMAP P*Shark
What's Going on at St. Thomas Aquinas?
A reader who spotted some new activity at the St. Thomas Aquinas School at 4th Avenue between 7th and 8th Streets (a new port-a-potty in the playground, cars, trucks, dumpsters, and a truck with the word "renovation" painted on it) wrote in to ask if we knew what's going on. There's nothing listed on DOB. Anyone have a clue? GMAP
June 19, 2009
Skimping on the Cornices at 574 4th Avenue?
Is the developer of the 574 4th Avenue cutting some corners on the building's finishing touches? We sure hope not, given that it's a Radusky design to begin with, but that's the theory put forth by a Curbed tipster yesterday: "It looks like they're cheaping out midway through development," writes the tipster. "It's certainly possible this will come later, but why take down the scaffolding before putting on the cornices?" GMAP
June 18, 2009
Streetlevel: Knotting Slope Closes
After almost five years in their shop at 242 7th Avenue in Park Slope, the folks behind hand-made carpet specialty store Knotting Slope are calling it quits. According to OTBKB, they couldn't afford the rent increase the owner wanted to charge. Their loss is your gain: there's currently a big going-out-of-business sale underway. GMAP
Argyle Closings Happening, But Watch That Punch List
As we noted two weeks ago, closing at The Argyle on 4th Avenue in Park Slope (where 70 percent of the units have been sold) have begun. And a press release yesterday trumpeted the fact that buyers have already begun moving in and provided a link to some photos of finished interiors. Unfortunately for one new owner that we heard from, though, his place doesn't look like the one in the promotional photos. Seems that his unit wasn't in finished form when it was time to close a couple of weeks ago and he was persuaded to sign an addendum to the contract in which the developer promised to fix the problems in a timely manner. The buyer sent us the following warning tale at the end of last week and followed up with the photo above yesterday. Here's the owner's email from earlier this week:
Here I am at day 11. And I still don’t have keys to the main front doors, access to my parking space, window screens, appliance warranties, touch up paint. What I do have are uneven and scratched kitchen cabinets, sloppy paint and caulking work, uneven tiles and floors that look like the rolling hills of the Berkshires (okay, that’s an exaggeration, but there are elevation changes by inch in a three foot are all over the place.)
The update as of yesterday was that the sponsor has now torn up 90 percent of his floor, made him vacate the apartment and is predicting the work will drag on another ten days. A far cry from how the model apartment looks. Welcome to Brooklyn's Park Avenue!
First Closings Recorded at the Argyle [Brownstoner]
Argyle Listings [Corcoran] GMAP
DOB OK's the Argyle [Brownstoner]
The Argyle Unveiled [Brownstoner]
June 17, 2009
Streetlevel: New Turkish Place Opening on 7th Avenue
A tipster sent in this photo showing what lies in the future for the space at 293 7th Avenue in Park Slope which was formerly occupied by the New Orleans-style No No Kitchen: Turkish cuisine. GMAP
Brooklyn Food & Drink Round-Up
7 New Bars and Restaurants
(1) Fort Defiance, the new Red Hook spot from writer and Pegu Club alum St. John Frizell, won't get a liquor license until late July, but they'll start serving food this weekend. Eater says, "the sandwich menu includes Italian tuna, turkey, muffuletta with custom baked bread, and what else, banh mi." (2) Brooklyn Heights Blog says that Brooklyn Heights Wine Bar has opened at Henry and Cranberry. (3) Grub Street says that Calexico is finally set to open next Tuesday, but Lost City isn't sure why the word "thanks" was written in forks and knives on the sidewalk outside. (4) Lost City says that Black Horse Pub will be opening in two weeks in the South Slope, at 14th and Fifth Avenue. (5) Brunch Anytime noticed that another location of Bay Ridge health food spot Nature's Grill is setting up shop a few doors down from Trader Joe's in Cobble Hill. (6) Grub Street says that Italian-American restaurant Grandma Rose's is opening today at 457 Graham Avenue (near Herbert Street) in Williamsburg. (7) And blogger Didactic Katydid reports that yakitori spot Sui Ren is now open at 302 Metropolitan Avenue (at Roebling).
Rye Gets Reviewed
247 South First Street (Roebling Street), Williamsburg; (718) 218-8047
New York Times restaurant critic Frank Bruni gives a single star to Williamsburg's Rye and wonders whether it is meant to be "a drinkers’ refuge with ambitious food or a proper restaurant with a particular vanity about its cocktails... Maybe that’s a function of the neighborhood, whose hipsters are aging and being joined by more settled, stodgy types." We're not sure how the restaurant's regulars are supposed to feel about this remark. In any case, Tasting Table raves about Rye's meatloaf sandwich: "The glorious, two-handed sandwich comprises a half-pound tablet of ground pork, veal and duck cooked in its own reduced braising juices and planted between a chewy, crusty roll. Golden haystack onions spill out atop the meat loaf, while a layer of horseradish-dressed frisée packs serious zip, and briny, thin-sliced pickles temper the opulence."
After the jump: a new home for the McCarren Park Greenmarket, Char No. 4's summer barbecue deal, a $5 dinner at Hope Lounge, a Red Hook bar crawl in photos, and new signage for Timboo's...
June 15, 2009
StreetLevel: Slope Card Store Getting Bigger Digs
The very cute 5th Avenue card/gift shop Scaredy Kat is trading its current storefront for a larger one across the street, in the recently vacated Star of India space near the corner of President. The business is about to celebrate its 10-year anniversary and plans to be up and running in its new space the week after Father's Day.
Scaredy Kat [Official Site] GMAP
Co-op of the Day: 152 Prospect Park West, #4B
The living areas of this 1,100-square-foot co-op at 152 Prospect Park West in Park Slope, with their detailed woodwork and plaster work, are gorgeous. The kitchen and baths? Not so much. The two-bedroom apartment has been on the market for about two months at $775,000, and there's an open house tonight from 5:30 to 7:30. You like?
152 Prospect Park West, #4B [Douglas Elliman] GMAP P*Shark
June 12, 2009
Fifth Avenue Bike Lane Debate, Continued
The news earlier this week that the Fifth Avenue BID in Park Slope wants to do away with the Class 2 bike lane, blaming an uptick in the number of tickets delivery trucks were getting on it, Streets Blog sent a correspondent out to talk to a bunch of merchants on the commercial stretch and couldn't find much support for the BID's angle. "I haven't heard a word or noticed anything," said Emily Isaac, owner of Trois Pommes Patisserie, which receives about ten deliveries per week. "As far as the delivery guys, no one's complained to me that because of the bike riders they're getting tickets," said the owner of 'Snice at the corner of 3rd Street. There was consensus on one matter though: There need to be more designated delivery zones. The space in front of The Associated, for example, is not long enough to accommodate the big rigs that come to deliver milk several times a week; as a result, the trucks end up sticking out into the bus stop and getting hit with a ticket.
Latest Restaurant Additions
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Carroll Gardens Classic Diner
added July 2, 2009 12:00 PM in Boerum Hill -
Tripoli
added July 1, 2009 12:00 PM in Cobble Hill -
Williamsburger
added June 30, 2009 12:00 PM in Williamsburg -
Brooklyn Bread Cafe
added June 29, 2009 12:00 PM in Carroll Gardens, Park Slope -
Naidre's
added June 26, 2009 12:00 PM in Carroll Gardens, Park Slope -
Amorina
added June 25, 2009 12:00 PM in Prospect Heights -
Caracas Arepa Bar: Brooklyn
added June 24, 2009 12:00 PM in Williamsburg -
Dawg Shack
added June 23, 2009 12:00 PM in Gowanus -
Mitchell's
added June 22, 2009 12:00 PM in Prospect Heights -
City Sub
added June 19, 2009 12:00 PM in Park Slope