November 6, 2009

StreetLevel: Cafe DuCharme Opens on President

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Cafe DuCharme opened earlier this week on President near the corner of 5th Avenue. The small cafe, which gets its handle from the last name of its Swiss owner, is open from 7 to 7, and in addition to fair trade drip ($1.25/cup) has a variety of sandwiches (a prosciutto combo, eg, for $8.75) and breakfast fare. The shop's proprietor previously had a coffee shop in Old San Juan.
Two New Eateries Coming to Slope's President Street [Brownstoner] GMAP

November 5, 2009

Development Watch: 580 Carroll Gets Its Glass On

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One of the defining features of the controversial development 580 Carroll Street, its angled glass windows, has started to come into focus. Over the past few weeks glass has gone up on the Garfield Place side of the Enrique Norten-designed building, above, as well as on a small section of the Carroll Street part of the structure. A BSA hearing later this month will likely decide whether the increased density the developer is gunning for on the Carroll side—which would result in the glass wall reaching the sidewalk rather than being set back considerably and fronted by small yards, as in an older version of the design—will come to pass.
BSA Postpones Decision on Carroll St Norten Again [Brownstoner]
580 Carroll Decision Postponed [Brownstoner]
Slope Rallies Against 580 Carroll, Rags on the BSA [Brownstoner]
Battle Over Carroll St. Norten Build Heats Up This Week [Brownstoner]
CB6 Doesn't Buy Carroll Street Hardship Claim [Brownstoner]
580 Carroll Developer Trying to Supersize Norten Project [Brownstoner]
Development Watch: 580 Carroll Street [Brownstoner] GMAP
Enrique Norten-Designed Project in Park Slope Revealed [Brownstoner]
Four Developments Coming to One Stretch of Carroll [Brownstoner]

StreetLevel: Lucas Fine Foods Coming to Union

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A reader dropped a line to let us know signage has gone up announcing that a biz called Lucas Fine Foods is coming to Union Street between 6th and 7th avenues. The poster in the window says Lucas will be a cafe and sell prepared foods, and that it's opening in late fall. GMAP

November 4, 2009

Streetlevel: New Cafe Opening on 6th Avenue

At some point soon, judging from the exterior, a new coffee place called Kohzee Cafe is going to open at 396 6th Avenue. Excited? GMAP

Slope Armory Set-Back

The ribbon-cutting at the Park Slope Armory's refurbished athletic facilities held more than a year and a half ago is looking rather premature in hindsight. The Brooklyn Paper says that the Park Slope Armory opening has been delayed again, something to do with both the glacial pace of classroom as well as the inability to get the FDNY to set a date to inspect. “They can’t even give us a ballpark figure,” said Nica Lalli, CB6’s Parks Committee chairwoman. “They can not give us anything that will satisfy our need to know. We asked it 15 ways, but they did not budge and give us a date.” Once the fire department does sigs off, the Department of Homeless Services can hand over control to the YMCA; at that point the Y will have another couple of months of its own work to do, though some of the recreation programs for kids will not have to wait.
At the Armory, Wait ‘Til Next Year [Brooklyn Paper]
Armory to Open in November [Courier Life]
Slope's Armory Rec Center Delayed, Again [Brownstoner]
Photo by Crown Heights North

November 2, 2009

House of the Day: 49 8th Avenue

Sweeeeeet! Check out this 25-foot-wide corner brownstone at 49 8th Avenue in Park Slope. While whoever can end up affording the $3,200,000 price tag will inevitably want to gussy it up a bit (even the listing says it's "in need of repair and renovation," we're loving what we can see of the house in its current unfancified state. It's got 42 windows and, on the parlor floor, a ballroom. Overall, there's more than 6,500 square feet of space. Ah, to dream.
49 8th Avenue [Corcoran] GMAP P*Shark

October 29, 2009

House of the Day: 902 Union Street

This new brownstone listing at 902 Union Street has some nice old details but we suspect that the busy location and the condition of the house may make the $3,000,000 asking price a bit of a stretch. Don't get us wrong: We really like the original details and overall vibe of the house but the place doesn't sparkle the way a house at this price should. (Of course, much of that could be the way it was photographed, but that's part of the game here.) What do you think it'll sell for?
902 Union Street [AltaNYC] GMAP P*Shark

October 26, 2009

House of the Day: 291 8th Street

This house at 291 8th Street in Park Slope is a bit unusual in that it as a legal commercial space in the ground floor. We like the looks of the ground-floor space, which is fully built out on the lot and has a bunch of nice skylights installed. The renovation on the rest of the house, while thorough, isn't really floating our boat. In particular, all the light colored wood trim looks out of place to us. But that's easily fixable as is, we imagine, the asking price of $2,100,000, which seems quite high unless the rent on that commercial space is potentially much higher than we would imagine. Thoughts?
291 8th Street [Douglas Elliman] GMAP P*Shark

NYT: Food Co-op Exile's Story Demands 2,000 Words

food%20co-op.jpg Comrades, a new bar has just been set for Park Slope Food Co-op navel gazing: "For such a scrutinized institution, little public attention is paid to people like me—co-op failures and near-failures who have struggled to stay in good standing and have stumbled in the cramped aisles. Like every other aspect of the much-loved and much-hated co-op, the topic of members in trouble draws a bushel of opinions. An organic bushel, of course...The co-op, a place that raises aspirations for society, makes us raise aspirations for ourselves. I am still suspended, but imagine myself someday returning and remaining in good standing. Nostalgically, I envision old friends and former roommates in the aisles, examining the white nectarines. But I wonder: couldn’t it be a little mellower?" —Flunking Out at the Food Co-op
Photo by Betty Blade.

October 21, 2009

Condo of the Day: 153 Lincoln Place, #3C

It looks like most of the units at 153 Lincoln Place—the former bordello in Park Slope—are now spoken for: Seven have closed, one is on contract and two are still for sale. One of the apartments that's still available, Unit 3C, has had its asking price cut twice in the last three months, bringing it to $999,000 from an initial $1,245,000. It has a lot of space—1,388 square feet—so we suspect the problem has been the untraditional layout. Or maybe, to beat a familiar drum, it's the lack of original details inside a historic shell. Thoughts?
153 Lincoln Place, #3C [Corcoran] GMAP P*Shark

October 20, 2009

StreetLevel: Store for Dudes Opens in the Slope

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Hog Mountain, the "general store for men," opened a few days ago on 5th Avenue near the corner of Sackett. The shop stocks a lot of clothing (mostly outerwear and jeans) as well as a smattering of toiletries and hardware.
Hog Mountain [Facebook] GMAP
StreetLevel: New Men's Shop Coming to the Slope [Brownstoner]

House of the Day: 65 Prospect Park West, Reduced

We posted 65 Prospect Park West as a House of the Day last April when it hit the market asking $2,899,000. The price has just been reduced by a third, bringing it down to $1,950,000. The listing says that the "motivated seller MUST SELL" so there's probably some wiggle room even from here. Even if the interior is a disaster, the seller would be better served to include some interior photos: absence makes the heart grow suspicious. The listing does say that there's plenty of original charm left so at some price in here this has to be interesting. Last go round, the average widget price was $2,173,820. Let's see what people think six months later.
65 Prospect Park West [Awaye Realty] GMAP P*Shark
House of the Day: 65 Prospect Park West [Brownstoner]

October 19, 2009

House of the Day: 524 2nd Street

Here's a classic meat-and-potatoes Park Slope listing. The two family house at 524 2nd Street has a charming exterior, lots of interior details and a low-maintenance backyard. (It's also zoned for PS 321.) At only 18 feet wide, though, it's got a slightly more modest scale than some other houses in the area, which will make it interesting to see whether the asking price of $2,375,000 flies.
524 2nd Street [Townsley & Gay] GMAP P*Shark

October 16, 2009

Streetlevel: Thai Food for Flatbush

A new restaurant's coming to 293 Flatbush Avenue (on the Prospect Heights side) and, according to the folks next door at Franny's, it's slated to be a Thai place. Unlikely to make headlines but possibly good news for the local take-out crowd. GMAP

Owner Takes Park Slope's Pink House Off Market

Local media were abuzz recently when Park Slope's hard-to-miss pink brownstone on Garfield Place went on the market for nearly $2.3 million, but The Brooklyn Paper reported yesterday that Heights Berkeley Realty, the firm selling the house, took the property off the market due to legal complications. The grandson of owner Bernie Henry, who painted the house bright pink in the 1960s, "is under investigation for forging key documents that have put a cloud over who has legal ownership of the building," according to the Paper. As for the ostentatious color of the home, the article mentions that of course a buyer could repaint it, but one local resident commented: "It’s like anything else in life: at first, you hate it because it’s new. But then you come to love it. And then you don’t want it to ever change."
Famed Pink House Pulled Off Market in Legal Dispute [Brooklyn Paper]
Park Slope's Pink House 4 Sale [Gothamist]
Photo by Karen Bonna Rainert

October 14, 2009

Streetlevel: Laytner's Latest Location is in the Slope

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Collective sigh of relief, Park Slope: Word came in from a reader that "no more trips up to the Upper West Side for comfy if expensive sheets" are necessary because the fourth outpost of Laytner's Linen & Home is opening on Union Street between 6th and 7th avenues. And so it is. The banner outside the future store says it's slated to be business sometime this fall. The interior of the space is looking mighty raw right now, but workers were busy trucking in building materials yesterday. GMAP

House of the Day: 58 6th Avenue Revisited

Here's a cautionary tale: Developer buys old house in neighborhood where people generally like old houses, strips house of character, renovates house in characterless nouveau traditional style, tries to sell for a lot of money, ends up changing brokers three times and cutting prices 23 times. This has been the experience of 58 6th Avenue, which we featured as a House of the Day back in April 2008 when it was at $1,695,000, down from the initial ask of $1,850,000. Since then, Corcoran's had the listing and now Weichert has recently been giving it death by a thousand price cuts. Desperation has surely set in, as last week's reduction brought the current asking price to $1,275,000. At some point, won't this work as a rental property?
58 6th Avenue [Weichert] GMAP P*Shark
House of the Day: 58 6th Avenue [Brownstoner]

McDonald's Robber Apprehended in Slope

According to the reader who sent in this photo of a gun on the sidewalk outside Bread and Bagel Co. on Union Avenue, an armed robber stuck up the McDonald's on 4th Avenue last night. Evidently there were cops and barricades up all over the place. Anyone else pass by this scene?

How Much to Live in that Slope Scarano?

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The Scarano-designed condo on 1st Street between 4th and 5th avenues shook off its scaffolding in July, and some of the building's 10 units have been on the market for more than a month at this point. (If the broker's website is accurate, a few of them are already in contract.) Listings in the building are ranging from $649,000 for a 1,012-square-foot, 1-bedroom unit to $1.15 million for a 1,691-square-foot three bedroom. Has anyone checked these out in the flesh?
Dying Breed: One of the Last Boom-Era Scaranos Revealed [Brownstoner] GMAP

October 13, 2009

House of the Day: 146 6th Avenue Revisited

This house at 146 6th Avenue in Park Slope was a house of the day pick back in June 2008 when it was listed for $2,750,000 in the NY TImes. It clearly didn't sell, because after a long break it's back on the market again for $2,295,000. The house hasn't changed hands since 1979, and a commenter back in the original HOTD thread made a reference to some personal conflict between the owners that might have been complicating the sales process. That first listing didn't include any interior photos, so we feared the worst, but the photos in this new Elliman listing show a space that's much nicer than we expected. Lots of original details, and a sprinkler system to boot. For a corner three-family house, the taxes listed on Property Shark of $7,626 sound low. You liking this place at this price?
146 6th Avenue [Douglas Elliman] GMAP P*Shark
House of the Day: 146 6th Avenue [Brownstoner]

Co-op of the Day: 39 Plaza Street West

After seeing the photo of the exterior of 39 Plaza Street West and reading the word "maisonette" in the listing, we were all excited to fall in love with this new one-bedroom listing. Unfortunately, 'twas not to be. The living room feels like a gigantic foyer and the kitchen reno leaves us limp. Oh, and the monthly maintenance of $1,258 feels high for a 750-square-foot co-op. Looks like the asking price of $420,000 is gonna have to come down.
39 Plaza Street West [Corcoran] GMAP P*Shark

October 9, 2009

So Long, Slope Socksmith

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A construction fence recently went up in the gutted building on 5th Avenue between Degraw and Sackett that's hosted the Socksmith—that guy who sold socks, belt buckles and other stuff—for some time now. (Here is Park Slope had an interesting writeup about him a few months back.) We're not likely to see the Socksmith in that location again because DOB permits show the space is being renovated, and a person working in the vintage shop next door, which is called Monkey Whistles and Motor Bikes, said they'd be moving into the fixed-up digs when construction's complete. GMAP DOB

October 8, 2009

Collision at Grand Army

There were at least half a dozen emergency vehicles filling the road near Grand Army Plaza last night around midnight, blocking traffic between the arch and the park. At the center, there were two cars in terrible condition from what looked like a head-on or perhaps side-impact collision. Despite some improvements to bicycle and pedestrian paths around Grand Army Plaza, the roads there are still some of the busiest and most dangerous in Brooklyn. When passing this particularly nasty accident scene, we didn't have the time to stop and talk to the police, but we hope that everyone involved survived unscathed.

October 7, 2009

House of the Day: 212 8th Avenue

Another classic Park Slope beauty, 212 8th Avenue just hit the market this week. It's everything you would expect, from the parquet to the mahogany to the pier mirrors. It will be very interesting to see how the price tag of $2,995,000 flies in this market. It wouldn't have cut the mustard a few months ago, we suspect, but psychology is definitely a little better right now so we shall see. We bet it'll go for more like $2,750,000 but we shall see.
212 8th Avenue [Douglas Elliman] GMAP P*Shark

The Slope's Most Cursed Corner?

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The question of whether the corner of President and 5th is just bad luck for restaurants arises on a Brooklynian thread about the shuttering of Playa and Cabana Bar, which opened a little over a year ago in that location. Prior to that, the space briefly hosted three other eateries: Night & Day, Lookout Hill, and Biscuit BBQ. The closing of Playa, though, seems sorta odd, as it did much steadier business than the three places that preceded it. A source close to the restaurant gives the following account of Playa's shuttering: The guy who ran the three businesses before Playa was brought in as a partner on the new venture because he owned the space's liquor license. However, he's now in a legal dispute with the landlord and pulled out of his partnership in Playa, taking the liquor license with him. Playa couldn't turn a profit without the booze license, hence the closing. There's probably a lot different takes on why it closed, but that's one of them. In any event, what would you like to see go into the space next? GMAP