November 4, 2009

House of the Day: 238 Windsor Place

This two-family house at 238 Windsor Place in Windsor Terrace may have a slightly odd mix of old-school and 80s-contemporary aesthetics going on, but at its core it looks like a lovely old house and given that it's got over 3,000 square feet of living space, the price tag of $1,125,000 looks reasonable to us as well. Agree?
238 Windsor Place [Warren Lewis] GMAP P*Shark

October 15, 2009

Co-op of the Day: 310 Windsor Place, #26

We're loving the feel of this two-bedroom co-op at 310 Windsor Place in Windsor Terrace. Great prewar character, generous size, good layout and light. What else? The kitchen was recently renovated, the maintenance is low and the building is steps from the park. Asking price: $629,000. What's not to like?
310 Windsor Place, #26 [Brown Harris Stevens] GMAP P*Shark

October 8, 2009

Condo of the Day: 11 Terrace Place, #2

We're including this condo at 11 Terrace Place in Windsor Terrace because we think it's attractive or a great deal but because we were unaware that this building even existed. Unfortunately, the listing for this one-bedroom doesn't do a great job of putting the apartment's best foot forward (after all, even a pig can benefit from some lipstick). So we're more interested in hearing about the back story on this building (looks to us like it was built in 2007) than in whether you think the asking price of $349,000 is reasonable for this particular unit, but please vote on that too.
11 Terrace Place, #2 [David West] GMAP P*Shark

October 1, 2009

Co-op of the Day: 30 Ocean Parkway, #1F

Here's a neat one. This three bedroom pad in the art deco building at 30 Ocean Parkway is actually like its own little house. The 1,700-square-foot apartment has its own entrance. Given what good shape the prewar apartment is in and its proximity to Prospect Park, we'd say this is looking like a pretty attractive buy at the asking price of $549,000. Do you agree?
30 Ocean Parkway, #1F [brooklyn real/NYT] GMAP P*Shark

September 25, 2009

Horror Show Friday: 1715 11th Avenue

Here's what the tipster who sent in this photo of 1715 11th Avenue had to say: "one way to ruin a cute row of circa 1940's Tudor style single family homes? Throw an illegal extension on the roof of one of them and create a stalled work site." According to this tipster, despite a Stop Work Order still being in place, there was activity on the site last week. Classy. GMAP

June 25, 2009

CB7 Approves Park Circle Changes

Last week was a big one for Park Circle, the traffic roundabout at the Southeast corner of Prospect Park where the major roadways of Prospect Park Southwest, Ocean Parkway, Coney Island Avenue and Parkside Avenue all come together. Earlier this year, the Department of Transportation began examining short-term improvements it could make to balance the interests of pedestrians, bicyclists and horseback riders with the drivers navigating the hectic circle. Last Tuesday night DOT presented its recommendations [PDF] to the community and on Wednesday Community Board 7 voted to support them. Here's a summary from Streets Blog:
1) For pedestrians: new, direct and shorter crosswalks;
2) For cyclists: Class 1 bike path around the circle; connection to the Ocean Parkway Greenway; Class 1 bike path on Ft. Hamilton Parkway;
3) For equestrians: Protected bridle path within the circle;
4) For motorists: Park through-traffic will be consolidated to one access point.

Good news?
DOT Proposes Park Circle Improvements; CB 7 Approves [Streets Blog]
Brooklynites Suggest Park Circle Safety Fixes [Streets Blog]
Changes Coming to Park Circle this Fall [Stable Brooklyn]

June 8, 2009

House of the Day: 540 16th Street

The owners of 540 16th Street have had a tough time trying to sell their house. By the time it was listed with Brooklyn Properties last August (when we wrote about it for the first time) for $1,350,000, it had already been on the market as a FSBO asking $1,550,000 and with a small local broker for $1,499,000. Last month, the sellers finally bailed on Brooklyn Properties (where a price cut to $1,299,000 had not been enough to get the job done) and gave the nod to Warren Lewis where they're getting a fresh start with an asking price of $1,185,000. This has to be getting pretty close to the market-clearing price for this charming Arts and Crafts pad, don't you think?
540 16th Street [Warren Lewis] GMAP P*Shark

May 19, 2009

House of the Day: 161 Prospect Park Southwest

This single-family house at 161 Prospect Park Southwest in Windsor Terrace just hit the market asking $998,000. The house is not huge—three stories, 20-by-32-foot floorplate—but we suspect the chance to live on the park for under a million bucks will generate some interest. One interesting data point: The owners paid $849,000 for the house in 2005. What do you think it'll go for this time around?
161 Prospect Park Southwest [Broooklyn Real] GMAP P*Shark

May 14, 2009

Co-op of the Day: 135 Prospect Park SW

Return of the stuffed animal photos! Our furry friend was last spotted in a studio in Prospect Heights and now has popped up in this two-bedroom co-op at 135 Prospect Park Southwest in Windsor Terrace. In case you couldn't tell from the Home Depot-esque kitchen, the listing is a sponsor unit--so no board approval required. You will be required to pony up a modest monthly maintenance of $670. The asking price is $639,000. By comparison, we featured a one-bedroom in the building in March asking $399,000 that appears to have gone into contract already.
135 Prospect Park SW [Arlene Greendlinger] GMAP P*Shark

April 16, 2009

The Fight for Prospect Park's Roads

When new driving restrictions in Prospect Park go into effect on April 27, CB 7 won't be cheering. The board started making noise last year when the plan was floated, agitating for an Environmental Impact Study before any changes were made. Now, according to the Brooklyn Paper, it's a matter of pride: "No one was contacted on this before it was a done deal," said CB7 District Manager Jeremy Laufer. Opponents fear that Park Circle will be overwhelmed by the rerouted cars, a charge both DOT and TA pooh-pooh.

April 8, 2009

House of the Day: 489 16th Street

It's not really our cup of tea, but someone's obviously put a lot of effort into renovating this three-story brick townhouse at 489 16th Street in Windsor Terrace. The look is a little too "new condo trapped inside old house" for us. That said, everything's new and the location, just a block from the park, is very nice. The house was purchased for $925,000 back in 2005 and is now asking $1,595,000. What do you make of it?
489 16th Street [Corcoran] GMAP P*Shark

March 19, 2009

Co-op of the Day: 135 Prospect Park SW, #F12

This one bedroom at 135 Prospect Park Southwest is both beautiful and large. It has nice prewar character and views of Prospect Park as well. At $458, the monthly maintenance is also quite reasonable. If this were on the Park Slope side of the park, the asking price of $399,000 would seem quite reasonable. Its location in Windsor Terrace, while very nice in our book, certainly makes the price more challenging. Not impossible though. Do you think they can get it?
135 Prospect Park SW, #F12 [Brown Harris Stevens] GMAP P*Shark

January 29, 2009

Co-op of the Day: 30 Ocean Parkway 2 BR

As we've noted before, we think the art deco building at 30 Ocean Parkway in Windsor Terrace has a very nice feel, which is probably why we've already featured a couple of units as co-ops of the day in the past. Make that three times now: Today we've got another two-bedroom on tap. This one, which just hit the market, weighs in at 1,000 square feet and has all the pre-war trappings you would expect. The asking price is $525,000, a bit lower than a similar one last summer but not dramatically so.
30 Ocean Parkway 2BR [Aguayo & Huebener] GMAP P*Shark
Co-op of the Day: 30 Ocean Parkway 6/08 [Brownstoner]
Co-op of the Day: 30 Ocean Parkway 7/07 [Brownstoner]

January 21, 2009

Co-op of the Day: 310 Windsor Place

The kitchen and bathroom aren't our favorites, but the rest of this three-bedroom co-op at 310 Windsor Place is certainly attractive and, at $649,000, not a crazy price for a "family-sized" apartment within steps of the park; we also like the fact that the maintenance is just $731 for a 1,150-square-foot pad. The major drawback of this place, as we see it, is the fact that there is only one bathroom. It's one thing for a two-bedroom, but it seems like a three-bedroom could really use an extra toilet at the very least. Thoughts on the price?
310 Windsor Place [Dwelling] GMAP P*Shark

January 14, 2009

Brooklyn Food & Drink Round-Up

Photographs by Dean Kaufman; slideshow at nymag.com

Coming Soon: Prime Meats
465 Court St., at Luquer St., Carroll Gardens; (718) 254-0327
New York magazine describes Prime Meats, the forthcoming restaurant from the owners of Frankies 457 Sputino, as "a tribute to great restaurants of the past, and a bid for modern-day destination status. The bar room will open first, followed by an adjacent dining room, an upstairs speakeasy, and a garden." Eater adds that the space will also encompass "small retail booth around the corner. The dining room and storefront, still under construction now, should be ready to go in the next month... The tap room is now open on the weekends and can be accessed for the time being through Frankies 457."

Coming Soon: Shwarma
Chowhound wetwax reports: "Just a heads-up that the tiny space on 16th St and PPW (formerly Sariwa and the 16th St Gourmet) is about to reopen as 'Shawarma.' The owners are from Egypt and very friendly -- definitely will have the usual Middle Eastern fare, and possibly some special regional dishes (Um Ali, maybe?)"

A New Restaurant for Court Street?
Pardon Me For Asking noticed "signs of life at former restaurant Caffé Carciofo at 248 Court Street. Currently, a restaurant/ wine liquor license has been applied for by a certain 'Bread and Butter Development Group, LLC'. Does anyone know anything more?"

After the jump: Moim's recession special, Red Hook's Home/Made, new Calexico signage, Brooklyn's best hot wings, table service at Park Slope's Get Fresh, and some love for the Lovin' Cup Cafe...

Continue reading "Brooklyn Food & Drink Round-Up"

December 23, 2008

Brooklyn Food & Drink Round-Up

Closed: Da Vincenzo
256 Prospect Park West
"Da Vincenzo, the middling Park Slope/Windsor Terrace neighborhood Italian, is closed until further notice. The sign implies there's a chance of reopening, but we should note recent user reviews have portrayed a restaurant in decline." [Eater]

Fabulous Fruitcake from Sweet Melissa?
"Ahhh! 'Fruitcake' had become a dirty word! This cake was in dire need of redemption! And when cakes are in trouble, Melissa Murphy gets going. The challenge was on: I was going to create a delicious fruitcake," writes Sweet Melissa's owner, as she shares her fruitcake recipe with The Brooklyn Paper.

Free Soup Tonight at Open Source Gallery
255 17th Street between 5th and 6th
"The gallery is running a 'Soup Kitchen' this month, offering free homemade soup around 7pm every night until December 24th. It's usually crowded, and people bring their own beer and wine. One night, the soup was borscht, and it smelled delicious." [Fork in the Road]

December 9, 2008

Streetlevel: Lonelyville Makes Windsor Terrace Lonelier

Huh. Yesterday, we were reporting about cafés doing good business in Bed Stuy, so what's going on over here? Lonelyville, a very popular coffee shop in Windsor Terrace, has shuttered its doors. Not only that, but the building, rumored to be owned by the ladies who ran Lonelyville, is for sale, handled by Massey Knakal (this downloadable Powerpoint presentation shows the three-story building on the market for $1.25 million). About the café, the consensus around the neighborhood seems to be this: big fat bummer. GMAP

November 19, 2008

The Rezoning of Windsor Terrace

Existing Zoning

With all the focus on Gowanus lately, we've neglected Windsor Terrace, which is also being considered for a re-zone. Monday, City Planning Commissioner Amanda Burden started up the public review process for about five blocks of what they're calling East Windsor Terrace. Looks like this would mostly be down-zoning, to prevent the higher rises of Ocean Parkway and Coney Island Ave from seeping into the low-rise side streets (seems like the Caton Place condo projects, forever stalled and the scourge of the neighborhood, might be an issue here). "The current zoning has permitted construction of buildings that are not consistent with the area's prevailing built character," DCP writes. "Of particular concern is the R6 zoning mapped in portions of the rezoning area, which can permit the construction of apartment buildings without height limits that are out of character with the surrounding built context." Besides appropriate height limits, the rezoning would add a commercial overlay for part of Caton Avenue (not to be confused with Caton Place), to keep business viable. The application had gone to CB7 for a 60-day review. Meanwhile, CB7 holds a board meeting tonight at 6:30PM, 4201 4th Avenue at 43rd Street, but the public hearing for the rezoning is on December 10. For more info on ULURP, click here.

October 23, 2008

Streetlevel: Adjusting for the Cold Weather

Wishing to be much more than a seasonal business, Lia's Ices, which opened in July at 471 16th Street (near Prospect Park West in Windsor Terrace), is gearing up for the winter. It's becoming a soup joint. A recent selection included chicken noodle, pasta e fagiole, lobster bisque and mulligatawny. Worry not, those who love ice cream in cold weather: gelato's still on the menu, too. GMAP

October 20, 2008

Streetlevel: Dueling Cellphone Stores on Prospect Park West

Sure, Brooklyn was recently pronounced a paradise where comity existed between small business and the big guys, but two cell phone stores on one block? This T-Mobile shop just opened at 209 Prospect Park West, sandwiched between a Verizon shop and the delicious Dub Pies. Across the street, the Windsor Terrace version of Cake Shop, a bakery-cum-music venue, will soon open. Interesting mix of corporate and hipster playing out here.

October 16, 2008

Checking in on 138 Seeley

Last time we looked, in July of '07, 138 Seeley in Windsor Terrace was a construction site. The 12,253-square-foot, three-story, nine-unit building, designed by Van Brody (and in keeping with his non-contextual aesthetic), had been in the works since 2003. Well, the building is long finished but not yet occupied; according to folks at Bergen Basin Realty, the units went on sale three months ago, and "a couple of offers" have been made, but no sales yet. Prices range from $629,000 to $799,000, and it looks like they're all two-bedrooms.
Development Watch: 138 Seeley [Brownstoner] GMAP P*Shark DOB

The Charming Paint Peeler Reincarnated

Last spring, we lamented the loss of a sweet, albeit somewhat dilapidated, wood-framed Windsor Terrace House (apparently the previous owner had been there for over two decades without undertaking a lick of maintenance); it was bought and torn down in March. Well, here's what went up at 1518 10th Avenue instead.
Charming Paint Peeler, RIP [Brownstoner] GMAP P*Shark
Paint-Peeling Charm in Windsor Terrace [Brownstoner]

October 8, 2008

What Should the Name of WT's New Venue Be?

"Work has been getting off the ground pretty s-l-o-w-l-y for the last month," writes the owner of the club-to-be at 210 Prospect Park West, who also owns the Lower East Side's Cake Shop. "All of the typical factors are to blame... DOB hoops to jump through, etc... but, starting this week, it's going to become more and more obvious that something is happening in there! and it'll all be happening faster, going forward," he wrote on Brooklynian. "That said, some things just take time (inspections, liquor licenses, thinking of a name, etc) and there's nothing anyone can really do to speed it up (especially the naming part)." Well, maybe Brownstoners can help with the latter part; got a name for them?

September 26, 2008

[Virtually] Duking It Out Over Windsor Terrace

A few weeks ago, a reporter for the Daily News did a shop-through of Windsor Terrace, concluding that it had a "quaint retail mix" — that was actually the article's title. Her take on neighborhood fixture Farrell's — "Farrell's smells like beer, has a hardwood floor, and neon Budweiser signs and an American flag in the windows... It's not my cup of tea - or beer" — inspired a response from a longtime neighborhood resident on Container Diaries, a Windsor Terrace blog. "Institutions like Farrell’s and their survival are critical to the history that is so deeply entrenched in a neighborhood like Windsor Terrace." The debate that follows is so heated, we thought for a minute we were reading Brownstoner.
Protect Your Turf [Container Diaries]
Farrell's Pub. Photo by Rob Hoey.

September 3, 2008

Streetlevel: War of the Wines in South Brooklyn?

We reported last week that Slope was getting a new wine shop on 5th and a new wine bar on 7th. Now an existing wine shop, Windsor Wines will relocate to Windsor Terrace's main drag, Prospect Park West. Turns out this beautiful stained glass from Brooklyn's prime soda fountain days was languishing beneath signs at the pet store on this spot, 216 Prospect Park West, for many years. Windsor Wine and Spirits owner, John Lenartz, plans to keep the facade intact. But he's still not sure when he's opening. "It's all liquor authority-related. We're in the process of all that," he says. Fingers are crossed for late September.

Windsor Terrace