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Building of the Day: 129-135 Cambridge Place
Brooklyn, one building at a time.
Name: Row Houses
Address: 129-135 Cambridge Place
Cross Streets: Gates Avenue and Fulton Street
Neighborhood: Clinton Hill
Year Built: 1894
Architectural Style: Queen Anne/Arts and Crafts
Architect: William B. Tubby
Other buildings by architect: Pratt Institute Library, Scheiren Mansion and Charles Pratt Mansion, Clinton Ave, row houses on Lafayette, Vanderbilt Avenues and St. James Place, in Clinton Hill.
Landmarked: Yes, part of Clinton Hill HD (1981)
The story: When it comes to some of the eclectic, but narrow, row houses scattered throughout Clinton Hill, I can usually identify the ones designed by William Tubby fairly easily. Tubby’s houses stand out, even the plainer ones, because in their simplicity lies genius. This talented architect, who is on the short list of the best of the architects from this period, was a master of form and composition, and use of materials.
It takes a master to make the simple look elegant. These modest row houses were built in 1894, a time when America was still celebrating the new elegance and opulence of the White Cities world depicted at the World’s Fair in Chicago, in 1893. In Brooklyn, in this same neighborhood, the mansions of people like the Pratt Family, the Arbuckle’s, Schieren’s, Hoagland’s, and the other barons of Clinton Avenue, were practically side by side with the growing numbers of worker’s housing, tenements, and more middle class fare all around the area. These houses were a part of that growth. (more…)
02/10/2012 3:00 PM
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Putnam Court, Rendered
Here’s a rendering of the new affordable housing project on Putnam Avenue and Irving Place, courtesy of Dunn Development and SLCE Architects. Site prep began last week. After approximately 18 months of construction, this will be a 58-unit residential development.
Big Dig at Putnam Avenue Lot [Brownstoner]
Clinton Hill Affordable Build Going Up This Month [Brownstoner]
Clinton Hill Lot to Become Affordable Housing [Brownstoner] GMAP DOB
02/10/2012 10:31 AM
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Grand Avenue Getting Another Bump
Good news for those who live on or around Grand Avenue: At the urging of Council Member Letitia James, a second speed has been approved for the block of Grand between Gates and Putnam avenues in Clinton Hill. The bump was approved late last month but will likely not be installed for six months or so because of an existing backlog at DOT. Hopefully there will be a little hump in this bump, as the current one does little to dissuade aggressive drivers from speeding down the street.
02/10/2012 10:00 AM
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New Traffic Light Comes to Hall and Park
For Clinton Hill residents on their way home from Williamsburg or the BQE, Hall Street has always been a short cut in no small part because there was no light, only a stop sign, to get across Park Avenue. Well, those days are over. As of the end of January, there’s a new stoplight at the crossing. Evidently there were a number of accidents that happened with people pulling out across oncoming traffic on Park Avenue.
02/09/2012 12:00 PM
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Coffee Shop Now Open on Myrtle Avenue
The owner of new coffee shop Carthage 521 wrote in to let us know the spot opened at 521 Myrtle Avenue, at Grand, this weekend. The hours will be every day from 6:30am to midnight. On the menu? Espresso, turkish coffee, Scratchbread goodies, sandwiches, and hookah in the evenings. Click through to see an interior shot of the space… GMAP (more…)
02/06/2012 2:00 PM
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Clinton Hill Rooftops on a Sunny Day
We went up to the roof of our brownstone yesterday to attend to investigate a small leak. It’d been a while since we’d been up there and the visibility was about as good as it gets so we snapped this quick panoramic video or the surrounding neighborhood. If you look closely, you might even be able to spot Wasder’s house.
On a related note, Gabby’s on vacation this week so we’re back in the driver’s seat for the next five days. Please send us tips, comments, etc. to brownstoner AT brownstoner DOT com.
02/06/2012 12:00 PM
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525 Clinton Avenue: The Song That Never Ends
Are people ever going to live inside 525 Clinton Avenue? The troubled Clinton Hill high-rise sat empty for years, and then a foreclosure auction was finally scheduled last September. At that point, the lien was $25 million. Then the auction was pushed back to December. Now, according to Property Shark, it’s scheduled again, for February 23rd. The lien has risen slightly, to $25,121,971. Assemblyman Hakeem Jeffries previously focused on 525 Clinton Avenue in an effort to turn the failed luxury developments into affordable housing, but what the future holds for this building is really anybody’s guess. Thoughts on why other developments have been snapped up recently and re-positioned as rentals, while this one sits on the sidelines?
Another Foreclosure Auction Set for 525 Clinton Avenue [Brownstoner]
525 Clinton Avenue [PropertyShark]
Foreclosure Auction Scheduled for 525 Clinton Avenue [Brownstoner]
Stop Work Order at 525 Clinton Avenue [Brownstoner]
525 Clinton Avenue: Something Happening Here? [Brownstoner]
Will 525 Clinton Avenue Really Go Affordable? [Brownstoner]
The Ghosts of 525 Clinton [Brownstoner] GMAP
02/03/2012 10:00 AM
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Big Dig at Putnam Avenue Lot
Construction workers started excavation on the lot on Putnam Avenue near the corner of Irving Place in prep for what will soon be an affordable housing development. Last month the developer told us construction on the 59-unit, seven-story building should last about 18 months. The blue-ish building in the background is the market-rate Karl Fischer-designed development, which is also under construction.
Clinton Hill Affordable Build Going Up This Month [Brownstoner]
Clinton Hill Lot to Become Affordable Housing [Brownstoner] GMAP DOB
02/02/2012 2:40 PM
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Locavore Restaurant Opening on Classon and Fulton
A new restaurant is coming to 549 Classon Avenue, right off Fulton Street. The owner says it will be called Alice’s Arbor and that the cuisine will be based on “local farmer’s farming goodies, and the specials based on seasonal fares.” He didn’t get back to us about an opening date, but construction looks like it’s coming along. GMAP
02/02/2012 2:00 PM
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House of the Day: 26 St. James Place
This brownstone listing at 26 St. James Place in Clinton Hill reminds us a bit of what our house looked like when we took possession back in 2004. Lots of nice details but desperately in need of TLC! This place is a legal six-family with two of the units still occupied, whereas ours was an SRO that was delivered vacant but without a Certificate of Non-Harrassment…
26 St. James Place [ERA Petkoff Realty] GMAP P*Shark
01/31/2012 1:21 PM
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Co-op of the Day: 360 Clinton Avenue, #4M
The apartments at 360 Clinton Avenue in Clinton Hill, while not overly fancy, tend to have a comforting prewar vibe to them. This one-bedroom on the fourth floor is no exception. The 680-square-foot pad has original parquet floors as well as nice light and high ceilings. It’s hard to tell without a floor plan, but the rooms feel generously proportioned. The asking price on this one is $405,000, less than what a larger one-bedroom on a higher floor is currently asking.
360 Clinton Avenue, #4M [FSBO] GMAP P*Shark
01/31/2012 12:56 PM
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Open House Picks
Clinton Hill
101 Gates Avenue
Corcoran
Sunday, 1:00-2:00
$1,499,000
GMAP P*Shark
South Slope
164 17th Street
Triumph Property
Sunday, 1:30-3:00
$1,179,000
GMAP P*Shark
Crown Heights
662 Sterling Place
Corcoran
Sunday, 11:30-12:30, 2:45-4
$1,099,000
GMAP P*Shark
Red Hook
171 Dikeman Street
Fillmore
Sunday, 1:00-3:00
$849,000
GMAP P*Shark
01/27/2012 1:06 PM
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Big Clinton Hill Development Site on the Market
A few years ago developer Hudson Companies planned a high-rise on Emerson Place in Clinton Hill but ended up putting the project on hold in the dark days of early ’09. Now it looks like they’re intent on selling, as a $16.8 million listing for the property is up on Massey Knakal’s website. Here’s the description: “The subject has approved plans for a 17-story, 110-unit residential tower. The high-rise will offer a diverse mix of unit types ranging from efficient studios to family-sized two-bedroom apartments, including terrace penthouses. The 17-story tower will have 360 degree views, abundant outdoor space, and sleek modern apartments.” The rendering included with the listing is the first we’ve seen for the project; at present it’s a vacant lot. Hudson demolished the commercial building that used to be on the site in 2008.
131-37 Emerson Place [Massey Knakal]
Emerson Place Presses Pause [Brownstoner]
Development Watch: 131 Emerson Place Demo [Brownstoner] GMAP
Hudson Aiming High on Emerson Place [Brownstoner]
01/27/2012 9:30 AM
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Rental of the Day: 80 Grand Avenue
Grand Avenue, between Park and Myrtle avenues, has seen a crop of new developments go up in the past year or so, including this rental building at 80 Grand Avenue. We’ve always been curious about how much newer units in the area rent for. This two bedroom is asking $2,850/month. The apartment looks standard but well-done. The building also has a health club, roof terrace and parking. Think it’s worth the rent?
80 Grand Avenue [Viza Group Real Estate] GMAP P*Shark
01/26/2012 12:32 PM
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Speedy Romeo Opens Tonight
The new Italian joint Speedy Romeo is scheduled to open tonight on Classon and Greene. The menu will feature pizza and classic Italian entrees, and Patch notes that homemade mozzarella is likely to make an appearance too. The restaurant will only serve dinner at first, but lunch and brunch are planned. Pumped?
Stirrings at the Speedy Romeo Space [Brownstoner]
Wood-Fired Pizza Coming to Greene and Classon [Brownstoner] GMAP
01/24/2012 2:00 PM
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Historic House at 96 Lefferts Place Slated for Demo
Bad news for anyone who cares about old houses: A permit was filed this week to tear down the old freestanding wood house at 96 Lefferts Place in Clinton Hill. (“HEREWITH TO PROPOSE FULL DEMOLITION OF BUILDING, USING MECHANICAL MEANS, reads the job description.) We first mentioned this as a possibility back in 2007 when we were writing about the efforts of the owner of 70 Lefferts Place to tear down that historic structure and replace it with a 25-unit building. As we all know, that effort was stymied by some last-minute landmarking. It appears that there may be no such deus ex machina to save the day for Number 96, the second-oldest house on the block. The two-family house traded hands last May for a mere $810,000. We’re surprised we haven’t heard any noise from residents of Lefferts Place, who have been known to fight hard to preserve their slice of Old New York. Given that the 59-by-123-foot lot comes with the right to put up a 14,392-square-foot building, this’ll be a game-changer (in a bad way) for this neck of the woods. Chances of this not being ugly? De minimis.
UPDATE: A reader just sent in this excerpt from the US Department of the Interior, National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination Form, regarding the Clinton Hill South Historic District of which this block of Lefferts Place forms a part:
Stylistically and chronologically the earliest buildings in the historic district are three houses with Greek Revival detail [including] the large mansion at 96 Lefferts Place … . Although it has had its window enframements removed and has been clad with aluminium siding, the large house at 96 Lefferts Place retains its Greek Revival form. The rectangular flat-roofed building has an austere entrance with a paneled front door flanked by stylized pilasters and topped by a transom. A Doric-columned porch runs in front of the entrance and the attic level is lit by small rectangular windows.
Deets on 70 Lefferts, Wrecking Ball for #96 [Brownstoner] GMAP P*Shark
01/24/2012 10:55 AM
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Clinton Hill Affordable Build Going Up This Month
The DOB has approved permits for a new affordable housing building near the corner of Irving Place on Putnam Avenue in Clinton Hill, next to another development that’s been rising quickly. The firm behind the affordable project is Dunn Development, the same folks building the Navy Green development. Developer Martin Dunn tells us construction on the 59-unit, seven-story building on Putnam should start later this month and last around 18 months. The 40,000-square-foot lot sold last May for $2,345,000.
Clinton Hill Lot to Become Affordable Housing [Brownstoner] GMAP DOB
01/19/2012 10:00 AM
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Brooklyn Tap House Has Opened on Myrtle Avenue
Brooklyn Tap House, the large new bar on Myrtle at Taffee Place, on the Clinton Hill-Bed Stuy border, has opened, according to a tipster who sent in the photo above. The business’s website say it has 40 craft beers on tap, and the food menu shows they’re serving standard pub grub, with most items under $10. The bar opens weekdays at 4 p.m. and at noon on weekends.
Brooklyn Tap House [Official Site]
Big Clinton Hill Beer Garden in the Works [Brownstoner] GMAP
01/18/2012 2:00 PM
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Building of the Day: 298 Classon Avenue
Brooklyn, one building at a time.
Name: 88th Precinct, originally Brooklyn’s 4th Precinct
Address: 298 Classon Avenue
Cross Streets: Corner of DeKalb Avenue
Neighborhood: Clinton Hill
Year Built: 1890
Architectural Style: Romanesque Revival
Architect: George Ingram
Other buildings by architect: 19th Precinct, Herbert St, E. Wmsbg; 18th Precinct, 4th Ave, Sunset Pk(both landmarked); old 22nd Precinct, Grand and Park Pl, Crown Hts N.
Landmarked: No
The story: George Ingram was the Assistant Engineer for the Brooklyn Department of City Works, in the mid-1880’s, when he undertook designing the basic framework for new precinct houses in Brooklyn. He ended up designing 6 or 7 precincts, most of which still stand, even though some are no longer used by the police department. The 88th Precinct building remains one of his most visible designs, and is still in use today, although the precinct itself was originally called the 4th Precinct. (more…)
01/12/2012 3:30 PM
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Walkabout: Rev. Talmage’s Tabernacle-Cleansing Fire
(Interior of the third Talmage Tabernacle, Clinton Avenue. Photo: nycago.org)
If your church burns down once, it can inspire a congregation to build again; larger, stronger and better. If the new building, in the same location as the first, burns down fifteen years later, in the midst of a violent thunderstorm, you might take it as a sign that it’s time to find another part of town to build in. This is exactly what the minister, board and congregation of the Brooklyn Tabernacle thought after their church, called Talmage’s Tabernacle, burned to the ground for the second time, in 1889. The first two churches had been on the edge of Downtown Brooklyn, on Schermerhorn Street, between Nevins and Third Avenue. After a search for a suitable property, it was announced that the third Talmage’s Tabernacle would rise on Clinton Avenue, at the corner of Greene Avenue, in fashionable Clinton Hill. (more…)
01/12/2012 10:30 AM
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Feb 06, 2012 | 12:32 PM