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Building of the Day: 711 Nostrand Avenue
Brooklyn, one building at a time.
Name: Commercial building with flats above
Address: 711 Nostrand Avenue
Cross Streets: Between Park and Sterling Places
Neighborhood: Crown Heights North
Year Built: 1899
Architectural Style: Colonial Revival
Architect: George P. Chappell
Other Work by Architect: Over 50 buildings in Crown Hts North alone, including many on Dean St. Pacific Street, including St. Bartholomew’s Episcopal Church, New York Avenue, Bergen Street and Park and Prospect Places. Also buildings in Stuyvesant Heights, Bedford Stuyvesant and Park Slope
Landmarked: Yes, part of Phase II of Crown Heights North HD (2011)
The story: One of the reasons Brooklyn’s historic districts are so great, architecturally speaking, is because of the continuity between the residential and commercial streets. Many of the same architects who designed the fine homes on the residential side streets also designed the buildings on the busy commercial streets. These buildings were no less detailed, no less well-though out, and in fact, may have even been more so, due to the fact that people would be able to see them in their daily travels, as well as patronize the businesses that were on the first floors of these buildings.
Nostrand Avenue is one of the great commercial thoroughfares of our borough, and at the dawn of the 20th century, was still being developed. It wouldn’t be really finished, at least not in the Crown Heights section, until the 1930s. The storefront buildings, apartment buildings and commercial buildings, including the banks that line the street between Atlantic Avenue and Eastern Parkway are a delightful mixture of architectural styles and flavors. Although almost all of the storefronts have been altered, some beyond recognition, the street retains a great deal of its original architecture. (more…)
06/18/2013 3:30 PM
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Commercial Space Coming Along at 951 Dean
The new commercial building at 951 Dean Street, right on the corner of Classon Avenue in Crown Heights, is looking close to done. The space boasts nice, big windows — we wonder what kind of tenant the building owners are trying to bring in. The builders actually constructed the corner building as an addition to the old brick stable on Dean Street. Construction started up last summer.
An Addition to 951 Dean Street in Crown Heights [Brownstoner] GMAP
06/14/2013 2:40 PM
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Open House Picks
Carroll Gardens
455 Sackett Street
Corcoran
Sunday, 2:30-4:00
$2,800,000
GMAP P*Shark
Red Hook
442 Van Brunt Street
Douglas Elliman
Sunday, 12:00-2:00
$1,900,000
GMAP P*Shark
Williamsburg
267 Ainslie Street
Aptsandlofts.com
Sunday, 12:00-2:00
$1,495,000
GMAP P*Shark
Crown Heights
837 Eastern Parkway
Town Residential
Sunday, 2:00-4:00
$1,250,000
GMAP P*Shark
06/14/2013 1:02 PM
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Building of the Day: 751 St. Marks Avenue
Brooklyn, one building at a time.
Name: The Betsy Ross Apartments
Address: 751 St. Marks Avenue
Cross Streets: Corner New York Avenue
Neighborhood: Crown Heights North
Year Built: 1935-37
Architectural Style: Colonial Revival
Architect: Cohn Brothers
Other Work by Architect: three other apartment buildings on this block and the next, as well as Haddon and Parbrook Hall apartment buildings on Park Place. Also many, many buildings in Flatbush and Queens.
Landmarked: Yes, part of Crown Heights North HD, Phase 2 (2011)
The story: On August 10, 1882 a huge fire engulfed the stable and coach house of James Hazelhurst, a wealthy dry goods merchant. His spacious estate on St. Marks Avenue consisted of an enormous rambling Italianate style wood framed mansion and in the back, near New York Avenue, a large stable and coach house. The property took up three lots, and was one of the largest on this block of mansions. In fact, between New York and Nostrand Avenue, on the north side of the street, there were only five properties on the entire block, all with spacious grounds between them. The newspaper accounts of the fire tell us that the entire stable burned to the ground before the fire could be put out. Tragically, Hazelhurst lost four horses in the fire, as well as four carriages and all of his tack and harnesses. He estimated the loss at $30,000.
The fire did not come near the house, fortunately, and the next owners, the Eiler family, lived there until the family sold the house and grounds to developers in 1935. By that time, the prestigious St. Marks District was fast disappearing under the wrecking ball, as the grand mansions along St. Marks Avenue went down, one by one, replaced by large apartment buildings that housed not one family, but hundreds. In 1920, the IRT subway had extended along Eastern Parkway with stops at Nostrand and Kingston Avenue, bringing people farther into Brooklyn on easily commutable lines. (more…)
06/13/2013 3:30 PM
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House of the Day: 837 Eastern Parkway
This late-Victorian Crown Heights limestone seems to have all the trimmings, including a stained glass skylight, elaborate screen (are those dragons we see?), built-ins, five-panel pocket doors, pier mirror, and on and on. All the mechanicals were replaced in 2007, but the listing has no photos of kitchens or baths. Currently set up as a three family, though it’s a two. What do you think of the property and the $1,250,000 ask?
837 Eastern Parkway [Town Residential] GMAP P*Shark
06/11/2013 1:30 PM
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Bagel Cafe Under Construction on Nostrand Avenue
Brooklynian commenters spotted signage going up at 816 Nostrand Avenue, at Lincoln Place, for Lula Bagel. The commenters said they are excited about this coffee shop, which will serve bagels, fresh bread, paninis, coffee, and pastries. The owner, who also operates Lula Bean in Bushwick, hopes to open July 1.
Photo via Brooklynian
06/07/2013 2:00 PM
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Site Work Begins for Luxury Rental Devo in Crown Heights
It looks like construction is finally picking up at 500 Sterling Place, the 19,650-square-foot lot between Washington and Classon avenues. Excavation work started up and signage on the construction fence says work should last until June of next year. So what’s to come? When the site sold last fall for $6.8 million, it came with approved plans for a 35-unit residential project. The developers announced it would be a luxury rental. The most recent building application filed with the DOB specifies five stories and 38 units. The architect on record is Nataliya Donskoy. Until now, this lot has been quiet since 2008.
Stalled Sterling Place Site Sells for $6.8M [Brownstoner] GMAP
06/03/2013 11:00 AM
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Ice Cream Social at Restoration Plaza This Saturday
The non-profit Noel Pointer Foundation, which runs string music programs for children throughout New York City, is holding its annual Ice Cream Social this Saturday, June 1, at Brooklyn’s Restoration Plaza. (Not at the Children’s Museum, as its web site says.) Don your summer whites and pastels; there will be pizza, ice cream, face painting and “a small army of young classical musicians doing what they do.” The event runs from noon to 3 pm and takes place under a big white tent at 1369 Fulton Street.
05/30/2013 12:00 PM
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Nostrand Avenue Pub Opens East of Franklin
A new bar has opened on Nostrand Avenue in Crown Heights called the Nostrand Avenue Pub. The space has large wooden booths and a roomy backyard. There is a full bar with 20 beers on tap. So far at least, they don’t serve food (unless you count the pretzels). It’s located at 658 Nostrand Avenue between Bergen Street and St. Marks Avenue. GMAP
05/23/2013 2:00 PM
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Walkabout: Trains, Automobiles and Undying Love, Part 2
“Can it get any worse?” That’s what Dwight Pardee probably asked his wife Mary, after their oldest child had the details of his very short and very public bad marriage published in newspapers across the country in 1909 and 1910. Dwight W. Pardee was the Secretary of Cornelius Vanderbilt’s New York Central Railway, and twenty year old Roy Pardee was a young man in love with a pretty girl and the idea of marriage. His whirlwind marriage to twenty-two year old Lillian Beasley, a supposed recent widow and current chorus girl, resulted in twenty days of wedded bliss, ended by her spending, and his suspicions of her wandering eye, and finally a messy divorce, with the details written for all of the country to read. For all the details on this juicy story, and the early story of Brooklyn’s Pardee family, check out Part one of our story.
If Mary Pardee had been clairvoyant, she might have answered her husband by saying, “You think this is bad? You haven’t seen anything yet, my dear. Our daughter is going to make even bigger headlines than Roy ever could.” And so she did. The Pardees lived at 1310 Dean Street, in the St. Marks District, now Crown Heights North. Like many wealthy people, they also had a summer home, this one in Bay Shore, Long Island. With all of the mess going on with young Roy, the Pardees found themselves out in Bay Shore a lot, escaping the prying eyes of the press and the curious.
Elsa Pardee was just nineteen, and was herself, tall, dark haired and pretty. She had just graduated from finishing school, and was looking forward to a summer with her friends, especially her best friend, Marion Van Kleek, who lived only three doors away from their Dean Street home, at 1316 Dean. The Van Kleeks had their summer home upstate, at Lake George, and the girls planned to spend time at both cottages during the summer. The only problem was that the Pardees were short on a chauffeur. (more…)
05/23/2013 10:30 AM
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818 Dean Street Rentals on the Market
Earlier in May Halstead began leasing units at 818 Dean Street, a Scarano-designed building in Crown Heights that has been under construction for many years. (Aguayo Real Estate Group had the listing, and was acquired by Halstead last month.) Seven of the 14 apartments are on the market. Prices range from $3,000 a month for a one-bedroom to $4,500 a month for a two-bedroom. Here’s what the listing says about the spaces: “Many units have soaring double height windows with 14-foot ceilings, tremendous natural light, and private rooftop terraces, balconies, or landscaped backyards… Throughout each apartment you will notice condo quality finishes including washer/dryer units, designer lighting, bathroom and kitchen fixtures, beautiful hardwood floors, central heating and cooling, and a video intercom system.” The units are no fee with one month free. Like what you see?
818 Dean Street Is Going Rental [Brownstoner] GMAP P*Shark
05/22/2013 10:30 AM
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Building of the Day: 1515 Bedford Avenue
Brooklyn, one building at a time.
Name: Originally the Savoy Theater, then Charity Neighborhood Baptist Church
Address: 1515 Bedford Avenue
Cross Streets: Corner of Lincoln Place
Neighborhood: Crow Hill/Crown Heights North
Year Built: 1926
Architectural Style: Neo-Classical
Architect: Thomas Lamb
Other Work by Architect: Many theaters in Manhattan and Brooklyn, including the Loew’s Bedford, now Washington Temple on Bedford and Bergen, and Loew’s Pitkin Theater in Brownsville. In Manhattan, Loew’s 175th St. Theater and Warner’s Hollywood Theater, now Time Square Church.
Landmarked: No, which is the focus of this story.
The story: I actually featured this building a long time ago, in an early BOTD from 2010. You can see it here. No one commented then; perhaps you will comment today. This last weekend, Morgan Munsey and I were leading a rain soaked but enthusiastic group of people on a walking tour of Bedford Avenue’s Automobile Row, and this building was one of the featured stops on the tour. As I was talking about the building, I noticed that the sign for Charity Baptist was no longer visible, and there was a dumpster in front of the building. One of the guys on the tour lives in Crown Heights, and knew what was going on, and here’s the sad story: The Savoy will soon be rubble. (more…)
05/21/2013 3:30 PM
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Walkabout: Trains, Automobiles, and Undying Love, Part 1
Dwight W. Pardee was born in New Jersey in 1852. He was educated in public schools, and attended the Wilbraham Academy in Wilbraham, Massachusetts. His first job was at the Fourth National Bank in New York City, and then he entered the railroad business. Cornelius Vanderbilt’s many railroad holdings became his career. In 1884, he became the Assistant Treasurer of the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern Railroad Company, and in 1889 he became Secretary of the Dunkirk, Allegheny Valley, and Pittsburgh Railroad Company. He then landing a plum job at the business office at Grand Central Station. When the Secretary of the New York Central Railroad died, Dwight Pardee assumed his job, and successfully handled the business affairs of the largest railroad system in the country. That demanding career was easy, compared to running afoul of the law in his automobile, and the love affairs of his only two children. This is the Pardee family story.
Dwight Pardee and his wife Mary had two children, Roy and Elsa. They were two years apart, and Roy was the eldest. By the time they were young adults, the Pardees were living at 1310 Dean Street, in a George Chappell designed row house featured as a Building of the Day, last week. The Pardees were wealthy; being an executive for the Commodore paid very well, and the family enjoyed all of the perks that came with being quite well-to-do. They, like everyone else in the St. Marks District, had servants in the household, including maids, cooks and chauffeurs. Mr. Pardee was driven to work every day, and after automobiles replaced carriages, he was driven around in a handsome open touring car. (more…)
05/21/2013 10:30 AM
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Closing Bell: Crow Hill Town Hall Meeting Tomorrow
The Crow Hill Association is holding its second town hall meeting tomorrow from 7 to 9 pm at the Congregation Kol Israel at 603 St. Johns Place. The idea is to build on the themes discussed by the community during the first town hall meeting, which include fair housing, community engagement, politics, and youth. Here’s a good summary of the first meeting held in March, which drew 220 people. You can read about Crow Hill Association’s work in the neighborhood at its website.
05/20/2013 4:00 PM
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New Renderings for 341 Eastern Parkway
BuzzBuzzHome attended the Brooklyn Real Estate Summit the other week and picked up new renderings of the big build currently going up on the corner of Eastern Parkway and Franklin Avenue. Aptsandlofts.com will begin marketing the building in the spring of 2014; the firm’s president and founder Dave Maundrell told the summit crowd that the units will be condos. This particular project has cycled through many renderings since the empty lot sold in 2012. According to DOB records, it’ll have 65 units over eight stories, as well as ground-floor retail and community space. See the interior renderings after the jump.
341 Eastern Parkway in Crown Heights to Hit Market in Spring 2014 [BuzzBuzzHome]
Eastern Parkway Build Going up Quickly [Brownstoner]
A Peek Inside the Big Build at 341 Eastern Parkway [Brownstoner]
The Latest Look for the Big Eastern Pkwy/Franklin Ave Site [Brownstoner]
Big Lot at Eastern Pkwy/Franklin Finally Sells for $8M [Brownstoner]
Long-Empty Crown Heights Lot up for Grabs [Brownstoner]
Restart Coming for 341 Eastern Parkway? [Brownstoner]
Development Watch: 333 Eastern Parkway [Brownstoner] GMAP DOB
Renderings via BuzzBuzzHome (more…)
05/20/2013 2:40 PM
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Building of the Day: 1310-1314 Dean Street
Brooklyn, one building at a time.
Name: Row houses
Address: 1310-1314 Dean Street
Cross Streets: New York and Brooklyn avenues
Neighborhood: Crown Heights North
Year Built: 1888
Architectural Style: Queen Anne
Architect: George P. Chappell
Other Work by Architect: Row and freestanding houses in Park Slope, Bedford Stuyvesant, Clinton Hill, and especially Crown Heights North. Also churches and storefront/flats buildings in Bed Stuy and Crown Heights.
Landmarked: Yes, part of Crown Heights North HD (2007)
The story: We haven’t had a Chappell group in a while, and it’s always a pleasure to show another example of the work of one of my favorite architects. If neighborhoods were named after the architects who designed so much of the streetscape, Crown Heights North would have been re-named Chappelltown. He contributed that much to the beauty of this neighborhood, which he also called home for much of his life and career.
Although I like certain parts of all of our different styles of row house architecture, one of the favorite things I like about the Queen Anne period is the permission to be creative. Let’s face it; you really can only do so much with three to five stories on a 20-foot lot. Chappell had three lots to work with here, designing these houses for developer D. H. Fowler. Instead of designing three houses that were more or less the same, or totally different, he chose to make the set a unified group that at a casual glance is one very large chateau of a building. (more…)
05/17/2013 3:00 PM
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Rental of the Day: 1141 Park Place
This floor-through, two-bedroom apartment at 1141 Park Place does have some charms, although renovations make the unit feel a little underwhelming. It looks spacious enough, and the unit’s on the parlor floor, but we’ve still got to ask: Who’s paying $2,500 a month to live out by Albany Avenue?
1141 Park Place [Staying in NYC Inc.] GMAP P*Shark
05/16/2013 12:30 PM
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Walkabout: Brooklyn’s Amazing Automobile Industry, Pt. 2
“Automobile Row on Bedford Avenue became almost as well known throughout the United States as Automobile Row on Broadway…In those days, Bedford Avenue was the Sunday afternoon walk of the most substantial portion of Brooklyn. It was the Easter Parade street, the auto parade street, the center of life and recreation. It was Automobile Row!”
These were the fond memories of Charles Bishop, one of the pioneers of Automobile Row in the first half of the 20th century. He and his father, Eli Bishop, were two-thirds of one of the most successful automobile dealerships in Brooklyn: Bishop, McCormick and Bishop, which operated out of a series of showrooms on the corner of Bedford Avenue and Halsey Street. Eli Bishop had started out in the real estate business, and was responsible for a great deal of the development of the Bedford area, but had turned to the automobile in the first years of the 1900s, realizing that this could be big, perhaps as big as real estate. He was right. (more…)
05/16/2013 10:58 AM
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Rent Vs. Buy: In Brooklyn, Both Are Difficult
If you’ve got Brooklyn property to sell, fantastic. It’s a seller’s market. People are clamoring for Brooklyn property. Your listing may even ignite a bidding war. You will probably be sitting on a lot of cash after you sell. But then what do you do? Hopefully you’ve got plans to move to, say, Kansas, because buying another place or even finding a rental in Brooklyn is going to be very, very, very difficult, according to DNAinfo. ”Right now is a horrible time to be a buyer or a renter,” said Catherine Witherwax, director of sales for Stribling’s first Brooklyn office. ”There’s very little on the market. We’re seeing unprecedented interest in Brooklyn and people staying in Brooklyn. And we’re seeing a large international component. The borough’s popularity goes beyond New York City and the metropolitan area.” Buyers will need perfect credit and enough funds to win a bidding war with all cash. The story gives an overview of the market in four neighborhoods with tips and deets on prices in each: Crown Heights, Bushwick, Bed Stuy, Dumbo. Crown Heights, for example, “is really starting to boom” with prices for renovated homes in the $1.2 to $1.5 million range. Rents are 10 to 30 percent cheaper than in Manhattan, with studios going for $1,200 to $1,500. Depressed yet? The article has some advice: If you’re priced out, try Queens.
Rent vs. Buy: Navigating Brooklyn’s Tight Real Estate Market [DNAinfo]
05/16/2013 9:00 AM
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Walkabout: Brooklyn’s Amazing Automobile Industry, Pt 1
“As Brooklyn goes, so goes the world,” Charles Bishop told the Brooklyn Eagle in 1941. He was referring to the automobile industry in Brooklyn, a world he knew as well as anyone, being one of the pioneers in the industry that once dominated the core of the city along Bedford Avenue in Central Brooklyn. In the space of forty years, approximately between 1905 and 1945, the automobile industry took over Bedford Avenue and its environs, creating one of the most lucrative and far-reaching areas of business, the likes of which we will never see again.
It all begins with the road and the wheel. The road was Bedford Avenue, the main north-south roadway in Brooklyn, stretching the length of the city, a vital thoroughfare connecting the towns that make up the city of Brooklyn, running from Greenpoint, south to Sheepshead Bay. By the end of the 19th century, Bedford Avenue, between Grant Square in Bedford, and Williamsburg, was one of the busiest and most important streets in the city. There were blocks with fine homes, especially in Williamsburg and central Bedford, but it was also filled with large houses of worship, clubs, theaters, schools, restaurants and businesses. The street was connected by trolleys and omnibuses, and the Long Island Railroad stopped at Bedford, near Fulton and Atlantic, but in the mid-1880s, a new mode of transportation had also taken to the streets. No, not the car, I’m talking about the bicycle. (more…)
05/14/2013 10:30 AM
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BrooklynSpy
Jun 18, 2013 | 09:35 AM