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Building of the Day: 360 Schermerhorn Street
Brooklyn, one building at a time.
Name: The Baptist Temple, originally First Baptist Church of Brooklyn
Address: 360 Schermerhorn Street
Cross Streets: Corner of Third Avenue
Neighborhood: Boerum Hill/Downtown Bklyn
Year Built: 1893-1894, reconstructed after fire: 1917-1918
Architectural Style: Romanesque Revival
Architect: Weary & Kramer, reconstruction: Dodge & Morrison (1917-18)
Other Buildings by Architect: Weary & Kramer- Crawford Memorial United Methodist Church, Bronx, Buildings on Oberlin College Campus, Ohio. Dodge & Morrison – Large addition to the Bedford Presbyterian Church, Nostrand Ave, Crown Heights North.
Landmarked: No, but on National Register
The story: This congregation has the distinction of being the oldest Baptist church in Brooklyn, founded as the First Baptist Church of Brooklyn in 1823. It’s the second oldest Baptist congregation in all of Long Island. Their first church building was on Pearl Street, between Nassau and Concord Streets, in what is now DUMBO, and more specifically, an on-ramp to one of the bridges. They didn’t stay there long, moving to another site on Nassau Street, which was destroyed by fire in 1848. They rebuilt, only to lose this church to another fire in 1873. By this time, their DUMBO location was becoming an industrial area, so they joined with a splinter group that had broken off to become the Pierrepont Street Baptist Church, in the Heights. There, both congregations worshipped in a building designed by the great Minard Lefever. They soon outgrew this building too, and in 1892, the church sold their site on the corner of Pierrepont and Clinton Streets to the Brooklyn Savings Bank, and went looking for a new site. They found it here at the corner of Third Avenue and Schermerhorn Street. (more…)
05/22/2012 3:30 PM
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Aerial Shot of 29 Flatbush Construction Site
A reader sent in a photograph of the progress at 29 Flatbush Avenue. Not much to see, especially considering Dermot broke ground here very recently, in December 2010. One day this will be a 42-story tower with 327 rental units, 200 parking spaces, and 7,600 square feet of retail space on Flatbush Avenue and Fulton Street. GMAP DOB
05/22/2012 12:00 PM
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Roof Damage at Landmarked Jay St. Firehouse
A reader sent in this picture of major damage to the southern roof of 29 Jay Street, the landmarked Brooklyn Firequarters. Pratt Area Community Council received a grant to restore this building back in 2010, but for now it is still under city ownership. Here’s Damon Strub, the architect for the project, with an update on its pending renovation:
“The sloped roof is damaged and has been for several months now. The firehouse is still owned by HPD and they are doing their usual level of maintenance. The project is currently scheduled to move forward into construction this June – however, it has been scheduled to move forward quite a few times in the past – only to be cancelled and backed up at the last minute – so we are not holding our breath. It’s a shame that HPD cant get their act together on this building. It and its tenants deserve better.”
Fix-Up for Jay Street Firehouse [Brownstoner] GMAP
05/22/2012 9:00 AM
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Downtown Brooklyn is Kicking Butt
As anyone who reads Brownstoner regularly knows, the very-long held plans for the transformation of Downtown Brooklyn are in the midst of being realized, and perhaps nothing short of historic for future students of urban history. This weekend, the New York Times took a look at how stuff is changing in the area. This is how the article ends:
That said, however, other residents say the designation may reflect a growing awareness of Downtown as special and worth preserving from the next crush of development. For proof of people’s newfound attachment to the place, look no farther than the sidewalks. Years ago they were empty on Saturdays and Sundays, after the courts adjourned. But the shoppers, tourists and bicyclists now punctuating them “give the area a bit more life on weekends,” said Serafin Piñol-Roma, who moved here in 2005. In 2005, he bought a one-bedroom in Concord Village, a multibuilding co-op with more than 1,000 units. Last year he traded up to a two-bedroom, for which he paid $444,000. An instructor of cell biology at City College in Upper Manhattan, he used to keep to Manhattan for entertainment as well. But he has recently embraced Brooklyn. “It took a little time to cut the umbilical cord,” was how he phrased it.
Downtown Brooklyn is a neighborhood in its own right now, is the point. The questions are: Where are the schools and groceries?
To the Heights and the Slope, Add ‘Downtown’ [NY Times]
Photo by tracktwentynine
05/21/2012 9:30 AM
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Municipal Building Heading to Landmarks Soon
Community Board 2′s Landuse Committee gave it’s blessing to the exterior changes on the first and second floor of the Municipal Building, soon to be cleared out for several retail tenants. Developer Al Laboz and his architect presented plans pretty similar to that of the rendering above: on the first floor, the bases of the windows will be cut to make space for doors and display windows. There will be five entryways along Joralemon and Court Street and all the grates on Court Street will be covered over. Not pictures are the three kinds of signage proposed: illuminated signage on the ground-floor, awnings over the five different entrances on the first floor with lettering on the skirt, and awnings on the second floor with no signage. (They pulled inspiration from multi-story retail lining Manhattan’s 5th Avenue.) They are considering illumination behind the glass on the second floor but, that, as well as the second floor awnings, require special permission from the Public Design Commission. As for those retail tenants: still no word beyond that “upscale restaurant” but CB2 was promised no bank, pharmacy, drug store, or fast food joint. The development’s date with LPC is June 5th.
City Picks Al Laboz to Develop Municipal Building [Brownstoner]
05/18/2012 9:00 AM
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Heavy Hitters Sign on For Downtown’s City Point Phase 2
As if yesterday’s news that Downtown Brooklyn’s City Point project had landed an anchor tenant in Century 21 wasn’t big enough, today the Eagle brings word about the development partners that Acadia Realty Trust and Washington Square Partners have brought on for the second phase of the project: BFC Partners (Toren and, with Mr. B, 1000 Dean Street) will partner in the development of the first tower, “which will contain approximately 250 mixed-income rental units in a 50-30-20 arrangement of market-rate-middle income-low income units.” Meanwhile, the Brodsky Organization (known for a whole lot of development in Manhattan) is partnering on the second tower, which will have around 440 market-rate rentals. The story notes that both towers need to be approved by the Public Design Commission before shovels can go in the ground, and the plan is to have both towers “constructed above a five-story retail podium.”
Residential developers BFC, Brodsky Organization named for City Point Phase II [Eagle]
Century 21 is Opening at City Point on the Fulton Mall! [Brownstoner]
05/11/2012 9:30 AM
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388 Bridge Street from Above
A reader sent in this aerial shot after we noted that construction on the condo/rental tower 388 Bridge Street is in full swing. She says: “It looks like they’ve partially laid foundation on the Bridge St side, but haven’t done anything on the Lawrence St side.” This little baby will rise to 53 stories!
388 Bridge Street is Officially Back in Business [Brownstoner]
Finally, Signs of Life at 388 Bridge Street [Brownstoner]
Details on Downtown’s Coming Towers [Brownstoner]
Construction Starting Next Year on 2 Downtown High-Rises [Brownstoner]
Stirrings at 384-388 Bridge? [Brownstoner]
Development Watch: Still Frozen at 388 Bridge Street [Brownstoner]
Brownfield Investigation Begins at 388 Bridge Street [Brownstoner]
Contamination Found at 384 Bridge Street, Lawsuit Filed [Brownstoner]
A Wrench in 388 Bridge Street’s Plans? [Brownstoner] GMAP
05/10/2012 2:40 PM
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Century 21 is Opening at City Point on the Fulton Mall!
Hey hey, there’s finally word on the biz that will be the anchor tenant for the first phase of City Point in Downtown Brooklyn: According to an article in the Journal, news that Century 21 is taking space in the new building is going to be announced today. The retailer doesn’t intend to open in the location until fall of 2015, but the story notes that it is set to be twice as big as its Upper West Side location. The article also says that the agreement cements City Point’s developers’ ability to start moving forward on the second phase of the project this summer, “675,000 square feet of retail and commercial space and 690 new market-rate and ‘affordable’ apartment units at Dekalb and Flatbush avenues,” and perhaps puts some wind at the back of the third phase, which is slated to be the tallest residential tower in Brooklyn. The transformation we’re witnessing of the Fulton Mall—and the larger Downtown area—is nothing shy of historic for Brooklyn. Here’s the article’s quote from Tucker Reed, president of the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership, on the news: “Fulton Mall…was always the place where Brooklynites came to shop and bump up against each other. …Century 21 is a discount department store for Brooklynites who want to be able to shop at discount prices.” UPDATE: Tom Montvel-Cohen, a spokesman for the developers, has this to say: “[Century 21] is not going to take up all of phase one…it will be in both phases…we expect to be announcing exciting retail tenancies that will be opening in 2012 in phase one.”
Dressing Up Fulton Mall With Style [Wall Street Journal]
05/10/2012 8:45 AM
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Avalon Adds Another Piece to the Puzzle
As 388 Bridge Street begins its ascent, Avalon Bay continues to plot its massive project across the street. The developer added another parcel (385 Bridge Street) to the eight already assembled for the development (marked with the blue circles in the above map). The price for 385 Bridge (marked with the red star) was $10,089,083.48. As of now, it looks like the two remaining pieces of the parcel are 94 Willoughby Street and 383 Bridge Street. Avalon’s total spend? Close to $100 million. The latest word on the 57-story rental tower, planned for years now, was that construction should wrap by the end of 2014. That hardly seems realistic at this point. Click through for a picture of the 355 Bridge property and an old rendering.
Details on Downtown’s Coming Towers [Brownstoner]
Avalon Evidently Still Planning Second Downtown Tower [Brownstoner]
Avalon Buys Another Piece of Willoughby Pie [Brownstoner] GMAP
Avalon to Top Clarett in Downtown Brooklyn [Brownstoner]
More Evidence that Avalon is Planning Downtown Tower [Brownstoner]
Avalon Buys More Bridge Street Props from United Land [Brownstoner]
United Land Unloading Bridge Street Site to Avalon Bay? [Brownstoner]
Photo via PropertyShark (more…)
05/09/2012 12:00 PM
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The Future of Downtown Brooklyn’s Fox Square
Here’s an idea of what the 6,000-square-foot public plaza will look like at Fox Square, the public plaza at the intersection of Flatbush Avenue and Fulton Street. CB2′s Transportation Committee approved the above design and the full board is scheduled to vote on it tomorrow. The design includes three trees near the center of the square, plantings along Flatbush Avenue, moveable tables and chairs, paving, lighting and one drinking fountain. Despite these changes, there are no plans to change the grade of the street. The Downtown Brooklyn Partnership will maintain the space. DOT should be installing tables and chairs on an interim basis any day now, the permanent plaza will come after all the design elements are finalized. Community Board 2 already approved the installation of the plaza itself, proposed first in January.
Two Plazas Coming to Fort Greene, DoBro This Summer [Brownstoner]
Public Plaza Coming to Flatbush and Fulton [Brownstoner]
05/08/2012 2:45 PM
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MetroTech Gets Its First Actual Tech Company
MakerBot, the red-hot start-up that has been producing consumer-grade 3-D printers on 3rd Avenue and Dean Street for the past couple of years, made headlines today by signing a lease for a big new office space in Downtown Brooklyn. What’s so surprising is where the tech company signed its full-floor lease: One MetroTech. It’s hard to imagine a less hip spot, but at the end of the day it was all about space. Dumbo’s basically full at this point–there certainly isn’t enough room to handle MakerBot’s 125-person workforce–and Sunset Park is too inconvenient. (And 1000 Dean‘s not ready yet!) So MetroTech it is. It’ll be interesting to see if the decision can help rebrand the cluster of commercial buildings into something cooler than back-office space stocked with mid-level suits. The folks behind the recently branded Brooklyn Tech Triangle Initiative certainly are hoping so.
Putting the Tech in Metrotech [Wall Street Journal]
MakerBot Picks Up Stakes and Heads for Downtown Brooklyn [BetaBeat]
05/08/2012 2:01 PM
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DOT Moves Forward with Ashland Place Bike Lanes
Last month the Department of Transportation proposed a list of street improvements for Ashland Place to Community Board 2, including a shared bike lane on Ashland Place between Dekalb Avenue and Hanson Place connecting Atlantic Terminal to the existing bike network. According to the DOT presentation [PDF], a designated left-turn lane will be added on Asland approaching Fulton Street. There will be full-time curbside lanes for through traffic on Ashland approaching Fulton; adjusted bus lane markings on Fulton to allow right turns from the bus lane; and some parking regulations will be tweaked to add seven spots of all-day parking. 12 other parking spots will go bye-bye in the redesign. The shared bike lane will go in both directions and look very similar to the design on Vanderbilt Avenue. The image above, from the DOT, illustrates the current bike network and usage. The Transportation Committee approved the proposal and it will to the full board later this week. CB2 previously requested a bike lane on Rockwell Place along with Ashland Place, but it looks like with a two-way bike lane on Ashland the addition on Rockwell may not be necessary.
More Bike Lanes Proposed for Downtown Brooklyn [Brownstoner]
05/07/2012 11:30 AM
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Huge DoBro Lot Under Foreclosure Pressure
A huge parking lot at in Downtown Brooklyn—75 Schermerhorn Street to be exact—is scheduled to head to auction this month. The parking lot is about 17,000 square feet and stretches through Schermerhorn to Livingston Street. The lot is currently zoned for commercial purposes, with a maximum usable floor area of 103,707 square feet, according to Property Shark. The location is likely to appeal to developers, but the massive lien of $25,814,150 may be a slight turn-off. We’re keeping an eye on this one. GMAP P*Shark
05/07/2012 11:00 AM
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388 Bridge Street is Officially Back in Business
The 53-story condo/rental tower is finally going up at 388 Bridge Street in Downtown Brooklyn! Just yesterday, a lot of heavy-duty construction work started up at the site. It looked like workers were pouring concrete into the foundation, but our view through the fence wasn’t great. Last month there were stirrings here after years of inactivity. At its completion, this development will hold 234 apartments and 144 condos, both market and affordable rate. Construction on the H&M down on the corner of Bridge and Fulton started up late April. Onward and upward!
Finally, Signs of Life at 388 Bridge Street [Brownstoner]
Details on Downtown’s Coming Towers [Brownstoner]
Construction Starting Next Year on 2 Downtown High-Rises [Brownstoner]
Stirrings at 384-388 Bridge? [Brownstoner]
Development Watch: Still Frozen at 388 Bridge Street [Brownstoner]
Brownfield Investigation Begins at 388 Bridge Street [Brownstoner]
Contamination Found at 384 Bridge Street, Lawsuit Filed [Brownstoner]
A Wrench in 388 Bridge Street’s Plans? [Brownstoner] GMAP
05/04/2012 9:30 AM
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MTA Bringing Big Upgrades to Jay Street Substation
The MTA is rehabbing the Jay Street Substation at 212 Jay Street and building a new circuit breaker house next door for the A/C/F lines. Work on the existing structure, according to this project plan, “includes site preparation; exterior brick work; installation of roof walking pads; replacement of doors, frames, windows, guardrails and pipe railings; new emergency exit; repair of exterior/interior cracks,” among other upgrades. The new circuit breaker house is going in adjacent to 212 Jay Street and will have an upgraded power system and new control system for the subway lines. Work on the $34.6 million project should wrap in the first quarter of next year. GMAP
05/02/2012 2:40 PM
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Past and Present: Brooklyn Fire Headquarters
A Look at Brooklyn, then and now.
In our cynical age now, it’s difficult to imagine the civic pride that many of Brooklyn’s citizenry felt when looking at their city in the last twenty years of the 19th century. For the movers and shakers whose money and influence made most of it happen, the way Brooklyn looked must have burst their waistcoat buttons with pride. Brooklyn was shaping up just beautifully, and that was due in no small measure to the talents of Brooklyn’s own fine architects, who were busy creating some of the best civic buildings around. The new Fire Headquarters building was one of those great civic buildings.
Without a doubt, Frank Freeman was one of Brooklyn’s finest architects. He embraced the Romanesque Revival concepts of Henry Hobson Richardson, and added his own vivid imagination, and created some of Brooklyn’s most impressive buildings. Who can pass the Eagle Warehouse building in DUMBO, or the Herman Behr mansion in the Heights and not think “Woah!” It’s too bad so few of his buildings are still here today; their prime locations made them perfect for future teardowns, mostly replaced by works of far lesser talent. We’ve lost quite a lot of our architectural heritage that way. At any rate, he won the commission to create a large new headquarters for Brooklyn’s Fire Department. (more…)
04/27/2012 10:30 AM
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The Case for ‘Adaptive Reuse’ at 370 Jay in Downtown
Union outrage notwithstanding, NYU will soon begin remaking the former Transit HQ at 370 Jay Street in Downtown Brooklyn and transform it into the state-of-the-art Center for Urban Science and Progress, and today the Times takes a look at the building that many have simply labeled an eyesore. The point of the column is that “it’s quite possible to respect it as a work of architecture. It speaks clearly of the period after World War II when America set out to sweep away the cobwebs of the past even as it perpetuated the memory of those who fought and died just a few years earlier.” The 1951-vintage building has been hailed by some architectural historians as a great example of municipal, modernist architecture. NYU says it intends to pursue “adaptive reuse” in terms of transforming the building, and the article notes that all those snazzy renderings we’ve seen so far have been by Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates. What won’t stay in the building, though, is the “18-foot-long bas-relief granite map in the open-air entrance arcade listed the transportation workers who had served in the recent war, showing — with five-pointed stars set into the stone — where 24 of them died.” McBrooklyn, which took the photo above, had an appreciative post about the map. According to the Times, the MTA will oversee its relocation.
Remaking a Building to Make It Easier to Love [NY Times]
Downtown Brooklyn-NYU Deal: Victory Lap Edition [Brownstoner]
Photo by McBrooklyn
04/27/2012 9:00 AM
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Nu Hotel’s Outdoor Cafe Opens May 1st
Tuesday, May 1st will be the opening date of the Nu Hotel’s 416-square-foot sidewalk cafe. The hotel first applied for the license last summer. No word yet on the menu or concept of the cafe and bar, but a press release from Nu Hotel says the chefs are “designing a unique tapas menu for lunch and dinner at the café.” The bar will feature signature cocktails on a rotating menu. Once open, this will be one of the largest sidewalk cafes in the borough. May Day cocktails on the house?
Nu Hotel Looks to Take it Outside [Brownstoner] GMAP
04/26/2012 2:00 PM
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House of the Day: 314 State Street
This 25-foot-wide townhouse at 314 State Street that just hit the market is pretty impressive. In addition to the princely scale, the two-family has been immaculately renovated in a traditional manner. The only thing we’re not wild about is the new flooring that runs across the parlor floor rather than lengthwise. But that’s a minor quibble compared with how nice the entire house is. It’s got a price to match, too: $3,975,000. Would that be a record for Boerum Hill?
314 State Street [Brown Harris Stevens] GMAP P*Shark
04/26/2012 1:26 PM
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H&M Building Starts Rising on the Fulton Mall
Thanks to the tipster who sent in this photograph of the steel frame of H&M at the Fulton Street Mall. This site had been a hole in the ground since January of 2011. In his words: “They started building the steel structure about a week ago and have been working at night with a big crane. However, demolition is not complete on the site, there are still a few lower floors of two older buildings in the corner of the site that seem to be tricky to remove.” We wonder if construction workers will build around those lower floors, considering the demolition permit approved way back when was only for a partial demo. Now, Al Laboz isn’t exactly known for speediness when it comes to his many development projects, but perhaps we’ll see a store open here before the year is out.
H&M Marks its Territory on the Fulton Mall [Brownstoner]
Construction Begins on H&M Site [Brownstoner]
H&M Site Ready for Construction [Brownstoner]
H&M Site Breaks Ground on the Fulton Mall [Brownstoner]
04/26/2012 9:00 AM
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adam_dahill
May 21, 2012 | 02:16 PM