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More Rooms and a Restaurant for the Bossert Hotel
Last night more details were revealed about the Bossert’s conversion back to a hotel at a Community Board 2′s Landuse Committee meeting. Architect Gene Kaufman, in the first formal presentation for the development, asked CB2 to change the use from an existing community facility to a transient hotel. The well-known back-story: The Jehovah’s Witnesses bought this building, known as the “Waldorf Astoria of Brooklyn” in the 80s, and got a variance to use the building as a free hotel to visiting Jehovah’s Witnesses. On the exterior, very little about the building will change under new ownership. Repair and restoration will go where needed; the historic entrance on Montague Street will remain; and only some flagpoles and signage will be added. Here are the interesting plans: The current 224-room configuration will be upped to 302 rooms; there will be a small restaurant open to the public with an entrance on Montague; and the rooftop lounge will be restored (!!!!), most likely with public access. The few residents who lived, and continue to live, at the hotel before the Jehovah’s Witnesses bought it will remain. Otherwise, the majority of the spectacular interior will be kept as is. The biggest issue voiced in the public hearing concerned parking and traffic. There will be no parking lot at the hotel, but a valet service for the hotel will work with commercial garages in the neighborhood. Nearby residents worried taxis would clog up Montague Street. Other residents voiced concern that no notice was given of the public hearing, and the board had some unanswered questions about the management plans for the hotel. Due to these issues, the Landuse Committee voted to table the motion until they had more information. Also still no word on the final price of the building (rumored to be around $90 million); word at the public hearing is that it’s still under contract.
Bistricer to Buy Bossert Hotel, Kaufman to Renovate [Brownstoner]
Brooklyn Heights’ The Bossert Will Be a Hotel Again [Brownstoner]
05/17/2012 9:00 AM
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Sunset Park’s Hotel BPM Will Soon Open its Doors
Hotel BPM, the tricked-out lodging house on 33rd Street in Sunset Park, will begin accepting guests on August 1st. At the moment, the hotel is offering a special rate for advance bookings via its website. A quote from a press release: “‘The website offers a sophisticated, user-friendly approach to learning about our hotel and planning for an upcoming trip to the world’s greatest city,’ says Hotel BPM Founder and Visionary, DJ BIJAL. ‘We are thrilled to launch the site along with the opening of our online booking engine, and can’t wait to welcome guests to BPM in August.’”
Touring Sunset Park’s Soon-to-Open DJ Hotel [Brownstoner]
Sunset Park DJ Hotel Scheduled to Open in January [Brownstoner]
Hotel BPM Opening Still TBD [Brownstoner] GMAP
Will Noise From a DJ’s Hotel Annoy Sunset Park? [Brownstoner]
A DJ-Driven Boutique Hotel for Sunset Park [Brownstoner]
Progress on Sunset Park’s Hip-Hop Hotel [Brownstoner]
05/16/2012 10:30 AM
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Lefferts Hotel Forced to Remove Illegal Signage
The Lefferts Hotel at 127 Lefferts Place in Clinton Hill has been a blight on the neighborhood ever since we arrived in 2005 so any news about the owners being forced to play by the rules is good news as far as we’re concerned. There’ve been numerous DOB violations (9) and complaints (47) over the years (not to mention drug and prostitution-related shutdowns by the police) so it was nice to see the Buildings Department react so swiftly when it received a certified letter recently from someone in the community requesting that the signage violations, which had been ignored by the owners for years, be enforced. As the photo above shows, both signs, including the one on the roof that was deemed unsafe, were removed.
05/11/2012 10:00 AM
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Brooklyn Heights’ The Bossert Will Be a Hotel Again
The Bossert, once known as the “Waldorf Astoria of Brooklyn” and more recently owned and renovated by the Jehovah’s Witnesses, will return to its original use as a hotel. It’s unclear whether this is part of a plan to try to sell the building again. According to a public hearing notice sent out by Community Board Two, a variance application was filed to allow the “reconversion of the existing community facility hotel back to its original, transient hotel use.” The Jehovah’s Witnesses bought the Bossert in 1988 and meticulously restored the building after it sat for years in disrepair. Under the Jehovah’s Witness ownership, the Bossert was used as a free hotel, as long as the visitor was a Jehovah’s Witness. The group put the building on the market back in 2008. Later that year, there was word the building sold for $90 million and would be converted to student housing. That never happened and, according to public records, the building is still owned by the Witnesses. The 200,000-square-foot building is now configured into 224 apartments. If you’re interested at speaking at the public hearing it’s Wednesday, May 16th, 6pm at the Dibner Library at 5 Metrotech Center.
The Bossert Hotel’s Past, Present and Possible Future [Brownstoner]
The Bossert Finds a Buyer [Brownstoner]
Watchtower Divestment Continues: The Bossert on the Block [Brownstoner] GMAP
05/08/2012 10:00 AM
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A Tour of the Wythe Hotel, Open Today
Today is the grand opening of Williamsburg’s Wythe Hotel, the $32 million dollar project to transform a historic industrial building into an upscale hotel. It’s also the grand opening of Andrew Tarlow’s highly anticipated restaurant on the ground-floor, named Reynards. The 72 hotel rooms come in eight different variations, outfitted with locally-made furniture, custom wallpaper from Flavor Paper, 13-feet high exposed ceilings, and exposed brick. Rates range from $179-$495. Some of the rooms have floor-to-ceiling windows, which have pretty fantastic views of the skyline. Rooms without views of Manhattan look out onto artwork commission by the hotel, painted on the neighboring building. The upper-floor hotel units, sixth floor bar/outdoor terrace, and downstairs movie theater will finish construction in about a month. (The restaurant, bar, and theater will be open to hotel guests and the public.) The restaurant will focus on seasonal cuisine and “whole-animal, wood-fired cooking.” There are two large dining areas and outdoor seating, which connects to an outdoor terrace outside a private events room. Click through for the full tour and more details!
Wythe Hotel [Main Site]
Wythe Hotel Opening May 1st for Sure [Brownstoner] GMAP (more…)
05/01/2012 2:45 PM
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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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Boutique Hotel To Rise Across from W’burg Whole Foods
Today the Journal has an article based on sources that are saying a firm called Waterbridge Capital, which is headed by a developer named Joel Schreiber, has purchased and is in contract to purchase a large assemblage of properties in Williamsburg. The juicy news is that Schreiber intends to build a 245-room boutique hotel right across the street from the site that’s slated to get a Whole Foods on North 4th Street off Bedford Avenue. Here are the details:
The properties include a former bagel shop, a laundromat, a supermarket and a hookah bar. Waterbridge paid about $68 million for the properties and plans to renovate, in the hope of attracting more prominent retail tenants, including a bank. Waterbridge has also signed a contract to acquire most of the eastern portion of the block between Bedford and North Fourth and Driggs and Metropolitan avenues, which is home to moving-and-storage company Sher-Del Transfer, from the company’s owners. The developer plans to build a 245-room boutique hotel on the Sher-Del site and an adjacent vacant lot, according to a person familiar with the matter.
Williamsburg, you’ve heard this before many times, but you’ve come a long way, baby. [Insert comment about lack of Apple store here.]
Block Redo Melds in Williamsburg [WSJ] GMAP
Williamsburg is Getting a Whole Foods! [Brownstoner]
Graphic courtesy of the Wall Street Journal
04/18/2012 10:46 AM
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East Flatbush Residents Fear Hot-Sheets Hotel
This morning the Daily News has a story about how some East Flatbush residents are opposed to a hotel that’s being built on East 59th Street and Foster Avenue, fearing it will attract unsavory characters: namely, drug users/sellers and prostitutes. The News says that some of the folks opposed to the build are “threatening a ‘shaming campaign’ against frequent clients” and Councilmember Jumaane Williams is drafting a resolution that would require developers to bring plans to the community board even if they are OK on the zoning front, as is case with the hotel that’s being built. One of the hotel’s developers says the project will actually improve the neighborhood: “Co-owner Danny Mehta said his business won’t be the hot-sheets hotel neighbors fear. ‘It’s going to be a nice, clean hotel,’ he said, adding the 35-room hotel would not have hourly rates. ‘They are misunderstanding.’ Much of the area is surrounded by junkyards, but Mehta cited a new BJs and Home Depot nearby as evidence it is an ‘up and coming area.’ ‘Instead of all junkyards, it’s going to be a new hotel. It’s better for that area,’ he said. “In that neighborhood family comes to visit family, and they need a room. Same thing for funerals, weddings, reunions.’” The hotel is supposed to open sometime next year and Mehta says he hopes to eventually come to an understanding with the neighbors who are opposed to the project.
Neighbors Fight New Hotel in East Flatbush They Fear Will Draw Prostitution and Drugs [NY Daily News]
Image of lounging woman via Shutterstock
04/10/2012 10:00 AM
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Wythe Hotel To Open May 1st For Sure
A handsome hand-stitched booklet arrived by post this morning announcing the impending opening of the Wythe Hotel. The opening date’ll be May 1 (way to stay on schedule!) and rooms will start at $179. The website is live, so book a room now so you don’t have to drive home after feasting in new ground-floor restaurant from Andrew Tarlow (Diner, Marlow, Roman’s) and having a nightcap on the 6th floor roof terrace bar. We got a tour through this place a few weeks ago and it’s a knock-out.
04/02/2012 11:30 AM
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Touring Sunset Park’s Soon-to-Open DJ Hotel
This week we toured Hotel BPM (stands for “beats per minute”), the under-construction hotel opening in Sunset Park on May 14th. Music is the running theme here, with a built-in sound system in the hotel’s common areas and speakers in every guest room, including the bathrooms. Owner DJ Bijal designed Hotel BPM with the intent to open an upscale hotel in the neighborhood as an alternative to hotels in Downtown Brooklyn. The project has been in the making for about three years. There will be 76 guest rooms, most around the size of the room pictured. There’s a common bar area where breakfast will be served (eventually Bijal plans to apply for a liquor license and serve booze there), a conference room, and a nice-sized roof, which may someday become a rooftop lounge. Prices for rooms will roughly be $200/night, with a $139/night deal for the first few weeks after opening day.
Sunset Park DJ Hotel Scheduled to Open in January [Brownstoner]
Hotel BPM Opening Still TBD [Brownstoner] GMAP
Will Noise From a DJ’s Hotel Annoy Sunset Park? [Brownstoner]
A DJ-Driven Boutique Hotel for Sunset Park [Brownstoner]
Progress on Sunset Park’s Hip-Hop Hotel [Brownstoner]
03/30/2012 10:00 AM
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Long-Stalled, Huge ‘Burg Project Showing Signs of Life
Is the Chetrit Group gearing up to finally start work on the massive Williamsburg development once dubbed “The Gateway to Williamsburg”? Signs are pointing to yes: Permits were recently filed for the blighted site, at 500 Metropolitan Avenue between Union and the BQE, and it looks like the tight-lipped developer is gearing up to build a hotel/residential/retail complex. The permit request, which is “pending zoning approval,” calls for 234 units and a max height of 14 stories to develop a “new mixed use building to include residential, transient and commercial uses.” The architect on the job is Gene Kaufman. The project has been on ice for years. Back in 2008, Meltzer/Mandl Architects was supposed to be designing it, and Duane Reade had reportedly inked a deal as an anchor tenant. Instead, it has become one of the biggest symbols of post-boom, developer-induced blight in Williamsburg (see inset), with a poorly maintained construction fence. It sits on the same block as Kellogg’s Diner and is in an extremely prime location next to the Metropolitan-Lorimer G and L-train stop. Curbed covered plans for the site, which was being referred to as “The Gateway to Williamsburg,” in detail before it became a non-starter in 2008. Meanwhile, the firm Winick Realty is actively marketing the commercial portion of the development, and their listing is where the rendering above comes from. The Chetrit Group has been in the headlines lately for its tactics involving longtime tenants of the Chelsea Hotel following its purchase of the Manhattan landmark.
502 Metropolitan Avenue Revealed [Brownstoner] GMAP DOB
Rendering courtesy of Winick Realty
03/29/2012 9:00 AM
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New Developer Plans Hotel at 125 Flatbush Ave. Extension
The empty lot at 125 Flatbush Avenue Extension sold to a developer who plans to build a hotel, according to the Real Deal. The previous Pepper and Potter used car dealership on the lot was demolished last February. The then-developer told us previous hotel plans for the site fell through. The new owners, Kansas-based hotel developer LodgeWorks, plan to put up a 117-room hotel from a “well-known national brand.” The company manages hotels for Hilton, Hyatt, Starwood, and Wyndham Hotel and Resorts, according to TRD. They purchased the lot for a hefty $7.75 million.
Downtown Brooklyn to get National Chain Hotel [The Real Deal]
Pepper and Potter Goin’ Down; Hotel Plans Sunk? [Brownstoner]
Pepper and Potter Prepped For Demo [Brownstoner] DOB
Stimulus Boost for Downtown Brooklyn Hotel [Brownstoner]
From Cars to Mini-Fridges on Tillary [Brownstoner] GMAP
03/20/2012 2:40 PM
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Downtown Brooklyn’s Newest Hotel Opening in Early April
According to the countdown clock on the official website for Hotel 718, the new lodging house will start accepting guests at the beginning of April. The hotel, which is at 231 Duffield Street, between the Fulton Mall and Willoughby Street, has been in the works since 2009. This stretch of Duffield has become quite the hotel row, as there is both a Sheraton and an Aloft directly across the street. The hotel will also have a ground-floor restaurant called the Marrow run by the co-owners of the West Village restaurants Perilla and Kin Shop, but a glimpse behind the glass of the restaurant space makes us wonder if it will open at the same time as the hotel, because it still looks quite raw. The 128-room property will have stuff like a sundeck and a fitness room, but no word yet on rates.
Hotel 718 [Official Site]
Countdown Begins for Downtown Brooklyn’s Hotel 718 [Brownstoner]
Duffield Build Will be Named ‘Hotel 718′ [Brownstoner]
V3 Chugging Along [Brownstoner] GMAP
V3 Build Passes 75% Mark [Brownstoner]
Development Watch: V3 Foundation Underway [Brownstoner]
Another Hotel for Duffield Street [Brownstoner]
231 Duffield RIP [Brownstoner]
Demolition of 231 Duffield Street Begins [Brownstoner]
03/20/2012 11:00 AM
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Hotel Across From BAM Actually Happening?
This morning the Local reports that Gabriela Tubella, who owns the now-vacant lot on St. Felix and Lafayette directly across the street from BAM, is once again talking about building a hotel on the site. The back story on this will-it-or-won’t-it-happen project: Tubella purchased the building that, until recently, was on the site plus an adjoining lot and air rights back in 2007; about a year ago, she started marketing the property as a possible hotel development site but got no bites on the listing; and then, all of a sudden, the city decided that 37 Lafayette Avenue was hazardous and demolition started on it early this year. According to the story in the Local, “Hotel Felix” would rise 9 stories, have 56 rooms, and construction would consist of two phases, with the first resulting in a ground-floor restaurant followed by the hotel being completed at a later date. We’re not seeing any building plans on file with the DOB yet, and given the grand schemes that have accompanied this project in the past—to say nothing of the shady demolition that seemed to come out of nowhere—we’ll believe this one when we see it. Still and all, it’s tough to imagine a hotel in this location not doing bang-up business.
Hotel Across From BAM Moves Forward [The Local]
Demolition at Would-Be Hotel Site Near BAM [Brownstoner]
What is Up at 37 Lafayette Avenue? [Brownstoner]
A Hotel Next to BAM? [Brownstoner] GMAP DOB
03/12/2012 10:30 AM
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Dishing on Andrew Tarlow’s Restaurant at the Wythe Hotel
Eater gleans some information on the forthcoming restaurant Andrew Tarlow (of Diner and Marlow & Sons) is opening at the under-construction, Two Trees-developed Wythe Hotel in Williamsburg. The hotel’s website has some details about the latest Tarlow venture, which will be called Reynards and open in May. The restaurant will focus on seasonal cuisine and “whole-animal, wood-fired cooking.” Eater reports that it looks like an outpost of Blue Bottle Coffee will also be in the mix at the Wythe. The hotel, which is on North 11th and Wythe, has a targeted opening date of May 1st, and the word as of a few months ago was that room rates would start at around $200 a night. On the jump, a pic of Reynards’ entryway. (more…)
03/08/2012 12:00 PM
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Would-be Pier 1 Developers: And Then There Were 3
Today Crain’s has an article saying the word from sources is that only three developers are still in the running for the hotel and condo project that will be built at Brooklyn Bridge Park’s Pier 1: Dermot Company, Toll Brothers and a team made up of Starwood Capital and Alloy Development. A total of seven developers answered the request for proposals for the project. Proposals from heavy-hitters including Two Trees, RAL Companies and Extell are no longer being considered. One of the interesting tidbits in the Crain’s article is that Brooklyn Bridge Park Corp. may mix and match the proposals with “the selection of one or a combination of plans.” The rendering from Dermot’s FXFowle-designed proposal is shown above; the firm is partnering with Pritzer Realty Group, Hyatt and St. Ann’s Warehouse. Click through to see the renderings for the proposals from Toll Brothers (the company has teamed with Hampshire Hotels and Resorts, and the architect would be Rogers Marvel) and the one from Starwood Capital and Alloy Development, which would be designed by Bernheimer Architects and nArchitects. The guidelines for the site call for 170 to 225 hotel rooms and between 150 and 180 residential units. A developer is supposed to be named for the project within the next few months.
Finalists Seen for Bklyn Bridge Park Development [Crain's] (more…)
02/22/2012 10:00 AM
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Addition on Two Trees’ Williamsburg Hotel Fully Glassed
The addition on the former textile factory on North 11th Street that Two Trees is developing into a hotel is now on display in all its glassy glory. A teaser website has gone up for the hotel, which will be called the Wythe and is supposed to open by May.
Wythe Hotel [Official Site]
Walentas Williamsburg Hotel Will Open by May 1st and Probably be Called ‘The Wythe’ [Brownstoner]
Development Watch: Two Trees Williamsburg Hotel [Brownstoner]
Walentas Hotel Conversion Gets Airier [Brownstoner]
Work Underway at Walentas Hotel [Brownstoner]
Walentas Hotel Awarded Tax-Free Funds [Brownstoner] GMAP
01/05/2012 2:40 PM
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New Restaurant in at Hotel Le Bleu
Will the third time be the charm for a restaurant operator on the top floor of 4th Avenue’s Hotel Le Bleu? We’ll see! A few months ago banners on the side of the building announced that the space was once again for rent following the closure of the most recent endeavor in the hotel, an Italian restaurant called il Tetto. Those banners have now come down and a sign outside Le Bleu says the new business will be a restaurant and lounge called “The Rooftop.” A person at the hotel’s front desk said she didn’t know what kind of food the new restaurant would serve but that the owner is looking to get it open by the new year. The first biz in the space was a lounge called The Vue that was unpopular with neighbors because of the noise from its late-night parties.
Hotel Le Bleu’s Restaurant Space Up For Grabs [Brownstoner] GMAP
12/15/2011 2:00 PM
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Countdown Begins for Downtown Brooklyn’s Hotel 718
The entrance to Downtown Brooklyn’s new Hotel 718, at 231 Duffield Street, is almost complete, and a promo website for the property has gone live. According to the countdown clock on the site, it should open sometime in late February/early March. The site also has some details about the hotel’s restaurant, which will be called “The Marrow.” Chefs Harold Dieterle and Alicia Nosenzo, co-owners of the West Village restaurants Perilla and Kin Shop, will serve a “meat-centric, globally-influenced New American menu.” The hotel has been in the making since 2009.
Duffield Build Will be Named ‘Hotel 718′ [Brownstoner]
V3 Chugging Along [Brownstoner] GMAP
V3 Build Passes 75% Mark [Brownstoner]
Development Watch: V3 Foundation Underway [Brownstoner]
Another Hotel for Duffield Street [Brownstoner]
231 Duffield RIP [Brownstoner]
Demolition of 231 Duffield Street Begins [Brownstoner]
12/06/2011 11:00 AM
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Sunset Park DJ Hotel Scheduled to Open in January
A new press release about Hotel BPM, the property that a DJ is opening on 33rd Street between 3rd and 4th avenues, is splendid enough to warrant the copy-and-paste treatment: “This year, a new hotel is slated to ‘drop’ in Brooklyn. Hotel BPM, named for the music term referring to the pace count of a song, ‘beats per minute,’ is being launched in January 2012 by hip-hop deejay DJ Bijal. The boutique-style property will offer 76 guest rooms, environmentally-conscious amenities and a DJ Bijal-selected soundtrack streaming throughout its public areas. The new hotel brings the two worlds of music and hospitality together, right in the heart of Brooklyn.” The release also says that rates will start at $189 a night. As of earlier this week the lobby was still looking raw, but the construction fence around the building was starting to come down.
Hotel BPM Opening Still TBD [Brownstoner] GMAP
Will Noise From a DJ’s Hotel Annoy Sunset Park? [Brownstoner]
A DJ-Driven Boutique Hotel for Sunset Park [Brownstoner]
Progress on Sunset Park’s Hip-Hop Hotel [Brownstoner]
12/01/2011 2:40 PM
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adam_dahill
May 21, 2012 | 02:16 PM