Brownstoner

Closing Bell: Kensington in Danger of Destabilization?

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 16:00:07 -0500

The owner of Kensington Stables is saying proposed Health Dept. rules might force him to close up shop, according to the Daily News: "A Brooklyn stable owner is neighing that proposed city Health Department changes requiring five-week vacations for horses, bigger stalls and a sprinkler system in barns would saddle him with a financial disaster. 'I want to keep horseback riding affordable for Brooklyn families, but I don't see how I can do that,' said Kensington Stables owner Walker Blankinship. 'What am I supposed to do - become a ritzy, snobby barn that charges $100?'" The Health Dept. says the news regs have yet to be finalized and that some version of them is going to be proposed at the next Board of Health meeting.
Stable Owner Bucking Expensive Proposed Changes [NYDN]
Photo by Mongibeddu.

Development Watch: 659 Baltic Street

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 14:30:54 -0500

This four-story job on Baltic near 5th Avenue is looking pretty much complete from the outside. DOB records don't appear to specify whether it's meant to be a single-family or have separate apartments—anyone know? GMAP DOB

StreetLevel: New Cafe/Bar in the Works on 4th Ave

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 14:00:17 -0500

For the past couple weeks workers have been renovating the ground-floor space in one of the old apartment buildings on 4th Avenue between 2nd and 3rd streets, and according to DOB records the storefront will eventually be the home of a cafe. More specifically, the permits say: "Cafe bar and multipurpose room for cultural activities (art gallery, music performance, poetry reading, book signing, video and film review, art class's ..)." GMAP

House of the Day: 449 6th Street

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 13:14:31 -0500

If you want a great house in a prime location but need a little extra rental income to pull it off, this new listing at 449 6th Street just might be the ticket. The four-story brownstone is divided up into two duplexes. The listing doesn't say what one of them would rent for, but we're guessing around $4,500. With rates where they are, that should help cover almost a million bucks of your mortgage. Given the asking price of $2,300,000, that should get you almost halfway there to covering your monthly mortgage nut.
449 6th Street [Corcoran] GMAP P*Shark

Co-op of the Day: 224 Henry Street, #2AB

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 12:41:25 -0500

This new listing at 224 Henry Street in Brooklyn Heights looks very nice. The two-bedroom co-op takes up the entire floor of a 25-foot-wide brick townhouse. There are lots of original details and the recently-renovated kitchen is also attractively done. The monthly maintenance of $1,170 seems a tad high given the lack of a doorman or amenities, but not painfully so. The asking price of $995,000. What do you make of that? There was an open house on Sunday—did anyone attend?
224 Henry Street, #2AB [Brown Harris Stevens] GMAP P*Shark

Last Week's Biggest Sales

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 11:30:01 -0500

1. BROOKLYN HEIGHTS $6,096,194 (eventually: $8,495,000?)
360 Furman Street #1216; #1130; #1128 GMAP
Far as we can tell, three sales recorded last week at One Brooklyn Bridge Park account for the majority of the record-breaking deal in the building. The sales add up to a little more than $6 million and were all purchased by the same LLC; no other purchases were recorded in public records last week for that specific buyer. What we've got so far is the biggest piece of the puzzle, unit 1216, which closed for $4,232,267 including a parking spot. Units #1128 and #1130 closed for a little under $2 million together and came with two more parking spots. According to 1BBP's amended condo declaration, #1216 is 4,252 square feet and has an 826-square-foot terrace. Entered into contract on 1/15/10; closed on 1/21/10; deed recorded on 2/1/10.

2. BROOKLYN HEIGHTS $2,189,237
360 Furman Street #208 GMAP
What a week for 1BBP! This sale had nothing to do with the one above, but it was a still a biggie. According to the condo declaration, this second-floor spread is a 2,734-square-foot three-bedroom. Entered into contract on 12/15/09; closed on 1/21/10; deed recorded on 2/2/10.

3. PROSPECT HEIGHTS $1,915,750
170 St. Marks Avenue GMAP
This 2-family brownstone originally hit the market in April of last year asking $2,300,000, according to StreetEasy. The price was reduced a few times until it was asking $1,910,000 in December. Ad said: "Beautiful 20 foot wide 4000 square feet multi unit Greek Revival Brownstone in Prospect Heights." Entered into contract on 1/19/10; closed on 1/19/10; deed recorded on 2/3/10.

4. BAY RIDGE $1,700,000
22 80th Street GMAP
This is a 2,467-sf single-family, according to Property Shark. Entered into contract on 12/2/09; closed on 1/19/10; deed recorded on 2/2/10.

5. FORT GREENE $1,320,000
130 South Oxford Street GMAP
When this brick townhouse was a HOTD in June, it was listed for $1,550,000. Reader widget guess=$1,141,147. Entered into contract on 1/10/10; closed on 1/27/10; deed recorded on 2/3/10.

Vermeil Inching Towards The Finish Line

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 11:00:21 -0500

Slowly but surely the Vermeil condo on 7th Avenue and Sterling Place is getting closer to selling out. There have been 17 closings in the 22-unit building, and StreetEasy is only showing two units on the market: A 1,602-sf 3-bedroom ($1.1 mil) and a 1,564-sf 2-bed ($1.075 mil). The building, which was pricey from the get-go, hit the market in early '07 and started closing in February of last year. There have been fairly substantial discounts on some of the more recent sales, like a unit initially listed for $1,700,000 that sold for $1.15 million with two parking spots thrown in.
Checking In On The Vermeil [Brownstoner]
More Price Cuts at The Vermeil [Brownstoner] GMAP
Checking in on The Vermeil [Brownstoner]
Changing of the Guard at The Vermeil [Brownstoner]
First Closing at The Vermeil [Brownstoner]
Condo of the Day: Price Cut at The Vermeil [Brownstoner]
Update on the Vermeil [Brownstoner]

Walkabout: Pressed Metal Ornament

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 10:30:00 -0500

As I’ve started to really notice all of the elements that go into the buildings that make up Brooklyn, I’ve developed a large dose of respect for the designers and builders who made it all happen. A hundred or so years ago, a building was not just four walls (or less), a roof, and the other necessary elements of function. A building was an opportunity, a canvas for the artistic talents of so many different industries, crafts and craftspeople. We’ve looked at some of those elements: stonework, carved wood, wrought iron, stained glass, and brick, as well as the different parts of buildings, from the doors to the cornices, every surface, depending on the period and style of the building, gave the architects and their crews and suppliers, a blank canvas for ornament. As technology and manufacturing advances allowed new and different materials to be utilized, the lines between materials often becomes blurred, as metal imitates wood or stone, and is used in ways that a blacksmith would never have imagined.

Ideas for the Myrtle Pedestrian Plaza

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 10:00:36 -0500

Very cool. Streetsblog files a report on the Myrtle Avenue BID's unveiling of eight possible ideas for the pedestrian plaza that will be constructed between Grand Avenue and Emerson Place. Four of the renderings are above. StreetsBlog notes that the DOT and the Department of Design and Construction will eventually select their own design team, though the public weighed in on these eight designs: "Michael Blaise Backer, the BID's director, said he saw three major themes emerge from the designs and the public feedback: public art, environmental sustainability, and spaces for unplanned performances. Those broader themes will now be communicated to DOT as guidelines for its design process. According to Backer, the city should announce an official design team for the plaza in about two months."
What Should Happen at Myrtle Avenue’s New Plaza? The Public Weighs In [Streetsblog]
Inventing the Myrtle Avenue Pedestrian Plaza [Brownstoner]
Renderings from Myrtle Avenue BID.

Choice Dumbo Set to Open This Week

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 09:30:56 -0500

Choice Market, which transformed the culinary landscape in Eastern Clinton Hill when it opened at the corner of Lafayette and Grand Avenues in 2006, is about to unveil its latest venture, an ambitious eatery in the bottom of the J Condo in Dumbo. Designed by architect Evan Douglis, the new place has much larger cooking and sitting areas and is designed as a community gathering place. If you live or work in the neighborhood, you've probably peaked through the windows already; for everyone else, we've got a photo of the interior on the jump. We don't think we're going out on a limb to say that the mix of paninis, salads, prepared entrees and pastries will be a much-needed jolt to the Dumbo dining scene. The latest word we've heard is that the new location should soft-open with daytime service next week. Personally, we can't wait.

Open Thread

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 09:14:21 -0500

Stuff Actually Happening in the BAM Cultural District?

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 09:00:12 -0500

This week's issue of Crain's has an article about how steps are being taken to realize some of the long-held plans for the BAM Cultural District. First up, the newsy bit: This week BAM is expected to close on the ground-floor retail space at the Forte condo and "it will use that space to exhibit its archives and to produce other public programming." Aside from that, the story says the Theatre for a New Audience is supposed to break ground on its 27,500-square-foot facility in December, and BAM intends to start working on a new building it's constructing this summer. Work on a new park and landscaping is also scheduled to begin before the end of this year. Taken together, it's all very exciting, though as the piece notes, "the nascent arts neighborhood has had so many setbacks, it's easy to question whether these projects will be completed as scheduled, especially during a major recession." We'll just have to wait and see.
Curtain Rises on Brooklyn Arts Center [Crain's]
Fulton St. Theater Will Be New Home for Arts Orgs [Brownstoner]
BAM Theater for a New Audience Not Dead [Brownstoner]
BAM Cultural District: Alive If Not Exactly Kicking [Brownstoner]
BAM District Master Plan from DBP.

Tuesday Links

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 08:30:24 -0500

Survey Raises Questions on Data-Driven Policy [NY Times]
BK Writer Sees How Far $100 Can Go [NY Times]
Sitt Looking to Build Dorms Around the City [NY Post]
A Cow-ardly School Theft [NY Post]
Vid of Birdies Frolicking in BBP [Curbed]
Living in Concord Village [BK Eagle]
Coney's Shore Theater May Be Landmarked [ATZ]
F Train Shuttles—They’re Baaa-aaack! [BK Paper]
New 17PPW Owners Detail Reno [FIPS]
Photo by LoisInWonderland.

Monday Blogwrap

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 16:30:00 -0500

Park Slope’s Infamous ‘Fabulous’ Mom Launches Blog [Brokelyn]
Brunch at Provence en Boite [Eat It]
Valentine's Week Sales and Specials [All About 5th]
The Ultimate V-Day Gift: A Brokelyn Beer Book! [Brokelyn]
Super Bowl Sunday on Smith Street [PMFA]
Red Hook Sunset/No better place. Photo by Josh Derr from the Brownstoner Flickr Pool.

Closing Bell: Trailer Out for 'A Walk Around Fort Greene'

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 16:00:27 -0500

The trailer for a movie in production called "A Walk Around Fort Greene" hit Vimeo last week. Here's the synopsis: "A feature-length documentary about the black arts movement that exploded in Fort Greene from the mid 1980s through the 90s.The film features Spike Lee, Chris Rock, Rosie Perez, Vernon Reid, Carl Hancock Rux, Saul Williams, Lorna Simpson, Alva Rogers, Kevin Powell, Toure, Bill Stephany to name a few."