Sloppy effort today! Sorry.

Posted by: brownstoner at November 21, 2008 1:30 PM in response to Open House Picks

Thanks. Fixed now.

Posted by: brownstoner at November 21, 2008 1:12 PM in response to Open House Picks

Actually we're a little surprised that Lafayette got that price. Thought it was going to take another $100K...

Posted by: brownstoner at November 21, 2008 1:10 PM in response to Open House Picks: Six Months Later

whoops! nice catch

Posted by: brownstoner at November 21, 2008 10:51 AM in response to Another Developer in Distress

links should be fixed now

Posted by: brownstoner at November 20, 2008 12:49 PM in response to Karma Is a Bitch: 185 Ocean Developer Sucking Wind

Actually, this is turning out to be one of the highest traffic weeks on record...

Posted by: brownstoner at November 20, 2008 10:40 AM in response to Karma Is a Bitch: 185 Ocean Developer Sucking Wind

How can it be NIMBY if it's not in your own backyard? This is quite a ways from Clinton Hill...

Posted by: brownstoner at November 19, 2008 4:22 PM in response to Saying No to House of D

Sure. Unless you're a bail bonds man, this is bad for local business, and it's bad for local property values. It's a silly place for a jail and poor allocation of resources. The city could sell this land and build a state of the art facility in a less residential neighborhood.

Posted by: brownstoner at November 19, 2008 4:13 PM in response to Saying No to House of D

rental, you mean.

Posted by: brownstoner at November 19, 2008 9:52 AM in response to The Ghosts of 525 Clinton

ah, thanks for actually reading up on it.

Posted by: brownstoner at November 18, 2008 3:57 PM in response to 50% Less G Service Coming Our Way

The G is pretty important for connecting williambsburg and greenpoint with fort greene and clinton hill...

Posted by: brownstoner at November 18, 2008 3:36 PM in response to 50% Less G Service Coming Our Way

Actually, 56% of readers who responded to last year's survey own a car. Or at least they did back then!

Posted by: brownstoner at November 14, 2008 1:53 PM in response to The Future of Construction Costs?

Yes. There was a miscommunication.

Posted by: brownstoner at November 14, 2008 10:18 AM in response to 375 and 377 Baltic All Filled Up

Sorry, it's definitely not Greenpoint!

Posted by: brownstoner at November 13, 2008 11:32 AM in response to Distress Signals in Williamsburg

You're probably right, Mr. Ife!

Posted by: brownstoner at November 13, 2008 11:25 AM in response to Chang Starts Demo at 46 Nevins

That was the Ices place in Windsor Terrace, DIBS.

Posted by: brownstoner at November 12, 2008 10:28 PM in response to Commercial Klutch: November Edition

Quite a thread!

Posted by: brownstoner at November 12, 2008 10:21 PM in response to Quote of the Day

Because we don't know how to get the results. Do you?

Posted by: brownstoner at November 12, 2008 1:49 PM in response to Foreclosures of the Week: Two on Quincy

Doh! Thanks, Sam.

Posted by: brownstoner at November 12, 2008 1:48 PM in response to House of the Day: 141 Lincoln Place

That would be a shame.

Posted by: brownstoner at November 10, 2008 1:39 PM in response to House of the Day: 591 Union Street

Sorry, ltj, they cancelled last minute. Something about a burst pipe in their store!

Posted by: brownstoner at November 10, 2008 1:29 PM in response to Closing Bell: Flea It Up!

There's also a map of all restaurants if you go into the neighborhood view

Posted by: brownstoner at November 10, 2008 11:08 AM in response to Brownstoner Restaurants Now More Searchable, Sortable

There is a map embedded in the right column of each individual restaurant review

Posted by: brownstoner at November 10, 2008 11:07 AM in response to Brownstoner Restaurants Now More Searchable, Sortable

AJAS, the Walentases may do a hotel on the North Side:
http://www.brownstoner.com/brownstoner/archives/2008/06/hurdles_questio.php

Posted by: brownstoner at November 7, 2008 3:21 PM in response to Another Hotel for The Burg

Sorry, we didn't get a chance to read this before it went up. Long-time readers will of course know Ms. Donskoy as an alumna of...drumroll please...Scarano Architects.

Posted by: brownstoner at November 7, 2008 3:16 PM in response to Development Watch: 277 19th Street

Wasder, we shall see. We're hoping to get involved with it. We've got a few ideas up our sleeve. From what we understand PACC is the key player within the BID. Trying to learn more.

Posted by: brownstoner at November 6, 2008 1:37 PM in response to The Big Draw in Clinton Hill: Architecture

The Myrtle Avenue BID and its head Blaise Backer deserve huge credit for that turnaround.

Posted by: brownstoner at November 6, 2008 12:51 PM in response to The Big Draw in Clinton Hill: Architecture

Hey, Baluchi's Gotta Serve Somebody, Fjorder!

Posted by: brownstoner at November 5, 2008 9:37 PM in response to Baluchi's: Slow Train Coming

Test

Posted by: brownstoner at November 5, 2008 8:54 PM in response to We're Back

Dunno. Cancelled under some kind of strange conditions...

Posted by: brownstoner at October 31, 2008 3:14 PM in response to Open House Picks

think it's only 3 or 4 days old, but maybe they're moving that fast now!

Posted by: brownstoner at October 30, 2008 5:57 PM in response to Avalon from Above: Seven Weeks Later

http://tinyurl.com/5dwrsk

Posted by: brownstoner at October 29, 2008 4:50 PM in response to Anyone Know What's Going In as the Replacement to Tea Lounge

The Hop Obama that Sixpoint has been making this fall may be the best beer we've ever had...

Posted by: brownstoner at October 29, 2008 10:23 AM in response to Brooklyn Makes Good Beer

Still waiting for the fix from Google. Sorry!

Posted by: brownstoner at October 29, 2008 9:18 AM in response to Adobe Flash Popup

Yikes! You're right, StuyMom!

Posted by: brownstoner at October 28, 2008 1:30 PM in response to House of the Day: 206 208 Hancock Street

We deleted the comment and received a very contrite email from Prodigal Son. Obviously a super uncool move, but not the first time a commenter has said something stupid in haste that he/she regretted moments later. Let's move on.

Posted by: brownstoner at October 28, 2008 11:47 AM in response to The Obama Escape Clause

dunno, cops standing around, photo of how many police cars are there, that kind of thing...

Posted by: brownstoner at October 27, 2008 2:52 PM in response to Breaking: Shooting in Fort Greene

Definitely not vinyl! aluminum is much preferable in our opinion

Posted by: brownstoner at October 27, 2008 9:45 AM in response to Windows - vinyl clad or aluminum exterior?

Well, there are probably a good 15-20 people like the ones above who should have been included. We'll be all set for next year now though! The hardest part is the order. It's kind of a silly exercise to actually rank these folks. Maybe next year just pick 100 and make it alphabetical!

Posted by: brownstoner at October 24, 2008 2:53 PM in response to Top 50: Who'd We Leave Out?

Well, Sarah did include us in the broader "Media" slot at #9...against our admittedly weak protestations ;)

Posted by: brownstoner at October 24, 2008 2:49 PM in response to Top 50: Who'd We Leave Out?

Interesting. We were trying to avoid city-wide people like Burden, but sounds like that was a mistake in this case. Thanks for the feedback.

Posted by: brownstoner at October 24, 2008 2:43 PM in response to Number 3: Purnima Kapur

O'Connell was #26:
http://www.brownstoner.com/brownstoner/archives/2008/10/brooklyns_top_5_4.php

We thought Fishman was going to be moving to Seattle when we were working on the list!

Posted by: brownstoner at October 24, 2008 2:41 PM in response to Top 50: Who'd We Leave Out?

great one, BH76.

Posted by: brownstoner at October 24, 2008 2:30 PM in response to Top 50: Who'd We Leave Out?

All good -- and deserving -- nominations. Next year!

Posted by: brownstoner at October 24, 2008 2:04 PM in response to Number 1: Bruce Ratner

What an incredible space. Love the patina on the interior brick!

Posted by: brownstoner at October 24, 2008 12:47 PM in response to Bird Blog: Week 20

Queen,
This isn't a nomination list for Sainthood, just who has the power to influence and shape neighborhoods and the borough as a whole!

Posted by: brownstoner at October 23, 2008 5:11 PM in response to Brooklyn's Top 50 Most Influential No. 11 - 20

We were hoping people would chime in about whether they'd started using their heat yet!

Posted by: brownstoner at October 23, 2008 4:07 PM in response to Quote of the Day

It's a bug on Google's end. Google has a platform that hosts all our ads, even the non-Google one. They're working on a fix right now.

Posted by: brownstoner at October 23, 2008 3:07 PM in response to Adobe/Google Pop-Problem Fixed?

Sorry, Pete. We've spoken to several real estate investors who looked at the building last spring--and in some cases bid on it--and they couldn't get to $92 million back then, so it's hard to believe they will now. You should go for it though if you think it's such a great price!

Posted by: brownstoner at October 23, 2008 9:52 AM in response to Levine Walks, Bossert Back in Play

Longest thread since the days of guest posting?

Posted by: brownstoner at October 22, 2008 2:18 PM in response to A McCain Outpost in Blue Park Slope

We're in the process of contacting Google about it. It's not showing up in Safari.

Posted by: brownstoner at October 22, 2008 1:18 PM in response to Adobe Pop Up Surfing brownstoner

hmmmmmm....

Posted by: brownstoner at October 22, 2008 11:43 AM in response to Adobe Pop Up Surfing brownstoner

just size it to 500 pixels wide and make sure it's a jpeg then try again. or email to us and we'll post for you.

Posted by: brownstoner at October 22, 2008 11:28 AM in response to Rubber Tree is Too Shy for Brownstoner

we'll look into it. for the record, this is nothing we've initiated. please email us a screen shot if it comes up again. thanks!

Posted by: brownstoner at October 22, 2008 11:27 AM in response to Adobe Pop Up Surfing brownstoner

Take a deep breath there, Goldie. It happens to be the one sale that popped up on StreetEasy yesterday that we'd already covered as a House or Coop of the Day. Then try going back and looking at all the posts we've written celebrating the architecture of neighborhoods like Crown Heights.

Posted by: brownstoner at October 22, 2008 10:41 AM in response to Crown Heights 1BR Goes for 15% Below Ask

Oooh, awkward!

Posted by: brownstoner at October 21, 2008 11:55 AM in response to Brooklyn's Top 50 Most Influential No. 31 - 40

Nice meeting everyone. Here's a post about the event on Reclaimed Home: http://reclaimedhome.com/2008/10/17/v-spot-and-what-not/

Posted by: brownstoner at October 17, 2008 9:35 AM in response to Here's To Our Future

Department of Homeless Services, but it comes from the top, we're pretty sure.

Posted by: brownstoner at October 16, 2008 11:04 AM in response to Shelter Woes Spread From Crown Heights to Bed Stuy

What,
You should be able to comment on the home page now. This stuff is better discussed there than on the forum.
Thanks

Posted by: brownstoner at October 16, 2008 10:03 AM in response to The real end of the world party...

Pitbull,
We're not hating on the existence of shelters, just the fact that the city is shoving a disproportionate burden onto poorer neighborhoods that have a hard enough time dealing with existing quality of life and crime problems as it is without having new ones dumped on it. Crown Heights and Bed Stuy ALREADY do more than their share in this department.

Posted by: brownstoner at October 16, 2008 9:50 AM in response to Shelter Woes Spread From Crown Heights to Bed Stuy

yes, there is one small conflicting event

Posted by: brownstoner at October 15, 2008 4:58 PM in response to Reminder

We already have a post about it scheduled for the morning on the home page

Posted by: brownstoner at October 15, 2008 4:35 PM in response to Reminder

South 4th between Bedford and Berry

Posted by: brownstoner at October 13, 2008 4:23 PM in response to Closing Bell: Brownstoner Turns 4

U/D NY| BROOKLYN| *ALL HANDS*| 77-75-0606| 737 FULTON ST| L-132 FAST TRUCK, FIRE INT HE BASEMENT OF A 3 STY 20X60 BRICK, 1 LSO, TRUCKS OPENING UP.| (C) BNN | NEWSDESK/NJC485/NYC3800/NYC4425

Posted by: brownstoner at October 10, 2008 4:16 PM in response to Disaster Scene Fire on Fulton

Wow, didn't realize that would be such a big deal. We've never taken issue with the substance of What's financial prognostications, just the style of his non-market-related rants.

Posted by: brownstoner at October 10, 2008 11:18 AM in response to I told you so...

you nailed it.

so you still can't log in on the main page? that's very strange. you should be able to.

Posted by: brownstoner at October 10, 2008 9:28 AM in response to I told you so...

there have been lots and lots of recommendations over the past four years. just type "chimney sweep" into the search box!

Posted by: brownstoner at October 9, 2008 11:09 AM in response to chimney sweeps

Just buy an existing SRO--they're much cheaper than a single-family!

Posted by: brownstoner at October 8, 2008 8:05 PM in response to Turning Home to Room Rentals

LOL. Didn't realize we'd picked sam 3 times!

Posted by: brownstoner at October 8, 2008 3:28 PM in response to Quote of the Day

And don't forget: while sales are going down, so is the ability to get a loan to bridge the gap.

Posted by: brownstoner at October 7, 2008 10:14 AM in response to Brooklyn's Main Streets Feel the Pain

Exactly, BH76. Now it's all about the Brownstoner Restaurants section:
http://www.brownstoner.com/restaurants/

Posted by: brownstoner at October 7, 2008 10:03 AM in response to The Best Food Is In Brooklyn

We're going to do a couple of posts on this on the home page...

Posted by: brownstoner at October 6, 2008 1:43 PM in response to The great experiment 2008

Nice one, shchune!

Posted by: brownstoner at October 6, 2008 11:55 AM in response to Heights Brownstone Portfolio Changes Hands

Why do you think that, DOW?

Posted by: brownstoner at October 6, 2008 11:39 AM in response to Heights Brownstone Portfolio Changes Hands

hmmm...will look into that. Not sure Movable Type is up to the task!

Posted by: brownstoner at October 3, 2008 3:55 PM in response to Reminder

What, we unblocked your username a few days ago, we thought. IP isn't blocked either.

Posted by: brownstoner at October 3, 2008 3:46 PM in response to Reminder

If we did a "3 Months Later" post there probably wouldn't be much to update, other than a price cut or two...we're going to be mixing in more regular Sales posts as they pop up though.

Posted by: brownstoner at October 3, 2008 3:41 PM in response to Open House Picks: Six Months Later

Definitely! We're going to try to make it, but please send us a few of your best photos just in case.

Posted by: brownstoner at October 3, 2008 10:38 AM in response to Weekend Events

gkw, check out the Bloomberg interview in the current issue of NY Mag:

NY: Mayor Bloomberg has said that the city made a “mistake” during the seventies fiscal debacle by allowing quality-of-life services—the Police Department, schools, parks—to deteriorate.

MB: ...The lesson is, when you walk away from these investments during tough times, you walk away from your future—and we won’t do that.

http://nymag.com/anniversary/40th/50651/

Posted by: brownstoner at October 1, 2008 12:53 PM in response to Has the Bubble Finally Burst?

not a bad idea but category list is already pretty long! just type his name into the search box for now...

Posted by: brownstoner at September 29, 2008 2:35 PM in response to New Radusky Building on Franklin Avenue

The loss of Ward's is a tough one to swallow. What a waste.

Posted by: brownstoner at September 29, 2008 1:51 PM in response to Atlantic Yards Suffers a Setback

Benson,
The point of the post, like most of the articles that get re-blogged, is to highlight it for people who missed it and to provide a jumping-off point for discussion.

Posted by: brownstoner at September 29, 2008 10:28 AM in response to The Times on Deconstruction

OK, we'll unblock you. Just watch your potty mouth!

Posted by: brownstoner at September 26, 2008 11:35 AM in response to WAMU Ka-Boom!!!!!

It's been in the same family for decades

Posted by: brownstoner at September 26, 2008 11:21 AM in response to Grand Avenue Haunted House Gets Its Siding

Jeez, at this rate we could just post slideshows of Dyker Heights houses and call it a day!

Posted by: brownstoner at September 24, 2008 1:53 PM in response to Last Week's Biggest Sales

Iris,
Only a small percentage of those (a) provide an address; (b) meet minimum (admittedly totally subjective) aesthetic standards and (c) are in "Brownstone Brooklyn". But point taken.

Posted by: brownstoner at September 24, 2008 1:51 PM in response to House of the Day: 169 Clinton Street

on propertyshark.com; not sure, but you probably have to have a paid subscription to access them

Posted by: brownstoner at September 24, 2008 1:05 PM in response to Foreclosures of the Week

Thanks for point that out, Mark Swiss.

GMAP link should be fixed now.

Posted by: brownstoner at September 19, 2008 10:47 AM in response to Big Plans for 260 Flatbush Avenue

How about "Best Neighborhood to Go to a Flea Market In"?

Posted by: brownstoner at September 18, 2008 9:43 AM in response to New York's Best Neighborhoods

Yikes! How embarrassing.

Posted by: brownstoner at September 16, 2008 1:22 PM in response to House of the Day: 405 Clinton Avenue

Flea 2.0

Posted by: brownstoner at September 15, 2008 3:24 PM in response to Flea Wrap: Superstar DJ Edition

click on the Streeteasy link in the post

Posted by: brownstoner at September 15, 2008 12:22 PM in response to Condos in Contract at 20 Henry Street

They were removed.

Posted by: brownstoner at September 15, 2008 10:11 AM in response to Wall Street Reorg: Impact on Real Estate?

Sorry, folks, but when he started in with the physical threats yesterday, enough was enough.

Posted by: brownstoner at September 15, 2008 9:44 AM in response to Wall Street Reorg: Impact on Real Estate?

Whoa. That is interesting, FtGreeneCorey!

Posted by: brownstoner at September 12, 2008 11:15 AM in response to Oro Closings Becoming a Reality

Cut-and-paste strikes again. GMAP should be fixed now.

Posted by: brownstoner at September 11, 2008 3:28 PM in response to Sneak Peek at the Isabella Condos

FAR = Floor Area Ratio, basically how much square footage you are permitted to build according to DOB code.

Auctions happen on Thursdays at 3 pm at 360 Adams Street, Room 274.

Posted by: brownstoner at September 10, 2008 2:48 PM in response to Foreclosures of the Week

We're batting close to .500 so far. Much better than the general population. Of course, just a little selection bias in there!

Posted by: brownstoner at September 10, 2008 11:24 AM in response to Low Voter Turn-Out For Primaries As Usual

Apologies. We replaced the photo.

Posted by: brownstoner at September 9, 2008 5:26 PM in response to Brooklyn's Dangerous Intersections

Yeah, we'll just sit over here in the corner with our dunce cap for a few minutes...

Posted by: brownstoner at September 9, 2008 2:30 PM in response to Streetlevel: Turkish Food for Former My Little India Space

yes!

Posted by: brownstoner at September 9, 2008 10:28 AM in response to Resident Shareholders Meet to Fight Sponsor Control

They couldn't be that close if the owner had to go to Clinton Hill for a muffin! Which ones are you thinking of, Amzi Hill?

Posted by: brownstoner at September 8, 2008 2:40 PM in response to Streetlevel: T-Cup Opens on Throop

Yeah, a deli paying a $125-a-foot rent!

Posted by: brownstoner at September 5, 2008 12:20 PM in response to F. Martinella Mystery Solved?

Sometimes the people who give us info about props in contract don't want to be id'd

Posted by: brownstoner at September 4, 2008 12:01 PM in response to Open House Picks: Six Months Later

There's an approval letter from Landmarks in the window also

Posted by: brownstoner at September 2, 2008 3:47 PM in response to Streetlevel: New Restaurant Coming to Vinegar Hill

Thanks, Jack!

Posted by: brownstoner at September 1, 2008 12:27 PM in response to Closing Bell: Pre-Labor Day Flea

that is so cool!

Posted by: brownstoner at August 27, 2008 1:24 PM in response to What the heck is this?

This is indeed the top floor, but there won't be any apartments or even common roof space there. Just mechanicals and elevator shaft.

Posted by: brownstoner at August 26, 2008 8:47 PM in response to Closing Bell: Top of the Toren

FWIW, we think this project is great for Brooklyn--and have been providing play-by-play coverage of the construction process. We only played up that $1.5 million number because it was the only new angle in the entire Brooklyn Paper article. Everything else has been known for months.

Posted by: brownstoner at August 21, 2008 12:19 PM in response to Brooklyn Paper: Taxpayers Paying Up for Downtown Rental

Anyone know the exact address of this building. Couldn't make it out in the NYT photo. Also, if anyone were able to take a photo of the building and send it in, it would be most appreciated.

Posted by: brownstoner at August 18, 2008 10:19 AM in response to When Lowering A Home's Price Doesn't Sell It

Landmarks Preservation Commission

Posted by: brownstoner at August 14, 2008 1:23 PM in response to House of the Day: 132 Cambridge Place

In case people haven't noticed, there's a map embedded in this, and most other, posts...

Posted by: brownstoner at August 14, 2008 11:06 AM in response to Choice Greene Coming Into Focus

You guys are right. That's what happens when we blog from the beach!

Posted by: brownstoner at August 8, 2008 5:54 PM in response to Auction Time for 306 St. James Place

Um, this is a rental.

Posted by: brownstoner at August 6, 2008 11:12 AM in response to Avalon Myrtle Hit With Stop Work Order

fixed. thanks.

Posted by: brownstoner at August 4, 2008 5:43 PM in response to Today on the Forum

great idea!

Posted by: brownstoner at August 3, 2008 1:34 PM in response to Closing Bell: No August Slowdown at The Flea

lol, prodigal son. this doesn't look like one of the mezzanine apartments.

Posted by: brownstoner at July 30, 2008 1:15 PM in response to Condo of the Day: Resale at The Washington

When did we call the Crown Heights place a steal? We said that we were bullish on Eastern Parkway in general, which we are. We also think this area on the Prospect Hts/Crown Hts border has lots of potential long-term.

Posted by: brownstoner at July 30, 2008 1:09 PM in response to Condo of the Day: Resale at The Washington

Ratner

Posted by: brownstoner at July 30, 2008 11:06 AM in response to 80 Dekalb Avenue: Get Ready for Take-Off

Nothing so sinister, Left Hook. The intern we had doing Events quit and we don't have enough time to do it ourselves; plus, we got a lot of complaints about the format of running events the day of, so we decided to stop running them until we could create a way to run them in a more useful way. We've mentioned a lot of other events in the Friday Closing Bell in recent weeks, FWIW. In fact, we think it's good for the flea when there are other events going on nearby--and vice versa. Just goes to show how people will assume the most sinister of intentions.

Posted by: brownstoner at July 28, 2008 7:08 AM in response to Closing Bell: Brooklyn Flea + Urban Arts Festival

We didn't promote the event on the blog because it was supposed to be a listening session for us to hear complaints. Clearly the readership of Brownstoner is tilted in favor of the market, so mentioning it here would have only increased the numbers of pro-Flea attendees. If you attend the church or live in the immediate area, you would have had to be living under a rock not to know about the meeting. We wanted to keep this from blowing up into a media event, not fan the flames.

Posted by: brownstoner at July 26, 2008 12:56 PM in response to Closing Bell: Brooklyn Flea + Urban Arts Festival

To search the neighborhood archives, just go to the dropdown menu called "Neighborhoods" under the "About" button at the top of the page.

Posted by: brownstoner at July 24, 2008 12:28 PM in response to Brownstoner Goin' Mobile

We've deleted the comment and given PropJoe a warning.

Posted by: brownstoner at July 22, 2008 1:46 PM in response to Last Week's Biggest Sales

Nanook, we happen to live in a former crack house, and it's not in any of the "over priced" neighborhoods you mentioned. This post is supposed to express concern for the neighborhoods that got the brunt of this cheap, ugly construction during the building boom and now are going to have to live with it. Who's going to pay $600,000 or $700,000 for one of these when there are plenty of beautiful housing stock in neighborhoods like Crown Heights, Bed Stuy and Bushwick? And if no one buys them, then, yes, they are at risk of becoming squats or crackhouses. No neighborhood deserves that.

Posted by: brownstoner at July 18, 2008 12:14 PM in response to Who's Gonna Buy This Stuff Now?

Just trying to lighten the mood on a muggy Friday in the summer, Dave!

Posted by: brownstoner at July 18, 2008 11:23 AM in response to I Hate Valentine's Day Shoots Seemingly Everywhere

Bummer. They were working last night!

Posted by: brownstoner at July 18, 2008 11:22 AM in response to Who's Gonna Buy This Stuff Now?

12 feet on the lower 6 floors (original building) and 10 or 11 (can't remember) on the upper six floors (new addition)

Posted by: brownstoner at July 16, 2008 3:14 PM in response to Development Watch: 96 Rockwell Topped Out

Au contraire, B.O.D. As you can see from the screenshot we posted above, traffic was stronger than ever yesterday. Maybe people enjoy reading fewer, higher-quality comments after all.

Posted by: brownstoner at July 15, 2008 2:09 PM in response to User Registration

Sorry about that. We pulled the post for a few minutes to fix it and it got deleted--along with the two initial comments--by mistake. As you can see, we've left the critical comments in there now.

Posted by: brownstoner at July 15, 2008 10:59 AM in response to IndyMac Fallout in Brooklyn?

link should be fixed now

Posted by: brownstoner at July 14, 2008 1:06 PM in response to Condos of the Day: Head-to-Head in Dumbo

Thank you. Mr. Ife!

Posted by: brownstoner at July 14, 2008 11:05 AM in response to Inside the Nu Hotel

it's also possible that the truth is somewhere in the middle. the current hotel extends, on the first 5 floors, around to the atlantic side of the building where the condos are. so maybe the smith street side was originally intended as hotel and then they expanded to the atlantic side? just a guess...

Posted by: brownstoner at July 14, 2008 10:51 AM in response to Inside the Nu Hotel

johnife, that's what the hotel manager told us on our tour but no idea beyond that

Posted by: brownstoner at July 14, 2008 10:43 AM in response to Inside the Nu Hotel

Weird, Carol Gardens. Wonder if it's because you were already logged in as a guest. There's no option to log in as guest anymore...

Posted by: brownstoner at July 14, 2008 10:05 AM in response to Belltel/Real World Marriage on the Rocks?

We confirmed it with Velazquez's office, 2:32

Posted by: brownstoner at July 11, 2008 2:37 PM in response to Parole Facility Planned Next Door to St. Ann's School

2:08,
There are probably 10 times as many readers now as when we tried this back in 2006...Obvs we won't know until we try whether this will work, but if the level of discussion can be elevated and the service elements of the site can be better expanded, it'll be worth some trade-off in traffic. Of course, we could be completely wrong but there's only one way to find out. We think it's worth the gamble.

Posted by: brownstoner at July 10, 2008 2:16 PM in response to Moving Forward

2:02,
You'll still be anonymous, but if other readers care, they'll be able to see all the comments made by your made-up username. That's it. It's not like your comments are going to be thrown back at you at your next interview! Or create two usernames, one for your stupid comments and one for your smart ones. The choice is yours.

Posted by: brownstoner at July 10, 2008 2:10 PM in response to Moving Forward

But 1:45, if you're worried about that, just sign up with a random username using a random yahoo email address and don't put your real name under the account information. If you do that, there's zero, zero difference between being logged in and commenting as a guest.

Posted by: brownstoner at July 10, 2008 1:49 PM in response to Moving Forward

per square foot, sorry

Posted by: brownstoner at July 10, 2008 1:43 PM in response to Condo of the Day: Resale at the Mill Building

CHP might have her own theories, but our best guess is that she was a vocal member of the Crown Heights community offline as well as online and the person who outed her knew her and was able to make a good educated guess. That's just a theory though.

Posted by: brownstoner at July 10, 2008 1:42 PM in response to Moving Forward

Same goes for the brokers who are worried about detection...Just sign up for an account with a made up name and a random yahoo or gmail account and, presto, it's no different than commenting as a guest in terms of outside detection.

Posted by: brownstoner at July 10, 2008 1:34 PM in response to Moving Forward

Whether you're logged in as "guest" or "mrsilly" has absolutely no impact on whether your employer, or anyone else for that matter, can track you! None at all. The only difference is that we will have an email address associated with your username that won't get released to anyone under any circumstances. This will make it easier to stop trolls and easier for you to develop an online identity on the site that other readers can interact with, trust (or not), etc. It will also make it easier down the line to use the more service-oriented features that will be added to the site. In no way does registering for an account under an alias raise the chance of your employer tracking your activities.

Posted by: brownstoner at July 10, 2008 1:27 PM in response to Moving Forward

sure. one key element to mortgage fraud is massively overpaying for a house. In this case, the buyer paid $850,000 and financed $807,500 (95%). And now two years later it's on the market for $595,000. We have no idea what the story is in this particular case but, as we said in the post, there are two options, "someone's taking a serious bath or there's some mortgage fraud going on."

Posted by: brownstoner at July 8, 2008 2:16 PM in response to House of the Day: 1171 Dean Street

sorry. that posted before it was supposed to. it'll be back up in an hour on the main page!

Posted by: brownstoner at July 7, 2008 1:26 PM in response to Benches for Barack

We can block IPs, no problem, but some trolls go through anonymizing gateways that generate new IPs for the user each time he comments. It's un-blockable.

Posted by: brownstoner at July 7, 2008 11:49 AM in response to Toren: Naked No Longer

Agreed. Unfortunately, there's no workaround for a human troll whose IP can't be blocked who delights in posting long cut-and-pastes at every chance he/she gets.

Posted by: brownstoner at July 7, 2008 8:47 AM in response to Toren: Naked No Longer

We've had numerous reports from neighborhood residents (black and white) in recent weeks that the clientele at Mirrors is loud, aggressive and looked to them like it had its share of drug dealers. This is in striking contrast to the crowd at Grand 275 (which has plenty of black people!). One person close to the situation we spoke with yesterday said it's just a matter of time before something bad happens out in front of Mirrors.

Posted by: brownstoner at June 26, 2008 5:26 PM in response to Closing Bell: Goodnight, Grand 275, Goodnight

Sorry for igniting such a s#!+storm. We just meant that a doubling of price over the last five years in itself is not out of line with what's happened in the broader market. That was not meant to say that we think this particular house is worth $1.395 million, especially since there are no signs of any improvements to it.

Posted by: brownstoner at June 26, 2008 2:52 PM in response to House of the Day: 712 Degraw Street

There aren't a whole lot of prewar co-ops listed right now in this part of town and we try to maintain some geographic diversity. Plus, since we already had discussed a 2 BR in this building a few months ago we thought it would be interesting to hit this one.

Posted by: brownstoner at June 26, 2008 2:06 PM in response to Co-op of the Day: 30 Ocean Parkway

Our particular incident wasn't really that bad--and it's the first even close call we've had in the three years we've lived in the neighborhood. It was a bit of a wake-up call though. Our mistake was letting our guard down by talking on our cell phone--something we would never have done if it were dark out. And for the record, we've been mugged only twice in a lifetime of living in NYC, and both times were on the Upper East Side!

Posted by: brownstoner at June 18, 2008 9:52 AM in response to Enough With the Marauding Teenagers!

You hit the nail on the head, Mr. Ife. This one's some kind of bot though.

Posted by: brownstoner at June 17, 2008 3:52 PM in response to Quote of the Day

Okay, should we have said "bare bones" then instead of pathetic? They had, like, two small food counters in the entire large space. Compared to the Bridge deli a couple of doors down, it did look pretty pathetic. At the very least, it was an underutilized space without much going on in the ambience department. And it's not a yuppie thing: The Spanish American restaurant across the street is hardly new or upscale, but has tons of character and hopefully will be around for a long time.

Posted by: brownstoner at June 10, 2008 5:39 PM in response to Streetlevel: Front and Jay Retail Sits Vacant

The whole Wallabout area is under consideration for becoming a historic district. Imagine this building with a restored facade and some nice big windows. Definitely worth preserving, especially for the purpose of maintaining the character of the overall area.

Posted by: brownstoner at June 3, 2008 3:03 PM in response to Hall Street Storage Goes From Cold to Warm

Exposed brick is fine, or even great, in some scenarios like a converted 19th century commercial building. In a Victorian brownstone, however, it doesn't work, in our opinion. It looks random and out of place to have a handful of wall sections exposed like this. But, hey, it's just an opinion.

Posted by: brownstoner at May 29, 2008 1:41 PM in response to House of the Day: 24 Clifton Place

Agree that it's lovely, but that's not the same thing as fancy. There's no doorman, for example.

Posted by: brownstoner at May 27, 2008 12:52 PM in response to Co-op of the Day: 160 Columbia Heights

Don't think we implied that, 1:33. We have no idea whose fault it is, if anyone's.

Posted by: brownstoner at May 22, 2008 3:03 PM in response to Ward's Bakery: SWO But Well Beyond Salvation

yes, 10:18, it's right in front

Posted by: brownstoner at May 22, 2008 10:23 AM in response to Cop Fired on in Aftermath of Rally at Grand and Putnam

Good catch. Thanks. We've fixed and re-posted.

Posted by: brownstoner at May 20, 2008 5:38 PM in response to Foreclosure of the Week: 14A Monroe Street

sorry, we just think it's looks bad to have recessed lighting in spaces that have strong period details like crown moldings...it's a matter of taste, but, hey, it's our bully pulpit...

Posted by: brownstoner at May 15, 2008 2:38 PM in response to House of the Day: 491 3rd Street

We did go to the 88th Precinct this morning. They gave us a phone number to call at Police HQ in Manhattan. Way to embrace the community!

Posted by: brownstoner at May 15, 2008 12:44 PM in response to Another Shooting on Grand and Putnam

Why in the world would the longtime residents of the neighborhood be in favor of the police doing nothing while people get shot? That's a ridiculous thing to say. Just because some longtime residents may have given up on the police long ago (and for good reason given the lack of action), why should newer arrivals not try to draw attention to the problems and bring a new level of accountability? Stick to economics, The What.

Posted by: brownstoner at May 15, 2008 12:09 PM in response to Another Shooting on Grand and Putnam

cuz it's a nice old building

Posted by: brownstoner at May 12, 2008 2:21 PM in response to Development Watch: 172 Nassau Street

Unfortunately not. School policy.

Posted by: brownstoner at May 9, 2008 4:55 PM in response to Closing Bell: Flea Bigger and Better Than Ever on Sunday

Yeah, you're right. It looks absolutely dead in this photo from last week. Not a soul!

Posted by: brownstoner at May 9, 2008 4:36 PM in response to Closing Bell: Flea Bigger and Better Than Ever on Sunday

Hey The What,
Since you managed a whole post without swearing, we've re-enabled your log-in. Email us if it doesn't work for you.

Posted by: brownstoner at May 9, 2008 2:42 PM in response to Open House Picks

Yeah, we loved it. Not livable for a family, obviously, but it didn't feel cold and sterile, the way one might expect. The wood floors are probably what made the difference.

Posted by: brownstoner at May 5, 2008 9:16 AM in response to Fort Greene House Tour Wrap

Anything that brings Whitbo out of commenting retirement counts as a win for us!

Posted by: brownstoner at May 2, 2008 11:54 AM in response to Bird Blog: Week 1

That's what some people said about Third & Bond at the beginning...Judge it on whether it's interesting. We think it will be.

Posted by: brownstoner at May 2, 2008 11:51 AM in response to Bird Blog: Week 1

Thanks, Biff, but we don't have anything to do with this project (other than providing the blog space). The developers write this weekly post.

Posted by: brownstoner at May 1, 2008 1:27 PM in response to Inside Third & Bond: Week 35

In case you haven't caught on yet, 4:15, the Closing Bell post is SUPPOSED TO BE a light, throwaway post.

Posted by: brownstoner at April 30, 2008 4:22 PM in response to Closing Bell: Cherry Blossom Timelapse

Not at all. Furnishings and art are a different matter. There are plenty of examples of parlor floors with 19th century architecture and 20th century interior decoration that look great. It's not like we have a whole lot of period furniture in our place. Recessed lighting just looks too "new" (or "nouveau") and out of place to us. It's got no soul.

Posted by: brownstoner at April 30, 2008 3:56 PM in response to House of the Day: 266 Berkeley Place

Look, we're not saying that one should never use recessed lighting (a back hallway or walk-in closet maybe?) but it's totally incongruous in an elegant parlor floor setting. In fact, we'd venture this rule of thumb: If there's crown molding, skip the recessed lighting.

Posted by: brownstoner at April 30, 2008 2:56 PM in response to House of the Day: 266 Berkeley Place

As stated above, it's a school policy regarding the dogs. We realize it's inconvenient for some, but we don't have a say in the matter.

Posted by: brownstoner at April 28, 2008 12:16 PM in response to Brooklyn Flea Week 4 on Sunday!

Yes, but they would walk past here to get to those restaurants...

Posted by: brownstoner at April 25, 2008 3:35 PM in response to New Median for Broadway in the Burg

Yes. Lafayette STREET is in Manhattan, Lafayette AVENUE in Fort Greene.

Posted by: brownstoner at April 25, 2008 3:32 PM in response to Brooklyn Flea Week 4 on Sunday!

test 88

Posted by: brownstoner at April 25, 2008 10:01 AM in response to Server Migration In Progress Almost Complete

test 88

Posted by: brownstoner at April 25, 2008 10:01 AM in response to Server Migration In Progress Almost Complete

a) nice find on that photo
b) server transition should happen this afternoon. seriously!

Posted by: brownstoner at April 24, 2008 11:55 AM in response to Slope Ruin Gets Served

The migration is under way right now, 1:52--hopefully done by day's end. Driving us crazy as well, believe us!

Posted by: brownstoner at April 21, 2008 1:55 PM in response to House of the Day: 58 6th Avenue

Agreed that this was by far the best mix of vendors to date. As for the unrented space, it's not for lack of demand. Our goal is to end up with the best possible mix of vendors in the long run. If we let in vendors now that we don't think are up to snuff, it makes it more difficult to get to that perfect mix, say, two months out. Plus, there are the inevitable 4 or 5 no-shows every week. We're working towards having more large vendors and trimming some of the dinky ones in the middle. Rome wasn't built in a day. Man, could we use some sunshine though!

Posted by: brownstoner at April 21, 2008 9:23 AM in response to See You at The Flea!

2:52, the server is still being configured so we haven't switched over yet....fixed the pshark link. As it turns out, there's another 4,500 square feet of buildable on this!

Posted by: brownstoner at April 18, 2008 3:07 PM in response to Open House Picks

The address and link should be fixed now

Posted by: brownstoner at April 18, 2008 1:27 PM in response to Open House Picks

Oh, yeah, think we heard about that...

Posted by: brownstoner at April 18, 2008 11:40 AM in response to Front Page Forum: Used Office Furniture in Brooklyn?

Check out a photo of the building back in the day here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/imjustsayin/2324998039/in/photostream/

Posted by: brownstoner at April 18, 2008 9:32 AM in response to Another Old Burg Beaut Biting the Dust

As we posted earlier in the week, we're moving to a new server this weekend so commenting should be back to normal next week. Sorry about this.

Posted by: brownstoner at April 17, 2008 3:23 PM in response to Condos of the Day: Price Cuts at 543 Dean Street

Yeah, that's pretty hilarious!

Posted by: brownstoner at April 17, 2008 1:56 PM in response to Condos of the Day: Price Cuts at 543 Dean Street

If they were putting something like this up on Fulton Street at the end of our block, we'd be thrilled.

Posted by: brownstoner at April 16, 2008 12:07 PM in response to On Prospect Park: Ready For its Close-Up

How many advertising dollars have we made off it? Zero. We didn't go on the tour--Gabby did--so we can't comment first hand, but we really like the design architecturally and think it is an example of how modern architecture can be judiciously integrated within historic areas. If you don't welcome this building with open arms to the borough, then you are someone who believes that time should stand still. We are pretty hard-leaning preservationists but we also get excited by good modern architecture. God knows we have enough bad modern architecture in Brooklyn.

Posted by: brownstoner at April 16, 2008 11:18 AM in response to On Prospect Park: Ready For its Close-Up

test

Posted by: brownstoner at April 15, 2008 1:03 PM in response to LPC Gives Go-Ahead to Carlton Mews Project

test

Posted by: brownstoner at April 15, 2008 1:02 PM in response to Co-op of the Day: 415 St. John's Place

re: dogs,
this is a school running track. we can't have dogs doing their business their. that's just the way it is.

Posted by: brownstoner at April 12, 2008 8:36 PM in response to Closing Bell: Round 2 of The Flea on Sunday

John,
Not trying to hide anything. It would have been one giant strike-through. Here's the original for your reading pleasure:

The average sales price of nearly every type of property in Brooklyn has dropped over the past three months, some in the double digits, according to The Corcoran Group's most recent report, which tracks deals made by the firm. In some categories, that could mean only a handful of sales located disproportionately in certain neighborhoods. So while the figures aren't Bible, Brooklyn Regional VP Frank Percesepe said, "There's been a definite pullback in the marketplace." Single-family townhouses fared the worst, steadily dropping between the first quarter last year, at $1,798 per square foot (psf), and the close of this past quarter, to $1,390 psf, a 23 percent decrease. Two-bedrooms also saw a steady decrease of 3 percent, to $591 psf. Average sales price per square foot in most categories increased between early last year and January, then suddenly plummeted — multi-family townhouses the worst, a 25 percent drop, to $1,445 psf. On the other hand, Condo and Co-op studios, and three-bedrooms, all saw an increase in value — co-op studios 17 percent to $310 psf, condo studios 29 percent to $549 psf, and three-bedroom condos 12 percent to $1,010 psf. Percesepe said sales closed during the first quarter reflect economic difficulties that started to set in last November, and the Bear Stearns collapse could affect next quarter. But he said attendance at open houses was up last week, only the buyers are different than during Brooklyn's peak boom era. "There's fewer investors, more people buying for their own homes."

Posted by: brownstoner at April 2, 2008 10:46 AM in response to Brooklyn Prices Drop It Like It's Not Hot

what John Ife said.

Posted by: brownstoner at April 1, 2008 2:50 PM in response to Property Line What to do??

No, Biff. As you'll notice we printed your comment about being censored. What we had to delete were multiple instances of your cutting-and-pasting spam.

Posted by: brownstoner at April 1, 2008 10:36 AM in response to AY Owners, Renters File Eminent Domain Appeal

Biff,
Because the spammer--and now yo--can't behave civilly, we're having to review comments before they go up to spare readers having to wade through your crap. As we've said before, this ain't an issue of free speech. This blog is like our living room and you're like a guest at our party. If you behave like a jerk, you're not going to be welcome.
Mr. B

Posted by: brownstoner at April 1, 2008 10:22 AM in response to AY Owners, Renters File Eminent Domain Appeal

Not necessarily. Chris has done it from his perch at Notre Dame all year! But it would definitely create more opportunities for an intern to make the gig more interesting.

Posted by: brownstoner at March 28, 2008 10:42 AM in response to Calling All Interns

Sorry about that, but the combo of the NY Mag article on Monday, Daily News on Tuesday and New York Times today are putting a lot of stress on it. We're working on increasing our capacity but can't do it overnight unfortunately.

Posted by: brownstoner at March 27, 2008 2:28 PM in response to Condo of the Day: 32 Berkeley Place, #3

Anyone who would like to see more coverage of his neighborhood is encouraged to send in tips and photos!

Posted by: brownstoner at March 26, 2008 11:29 AM in response to Sarah Ryley Joins Brownstoner Squad

when you stop swearing so much, we'll unblock your IP. pretty simple.

Posted by: brownstoner at March 25, 2008 11:22 AM in response to Avalon Bay Rentals Now In, Um, Fort Greene

what problems are you having? there were a lot of double comments yesterday but we're having trouble isolating the problem...

Posted by: brownstoner at March 25, 2008 10:55 AM in response to Avalon Bay Rentals Now In, Um, Fort Greene

Hate to disappoint you, The What, but yesterday was the biggest traffic day ever.

Posted by: brownstoner at March 25, 2008 10:22 AM in response to AY Funding Agreement: This Could Take Forever

There is no cover charge. There are fire safety codes we have to comply with.

Posted by: brownstoner at March 24, 2008 12:35 PM in response to Spotlight on The Flea

That's why we suggested it was most attractive as a condo conversion, not a one- or two-family.

Posted by: brownstoner at March 20, 2008 1:33 PM in response to House of the Day: 100 Lefferts Place

Keep 'em coming then!

Posted by: brownstoner at March 19, 2008 3:47 PM in response to On the Backpages: Farewell, Windsor Terrace Reno

We checked with the Greenway folks and they said it would have to be widened later on...

Posted by: brownstoner at March 10, 2008 4:26 PM in response to Closing Bell: Repaving That Will Have to Be Repaved

Keep commenting. The programmers will be reading this. Thanks.