lisa's Profile
- Lisa
- 1993
- 2005
- Brooklyn
- Park Slope
- Rental
- writer
- Female
- http://www.lisaselindavis.com
Author's Posts
December 1, 2008
Closing Bell: Hanging Out on the Stoop
For most of us, it's getting too cold to partake in that great Brooklyn activity known as hangin' out on the stoop. Not so at this sweet, freestanding home in South Slope where someone has parked their doll with the big-ole-head in their stead. Might it stay there 'til spring?
Development Watch: 222 Duffield Keeps on Chugging
Plenty of progress at 222 Duffield in downtown Brooklyn. Gene Kaufman Architects' design for the hotel duo includes a 300-room Sheraton and a 180-room Aloft. That's an awful lot of inventory considering there are Holiday Inns and Fairfield Inns and such going in nearby as well. This project, it seems, will come to fruition; earlier this year we reported that as many of half of the hotel rooms planned for the borough wouldn't make it.
Development Watch: Sheraton Hotel Fully Aloft [Brownstoner] GMAP
Duffield Doubleshot Halfway There [Brownstoner] P*Shark DOB
Development Watch: Duffield St. Hotels [Brownstoner]
On Duffield Street, Two Stories Down, 23 to Go [Brownstoner]
Reverse Streetlevel: No Pub on Prospect
Prospect Heights/Crown Heights residents celebrating what looked like a new pub on Prospect between Washington and Grand saw the light last week — the movie lights, that is. Gowanus Lounge reports that the empty storefront that had been reinvented as “Glenister Pub” is just a movie set. "After further scrutiny of the scene, we wondered at the large number of vintage police cars and ambulances in the area and finally noticed the inevitable No Parking signs. Thanks, 'Life On Mars' for lifting and subsequently dashing our hopes of sudsy afternoons. Now we’ll have to go back to concealing Colt 45s in socks." GMAP
Atlantic Yards Naysayers and Yaysayers
“Ratner was trying to help all these people. He doesn’t just take your property, he offers fair market value. If you’re gonna say no cuz you wanna be in the way of progress . . ." That's one Proud Brooklynite's take on Atlantic Yards, as dramatized by the upcoming production Brooklyn at Eye Level, a theatrical investigation of the real estate development. No Land Grab has picked out a couple of opposing viewpoints (apparently the pro-Altantic Yards viewpoints are hard to find) represented in the piece, including this thought from Urban Planner: "I don’t see the average family in Brooklyn, particularly a low-income family, being able to function in those buildings effectively [proposed Atlantic Yards Towers]…When we worked in Bed-Stuy, on BS Restoration Corps. . . there was this woman who leaned out her window and said, 'give us affordable housing. But make sure I can yell at my kids on the street.' You just can’t do that in a 40-story building."
Update on 20 Henry
More than 200 folks gathered at a party for 20 Henry last week, and the project sure has generated a lot of buzz (their PR folks reported that they'd received 1,900 inquiries long before sales officially started in early November). Not sure they have something to celebrate yet (we didn't get an official update from the powers that be in time for this posting). On the Halstead Web site, nine units are on the market right now, ranging from a three-bed, two-and-a-half bath for $2.46 million to a one-bath studio for $580,000. Seems a little 2007 in the pricing, no? In total, there are 38 residences, both newly constructed and renovated spots in the former Peaks Mason Mints Candy Factory. Amenities include a green roof deck, landscaped courtyard, doorman, storage for bikes and food, and eligibility for the J-51 tax abatement.
Brooklyn Modern #4: Green, Industrial Wonderland
And now, the final in our mini-series looking at homes featured in Brooklyn Modern by Diana Lind, with photographs by Yoko Inoue. Here's Diana's installment #4:
Susan Boyle and Benton Brown live the dream that probably many Brownstoner readers have only the time to fantasize about. The couple bought a package of industrial buildings in Crown Heights, re-selling a few and keeping two of the most precious to renovate into a green residential loft building and a commercial rental building. Their own duplex apartment sits on the penthouse of the former building and features reclaimed materials throughout. A stunning bookcase is made from timbers found on site, the bathrooms are fitted with vintage fixtures and tubs and sinks, even their bedroom closet's doors are made from former ambulance doors. The buildings were renovated with a 30-year plan in mind — but for now, some eco-friendly aspects such as a green roof that catches rain run-off and tall windows that provide natural light and ventilation are already cutting down the building's already-low environmental impact.
Advice on Brooklyn Apartment Living
Did you know Brooklyn was the Borough of Trees? Actually, we're not sure it is (though once it was known as the Borough of Churches), but the renter-friendly Web site movingtoanapartment.com has added Brooklyn to the list of cities they cover, and they offer such insights, including these: "Around 44% of Brooklyn residents work within the area where small businesses are major employers. Others rely heavily on jobs in Manhattan for income. Historically, the Brooklyn economy has centered around manufacturing. However, manufacturing has seen a decline as jobs in services have increased." Must-see attractions include the Brooklyn Tabernacle, New York Aquarium and a bus tour known as "A Slice of Brooklyn." Recommended restaurants include Di Fara's, Al Di La and Tom's (no arguing there). What's odd, though, is their ranking of the "Top 3 Brooklyn Apartments." Here's the list:
Spring Creek Towers Apartments
1255 pennsylvania Avenue
Bedrooms: studio-3
Price: Please CallBay Ridge Residential Apartments
Shore Road
Bedrooms: studio-2
Price: $800-$2000Archstone Brooklyn Heights Apartments
180 Montague Street
Bedrooms: studio-3
Price: $2250-$6000
*Pet Friendly*
Do those seem like the top three to you?
Photo by Sharpen.
The Peculiarly Plain House in Park Slope
Yes, "peculiar" was the adjective ascribed to Stewart Woodford’s red brick house 869 President Street, between 7th and 8th Avenues, courtesy of the Brooklyn Eagle in 1885. While other houses built around that time had the mansard roofs of Second Empire Victorians, or stuck to the details of Queens Anne or traditional brownstone, this place was different. Woodford was a politician and diplomat, and his architect was Henry Ogden Avery, who'd studied at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris. He gave the place a surprisingly plain 36-foot-wide facade, "with simple round arched windows on the first floor, a pair of small projecting oriels on either side of the second, and three pairs of rectangular windows on the third," writes Christopher Gray in the NY Times. The magic is in the details: a pair of iron peacocks adorning the door, an art deco cornice in the hall, a strap-work ceiling and terra cotta fireplace in the living room. The current owners, Madelyn and Martin Schloss, have just bought a house nearby, not to abandon the old Woodford residence but to restore and renovate it, and return again.
A Different Drummer of a House [NY Times]
Photo from Property Shark.
Utopia in the City
Someday, Brooklyn will be "a place where neighbors sit down to share meals several times a week, where children roam freely from home to home, and where grown-ups can hang out in a communal living room." Okay, maybe not all of it, but at least the swath in Fort Greene selected to become Brooklyn Cohousing, reports the NY Times. As we reported at the end of October, the group of 14 member households, who've bought in at $20,000 to $40,000, and 25 associate households, who paid $500 and attend regular meetings, decided to build their paradise at the former St. Michael's church property, an unfinished 40-condo project that had been known as Carlton Mews. "The group hasn’t settled on a project name yet, but it plans to build more modest apartments than the original developers intended and to fill them with families whose lives revolve around the courtyard and 6,000 square feet of common space where residents can cook together, play together, do woodworking or take an art class together," they write. Folks will have to get along here, with 40 families making decisions that affect everyone (size of group dining room or common guest rooms, finishes in private kitchens) by consensus. The economy's downward spiral may have given the project a boost, even though the units, from studios to four-bedrooms (smaller than average, since there's shared common space), will sell for "market rate." "A developer who can sell an entire project to a single entity runs a lower risk than one who has to sell individual units. Banks may also appreciate that while a developer may have trouble selling unbuilt condos, the cohousing group expects to sell almost all of the project before construction begins." But the project is admittedly a financial risk. “You’re not buying an apartment,” said one of the founding members, Alex Marshall. “You’re becoming a legal member of a community and sharing in the costs and risks of building it.”
A Village Down the Block [NY Times]
Monday Links
Fort Greene. Photo by kittytaurus from the Brownstoner Flickr pool.
J. J. Byrne Park Field of Deferred Dreams [NY Times]
Lenders Become Proactive [NY Times]
Black Friday is Bleak Friday in NYC [NY Post]
New York on the Block [NY Post]
Foot Soldiers Sweep Up Bed-Stuy and Crown Heights [NY Daily News]
Thompson Set To Host B’klyn Foreclosure Clinic [Brooklyn Eagle]
Author's Comments
hey, congratulations!
Posted by: lisa at November 25, 2008 1:02 PM in response to The Final Day Arrives, Phase One Complete!
lisa wrote a review about The Farm on Adderley on November 24, 2008 12:04 PM
huge fan.
ok, ok, south slope. i'll change it!
Posted by: lisa at November 21, 2008 11:15 AM in response to Yes, Virginia, There Are Parrots in South Slope
Thanks, Slices. The folks we spoke to at CPEX said it went through to Pacific. We'll double check and make sure.
Posted by: lisa at November 20, 2008 2:51 PM in response to Development Watch: 240 Atlantic Avenue Rising
Go to the meeting and tell them to call it the Kensington rezoning!
Posted by: lisa at November 19, 2008 11:53 AM in response to The Rezoning of Windsor Terrace
well, you'd be wrong to take it that way, cause it ain't him!
Posted by: lisa at November 18, 2008 3:22 PM in response to LPC Approves Underground Garage at Riverside Apartments
you're right--last part should have been edited out. my apologies.
Posted by: lisa at November 18, 2008 3:10 PM in response to LPC Approves Underground Garage at Riverside Apartments
ok, pete. we'll keep this in mind in the future. thanks for your diligence!
Posted by: lisa at November 18, 2008 10:46 AM in response to Newest Residents of Desirable Nabes Have Tails
But DIBS is an Obama republican!
Posted by: lisa at November 18, 2008 10:45 AM in response to Union-Free One Hanson Place: the Web Site
Dave, it says right there that they don't have what they deem affordable health care for their families; they say it's a raw deal compared to union workers (any union workers out there, please weigh in!). Many of us, it's true, pay a lot more than they will have to.
Posted by: lisa at November 18, 2008 10:27 AM in response to Union-Free One Hanson Place: the Web Site
You're lucky, cobblehiller. Mr. B made the rat smaller. Pete, how is more crime in South Brooklyn and less in North Brooklyn different from what we have here?
Posted by: lisa at November 18, 2008 10:17 AM in response to Newest Residents of Desirable Nabes Have Tails
Thanks, Action Jackson. We did call. Response will be posted momentarily.
Posted by: lisa at November 17, 2008 12:31 PM in response to Don't Blame the DOB: It's Architects, Not Archetects
you're right, pete--some reports say crime is down. others say crime was up in south brooklyn. http://www.brownstoner.com/brownstoner/archives/2008/10/north_brooklyn_1.php. several articles described the administration's attitude/actions as a reversal. hope that helps.
Posted by: lisa at November 17, 2008 11:23 AM in response to HOD Re-Opens for Business
Thanks for the typo alert! Readers perhaps more alert than bloggers...
Posted by: lisa at November 17, 2008 9:37 AM in response to Park Slope Can't Measure Up to Marine Park
that does seem to be the case. balcony-ettes.
Posted by: lisa at November 14, 2008 10:12 AM in response to 375 and 377 Baltic All Filled Up
benson, per pmfa: they met in the Old First Reformed Church in Park Slope.
Posted by: lisa at November 13, 2008 10:33 AM in response to CB6 Says Full-on Yes to Toll Brothers Rezoning
we do love our commenters, even grumps. keep 'em coming.
Posted by: lisa at November 12, 2008 4:46 PM in response to Streetlevel: Center of Light on Smith
Biff, I'm glad you asked for my views on comments. I would like it if you were all really nice to each other, never said anything unkind about me (or anything at all), gently corrected me when I was wrong, sent a thousand fantastic tips and story ideas every day and had long, worthwhile discussions with one another. Or, you know, 50 posts that have nothing whatsoever to do with the story--that'll do, too. Also, I'd like Dr. Wayne Dyer to tell me how to attract anything I want in 30 days. Oh, that last thing is actually possible!
Posted by: lisa at November 12, 2008 4:22 PM in response to Streetlevel: Center of Light on Smith
oh my lordy. you guys gonna make a blogger blush. fyi, i have the power to delete comments if they concern my undergarments. or my sweat.
Posted by: lisa at November 12, 2008 3:45 PM in response to Streetlevel: Center of Light on Smith
And the lord sayeth: "Erecteth thou a brick building on Smith street, that it might sport offices for those dedicated to my teachings. Also, giveth it big windows on one side, and little tiny ones on the other."
I nominate this for second QOTD.
Posted by: lisa at November 12, 2008 3:36 PM in response to Streetlevel: Center of Light on Smith
can't be freudian slip if i didn't know what it meant, fellas. on the other hand, i have been educated and will no longer refer to erect buildings as sporting--especially those with devout spiritual businesses inside them.
Posted by: lisa at November 12, 2008 2:51 PM in response to Streetlevel: Center of Light on Smith
i don't see what's so risque about "sporting"... but maybe i've been shacked up too long. dave, thanks for not revealing all those incredibly juicy details. phew.
Posted by: lisa at November 12, 2008 2:24 PM in response to Streetlevel: Center of Light on Smith
custserv@whiteflowerfarm.com
Dear Gardening Friend:
Thank you for sending White Flower Farm a photograph of a plant for identification. The plant is a Mandevilla, a tropical plant usually grown in containers in cold areas.
We hope this information is helpful. Thank you for thinking of White Flower Farm.
Posted by: lisa at November 12, 2008 9:28 AM in response to Closing Bell: Late Bloomers
don't blame it on Mr. B. I'm still new-ish here. I do appreciate your schooling me, DIBS.
Posted by: lisa at November 7, 2008 5:39 PM in response to Development Watch: 277 19th Street
My mother the gardener says it's Pandora's Vine. I'm still not convinced.
Posted by: lisa at November 7, 2008 9:23 AM in response to Closing Bell: Late Bloomers
Hey, Shoots and Leaves--if you get a chance, send us a photo of the day care center. Thanks.
Posted by: lisa at November 6, 2008 3:33 PM in response to Streetlevel: New Café on Smith Street
Thanks for the correction, prodigal son.
Posted by: lisa at November 5, 2008 9:47 AM in response to Fourth Avenue: Gentrification or Ghettoization?
I was at John Jay by 6:20 (so as to get back in time for Brownstoner-ing). We waited an hour, and it must be worse now. Anybody hear reports from other lands? Red states? Purple states? Let us know.
Posted by: lisa at November 4, 2008 9:43 AM in response to Long Lines, Everywhere
Patience, troll. A reblog of that article is on its way.
Posted by: lisa at November 3, 2008 8:58 AM in response to Monday Links
we'd love a photo if anyone goes by there...
Posted by: lisa at October 30, 2008 1:47 PM in response to TOH House Revealed
i have this little problem where sometimes i forget how to read. 400 it is.
Posted by: lisa at October 30, 2008 12:42 PM in response to TOH House Revealed
DIBS, you got my vote.
Posted by: lisa at October 30, 2008 11:17 AM in response to One Hanson Place Goes Non-Union
I admit I fell for the marketing. True, no fumes, and didn't seem to need primer. Got a high-gloss for the kitchen which was like painting with mud, but the matte (their fancy word for flat finish) worked great. Nice colors, too, but seriously pricey.
Posted by: lisa at October 29, 2008 10:00 AM in response to Aura paint
sorry, carol, it came to us as a press release. they might not have it on the apartments.com site. Maybe it will show up here later today: http://www.apartments.com/PressRoom/pressroom08.htm
Posted by: lisa at October 28, 2008 12:20 PM in response to Renters Love Obama
okay, here's another image. now you guys can talk about the story instead of the photos from Flickr.
Posted by: lisa at October 28, 2008 9:19 AM in response to Mortgages More Elusive for Some Minorities
Having just attended Fifth Avenue Committee's demystifying zoning workshop (which I highly recommend), I understand at least one aspect of the opposition: rezoning for residential, which yields much more profit for landlords, endangers manufacturing. Seems like a big concern to weigh.
Posted by: lisa at October 24, 2008 10:19 AM in response to CB6 Okays Toll Brothers' Spot Rezoning
will you send us a photo, spnder?
Posted by: lisa at October 21, 2008 12:26 PM in response to Greenpoint riverfront property mystery
i think you will never forgive me for mixing up bensonhurst with bay ridge, bayridgegirl.
Posted by: lisa at October 20, 2008 10:33 AM in response to North Brooklyn Safer Than South Brooklyn?
the siding is really more of a burnt orange, with red trim--blame my camera
Posted by: lisa at October 17, 2008 2:37 PM in response to Brooklyn's Own Tiny House Movement
more promoting my own resume (sorry), but, yeah, here's a story on the bungalows at rockaway from a few years back:
http://www.preservationnation.org/magazine/2005/story-of-the-week/crowded-houses.html
Posted by: lisa at October 17, 2008 12:13 PM in response to Brooklyn's Own Tiny House Movement
i wrote about this house in the south slope a couple of years ago--it's great-looking, and the next door neighbor's built a replica of it:
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/06/garden/06brooklyn.html
Posted by: lisa at October 16, 2008 3:03 PM in response to Front Page Forum: Modern in Carroll Gardens
great name for a rapper. i think you regulars should form a band called The Asshats and put out your first album called "The What."
Posted by: lisa at October 14, 2008 2:16 PM in response to Brownstoner Book Club Reads In the Country of Brooklyn
hey, i disagree: can you send us a photo of the chess shop? maybe we can do a post about it? thanks.
Posted by: lisa at October 14, 2008 11:39 AM in response to Brooklyn Solves Retail Puzzle
you're right--what we mean is: we wish them the best and we hope they do really well!
Posted by: lisa at October 7, 2008 2:12 PM in response to Streetlevel: New Boutique in South Slope
hey wasder. if you want to send me the photos i can put them up on the main blog. lisa at brownstoner dot com.
Posted by: lisa at October 6, 2008 11:34 AM in response to The great experiment 2008
Actually, I think we could use a fabric store. I miss Sew Brooklyn.
Posted by: lisa at October 1, 2008 3:10 PM in response to Streetlevel: New Realty Office on 7th Avenue?
you're right--thanks for the correction.
Posted by: lisa at September 26, 2008 3:24 PM in response to Streetlevel: Bakery in Bed Stuy Crown Heights
oops, you're right. mailer it is.
Posted by: lisa at September 24, 2008 10:08 AM in response to New Bed-Stuy More Like Old Bed-Stuy?
link should be working now...
Posted by: lisa at September 18, 2008 5:32 PM in response to Thursday Blogwrap
that's the photographer's name for the photo.
Posted by: lisa at August 27, 2008 8:09 AM in response to Tuesday Blogwrap
good idea. done.
Posted by: lisa at August 21, 2008 9:09 AM in response to Thursday Links
can you send us a picture of it? we'll get some info for you.
Posted by: lisa at August 18, 2008 1:15 PM in response to 129 Congress Street
here are links to some other crown heights photos--i chose the above one because I thought it was a lovely photograph, but i completely understand the objections. will think about this in the future.
http://flickr.com/photos/ilaria_papini/365472002/
http://flickr.com/photos/42369197@N00/2358845897/
http://flickr.com/photos/nrvlowdown/2068714281/
http://flickr.com/photos/nrvlowdown/2068715289/
Posted by: lisa at August 15, 2008 10:46 AM in response to What’s it Like in Crown Heights?
Thank god you guys double as copy editors. Still drunk on cranberry sauce over here.
Posted by: lisa at December 1, 2008 11:35 AM in response to Update on 20 Henry