Brownstoner is Brooklyn's most read
website about real estate, renovation
and neighborhood news. Read More»
House of the Day: 2629 East 24th Street
This Sheepshead Bay Victorian needs a little redecorating to take it out of grandma land, but underneath the ruffles and frills we spy the bones of a good house. There is a sprawling porch, original moldings, the Victorian staircase, two stained glass windows and a clawfoot tub in the bathroom, and a fairly recently renovated kitchen. It’s not too far from the beach, either. Does $1,200,000 seem reasonable for the location and size?
2629 East 24th Street [Fillmore] GMAP P*Shark
03/05/2013 1:30 PM
Comment
Rentals Moving Quickly in Southern Brooklyn Too
It’s no surprise that the market is moving at lightning speed in brownstone Brooklyn. But a Corcoran broker filled us in on a new rental development on the border of Brighton Beach and Sheepshead Bay at 2750 East 12th Street that is pulling in high numbers too. Since launching this past summer the development reached the 75 percent leased mark. Prices on the available one, two, and three bedrooms range from $1,750 to $4,250 a month. 2750 East 12th Street has 56 units over 7 stories, and it’s attached to 1125 Banner Avenue, which is a 45 unit building over 12 stories. Leasing at 1125 Banner will launch this spring. The two buildings are connected by a sun deck on the second floor — the buildings share the sundeck, a gym, parking lot and resident super. As the leasing agent says: “South Brooklyn is exploding, too… We are achieving an average of over $30 per square foot.” You can see floorplans for 2750 East 12th Street at the building website. This post has been updated to reflect that 2750 East 12th Street and 1125 Banner will launch leasing at different times. GMAP
01/30/2013 9:30 AM
Comment
Disaster Recovery Center Planned for Sheepshead Bay
FEMA announced that Sheepshead Bay residents still without heat and hot water after Hurricane Sandy hit in late October will soon have their own nearby disaster recovery center provided by the federal relief group. According to the Brooklyn Daily, FEMA is scouting possible locations; likely the center will end up near public transportation. The center will provide info on government aid programs and allow people to register for assistance. Many residents in the area are still without heat, hot water or vehicles. Bay Improvement Group executive director Laura McKenna told the Daily, “We really feel like its overdue, but we’re happy to have it.”
Feds: Sheepshead Bay Will Get Disaster Recovery Center [BK Daily]
Photo by akhouses
01/02/2013 10:00 AM
Comment
Restoring Power in Sheepshead Bay
This news from the blog Sheepshead Bites: Local Council Member Michael Nelson is working closely with City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, the Office of Emergency Management and Con Edison to expedite restoration of power to the neighborhood — but he’s also looking for residents to help out as well. According to Sheepshead Bites, “The councilman’s office is asking that those without power or who know of large buildings or blocks without power to email cmnelson1@council.nyc.gov or call Mary Scarfogliero at (917) 494-6208.” Please include the address of the property without power and, if you have it, the approximate number of tenants or apartments if it’s a large building or block, as well as either the management company contact information (including name and number), the superintendent’s name and number, or the name and phone number of the owner if it’s a private residence.
With Power Still out, Councilman Puts Pressure on Con Ed [Sheepshead Bites]
Photo by drpavloff
11/06/2012 2:40 PM
Comment
Power, Federal Aid Reach Southern Brooklyn
On Sunday, power had been restored to many areas in Southern Brooklyn and national aid had arrived. (Outside Brooklyn, the Rockaways and Staten Island remain in crisis, with many without power or water.) We checked out Brighton Beach Sunday afternoon, where we found the National Guard distributing water, blankets, diapers, and baby wipes, above. Down the block, a volunteer group gave out free clothes from a truck. Power was back on in most places and delis and groceries were open for business as usual. Debris had been gathered into piles dotted about the beach, which was mostly empty of people, but otherwise it looked pretty normal. Most buildings in the central area seemed to have already completed their basement cleanups, though a few were still siphoning out water and placing wrecked furniture on the sidewalks for pickup. Tensions seemed high; a fistfight almost broke out over a fender bender, we heard a lot of people arguing, and a woman said she was going to call the police because we were taking photographs. There was, of course, no subway service to the shore areas throughout Southern Brooklyn. Buses were running about every 20 minutes, and they were packed full.
11/05/2012 9:00 AM
Comment
Burg District Leader Primary Too Close to Call
The most high-profile of the local Brooklyn primaries last night was too close to call, the Brooklyn Paper reported. In the fight for Williamsburg’s Democratic district leader, Chris Olechowski was leading by 200 votes over one-term incumbent Lincoln Restler (pictured above) at midnight last night. Olechowski was supposedly hand-picked by embattled Assemblyman and former party boss Vito Lopez to take out Restler, seen as a reformer and longtime Lopez critic. Insiders claim Lopez got the Orthodox Jewish community to come out in force to vote for Olechowski, who has said he opposes gentrification. Restler has made a name for himself fighting for parks, community gardens and centers, and access to fresh food for underserved communities, among other things. Restler has been endorsed by Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz, State Senator Daniel Squadron (D–Brooklyn Heights), and Representative Nydia Velazquez (D–Williamsburg). In other races, Walter T. Mosley won the Democratic primary for state Assembly in the 57th Assembly District, making it likely that he would replace Assemblyman Hakeem Jeffries in that role. Assemblyman Steve Cymbrowitz won the Democratic primary in Sheepshead Bay in a close race against challenger Ben Akselrod, according to the Brooklyn Daily. For more information on all the races, check out the Board of Elections Website.
Photo from Lincoln Restler
09/14/2012 9:30 AM
Comment
Last Week’s Biggest Sales
1. GRAVESEND $2,728,000
400 Avenue U, #PH6E GMAP P*Shark
There wasn’t an exterior photo for this building on Property Shark and there also isn’t a listing on Streeteasy, but this sale is listed on ACRIS as a “single residential condo unit.” Entered into contract on 12/12/11; closed on 3/07/12; deed recorded on 3/23/2012.
2. PARK SLOPE $2,200,000
117 Lincoln Place GMAP P*Shark
As a HOTD, we thought this home was “in such nice shape that the asking price of $2,200,000 doesn’t seem aggressive given the prime location.” The only drawback noted was that the house is only 17 feet wide, but that obviously didn’t deter this buyer. Entered into contract on 11/14/11; closed on 2/09/12; deed recorded on 3/22/2012.
3. SHEEPSHEAD BAY $2,200,000
1930 East 14th Street GMAP P*Shark
A one/two family house with either a garage or vacant land. Sold at $684 per square foot. Entered into contract on 12/10/11; closed on 3/09/12; deed recorded on 3/21/2012.
4. DUMBO $1,832,850
192 Water Street, #2E GMAP P*Shark
One of the first units that’s closed at the new Dumbo condo building. This particular unit is a three bed/two-and-a-half bath. It’s ask was $1,795,000. Entered into contract on 1/30/12; closed on 3/02/12; deed recorded on 3/19/2012.
5. FORT GREENE $1,775,000
185 Lafayette Avenue GMAP P*Shark
No listing for this two-family home. Sold at $732 per square foot. Entered into contract on 10/31/11; closed on 3/05/12; deed recorded on 3/19/2012.
03/27/2012 12:00 PM
Comment
Last Week’s Biggest Sales
1. SHEEPSHEAD BAY $3,500,000
400 Avenue U, #PH5B GMAP P*Shark
We cannot find a Streeteasy listing for this development, not to mention a picture. But, ACRIS lists this as the sale of a condo unit. Entered into contract on 4/8/11; closed on 12/20/11; deed recorded on 2/8/2012.
2. BROOKLYN HEIGHTS $3,327,613.28
9 College Place, #4D GMAP P*Shark
Sales at the Love Lane Mews have really picked up steam. Streeteasy shows four units sold and six in contract. This particular unit had its listing pulled. Entered into contract on 12/2/11; closed on 1/17/12; deed recorded on 2/7/2012.
3. SHEEPSHEAD BAY $2,650,000
400 Avenue U, #402 GMAP P*Shark
Another big condo sale at the mysterious condo building 400 Avenue U. Entered into contract on 10/7/11; closed on 1/17/12; deed recorded on 2/7/2012.
4. CARROLL GARDENS $2,010,000
534 Clinton Street GMAP P*Shark
The listing says: “Completely renovated three story single family townhouse in the heart of Carroll Gardens provides the ideal combination of a modern aesthetic with traditional neighborhood architecture and charm.” Ask: $2.2 million. Entered into contract on 11/16/11; closed on 1/12/12; deed recorded on 2/6/2012.
5. GOWANUS $1,320,000
158 14th Street Street GMAP P*Shark
A cute, circa-1864, four-story home. Here’s the listing. It was asking $1,495,000 then dropped to $1,295,000 before entering contract. Entered into contract on 11/15/11; closed on 1/11/12; deed recorded on 2/6/2012.
02/14/2012 11:30 AM
Comment
Sheepshead Bay Food Fest This Thursday
The blog Sheepshead Bites is organizing an event called A Taste of Sheepshead Bay that’s taking place this Thursday. The event, which costs $25 in advance and $35 at the door, will feature samples from 20 neighborhood restaurants. According to the organizers, the point is “to put Sheepshead Bay back on the map as one of the city’s most diverse and delicious culinary hotspots.” A list of participating restaurants is here; it’s taking place at Baron DeKalb Knights of Columbus at 3000 Emmons Avenue.
A Taste of Sheepshead Bay
10/24/2011 12:02 PM
Comment
The Biggest Recent Commercial Deals in Brooklyn
PropertyShark put together a list of the top commercial deals in Brooklyn in the second quarter of the year, and the biggest sales were in Williamsburg and Clinton Hill. The most money paid for a building this spring was $27.2 million for the Williamsburg rental 44 Berry Street, which ING Clarion Partners purchased. The second-biggest buy was a group of investors’ purchase of the Clinton Hill development 163 Washington Avenue for $22 million; the building has since been launched as a rental. Rounding out the top five: 268 Bay 38th Street, a 140-unit Bensonhurst rental, sold for $20.5 million; 350 Hicks Street, a garage Continuum Health Partners owned while it operated LICH went to SUNY Downstate for $17.2 million; and a 113-unit apartment building at 2440 East 29th Street in Sheepshead Bay fetched $16.3 million.
07/29/2011 9:00 AM
Comment
Sheepshead Bay Steeples Will Remain
Today The Eagle points to a Courier Life article that says the steeples on Sheepshead Bay’s 142-year-old United Methodist Church will not be demolished. The church’s pastor says the congregation brought in a new contractor who presented an affordable plan for preserving the steeples. The news follows previous reports that said the structures were a safety hazard and the congregation didn’t have enough money to keep them intact. The Courier Life story also notes that the renovation will be the first the church has seen in more than 85 years.
Steeples Saved! [Courier Life]
Historic Sheepshead Bay Church To Save Its Leaning Steeples [Eagle]
Steeple Demolition Uncontroversial in Sheepshead [Brownstoner]
Here is the Church, and There Go the Steeples [Brownstoner] GMAP
Photo by wallyg.
Steeples Saved! [Courier Life]
Historic Sheepshead Bay Church To Save Its Leaning Steeples [Eagle]
Steeple Demolition Uncontroversial in Sheepshead [Brownstoner]
Here is the Church, and There Go the Steeples [Brownstoner] GMAP
Photo by wallyg.
04/12/2011 9:00 AM
Comment
Steeple Demolition Uncontroversial in Sheepshead
This weekend The Times took a look at Sheepshead Bay’s United Methodist, where the congregation says it will have to take down the steeples on the neighborhood’s oldest church because they’re a safety hazard and would be too costly to repair. According to the article, the impending demolition has not been met with much outcry in the neighborhood: “There were no protests, heated community meetings or fund-raising campaigns to save the steeples. That quiet, said Ned Berke, the editor of Sheepshead Bites, revealed just how fragmented and disconnected from history Sheepshead Bay had become. ‘Sheepshead’s changing demographics are an ongoing obstacle to communication,’ Mr. Berke wrote in an e-mail. ‘It really throws a wrench in any attempt to preserve the building and its history.’” The story also notes that the church’s congregation has declined drastically over the years and its “officials said the decision to tear down the spires was not an easy one. It was made only after years of meetings with architects, engineers and city officials.”
A Neighborhood’s Steeples Are Set to Disappear Quietly [NY Times]
Here is the Church, and There Go the Steeples [Brownstoner] GMAP
Photo by wallyg.
A Neighborhood’s Steeples Are Set to Disappear Quietly [NY Times]
Here is the Church, and There Go the Steeples [Brownstoner] GMAP
Photo by wallyg.
02/28/2011 9:30 AM
Comment
Here is the Church, and There Go the Steeples
Yesterday Sheepshead Bites had a post on a story it’s been tracking concerning how the current congregation of the church at 3087 Ocean Avenue intends to tear down the steeples on its 142-year-old building. An organization called the Bay Improvement Group (BIG) is advocating for their retention and tried at one point to convince the church’s owners to pursue landmark status: “We at BIG tried in the early 1990′s pleading with their Board of Directors/Trustees to Landmark the Church and they were sadly, ignorantly afraid of ‘Landmark status’ even though we tried to persuade them with experts in Church preservation, Engineers & Architects and myself, as an Attorney, to explain the great help they would have in obtaining Landmark status. They could have received State, City, Federal and private grants to restore the Church!” Today The Daily News picks up on the story, and has a quote from the church’s pastor about how the steeples are unsafe and the congregation can’t afford to renovate them: “‘We are concerned really about safety,’ said Pastor Jay Kyung Kim, who said the spires are cracked and leaning precariously. ‘If it falls down, it’s a tragedy.’ He hopes to eventually raise the cash to build new steeples, but has no idea how long that will take.” Sad stuff.
BIG Pleads For Savior Of Methodist Church [Sheepshead Bites]
Historic Steeples of 142-Year-Old United Methodist Church Will be Torn Down [NY Daily News]
Photo from Sheepshead Bites.
02/11/2011 10:00 AM
Comment
Gravestones Fall Victim to Snow Clean-Up
The Sanitation Department’s taken a lot of heat over the past couple of weeks for its performance—or lack thereof—in the clean-up the December 27 blizzard. This latest news takes the prize though: According to the blog Sheepshead Bites, NYDS workers piled so much snow on a fence of the Washington Cemetery along Bay Parkway recently that the fenced buckled, causing roughly 30 gravestones to be toppled. [Sanitation workers] were continually dumping snow there for several days, said Washington Cemetery employee Mike Ciamaga, who added that cemetery officials first noticed the broken gravestones on Sunday morning. As of this morning they were still dumping there. The accidental destruction comes less than a month after a couple of hundred headstones at the historically Jewish cemetery were destroyed in an apparent act of vandalism.
01/05/2011 9:31 AM
Comment
Brooklyn Food & Drink Round-Up
Photo by iandavid.
Best “Old Brooklyn” Restaurants?
A Fort Greene newcomer asked New York Times restaurant critic Sam Sifton if he could recommend any “old Brooklyn” eateries, and Sifton replied: “You’ll want to visit the Mill Basin Kosher Delicatessen on Avenue T. You’ll want to have some clams at Randazzo’s in Sheepshead Bay. You should absolutely have pizza at Totonno’s in Coney Island and more at L & B Spumoni Gardens in the Gravesend neighborhood. You should jog back down to Sheepshead Bay to Roll-N-Roaster and get a roast beef sandwich, a meal that has been satisfying high school students for 40 years. You absolutely need a hero from Lioni’s in Bensonhurst.” Any other classic Brooklyn spots to add to this list?
Brooklyn Restaurant Openings
And outpost of Dao Palate is opening at 201 Fifth Avenue (between Union and Berkeley), in a storefront “that’s recently been home to a couple failed Japanese restaurants (Tamari, Hakone),” says Here’s Park Slope… At the forthcoming Brooklyn Heights restaurant Colonie, you can “expect seasonal, locally sourced American cuisine with an open kitchen and counter-top dining,” says ZagatBuzz. To help with start-up costs, the owners raised $15,371 from 91 backers on Kickstarter… Eater says that there’s new signage at the Greenpoint branch of Calexico, and a restaurant called Juniper is opening at Berry at North 7th in Williamsburg… Eater also notes that the owner of Le Barricou is “opening new restaurant Maison Premiere at 298 Bedford in early January. The restaurant is reportedly based on the 1890′s French Quarter New Orleans and will mainly exist as a bar and oyster bar, offering 25 different types of oysters along with cocktails and an ‘old world’ wine.” … And Bed-Stuy Blog reports on the openings of the new Mexican joint Alcatraz and the new market/sandwich shop Cinnamon Girl.
After the jump: 3 new Brooklyn bars, where to eat near the Dyker Lights, and another look at the underrated Umi Nom… (more…)
12/08/2010 11:30 AM
Comment
Sheepshead Bay Gets Sexy
Sheepshead Bay doesn’t get a lot of attention around here but this new condo at 1702 Avenue Z caught our eye. We don’t think of the area being known for Richard Meier-wannabe designs. Given the alternative though (like this place we wrote about last year), we’ll take it. The ten three-bedroom units range in price from $799,000 to $899,000. At less than $500 a foot, we bet these’ll sell. GMAP
11/02/2009 11:30 AM
Comment
Brooklyn Food & Drink Round-Up
Closing Temporarily: Lobo
218 Court Street, Cobble Hill; (718) 858-7739
Grub Street reports that Lobo “is closing its Cobble Hill location for a month beginning March 23. The official reason given is ‘renovations,’ but you have to worry whether restaurants that take an extended break during this economy will actually reopen. There’s still plenty of people choking Lobo’s tiny hallway at night, so we’re hopeful.”
Many Openings This Week
Besides Zuzu Ramen in Park Slope, this week will also see the openings of Deniz (a Turkish restaurant at Fulton Street and South Elliott Place in Fort Greene), Anselmo’s Coal-Fired Brick Oven Pizzeria (on Van Brunt and Sullivan in Red Hook), and Lucky Shot Espresso (at 145 Driggs in Greenpoint), says Time Out New York. And according to New York Magazine, the Frankies are opening Cafe Peddlar, a “Viennese-style cafe” at 210 Court Street (near Warren Street, in the old Magaret Palca Bakes space), today.
Coming Soon: Purple Yam, Brooklyn Bowl, and Cherry Hill
Last month, we mentioned that the owners of Soho’s Filipino spot Cendrillon were preparing to open Purple Yam on Cortelyou in April. Now, Ditmas Park Blog says that Cendrillon has closed, but the new spot’s opening date still stands: “The concept of the new Purple Yam is to re-create a kitchen-centered home harking back to the Asian values of hospitality and generosity.” Plus, Down by the Hipster reports that Brooklyn Bowl is gearing up for a May 1st opening, and Gothamist says that the old Lundy’s space in Sheepshead Bay will soon be home to a “19,000 square foot gourmet market called Cherry Hill.”
After the jump: Hanco’s drops prices in Park Slope, Chef César Ramirez at a lunch counter in Downtown Brooklyn, and the O’Connor’s vs. Freddy’s rivalry… (more…)
03/11/2009 11:31 AM
Comment
Closing Bell: Photo Tour of Lundy’s New Occupant
Gerritsen Beach got the opportunity to take a tour inside of the landmark Lundy’s building, which is now being occupied by Cherry Hill Gourmet Market. You can check out the photo gallery of the tour here. Or you can see the place for yourself by attending the Sheepshead Bay Civic Association Meeting tonight.
03/03/2009 4:00 PM
Comment
BSA Approves Controversial Sheepshead Bay Condo
The BSA has made a couple of decisions this week that aren’t exactly endearing them to neighborhood groups. First, they ruled in favor of allowing the Scarano’s infamous Finger Building to rise to its full glory of 17 stories (per Curbed), despite vehement neighborhood opposition. And now it has given the thumbs up to a six-story, 25-unit condo at 1610 Avenue S in Sheepshead Bay, an equally unpopular project. This photo, by the way, is from Google Streetview, so we don’t know how updated it is, but chances are it doesn’t look much different now: “The developer, Samuel Kahan, has not done major work on the building since spring 2006, a year and a half before the Buildings Department belatedly withdrew approval for it, prompting his appeal to the board,” reports the NY Times. Objections go beyond issues of size and scale: slabs of the foundation were found missing, paperwork lost or unfiled, safety tests unconfirmed. So why the BSA’s turnaround? Here’s what the BSA said: No comment.
Sheepshead Condo Project May Proceed [NY Times]
12/10/2008 9:01 AM
Comment
A Starbucks for Sheepshead Bay?
Starbucks may be shuttering some shops across the country, but at least one new one may be opening: the corner of Nostrand Avenue and Gravesend Neck Road could be home to a 1,500-square-foot L-shaped Starbucks with a drive-thru, says Courier-Life. CB15 okayed Starbuck’s app for a zoning variance, though some folks worry having a drive-thru next to a bus stop could pose some dangers. Still, the nabe is fairly used to these kinds of shops. “That area of Nostrand Avenue is already home to a number of other fast-food joints and drive-thrus.”
12/04/2008 2:03 PM
Comment
Guest
May 21, 2013 | 09:56 AM