Rental of the Day: 44 Devoe Street, #2



You wouldn’t necessarily guess it from the exterior, but there’s been a thorough and reasonably well-done reno inside Williamsburg’s 44 Devoe Street. The finishes look pretty typical for a Williamsburg apartment, but the rent for this two-bedroom comes in a tad lower than what’s on offer at most of the condo-turned-rentals nearby. It’s asking $3,200/month. What do you make of it?
44 Devoe Street, #2 [Aptsandlofts.com] GMAP P*Shark

By Emily | | Comment

Inside the Belly of the Beast



Via @NYCParks: “A look inside #McCarren Pool. This is how we filter the water needed to turn the pool on again after all these years!” The renovation of the WPA pool is supposed to be finished in time for swimsuit season this year.

By Gabby | | Comment

Burg Building at 260 North 9th Street Showing its Face



Here’s the almost-finished facade on 260 North 9th Street, a six-story, 18-unit residential building that’s been under construction since 2009. Not one for the architectural record books.
Development Watch: 260 North 9th Street [Brownstoner]
Development Watch: 260 North 9th Street [Brownstoner]
Development Watch: 260 North 9th Street [Brownstoner] GMAP DOB

By Emily | | Comment

Last Week’s Biggest Sales



1. WILLIAMSBURG $5,000,000
331 Kent Avenue GMAP P*Shark
We covered the sale of this Williamsburg mansion yesterday. It’s a unique property: “Originally a bakery, this unique three story 10,000 sq. ft. brick loft-like building with 5,000 Sq. Ft. finished basement rests on a 68 ft. x 100 ft corner lot, with approximately 10,000 square feet of air rights. It was fully renovated, with careful attention to preserving and restoring the buildings architectural details.” It was bought by what we suspect to be a developer. Entered into contract on 6/27/11; closed on 7/27/11; deed recorded on 1/27/2012.

2. GRAVESEND $4,650,000
1896 East 5th Street GMAP P*Shark
A one-family, 2,712-square-foot home. Entered into contract on 11/1/11; closed on 1/5/12; deed recorded on 1/25/2012.

3. GRAVESEND $3,850,000
1968 East 2nd Street GMAP P*Shark
A one-family, 3,546-square-foot home. Entered into contract on 11/22/11; closed on 11/22/11; deed recorded on 1/23/2012.

4. WILLIAMSBURG $2,998,746.25
22 North 6th Street, PH1A + PH1B + two storage units GMAP P*Shark
This sale includes a penthouse unit, a unit without a kitchen, and two storage spaces. The listing’s been pulled, though! Entered into contract on 3/15/11; closed on 12/5/11; deed recorded on 1/26/2012.

5. PARK SLOPE $2,460,000
184 St. Johns Place GMAP P*Shark
A HOTD November 2011. We thought, “Despite being only three stories tall, the single-family house is just what the doctor ordered in this market. It’s been impeccably restored, has some nice modern touches and is in a great Park Slope location.” Our predictions came true: it sold over the ask of $2,300,000. Entered into contract on 11/21/11; closed on 1/12/11; deed recorded on 1/25/2012.

Honorable Mention: 357 Hoyt Street, sold for $1,750,000 on 1/25/2012.

By Emily | | Comment

First Few New-Old Listings Trickle in for 20 Bayard


20bayard32011.JPG
The problem-plagued Williamsburg development 20 Bayard got a second shot at life when an investment firm purchased 37 unsold units in the building last fall for $25 million. Now the first few listings of condos acquired in the sale have made it online. All three of the units currently for sale are one-bedrooms. One of them is a 670-square-foot condo asking $535,000 that was originally on the market for $625,000 in 2007 and was last going for $499,000 in 2009, before the listing was pulled. Another is an 812-square-foot pad asking $635,000 that was first listed for $615,000 in 2008. According to the Real Deal, the original developers sold 25 units in the building between 2007 and 2009 before defaulting on debt.
20 Bayard Listings [StreetEasy]
Unsold Units at Williamsburg’s 20 Bayard Change Hands [Brownstoner]
Less Money, Mo Problems for 20 Bayard Developer [Brownstoner]
20 Bayard Goes Belly Up [Brownstoner] GMAP

By Gabby | | Comment

Williamsburg Mansion Sells for $5 Million



A 15,000-square-foot spread on the Williamsburg waterfront sold for $5 million, according to a deed that was recorded in city records on Friday. The property, on South 4th Street and Kent Avenue, has a great back story that Curbed has been tracking for a few years: It was owned by artist Cosimo Cavallaro, who planned to turn the former bakery into an 11-story luxury condo called Punctilio back in 2004. In 2008, Cavallaro decided to simply try to sell the building instead, listing it for $12.8 million. The price was later reduced to $5.95 million, then dipped to $5 million and was most recently on the market for $6 million. Here’s the description of 331-333 Kent Avenue from the final listing: “Originally a bakery, this unique three story 10,000 sq. ft. brick loft-like building with 5,000 Sq. Ft. finished basement rests on a 68 ft. x 100 ft corner lot, with approximately 10,000 square feet of air rights. It was fully renovated, with careful attention to preserving and restoring the buildings architectural details, including the original wood beamed ceilings, and converted into an impeccably designed residential home and multiple areas suitable for art galleries, offices, working or retail space. Adjacent to the property there is a private, meticulously landscaped garden ideal for entertaining or for future use as a garden restaurant. A two-car garage, a laundry room, a chef’s kitchen, marble bathrooms and powder rooms, dry-sauna, new mechanicals, and a sophisticated security system complete this magnificent property.” The deed doesn’t shed much light on the buyer (“Kent Avenue Realty Trust”) because a trustee based in Boston signed on the dotted lines. The question is whether it’s going to be developed or used as a residence.
331 Kent Avenue [Curbed] GMAP
Elliman Listing [StreetEasy]
By Gabby | | Comment

Williamsburg Conversion Striving for ‘Character,’ ‘Warmth’



Today there’s a story in the Wall Street Journal about the warehouse on North 4th Street in Williamsburg that Bob Toll’s son, Jacob Toll, is developing. The piece positions Toll the Younger as trying to avoid the rep Toll Brothers projects have for uninspiring architecture with the conversion: “The building’s restorers are paying careful attention to character. They are maintaining the building’s gritty brick exterior, preserving vintage glass-pane windows and circular arch-shaped window openings and incorporating industrial elements such as exposed steel i-beams into the aesthetic of the building.” The real estate scion isn’t going to let the finished product be too gritty, though (“I’m going to be focused on warmth: wood, porcelain, gas fireplaces. It’s not just going to be light bulbs, hanging from exposed wires. That whole thing is kind of over now.”). The building in question, which is between Berry and Wythe, was going to be marketed as the Steelworks Lofts, a condo, before its original developers sold it off. It will now be positioned as a luxury, 83-unit rental. Amenities will include rooftop gardens, a sunbathing patio, a barbecue pit and a bocce court.
Recasting a Brooklyn Warehouse [WSJ] GMAP
Photo by PropertyShark

By Gabby | | Comment

Occupiers Arrested in the Burg, Leaving East New York



It was a busy weekend for Occupy Wall Street folks in Brooklyn: On Saturday night, an “occuparty” was held at a vacant condo on North 8th and Driggs in Williamsburg. According to the Daily News, a few dozen people “hung Christmas lights, spray painted slogans like ‘F–k the police’ and ‘Life is Protest’ on the building walls, but were civilized enough to pack some beer on ice in the empty building.” Eventually the cops broke it up, some protestors who were blocking traffic a couple blocks away were arrested, and six officers were injured in the melee. Brokelyn published an announcement in advance of the event on Friday that gives a bit of a sense of what it was about: “We’ll be converging at 207 North 8th Street at 10pm before heading to the space, which has lain vacant for years now, and is owned by a bank known to invest in bio-, chemical, and nuclear weapons, as well as cluster bombs used specifically by Qaddafi against the 2011 insurgency.” Meanwhile, in East New York, the Post reports that the occupiers who had taken over a house that is under foreclosure pressure are in the process of moving out and returning it to its owner.
Booze, Arrests At “Occuparty” In Williamsburg Last Night [Gothamist]
Arrests at Occupy Party in Williamsburg [NY Daily News]
Exiting Occupy Home [NY Post]
Flier photo by rosiegray/buzzfeed

By Gabby | | Comment

Fort Greene Park Changes Hands in Latest Redistricting



The redistricting action in North Brooklyn may not be as kooky as some other parts of the state (see today’s Observer post for some rich examples) but there were some changes to Joe Lentol’s turf worth mentioning. Most notable, is the loss of Fort Greene Park (as well as a strip of several blocks between Dekalb and Willoughby). Joe Lentol’s loss is Hakeem Jeffries’ gain, but only for a little while, since the 57th District leader now has his sights set on a run for congress. Check out a larger version of the new District 50 map here. And, for comparison’s sake, here’s the old map.

By Brownstoner | | Comment

Past and Present: H. Batterman Company


A Look at Brooklyn, then and now.

Where would we be without the Brooklyn Eagle? Aside from their daily newspaper and yearly almanacs, the Eagle issued several series of postcards featuring Brooklyn buildings. These were sold in the early years of the 20th century before 1907. There were hundreds of black and white photographs of schools, churches, courthouses, jails, hospitals, clubs and museums. There were also a lot of businesses, such as banks, department stores, warehouses, factories, and office buildings. The great thing about these postcards is that the photographs were taken from every part of the borough, and provide a great resource, and a tangible record, especially for investigating what is no longer here. Such as this postcard on the left; which is a photograph of the large H. Batterman Company store, located at the intersection of Graham and Flushing Avenues, and Broadway, in East Williamsburg. (more…)

By Montrose Morris | | Comment

Williamsburg’s Jardin, Heights’ 75 Clinton Going Rental



Yesterday there was news about two condos that hit the market relatively recently going rental: Curbed noted that the Williamsburg condo building Jardin is making the switch, and Crain’s reported that Brooklyn Heights’ 75 Clinton is also turning rental. There had been 23 contracts signed at Jardin, which is on North 6th Street between Berry and Bedford, and a tipster tells Curbed buyers are being fully refunded. Prices were running around $770 a foot. Meanwhile, in Brooklyn Heights, 75 Clinton was purchased by the firm Invesco, and rents in the 74-unit building will run from $2,800 to $7,000 a month, according to Crain’s.
Williamsburg Condo Jardin Refunding Buyers, Going Rental [Curbed] GMAP
Another Bklyn Condo Project Goes Rental [Crain's] GMAP

By Emily | | Comment

Rental of the Day: 22 Fillmore Place



While there’s nothing particularly show-stopping about this one bedroom with a home office at 22 Fillmore Place in Williamsburg, it gets points for being on one of the most charming blocks in the neighborhood. As for whether the $2,200/month rent is fair, we think it probably depends on how large the “home office or walk in closet” is. What do you think?
22 Fillmore Place [Corcoran] GMAP P*Shark

By Emily | | Comment

Curvy New Burg Building Ready for Renters



The development at Keap and Ainslie streets in Williamsburg has been in the making since mid-2007, and now units in the new building are up for rent. The project, at 467 Keap Street, is referred to as “Ainslie Tower” for marketing purposes. (The marketing push also involves a nonsensical Youtube vid.) Listing in the development recently hit StreetEasy, and rents are running from $2,700 for a one-bedroom up to $6,800 for a two-bedroom. This is prime Metropolitan/Lorimer territory, but those rents still seem awfully high.
467 Keap Street [StreetEasy]
Development Watch: 467 Keap Street [Brownstoner]
467 Keap Shows Itself [Brownstoner]
Development Watch: 467 Keap [Brownstoner]
Development Watch: The Burg’s Ainslie Tower [Brownstoner] GMAP

By Gabby | | Comment

Williamsburg Bar Fight Rages On



Crain’s has a story about Community Board 1′s attempt to crack down on the number of bars in Williamsburg following the board’s decision last month to not vote in favor of any liquor license requests involving outdoor spaces unless the businesses also serve food. The article touches on residents’ complaints about the neighborhood’s bars, most of which center on how noisy the patrons are (“We’re trying to tame the Wild West of bars,” say CB1′s public safety chairman Mieszko Kalita), while also quoting bar owners who say the board is overreaching. Matt Webber, who owns the bar Soft Spot and is looking to expand, says the board is “trying to stipulate us to death.” Meanwhile, Felice Kirby, who has run Teddy’s Bar and Grill for three decades, says “no bar should be demonized that doesn’t deserve it.” Bar owners have banded together as a group called Brooklyn Allied Bars and Restaurants to try to protect their livelihoods.
Crackdown Hits North Brooklyn Bars [Crain's]
Photo by Johnnie Utah

By Gabby | | Comment

11 Broadway Gets Bricked



Construction workers at 11 Broadway are well on their way to finishing up the building, scheduled for completion this year. The residential portion, which will hold 160 rentals, is now bricked. The front commercial space will be finished with a metal-like exterior. You can see a rendering here.
Development Watch: 11 Broadway [Brownstoner]
Burg’s 11 Broadway Supposed to be Done by End of ’12 [Brownstoner]
Despite Enviro Concerns, 11 Broadway Is Moving [Brownstoner]
Toxic Legacy May Delay 11 Broadway Further [Brownstoner]
11 Broadway Back on Track, Courting Grocery [Brownstoner] GMAP

By Emily | | Comment

Big Karl Fischer Design on Bedford Ave Rising Quickly



Here’s a shot of the development at 95 Bedford Avenue, on the stalled site formerly known as Hot Karl Lake near McCarren Park. There was nothing doing at the site for a few years there, but now the Karl Fischer-designed building is shooting up and will someday look like this. Curbed has tracked the building’s development closely since work restarted this past November. It will have eight stories and 262 units.
Development Watch: Slow Going at 95 Bedford [Brownstoner]
95 Bedford Really Has Started Back Up [Brownstoner]
95 Bedford Downsized But Back on Track [Brownstoner] GMAP

By Emily | | Comment

LPC Designates Bank, OKs 30 Henry Street Design



Besides holding a public hearing for the expansion of the Crown Heights landmark district yesterday, the LPC also voted to landmark the Williamsburg branch of the Public National Bank of New York at 47-49 Graham Avenue, between Moore and Varet streets, and approved a new design for the condo planned at 30 Henry Street in Brooklyn Heights. Here’s the writeup on the Public National Bank from its designation report: “The bank, considered one of [architect] Eugene Schoen’s most interesting and intact architectural commissions, was designed in the neo-Classical style and completed in 1923. Designed in the form of a one-story temple, the building is a rare example in New York City of early 20th century Viennese influence… The building, clad in cast-stone, features rusticated columns and corner piers on both of its main facades that framed rectangular and round arched windows, with panels and entrance surrounds featuring a combination of classical and Secessionist ornament.” LPC Spokesperson Elisabeth de Bourbon also reported that a design was approved for 30 Henry Street. The commission voted against a prior iteration of the design last week. We haven’t seen the new renderings yet.
Photo via PropertyShark

By Emily | | Comment

Brooklyn Public House Expanding to Williamsburg



Last week owners from Fort Greene’s Brooklyn Public House spoke at a Community Board One public hearing to open a bar/restaurant with outdoor space at 51 Kent Avenue, at North 11th Street. The space has a working title of “The Lakes” and should open in early May. By the looks of the building, the space has a long way to go: recent DOB permits indicate the entire building is being renovated into a ground-floor storefront with two units for the second and third floor. GMAP

By Emily | | Comment

New Curbs, Crossings Coming to Kent as Part of Greenway



Last week Community Board 1′s Transportation Committee updated other board members on the progress of the Waterfront Greenway plans through North Brooklyn. The greenway improvements for Kent Avenue (pictured) include building out curbs to enhance the bike lanes, landscaping and pedestrian refuge islands. New pedestrian crossing designs will also go on Kent. DOT will install shared lane markings on Calyer and Quay Streets and upgrade the shared lane markings on Franklin Street. Finally, the DOT outlined plans on West Street from Eagle to Quay Streets, which include two separate, dedicated bike lanes; resurfacing the roadway; improving the roadway width; extending Kent Avenue North; widening sidewalks; adding greenery; and possibly converting West Street to a one-way street. (The conversion hasn’t been decided yet and some residents expressed concerns over the conversion.) There is still no set timeline for greenway construction, and some of the improvements are a few years off. Depending on the development of Bushwick Inlet Park, the cityalso plans to explore the extension of the greeenway through the future park and possibly building a bicycle/pedestrian bridge over Newtown Creek.

By Emily | | Comment

568 Union Avenue is Now 70 Percent Rented



According to an aptsandloft.com rep, the new Williamsburg rental at 568 Union Avenue, a.k.a. The Union, is 70 percent leased. The studio, one and two bedrooms hit the market this August, with rents running from $2,093 to $3,976/month. StreetEasy now shows 12 units available, the cheapest of which is a one bedroom renting for $2,695, and the most expensive of which is a two bedroom listed for $4,812 a month. The building has a courtyard, swimming pool, fitness center and roof deck. Has anyone checked it out?
568 Union Avenue Hits the Rental Market [Brownstoner]
A Pool for 568 Union [Brownstoner]
Development Watch: 568 Union Avenue [Brownstoner]
Development Watch: 568 Union Avenue [Brownstoner] GMAP

By Emily | | Comment