White Castle in Williamsburg Has Closed
We knew this was in the works, but it still comes as kind of a shock: The White Castle in Williamsburg has closed, Gothamist reported. This is the one fairly far out near the intersection of Bushwick Avenue and Metropolitan, where a tiny park and a plaque marks where Bushwick was founded in 1661. “The location opened…
We knew this was in the works, but it still comes as kind of a shock: The White Castle in Williamsburg has closed, Gothamist reported. This is the one fairly far out near the intersection of Bushwick Avenue and Metropolitan, where a tiny park and a plaque marks where Bushwick was founded in 1661.
“The location opened in 1992, back when Williamsburg was a gritty, yet nurturing melting pot for working class Brooklynites and Pavement fans alike, a place infinitely, ineluctably better than the place that exists today,” said Gothamist.
Developer 781 Metro Investors bought the property at 781 Metropolitan Avenue last year for $6,720,000. No demo or building permits have been filed, but a mixed-use building here would make sense. The current building is only taking up a tiny part of the lot, which has a FAR of 4 and 45,788 buildable square feet. It’s zoned R6B.
White Castle has promised to open another location in Williamsburg.
Williamsburg’s White Castle Closed While You Slept [Gothamist]
Land Sold out From Under Burg’s White Castle [Brownstoner]
Photo by Nicholas Strini for PropertyShark
If the new development is implemented with a degree of sensitivity, it could improve things at an historic intersection that has not fared very well in the past. Also, if this can happen to the White Castle site, who knows what may be in store for the gas station and parking lot situated on the east side of this intersection.
I also hope that White Castle can find a new location somewhere in Williamsburg.
I like the building they are doing just around the bend on Maspeth – that huge hulking building that didn’t replace anything but a drug exchange empty lot. The new building has crown moldings on almost every exterior surface – even on roof structures like the elevator shaft, mechanical rooms, etc. and has a nice facade of brick with the large round window. Hopefully whatever goes here will also look nice with some nice detail like that one. Now if they would just replace that taxi body shop at the intersection. I also wouldn’t be sad if one or both of the gas stations were to give way to more nice housing, but the Hess just did a lot of concrete replacement so I doubt they are going anywhere. I’d love to see the Hess and the adjoining junkyard behind the hodgepodge chain link-scrap metal fence go away. The old yellow brick condensed milk factory has sold and is to become a nice condo building as well as farther down metro past Olive where those old garages were has also sold.. So maybe eventually the station and junkyard will also sell out.
The used clothing store next door also closed last week and is vacant as well. They said they lost their lease too. Are they both part of the same purchase I wonder? We had heard a 6 story was going in where WC was. Hopefully they will preserve retain in the bottom. A nice Duane Reade or Rite Aid would be nice and I’m not being snarky, I think chains serve a purpose. We really do need something like that in the area that is open late and on weekends with competitive prices and larger selection.
I don’t understand why people pretend that someone who found 1992 Williamsburg “cool” _SHOULD_ find 2014 Williamsburg “cool”. If you were around and, say, at least 18 years old, in 1992, you’d be at least 40 now. What generation of 18 year olds has ever had anything in common with their 40 year old forebears?
40 year old former scenester/hipster finds current scene not to his taste. Dog bites man.
And drunkards on Citi bike, getting some burgers to fight that late night micro-beer haze…not that I’ve ever done that…