An Upgrade for 505 Fulton Street
A reader sent in this photo of scaffolding going up earlier this week at 505 Fulton Street on the Fulton Mall. Back in 2005, The Brooklyn Paper (well, then it was called Brooklyn Papers) reported that owner Al Laboz was planning to convert the Henry Offerman-designed beauty Offerman Building to residential lofts. From what we…
A reader sent in this photo of scaffolding going up earlier this week at 505 Fulton Street on the Fulton Mall. Back in 2005, The Brooklyn Paper (well, then it was called Brooklyn Papers) reported that owner Al Laboz was planning to convert the Henry Offerman-designed beauty Offerman Building to residential lofts. From what we gather, though, the exterior restoration is part of a newer plan to create new office space. And attract a higher-end retail tenant: Conways is out. The spiff-up should also coincide with the 2012 arrival next door of retailer H&M. GMAP
Na. I don’t mean Kleins. Do you mean May’s or McCrory’s? Martins was how I described it. May’s was a gas – just the hat department alone could entertain me for hours.
Montrose, don’t dispair too much; it looks as if Conways is staying on Fulton St., and is just moving down the block to the site of the old “ABC Family Store,” just on the other side of Jay Street.
Ah Stonergut you remember it well, or do you mean Kleins ? But I recall Martins as a kinder, gentler store some where between Woolworths and E J Korvettes.
Martins was full of mean old saleswomen wearing pearl clips on cardigans. They sold conservative clothes and had a clientele consisting largely of well dressed orthodox Jewish women and their teen daughters. It was classy in the sense that it was stodgy, whereas B. Altman’s had a more upscale sheen to it. Plus B. Altman’s had the Charleston Garden, which was the best department store restaurant on earth.
everything changes. look at the evolution of the residential areas surrounding downtown. it is unrealistic to think that the fulton commercial strip will remain the same.
Once the rebuilding of the street is done, it may experience the same unbelievable transmorphing that Smith Street did after the street/lighting/sidewalk project there.
I miss Altman’s (which closed for good on 12/31/89). I still have a cashmere sweater I got at their going out of business sale. Martin’s on Fulton St. actually closed in 1979, before I moved to Brooklyn: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin's_(New_York)
I can’t do tiny URLs, but the article was in last week’s Real Deal. It said they were looking at space, but I don’t think it reported that they actually had found space or locked it in:
http://174.129.176.119/newyork/articles/slew-of-retailers-like-barneys-co-op-head-to-downtown-brooklyn-says-caroline-pardo-of-two-trees-management
There are some great facades on Fulton Street and I am sure that there are still the remains behind the billboards. It would be good to see those restored.
It is really hard for businesses in these city location and office space is a quaint idea in these days of out-sourcing and consultants.
Just make it cheap lofts and hotel space, artists and tourists are a fearless breed. And when they stop creating and sleeping then they need to eat, drink and be merry.
Did you all see the article recently (maybe it was last week) somewhere that said Sephora is looking for a space on Fulton Mall too?
Also said Crate and Barrel 2 and Pier 1 Imports have found space along Atlantic Avenue….