June 2005
June 30, 2005
Sustainable Development in Red Hook
Only the Blog Knows Brooklyn wrote an interesting profile of sustainable development group Added Value yesterday. The Red Hook-based organization grows "fast crops" in their garden atop an old baseball field in Coffey Park. They train youngsters in farming and environmental issues, selling the fruits of their labors at the Red Hook farmer's market. Funnily enough, the group's gardens are right across the street from where the Ikea store will be.
Sustainable Future [OTBKB]
Homepage [Added Value]
House of the Day: Antebellum Glory
Our heart skipped a beat when we saw this listing. We have no idea how it escaped our notice at the end of last week--it must have been added after we did our Open House picks. Anyway, it's not often you see one of these old mid-19th century frame houses on the market. The listing says Clinton Hill but doesn't give a street (Argghh!), but we suspect it's probably Eastern Fort Greene, somewhere like Clermont. At first glance we thought the asking price of $1.75 million looked low but then realized we might be letting our excitement over the house's special exterior architecture get the best of us, so we looked at the rest of the interior shots. Nothing special shown but certainly not bad. And as partial as everyone knows we are to the area, this still looks like a great deal to us compared to something like yesterday's dinky $2.15 million offering in Park Slope. Just no comparison really. We'll be interested to see if everyone thinks we're overly enthusiastic on this one, though we suspect the market will bear us out. Accuse us of boosterism if you must, but we bet this'll be another 41 Monroe with multiple bids over the ask.
Clinton Hill Antebellum [Location Location Location]
Ikea Misrepresenting in Court, Blog Says
The folks at Big Cities Big Boxes are none too pleased about the lawsuit against Ikea getting rejected. According to BCBB, Ikea has purposefully overstated the unemployment situation in the area to push their case:
Ikea claimed that unemployment among racial minorities in Red Hook was epidemic. Ikea systematically incited racial divisiveness in the community, but its claims about unemployment were simply false. As revealed on the blog BigCitiesBigBoxes, publicly available evidence proves that Ikea secured City Planning Commission approval for the gigantic Ikea-Red Hook big box store by misrepresenting the number of unemployed residents of Red Hook Houses, a public housing project. Ikea stated, misleadingly and repeatedly, that there is a twenty per cent unemployment rate at Red Hook Houses, the local public housing project, which as of the Year 2000 census had 7,278 residents, most of them African-American. The records of the Department of City Planning, however, show that in fact there were only 568 unemployed persons of working age in Red Hook Houses as of the 2000 census, not 1456, as Ikea's arguments suggested. In addition, hundreds of retail jobs are already available within walking distance of Red Hook Houses, at Lowe's and Home Depot, and another 200 union jobs will be available when Fairway opens.
Press Release: Ikea Lied [Big Cities Big Boxes]
Ikea Lawsuit Rejected
June 30, 2005, NY Times -- Ruling in a lawsuit against a proposed Ikea furniture store in Red Hook, a state judge has upheld the city's approval of the project. The decision, by Judge Karen S. Smith of State Supreme Court in Manhattan, was dated Monday but released yesterday, and it completes the public review part of the development process. The company still needs permits for work on the Erie Basin waterfront from the State Department of Environmental Conservation and the Army Corps of Engineers. The lawsuit sought to void several land use approvals, declare zoning changes for the project illegal, and block construction. The suit contended that the company's plans for a 346,000-square-foot store with 1,400 parking spaces on a 22-acre site would overwhelm the neighborhood.
Metro Briefing [NY Times, 2nd Item]
Judge Axes Ikea Foes' Suit [NY Daily News]
The Roanoke: Sign o' the Times
Set Speed points out the recent ad on Craigslist for the new-and-improved Roanoke apartment building on the corner of Lafayette and South Oxford. Gone are the days of double-parked drugged dealers. One reader comments:
I noticed something was going on with that property, but have to say i'm shocked. Somehow I thought the Roanoke would always be gentrification-proof. Interestingly enough, this building was renovated approximately 15-20 years ago following a gigantic fire that nearly burned it down. But many of the units didn't sell, the bank foreclosed, and the occupants were stuck in a building that quickly became worthless as the utilities stopped functioning. Soon after came the squatters, and then the above-mentioned luxury cars, etc. Let's hope they have better luck this time around.
We bet they will.
Revitalization of the Roanoke in Ft. Greene [Set Speed]
The Victorian Homes of Flatbush [Set Speed]
Fort Greene's Luxurious Condominiums [Set Speed]
LPC Sends Praedium Back to Drawing Board
Developers of the Candy Factory building at 20 Henry Street in Brooklyn Heights have been sent back to the drawing board by the Landmarks Commission. The LPC was concerned that the proposed nine-story addition would compromise the original modernist design from when the building was originally converted into artists' lofts; in addition, they were concerned about views of the unique garden design being obscured. The building has attracted significant attention of late: The former owner bought out of the Mitchell-Lama program two years ago and the current owner, The Praedium Group, has already begun evicting tenants in preparation for the obligatory luxury condominiums.
LPC Sends 20 Henry Back to Drawing Board [Brooklyn Eagle] GMAP
553 Madison Open House Recap
Did anyone make it to this open house last night? This looks like one of those listings that will be in the sweet spot for a lot of our readers. Not enough pics on the website to get a great feel for it, but at $735,000, we bet it will get a lot of interest.
553 Madison Street [Corcoran] GMAP
Brit None Too Fond of Bed Stuy
In an article on the impending bursting of the bubble in New York real estate, Sunday Times (UK) columnist Dominic Rushe manages to make a rather offensive comment about the borough which he is temporarily calling home:
I now live in Williamsburg, a horrifically trendy part of Brooklyn. I moved here because it was cheaper, slightly, than where I lived in Manhattan. Now warehouse properties here are selling for as much as flats in Tribeca. Prices are even going through the roof in Bed-Stuy, a horrible and inconvenient area of Brooklyn with some lovely buildings and a nasty crack habit.
Nice. Real nice.
Big Apple Homes Ripe for Fall [Sunday Times UK]
Thursday Photo of the Day
Burg Bridge from Navy Yard. Photo from Satan's Laundromat
June 29, 2005
House of the Day: Attractive Mid-Slope Miniature
Here's a new listing in Park Slope from Prudential Douglas Elliman for $2.15 million. This is a charming house to be sure, with original moldings and wide floorboards among other details, but its small size (2,650 s.f.), sunken English basement and Sub-Sixth Avenue location make us question whether over $800 a foot is too much for this puppy. The 2-family, 3-story brick house has an attractive garden as well, but that also looks on the small side. We're not deeply entrenched enough in the Park Slope market, though, to completely write this off. What do others think? Anything on this block sold in recent memory?
Bergen Street [Prudential Douglas Elliman] GMAP
Development at Ocean Parkway and Lawrence Ave
As of a couple of weeks ago, the development at 702 Ocean Parkway was topped out and the facade was partially complete. A contributor to the Wired NY Forum on Brooklyn development dug up this rendering of the project. Anyone know who the developer is or who's marketing it?
702 Ocean Parkway [Wired NY Forum] GMAP
Salvage: Schoolhouse Sink at Moon River Chattel
When we were at Moon River Chattel on Saturday scoring a set of late-nineteenth century five-panel doors, we saw this cute double-faucet schoolhouse sink. Granted we're biased having selected a similar one for our kids' bathroom, but we think these are a great touch. At $325, this is also a good deal cheaper than the one we bought last fall when we were but a novice at all this salvaging stuff. Live and learn. Moon River Chattel is at 62 Grand Street in Williamsburg. Telephone: 718-388-1121.
"Brooklyn" 101st Most Popular Name Last Year
The Brooklyn boom is extending beyond real estate and professional sports teams. Last year, 3,211 babies were given the name around the country, making it the 101st most popular name of 2004. In Utah, it came in at Number 8, beating out such perennial faves as Elizabeth, Sarah, and Ashley. The popularity of the name comes six years after Posh Spice and David Beckham named their son after the borough in which he was conceived. As for the Bronx and Queens, they're not even close to cracking the top 100.
Brooklyn, Utah? It's a Popular Name [Salt Lake Tribune]
Business Week on the Bubble Question
Business Week tackled the bubble question last week. One of the experts interviewed was Frank Nothaft, chief economist, Freddie Mac, whose view, we'll admit, should be taken with a grain of salt given the vested interest his employer has in keeping the party going:
Housing is local, local, local by nature, and it's the local economy driving valuation of a home. The large markets people think about -- New York, Boston, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Washington D.C. -- where we've seen double-digit home-value gains in the last three or four years, are driven by economic growth and rising family income, coupled with a 40-year low in mortgage rates. I would worry about local markets that have weak economies, where the unemployment rate has gone up over the last couple years, or where we have begun to see a bit more of a speculative fervor (by that I mean: A lot of investor vs. owner-occupant purchases).
Comment: New York economy seems okay and very low investor-to-owner ratio.
Housing Bubble -- or Bunk? [Business Week]
Blimpie Foes Aim to Deflate Plan
June 29, 2005, NY Daily News -- Residents in trendy Fort Greene are waging war against a new Blimpie set to open on a leafy stretch of Lafayette Ave. Home to bistros, brownstones and mom and pop shops, there is something the now high-end neighborhood doesn't have - national chains. "We don't want fast food," said Zach, 30, leading the anti-Blimpie charge. Zach didn't want to give his last name. Over the weekend, Zach and his supporters distributed 5,000 flyers asking residents to block the fast-food invasion. "This is bigger than just stopping a Blimpie," Zach said. "We don't want our neighborhood to turn into a food court." The new sandwich shop is scheduled to open by the end of the summer at 64 Lafayette Ave., the former site of a video store.
Blimpie Foes Aim to Deflate Plan [NY Daily News]
Wednesday Links
Summer Relief. Photo by Brownstoner.
Corrupt Co-op Manager in Bay Ridge [NY Daily News]
Race to Fix Subway Wall in B'hurst [NY Daily News]
Court Street Bakery Blues [NY Daily News]
Joining of Hands on Ratner's Site [NY Daily News]
Supreme Court Decision Impact on Ratner [Brooklyn Eagle]
Where Are Rates Headed? [Bankrate]
Remodeling Projects That Pay Off [Real Estate Journal]
HUD to Start Over on Mortgage Reform [Journal Sentinel]
Flatbush BBQ Scene in Crisis [Daily Heights]
Blimpie Backlash in Fort Greene [Set Speed]
Living with Art: Emerging Artists [Apartment Therapy]
Focus: Student Design [Design Sponge]
June 28, 2005
Recently on the Reno Blog: Rental Bathroom Tiles
The tiles were laid in the bathroom of the rental apartment at the end of last week and the grout is being applied today. That and our guilty conscience about not being able to preserve the lincrusta in the front hall on the Reno Blog.
Tiles and Lincrusta [Renovation Blog]
Salvager: 66" Clawfoot Tub by Owner
The owner of a house in Bed Stuy is looking to unload this old five-and-a-half foot clawfoot tub. Asking Price: $300. Contact: sevenleeps@yahoo.com. More photos and dimensions in the Forum listing.
Old Clawfoot Tub [Brownstoner Forum]
House of the Day: What's the Catch in Boerum Hill?
We could use some help getting our arms around this one. While on the small side, this Boerum Hill house has a charming exterior and retains plenty of its original detail on the inside--although it's hardly in perfect shape. Even if the floorplate were only 800 square feet (which you'd never know since the listing provides pathetically little information), the asking price of $895,000 implies a valuation of less than $400 a foot. We're thinking the location must stink or someone would have snatched this up as a cute starter home already. What gives? We're hoping the locals can tell us where this is exactly.
Boerum Hill House [Cobble Heights, #5233896]
Architectural Detail in Williamsburg
Despite its reputation as an industrial wasteland, it's amazing how much beautiful architectural detail exists in Williamsburg if you keep your eyes open. This doorway, for example, at 378 Wythe Avenue between South 3rd and South 4th Street is lovely in its relative simplicity (though it could use a new door). According to Property Shark, the house was built in 1899--we can only assume the doorway is original to this year. Like many of the brownstones in the area, it has a modest 20'x40' footprint. Currently configured as a three-family, the house has no juicy mortgage or sales figures available. GMAP
Coney Island Mermaid Parade 2005
If you missed the Coney Island Mermaid Parade this year, don't miss Forgotten NY's extensve photo coverage of the event. "The annual event," Kevin writes, "run by Dick Zigun's Coney Island USA, is technically a remembrance of the old Coney Island Mardi Gras parade (which ran between 1903 and 1954) but it's really one of Brooklyn's last spontaneous events, a street party attracting between 50 and as many as 100,000 screaming spectators. It is just about the only thing with that kind of a crowd that can attract your webmaster."
Mermaid Parade [Forgotten NY]
Ruing the Changes to Come in Northern Greenpoint
In the NY Times today, writer David Gonzalez waxes eloquent on the desolate beauty of Northern Greenpoint while ruing the inevitable loss of innocence that is sure to accompany the new rezoning plan:
A certain postindustrial beauty still haunts the blocks along North Brooklyn's waterfront, where a Hopperesque panorama rendered in rust and brick stretches from Williamsburg to Greenpoint. Frozen in time and twisted in shape, some of these streetscapes once abuzz with factories are now better known as generic urban backdrops for cop shows...While few would argue that the largely fallow waterfront was being wisely used before, the adjoining inland blocks are another story. They have long been home to scores of small factories that make everything from cabinets and candles to frames and food. As nondescript as they were affordable, their future is in flux as rezoning could allow landlords to opt for the big bucks by turning factories into loft homes.
On New Waterfront, A Place for the Old [NY Times]
South Portland G Train Entrance to Open
June 28, 2005, NY Daily News -- The long-shuttered S. Portland Ave. entrance to the Fulton St. stop on the G train in Fort Greene is expected to reopen to the public next month, transit officials said. The entrance leads to the Queens-bound platform of the G train at that stop. The reopening means straphangers using that platform won't have to walk two blocks underground and through a tunnel that stinks of urine to get to an exit, residents said. Residents said the entrance - which was never manned by a token-booth clerk - was closed because of high crime in the area in the 1980s and early 90s. Crime in the local police precinct has dropped 68% since 1993, NYPD statistics show. Still, some residents had reservations about the reopening. "The best thing they ever did was close it," said Joel Murray, who has worked at a deli on the same corner as the shuttered entrance since 1968. "It was smelly; guys were sleeping [in the entrance]," Murray said, adding, "This is the fastest, easiest way for muggers to escape."
G! This is Progress [NY Daily News]
Ratner Signs Affordable Housing Agreement
June 27, 2005, NY1 News -- The man who plans to build an arena for the New Jersey Nets in Brooklyn made a promise to the community Monday that affordable housing will be made available in the area. Developer Bruce Ratner today signed a “Community Benefits” agreement promising the affordable housing, as well as assuring that the project will set aside a certain number of jobs for minority-owned businesses. The developer says he’s also throwing in some Nets house seats for the community to share. “We hope to exceed the goals and standards, but if we don't there could be litigation,” said Ratner. “I would add something else that is even more important; you have Bruce Ratner's word, and that should be enough for you and for everybody else in this community,” said Mayor Michael Bloomberg. “This is a guy, if you don't understand that, you don't know how great this guy has been for Brooklyn and for New York City." Opponents aren't convinced by the Community Benefits agreement, and they have vowed to continue the fight against a stadium in their neighborhood.
Ratner Promises Affordable Housing [NY1]
B'kln Deal Boosts Women, Minorities [NY Post]
Tuesday Morning Craig
Pacific Street. Photo by Frank Lynch
3-Family + Commercial $1.285 Million [Williamsburg]
3-Family Brick $875K [Clinton Hill - not really]
6-Family Brick Vacant $849K [Bushwick]
2-Family Frame $843K [South Slope]
2-Family Victorian $769K [Ditmas Park]
June 27, 2005
Salvager: Wood Mantel from Bed Stuy
We stopped by Eddie's Salvage in Clinton Hill on Saturday in search of some three-over-three six-panel doors. We came up empty handed but this old wood mantel piece that came out of a house in Bed Stuy caught our eye. We'd be interested to know if anyone can place it historically for us. As for the price, you'll have to swing by the shop at 224 Greene Avenue at Grand) and ask Eddie yourself.
HOTD: Yea on Structure, Neigh on Price
Since they've blocked our links in the past, we can only assume that the folks over at Warren Lewis don't appreciate our commentary on their listings. Unfortunately, this one isn't going to improve relations. Now, we're a sucker for carriage houses--they're so cute and charming, who can resist? But in our minds, it's hard to justify pricing them on a par with traditional townhouses. At the $2.15 million asking price, this 3,500-square-foot carriage house, we'd argue, is even more expensive on a per square foot basis than neighboring brownstones. And though we can appreciate the loft-like feel that the larger floorplate offers, we see a little too much recessed lighting and molding-less edges for our taste. That said, the extra-wide landscaped garden is lovely and we think the painted brick interior wall works very well too. But everything at a price and this just feels too high to us.
410 Waverly Avenue [Warren Lewis] GMAP
410 Waverly Ave [NY Times]
So Long Stucco Shitbox, Hello Pre-War Goodness
Blogger Sassy, who started putting his two cents in to the Comments section recently, is making a move from one white-hot real estate market--San Diego--to another--Brooklyn. We dig his rationale:
Sassy is a sucker for pre-war apartments, and if I'm gonna spend 2500 a month to own a 1BR, it's gonna be in NYC, not San Diego (sorry Dago!). The stucco 70's shitbox will not cut the mustard.
Word. Sassy's Top 5 Hoods in the County of Kings? 1) Clinton Hill/Fort Greene; 2) Bay Ridge; 3) Red Hook; 4) Prospect Heights; 5) Ditmas Park.
NYC 2K5 [Vista Seeker]
Lead Paint Dangers in the Headlines
The company originally contracted to sandblast the lead paint from the Williamsburg bridge back in the early 1990s received a $20 million payment from the City this week. After residents of the Lower East Side and Brooklyn sued the city over the paint chips and clouds of paint dust wafting over their neighborhoods over a decage ago, the City made the contractor switch from sandblasting to a much slower (and hence more expensive) hands-on technique to remove the paint. We have heard through the grapevine of two children in the Burg who've had moderate levels of lead paint detected in the past week--there was also some discussion on the Reno Blog recently about the issue. Since we've been living in Williamsburg for the past couple of years and are about to move into an old house that has had its share of lead paint glopped on over the years, it's of particular interest to us as well. Can anyone direct readers to a good description of the risks and practical preventative steps homeowners and renters can take?
W'Burg Bridge Shock [NYPost]
Glass Panel Door [Brownstoner Renovations]
Mass Eviction by Owner to Occupy Tenement
A couple is trying to evict all of the tenants in the 15-unit rent-control building at 47-49 East Third Street in the East Village under a loop hole in rent laws that allows for such evictions in the case that the owner plans to use the space for himself. According to this article, the claim has to pass the "giggle" test, i.e. the landlord must prove his good faith intention to live in apartments he is seeking to evict the tenants from. While hard stats are hard to come by, one lawyer who specializes in these cases estimates that landlords were on the losing end only a quarter of the time. In the rest of the cases, tenants were forced out after receiving a low 5-figure settlement.
It's hard to take this family's claim that they need 11,200 square feet to themselves seriously, but as the real estate market has heated up, the number of these types of cases has been increasing for obvious reasons. And while it's impossible not to empathize with those being displaced, ultimately we think the problem lies with the rent control law itself, an economically unsound social policy that raises the overall cost of housing in this city. We have no problem with the decision as a society to subsidize the housing costs of certain portions of the population--the elderly, handicapped, etc.--in fact, we support it in such clear-cut cases. But rather than forcing individual landlords to absorb that cost on a random basis, we think market rates should be allowed to prevail and the government should give the members of the subsidized population direct payments to help pay their market rents (or pay the landlords directly). That would avoid situations like a friend we know who inherited his family's rent control 10-room Park Avenue apartment that he still pays less than $2,000 a month for and do a better job of making sure the subsidies get to the right people. The current system is fraught with inefficiencies and invites the kind of corner-cutting on display in this article. That's what we think, anyway.
Everybody Out? [NY Times]
Just Sold: Boerum Hill Three Bedroom $977,000
147 Bergen Street GMAP
Three-bedroom, 11/2-bath upper duplex condo, 1,600 square feet, with three wood-burning fireplaces, exposed brick, hardwood floors, washer/dryer, private deck and roof rights. Common charges $500. Asking price $936,000, on market two months.
(Broker: Sue Wolfe, Nancy McKiernan Realty)
Just Sold! [NY Post]
Recent Sale: Park Slope Two-Family $1.25 Million
503 11th Street GMAP
2-family, 100-year-old house; 2 bedrooms, 1.5 baths in primary duplex; 2 bedrooms, 1 bath in upper-floor simplex; 20-by-100ft. lot; taxes $2,800; listed at $1.35 million. (Broker: Betancourt)
Residential Sales [NY Times]
Monday Linkage
Red Hook. Photo by Amani Willett
Green Bldg Custom-Made for Two Families [NY Times]
Urban History To Go: Black, No Sugar [NY Times]
Buyers Are What They Do [NY Times]
Residential Sales [NY Times]
For Bargain Hunters, Game Grows Scarce [NY Times]
Slasher Cripples 11 Cars in Bed Stuy [NY Post]
Weiner: Subway Felonies Up 12 Percent [NY Post]
Buyer's Remorse [NY Post]
Just Sold [NY Post]
Bike Routes Blasted [NY Daily News]
June 24, 2005
New-Home Sales Up, But Median Price Down
June 24, 2005, Associated Press -- Sales of new homes in May climbed to the second highest level in history, but the median sales price fell sharply, the government reported Friday. The Commerce Department said that sales of new single-family homes rose by 2.1% last month to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.3 million homes. But the median sales price dropped 6.5% to a median $217,000. The strong new home sales followed a report Thursday that sales of previously owned homes totaled 7.13 million units at an annual rate in May, a slight decline from the record April pace, but still the second fastest sales rate on record for existing homes. The median sales price of existing homes continued rising in April to hit a record of $207,000. Sales fell by a sharp 24.5% in the Northeast to an annual rate of 74,000 units.
New-Home Sales Rise, Median Declines [Wall Street Journal]
Open Season on 14 Townhouses
It looks like the developers of 14 Townhouses on State Street in Boerum Hill are now ready to receive your deposits. Corcoran's Kerrie-Anne Scalia just put the listing up on the NY Times classifieds today for the first time. The row of townhouses, which we've already praised as about the only decent new design to go up in Brooklyn in recent memory, do a remarkably good job of fitting into their environment despite their more modern design. Each is about 4,000 square feet and asking $2,650,000. What are you waiting for? Run like the wind!
14 Townhouses [Corcoran]
State Street Townhouses: Promising Indeed [Brownstoner]
Open House Picks
Park Slope
134 Park Place
Brown Harris Stevens
Sunday 2-4pm
$2,650,000
GMAP
Fort Greene
402 Vanderbilt Avenue
Corcoran
Sunday 2-4pm
$1,750,000
GMAP
Boerum Hill
482 Warren Street
Brooklyn Landmark Real Estate
Sunday 12-3pm
$1,500,000
GMAP
Bedford Stuyvesant
877 Sterling Place
Corcoran
Sunday 2-4pm
$1,100,000
GMAP
Recap of Victorian Flatbush Tour
Cityrag has some nice shots of Victorian Flatbush along with some commentary from someone who went on last week's tour:
Most houses were built between 1900 – 1910, it had been farm land before that and was planned by two developers, who built the majority of the houses. Many families have restored the homes to their natural beauty with lots of detail. Victorian, Arts and Craft and Victorian Gothic – just incredible! The tour offered about 30 houses open to the public, with a tour guide. I had an opportunity to speak to some of the owners, many of whom had bought their homes in the 70’s and 80’s for $50,000 - $80,000.
The Victorian Homes of Flatbush [City Rag]
Victorian Flatbush [Gothamist]
Watch Out for the Swarming Volvos
Wrapping up what will heretofore be known as class warfare week on Brownstoner...We followed Set Speed's post on Tuesday about the punk rock ass crack phenomenon (huh?) and wound up reading this excerpt from Hip Hop Diary that was written back in February in response to the Clinton Hill profile in the Times:
If the median income in this area is a bit over 40 grand, and the median price for a small-ass condo is half a million and it's over a million for buildings, who's buying property here now? And what does that bode for the neighborhood's celebrated "economic and cultural diversity?" You know what I see when I walk around here now? Tons of not-exactly-fresh-outta-high school Pratt students (getting an MFA must be the same as getting an MBA was 20 years ago). Rich white dads with baby backpacks. People standing in front of the Clinton-Washington stop asking for directions to Myrtle Avenue. Nannys wheeling children in expensive strollers. And lots and lots of Volvos. They're already swarming. I've gotta get out of here.
Comment: Hey, don't look at us, we've got a used Subaru.
Biggie Shoulda Been Buying Real Estate [Hip Hop Diary]
Recurring Ass Crack Theme [Set Speed]
Personals, Williamsburg-Style
Spotted on Broadway in South Williamsburg. We're not sure whether Jeff's trying to hook up with Maggie or someone named Narcie (or maybe both?), but good luck to him in any event.
Eminent Domain Case Upheld, Developers Rejoice
Earlier this week the Supreme Court ruled against the homeowners in the closely watched case about the powers of local governments to exercise eminent domain. In their 5-to-4 decision, Kelo v. New London, the judges gave the green light to the city redevelopment authority to condemn the old waterfront neighborhood so a private developer can put office and apartment buildings in their place. While eminent domain never sits quite right with us, we can see some justification in the case of critical infrastructure like major roads, railroads, and even in truly blighted neighborhoods, though we realize that in itself can be a slippery slope. But what a scary precedent that a city can dispossess law-abiding, tax-paying citizens from their homes in order to make way for a fancier development! The amount of compensation the City of New London is offering homeowners is based upon appraisals from 5 years ago--so it's a safe bet that the numbers are significantly below market value. In her dissent, Sandra Day O'Connor worried that the decision would mean that the government could transfer any private property from the owner to another person with more political influence "so long as it might be upgraded." Bet you won't hear Bruce Ratner complaining about this decision.
Justices Uphold Taking Property for Development [NY Times]
Homeowners Frustrated at Court Ruling [NY Times]
OpEd: The Limits of Property Rights [NY Times]
New Park Under Brooklyn Bridge for Skaters
Underneath the Manhattan side of the Brooklyn Bridge, an area long referred to by skaters as the Brooklyn Banks, the city is building a new "skateboard-friendly" park. Ellen Epstein of Vollmer Associates, a landscape architect working on the new park, is trying to incorporate to "skate features" rather than make a skate park, with the goal of creating a space that both skaters and nonskaters can enjoy. We haven't been on a skateboard since around 1976, but sounds like a fine idea to us.
Under a Bridge, Skate-Friendly Park [NY Times]
Park Slope Landlord Killed in Dispute Over Keys
James McElwee, 55, allegedly stabbed his landlord, Felix Shaar, 76, to death with two knives yesterday and then calmly rang the next door neighbor's doorbell. McElwee had been a tenant at 151 Prospect Avenue for 4 years. According to the Daily News, neighbors described the suspect as a loose cannon, who worked odd hours. They recall him walking on the block, sometimes in a drunken stupor, screaming unintelligibly for no apparent reason. Friends said Shaar was born in Texas and moved to the city about 40 years ago. He was a former taxi driver and is survived by a brother and nephew.
Tenant Killing Landlord Over Keys [WNBC]
B'kln Man Slaughters His Landlord [NY Daily News]
Friday Links
Brooklyn Museum Fountain. Photo by Trevor Little
Bubble Anxiety: Sell or Rent [Wall Street Journal]
High Ri$e Continues on Homes [NY Post]
Pro-Tenant Bill Passed by Council [NY Daily News]
Manhattan Transfers [NY Observer]
Mortgage Rates Fall on Investor's Words [Bankrate]
Williamsburg North [Curbed]
Mugging on St. John's Place [Daily Heights]
New Grout Takes the Grunge Out [HGTV]
June 23, 2005
Out With The Old (Windows) in the Burg
We were a little bummed to see them knocking out the original windows in the loft building on Berry and South 3rd Street last Friday.
Last Connecticut Installment: Roseland Cottage
Just North of Brooklyn, Connecticut is the town of Woodstock. Woodstock is the site of the over-the-top Roseland Cottage. Combining Gothic Revival exteriors with predominantly Victorian interiors, the 1846 structure stands out among the white Federal houses that line the rest of the main street in town. The house was built by local-boy-made-good Henry Chandler Bowen as a summer retreat from his stately mansion (no longer standing) on Willow Street in Brooklyn Heights. Bowen, a teetotaler, made his fortune in New York and became an active abolitionist, Congregationalist, and Republican, playing host to several Presidents at his Woodstock home. The coolest aspect of the interior of the house was the incredible restored lincrusta that lined the walls of every room on the first floor. We've never seen anything like it. The barn, also pictured, was equally unusual, housing the oldest private bowling alley in the country.
Roseland Cottage [Historic New England] GMAP
Continue reading "Last Connecticut Installment: Roseland Cottage"
505 Court Street Hits the Market
Curbed alerts us to the fact that it's officially open season over at the the Court Street Lofts in Carroll Gardens. Corcoran's managing the offering which has prices ranging from $475,000 for a 6th Floor one bedroom to $1,075,000 for a Penthouse. Waddya get for your hard earned money? Full-time doorman? Check. Granite countertops? Check. Limestone tile? Sure 'nuf. You can't tell diddly from the listing--nothing but an exterior rendering. We'd love a report if anyone gets inside.
Court Street Lofts [Curbed]
505 Court Street [Corcoran]
Kensington vs. Brooklyn College Under $800K
Here are two similarly priced offerings from Aguayo & Huebener, one in Kensington and one near Brooklyn College. Aguayo usually does a decent job with the photos but, annoyingly, rarely provides the address. The Kensington house (left) is a free-standing, turn-of-the-century single-family with five bedrooms, private parking and a front garden; not much in the way of architectural detail though. Not surprisingly, it looks like you get a much bigger bang for your buck further out into Brooklyn. The house on Glenwood Road near Brooklyn College (right) is quite a bit larger and dripping with period elements like ornate woodwork, stained glass, and restored parquet floors. It also has a front yard and porch as well as private parking. Are there any readers out there who can bring us up to speed on what this nabe is like in terms of infrastructure, safety, etc?
Kensington Victorian [Aguayo & Huebener]
Glenwood Road [Aguayo & Huebener]
Quality of Life--Or Lack Thereof
We're sure we'll get accused of being a heartless elitist and some wise-ass will tell us to move to the suburbs, but there are some quality of life issues that can make you question whether living in the big city is really worth it. In our temporary perch in South Williamsburg, for example, noise is the biggest problem for sure. The one-in-the-morning commercial garbage pick-ups outside our bedroom window three nights a week, the next door neighbor with the mufferless motorcycle and the constant drilling and banging from neighboring construction sites are enough to drive anyone crazy. Even though we're not living in the Clinton Hill house yet, homelessness has been by far the biggest problem there: During the past several months, we've had to dislodge three different people who decided our stoop was an ideal spot to sleep, eat, shoot up and relieve themselves--without even the decency to clean up after any of those activities. When asked to move on by us, initially quite non-confrontationally, we were often met with an indignant sense of entitlement, as though they had a right to be there. It's mighty hard not to let one's liberal values lapse when your 2-year-old has to navigate her way through crack pipes and pools of urine to make it in your front door.
But enough about us. Here are the top five complaints of Brooklynites from the recent straw poll conducted by Citizens for NYC and Baruch College and reported in today's NY Post:
1. Dirty Streets
2. Potholes
3. Drug Dealing
4. Vandalism/Graffiti
5. Dangerous Intersections
Top City Gripes [NY Post]
NYT Residential Sales
BROOKLYN HEIGHTS $590,000
160 Columbia Heights
1-bedroom, 1-bath, 750-sq.-ft. co-op in a prewar building; part-time doormen; 3 exposures; maintenance $1,083, 50% tax-deductible; listed at $575,000 (multiple bids), 2 weeks on market (broker: Harbor View Realty; Corcoran Group Brooklyn)
FORT GREENE $345,000
372 DeKalb Avenue
2-bedroom, 2-bath, 1,200-sq.-ft. co-op in a prewar building; 24-hr. doormen; needs renovation; maintenance $986, 35% tax-deductible; listed at $360,000, 2 years on market (broker: Harbor View Realty)
PARK SLOPE $732,105
393 Dean Street
2-bedroom, 2-bath, 1,500-sq.-ft. condo in a postwar building; elevator; renovated kitchen, 2 exposures; terrace; maintenance $434; taxes $852; listed at $732,105, 1 week on market (brokers: Century 21 William B. May; Corcoran Group Brooklyn)
Residential Sales [NY Times]
Mortgage Rates, Apps Down Last Week
June 22, 2005, INMAN NEWS -- Overall mortgage applications dropped last week, going down 11.3 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis from the week before, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association's weekly survey. The MBA seasonally adjusted purchase index went down by 9.4 percent. The seasonally adjusted refinance index decreased by 13.2 percent.
The average contract interest rate for 30-year fixed-rate mortgages increased to 5.63 percent from 5.62 percent one week earlier. The average contract interest rate for 15-year fixed-rate mortgages increased to 5.24 percent from 5.18 percent one week earlier. The average contract interest rate for one-year adjustable-rate mortgages increased to 4.46 percent, compared to 4.38 percent the previous week.
Real Estate Purchases Drop [Inman]
Thursday Morning Craig
Park Slope. Photo by Hugh Crawford
2-Family By Owner $900K [Williamsburg]
5-Family Brick $875K [Williamsburg]
2-Family Frame $779K [Park Slope]
2-Family Frame $725K [Sunset Park]
6-Bedroom Brownstone $690K [Bed Stuy]
June 22, 2005
Today on the Reno Blog
We were psyched when the latest round of stripping revealed this brass ornament around the fireplace panel. Also, check out some of the shelving in the music room. Both on the Reno Blog.
Brass Ornament [Renovation Blog]
House of the Day: Park Slope Mystery
This new listing from Harborview is a bit of a head-scratcher. In the NY Times classifieds, it implies the house is on or very near Prospect Park. If it is anywhere in prime Park Slope, the $1.5 million asking price seems very low. However, when viewed in combination with the one piece of actual information given in the listing--that it's a 6-family house--and the lack of any pictures, we get very suspicious. The only explanation can be that it's full of rent control tenants or, worse, that it's an SRO. This kind of flimsy/deceptive listing is so frustrating and serves nobody's interest. Avoiding disclosure of negatives may generate a few more calls up front, but in the long run it won't fetch a higher price and the the listing firm--in this case Harborview--will only alienate potential clients in the process. When will brokers get the message and post comprehensive information and photographs? In this age of digital cameras and Property Shark, there's no excuse.
Listing #5245 [Harborview Realty]
Prospect Park Brownstone [NY Times]
Promoting the Flipping of Condos
Armageddon must be near. A site that is trademarking the phrase "Condo Flip" whilst they attempt to promote and facilitate the act of flipping preconstruction condos? Not to be flip but there's a business with a lifecycle of about, what, three months?
Homepage [Condoflip.com]
Old Stable on the Upper East Side
We were on our way to the doctor last week when we passed this beautiful old building on 84th Street between Park and Lexington which surely was a horse stable at one point long ago. We fell instantly in love with it. There's something about the balanced placement of the upper windows, the simple cornice, the arched entrance, even the aged quality of the bricks. What a great conversion that would make. Wouldn't be cheap, though! GMAP
CT Roadtrip: Prudence Crandall House
Just down the road from Brooklyn, Connecticut, in the town of Canterbury, lies the Prudence Crandall Museum. In the 1830s, Crandall's attempts to maintain an academy for young black women was met with legal resistance and violence by the neighboring powers-that-be. Ultimately she was forced to shut down the school, which she had established in the former Luther Paine house (built circa 1805). Purchased by the state in 1969, the house has been partially restored, with several "period" rooms open. Our favorite aspect of the Federal style building turned out to be the moldings. In particular, this simple "arrowhead" design particularly caught our eye. We also include a couple other samples on the jump.
Brooklyn, CT [Brownstoner] GMAP
Prudence Crandall Museum [Amistad]
Ratner May Have to Pay Up to Move Yards
According to the most recent Brooklyn Papers, it looks like Bruce Ratner is going to have to pony up some extra dough to move the tracks in the MTA storage yard. The reason Ratner's still having to negotiate with the MTA is that it never signed the memorandum of understanding that Ratner inked with the City and State back in March. Though the tracks will only be moved a block, from Atlantic and Pacific, primarily between Fifth and Carlton avenues, to primarily between Sixth Avenue and Vanderbilt Avenue, the shift is significant because of how it could alter the eminent domain debate: The new justification could be "public use" (for the rail yards) as opposed to private development, obviously a tougher sell.
Yards Away [Brooklyn Papers]
Footprint [Develop Don't Destroy]
Another Reason We're Glad We Left Manhattan
According to Forbes, $500,000 a year after tax is required to support an "affluent lifestyle" for a family of four in Manhattan. On the checklist of requirements: 2 cars, 2 private school tuitions, primary home cost of $3.9 million, second home cost of $1.9 million, and three vacations a year. Not everyone agrees that half a million dollars after tax is enough to qualify for affluence. "I think $500,000 will give you a comfortable lifestyle, not an affluent one," said Dolly Lenz, a top real-estate broker with Prudential Douglas Elliman. "To live affluently, not extravagantly, you'd have to make at least $2.5 million a year."
But how about Brooklyn? What does a family of four who is just buying a house now--say for $1.5 million--need to be comfortable (not affluent)? On a $1.2 million mortgage, call it $70K or so after tax for mortgage, taxes, insurance alone. Public versus private school decision is probably the next biggest factor--chalk up $30K for the latter if so inclined. So we're up to $100K before you eat your first meal or make a lease payment on your car (we seem to get by with one car just fine). Granted a lot of people find ways to defray these costs considerably, most obviously by renting out a portion of their house as we plan to do or sending their kids to public school if they're in a decent district. But still, it's a little scary how fast the number can creep up and how quickly one can become a prisoner of one's own mortgage, isn't it?
Getting By On 500G [NY Post]
Wednesday Linkage
Red Hook. Photo by Amani Willett
Red Hook Journal: Neighborhood Fixture [NY Times]
City Rent Board Approves Rise [NY Times]
Office Space Hot in 2005 [NY Times]
Booming Local Markets Weigh Heavily [Wall Street Journal]
NYC 13th Costliest City in World [Washington Post]
1 in 4 Subway Swipes Fail [NY Post]
Push for Rezoning in Queens [NY Daily News]
NYC Shameful Parks [NY Daily News]
S. Portland G Train Exit to Open [Set Speed]
Searching Oodles of Classifieds [Corante NY]
June 21, 2005
Wall Collapses at Demolition Site
Jun 21, 2005, CBS News -- A wall comes crashing down on parked cars in Brooklyn. It happened around 9:30 this morning in the Farragut section, at a building that was under demolition at 1109 Utica Avenue. off of Beverly Road. Part of the wall just came tumbling down. The FDNY responded, and tell us no one was hurt, but the debris fell on some of the cars that were parked on the street.
Wall Collapses in Brooklyn [CBS New York] GMAP
Harlem B'stone for Under A Million Bucks?
Speaking of Harlem, we didn't think it was possible to find a decent brownstone there--especially on the West Side--for under a million bucks. Unless this listing is way out-of-date, we are clearly misinformed. According to The Post, a four-story brownstone at 524 W. 143rd Street recently sold for $946,000, more than $50,000 off the asking price of $999,000. Not only that, but it took 14 weeks to move the merchandise. The 3,800-square-foot house has a two-bedroom, one-bath unit over three-bedroom, one-bath owner's triplex. The house also boasts original details, fireplaces in each bedroom, landscaped private garden, Jacuzzi, storage and washer/dryer. Out of curiosity, do you think there's a lot of overlap between would-be Brooklyn brownstone owners and their Harlem counterparts? The biggest thing both areas have in common is a healthy supply of architecturally significant brownstones many of which are candidates for major rehabilitation. We personally know a couple of people who were actively looking in both areas before falling in love with a specific houes in one.
Just Sold! [NY Post]
It Ain't Brooklyn But...
We occasionally bemoan the aesthetic deterioration that can occur in certain areas that are not protected by landmark laws. Although we can't remember spending any quality time on the block of 101st Street between Park and Lexington Avenues, it sounds like the block has maintained a unique charme precisely because it hasn't been restricted. We would guess that the reason it's all worked out for the best is that the block has a cohesiveness and sense of permanence that can only come from long-term owners occupying their own buildings:
Black and white photographs from the 1940's show that a few of the brick houses on the north side were obviously painted - but a walk down the street now can strain even a Roget of pigmentation: mocha, cream, café au lait, cocoa, buff, red, maroon, red-orange, brick-red, baby blue, light blue, royal blue, forest green, bright green, hunter green, and on and on. Across the street, Clement Poussaint's house at 112 East 101st has one of the most interesting color assortments on the block. He said that his father, Christopher, put the current Permastone (imitation stone) facade on the first two floors in the 1950's and picked out the irregular brick shapes in bright colors, a tradition the younger Mr. Poussaint has kept up in pink, aqua, yellow, rust and other colors. "He did things like that, so they wouldn't look dull," Mr. Poussaint said.
A Street of Bright Colors [NY Times] GMAP
Cobble Hill Face-Off: Best Bang for $2.8 Million?
Here are two very similar properties within a few blocks of each other in Cobble Hill asking the same price of $2.8 million. Is this a sign of market efficiency or is one of these places a better value than the other? Both houses have 4-stories with unusually large floorplates of 25' x 50'. The brick house on the left, offered by Corcoran, is configured as a 4-story, 2-family duplex-over-duplex while the brownstone on the right being shopped by Triumph (ever heard of them?) is 5 stories with 4 floor-through apartments. The photos of the Corcoran house reveal decent bones, though we weren't thrilled to see the tile-and-dropped-ceiling look in the garden-level apartment. The Triumph listing doesn't provide any interior photos (come on guys, get with the program!) but assured us in writing that there are plenty of original details. Looks like it will take someone who has been inside both houses to break the tie here. Anyone fit that description?
Clinton Street Brownstone [Corcoran] GMAP
134 Amity Street Brownstone [Triumph Property] GMAP
Restoring the Steeple in Brooklyn
The meeting house at the center of town in Brooklyn, Connecticut is a beautiful, fairly simple church built in 1771 by the First Ecclesiatical Society of Brooklyn; in 1816, it became the state's first Unitarian Church. The current congregation is trying to raise money to get the old steeple restored and back in place.
Brooklyn, CT [Brownstoner] GMAP
The Other Brooklyn: Brooklyn, Connecticut
We were up visiting the 'rents in Connecticut this weekend and were able to negotiate a few hours away from child rearing to take a scenic drive up Route 169 which just happens to run through a charming historic town called, you guessed it, Brooklyn. GMAP
Ledger and Williams Opt for Brownstone Brooklyn
Multiple media outlets have reported that screen stars Heath Ledger and Michelle Williams (with bun in oven) have taken up residency in a brownstone in Brooklyn. According to last week's US Weekly, the couple have been spotted "sitting on their porch wearing sweatshirts with their hoods up so they can people-watch." They don't even have to worry about getting harassed for autographs because everyone "just thinks they're Brooklyn hipsters." None of the reports we've seen have mentioned which neighborhood Ledger and Williams have settled in. Anyone know?
Ledger, Williams' Baby on Board [eOnline]
Subways Get Failing Marks from City Council
A New City Council report finding that the dirtiest subways tend to be found in the City's poorest neighborhoods didn't exactly come as a surprise to residents who have to use the stations on a regular basis. The Atlantic station on the L line in Brownsville ranks as the worst in Brooklyn. "There are rats running around," according to Bennett Thomas of East New York. "It's a nasty station. Just look at the filth." Added fellow rider, Jason Pendrey: "You should check out the urine smell near the turnstiles. It's pretty bad." The cleanest stations were in areas with median incomes that were $12,000 higher than the dirtiest stations. In an effort to rectify the situation, half of the $830 million now earmarked for a rehab over the next 4 years will go to the 12 worst offending stations in Queens, Manhattan and Brooklyn.
The Dirt on Foul Subways [NY Post]
Tuesday Morning Craig
Skyline. Photo by Keith Kin Yan
3-Family Brownstone $1.7 million [Park Slope]
2-Family Brownstone $1.2 million [Park Slope]
3-Family Limestone $949K [Bed Stuy]
2-Family $899K [Kensington]
3-Family Brick $800K [Gowanus]
June 20, 2005
Salvager: Turn of the Century Built-In Server
We can't believe our collective good fortune in the salvage department. Today, a reader in Park Slope who is combining two apartments in a 1905 limestone walk-up building has no need for the extra built-in server/sideboard. In addition to period moldings, it also has built-in mirrored walls and (what looks like) a marble counter. This is an exceptional piece and if no one else takes him up on his offer to give it away to anyone willing to perform a careful extraction and removal, we may have to take it, even though we have no immediate use. Getting it out of there won't be a trivial task, but if you can re-use it in your own space, man, will it be worth it!
1905 Server [Brownstoner Forum]
House of the Day: Astonishingly Ugly in FG
There are plenty of ugly buildings going up in Brooklyn these days, but occasionally a design comes along which truly boggles the mind. We'd driven by this house on Fort Greene Place (one block outside the landmarked district) a couple times during construction and were pretty taken aback. The proportions of the stair case are truly strange, as are the choices of materials and design details. We hadn't realized it was on the market, though, until a regular reader brought it to our attention
with the following commentary:
I hereby nominate this house for the Fucking-Ugliest-Most Out-of-Context-Tackiest-Entire-Block-Destroying-Piece-of-Shit-House-That-I-Have-Ever-Seen Award. They had an open house a few weeks ago and I walked by and nearly barfed on the sidewalk. You have to see it in person to believe it. My eyes! They're burning!
While we might have avoided the expletives, that's about what we would've had to say about this place. What's more unbelievable than the fact that someone could have designed this place is that the developer was so out of touch with his potential market. This might fly in some other nabes, but we doubt there are going to be too many takers in Fort Greene. We feel sorry for the broker who has to sell this place with a straight face. The price has already dropped once but in our humble opinion it has a ways to go before anyone will touch it.
28 Fort Greene Place [Rita Knox] GMAP
Bed Stuy Bidding War Nets Nearly 20% Over Ask
We got a heads up over the weekend that 41 Monroe Street, which we had certainly expected to sell quickly, received 17 offers in its first week on the market. Originally listed at $799,000, our source tells us that the winning bid was in the high $900k's! Another example of how underpricing in this market can lead to a feeding frenzy and bidding war.
41 Monroe Street [Corcoran] GMAP
Open House Round Up [Brownstoner]
Open House Picks [Brownstoner]
Fannie Mae Getting Bubble Jitters
In a recent report to homebuilders, Fannie Mae said that the probability of housing busts has "risen sharply in certain parts of the country." Fannie Mae, which along with Freddie Mac, helped finance 43% of all home loans in 2004, raised particular concern about lending standards and the rising tendency of buyers to use variable and interest-only mortgage products. Nearly 24% of sub-prime loans fell into one of those two categories last year. The report also noted that mortgage borrowings rose to an average of 91% of the home value in 2004, up 6% from 85% in 2001. Of course, the report came with the big fat disclaimer that it is impossible to know whether there is a housing "bubble" until after the fact.
Comment: So tell us something we don't know.
Fannie Sees Higher Risk of Regional Housing Busts [WSJ]
Close Up on Cornices
When you are standing on the elevated platform on the Brooklyn-bound side of the Marcy Avenue stop, you are at about eye-level with the top floor of the four-story buildings that line Broadway. This provides an unusually close view of the cornices, some of which are quite interesting. This one in particular caught our eye because the fact that it is made of wood is so glaringly obvious. This got us thinking about what cornices were made out of over the years. We're hoping there are some architectural history buffs out there who know something about what cornices were constructed of over different periods. This is of particular interest to us because our house is missing its cornice, so at some point in the near future we'll want to get a replacement made.
Neighborhood Tipping Points
The premise of this article--that there are pinpointable tipping points for each neighborhood--is a fun one. We can't argue with the symbolic importance of the L Cafe in Williamsburg, though we suspect that some of you may have alternative suggestions for other nabes.
The Day When It Ended [NY Times]
Time to Rise and Shine: Brooklyn's Boom
There's so much to digest from yesterday's special Brooklyn section of the NY Times. With a nod to Harper's, here are a few interesting facts that came out of the lead article:
The Great Awakening [NY Times]
Monday Links
Red Shadows 4/15/05. Photo by kdunk
On L Train, Drivers Perform Solo [NY Times]
A Hair Stylist Colors His Apartment [NY Times]
Residential Sales [NY Times]
The Accidental Landlord [NY Times]
Bensonhurst: Because It's There [NY Times]
The Surprise Move [NY Times]
Rowley's Rowhouse Reno Causing Probs [NY Post]
Book: Renovation War Stories [NY Post]
To Buy or Not To Buy in Summer [NY Post]
Nabe Protests Tillary Street Homeless Plan [NY Daily News]
Brooklyn Heights Leftover #4
112 Willow Street
Brooklyn Heights Leftover #2
4 Pierrepont Street
Brooklyn Heights Leftover #1
2-4 Willow Street
June 17, 2005
Open House Picks
Clinton Hill
221 Greene Avenue
Corcoran
Saturday, 12-2pm
Sunday 12-2pm
$1,455,000 GMAP
Carroll Gardens East
445 Carroll Street
Cobble Heights Realty
Sunday 1-3pm
$1,200,000 GMAP
Fort Greene
92 Lafayette Avenue
Corcoran
Saturday, 12-1pm
Sunday 12-1pm
$1,050,000 GMAP
Bed Stuy
113 Decatur Street
By Owner
Saturday, 2-4pm
Sunday 2-4pm
$850,000 GMAP
House of the Day: High in the Stuy
If the sellers ever get their price of $1.5 million, this will have to be some kind of a record for Bed Stuy. There have been one or two very large old brownstones in the nabe to list at this level, but they were closer to 5,000-square-feet compared to what is essentially a 3,000-square-foot loft space. Before anyone jumps down our throats, let us say that this place has its merits (the openness and high ceilings rock--we could've thrown a hell of a party here in our glory days), it just seems like a lot to pay for this muffler. Maybe $1.2 million, but even that seems like a stretch. Are you with us or against us?
Loft Townhouse [Prudential Douglas Elliman] GMAP
Reno Blog: We're Not Exhibitionists. Really.
It may look like there's incontrovertible evidence that we're exhibitionists, but really we're just obsessed with getting as much natural light into our master bathroom. Last weekend, we picked up this old glass paneled door that came out of a house on Vanderbilt Avenue. The price? 20 bucks. Except for the peeling paint, it's in quite solid shape and should clean up nicely as the door for our master bathroom. That and the completed parquet floor in the music room on the Reno Blog.
Glass Panel Door [Renovation Blog]
Brooklyn Heights: Twentieth Century Fox
After undergoing eight distinctive architectural trends in the nineteenth century, the Heights returned to its roots during the Colonial Revival by adopting a style reminiscent of early Federalist architecture. Beginning in 1890 into the 1940s, this revival was similar to past imitation styles such as the Greek, Gothic, and Romanesque Revival with the distinct exception of being the only revival whose source was rooted in a style belonging to America. Perhaps it was a sense of a nationalism that surged through New York at the time that drew architects to design in a manner reminiscent of Federalist architecture or just what happened to be trendy at the time. Regardless, it is clear that the start of Colonial Revival can be traced to a tour conducted by the architectural firm of McKim, Mead, Bigelow, and White that examined Georgian houses of New England in 1877.
A four-story house located at 109 Willow Street was designed by John Petit in 1905 and is a classic example of the Colonial Revival style. With a front wall piece of Flemish-bond brickwork with dark headers and stone lintels nearly identical to the ones adorning Federal houses down the block, this Colonial Revival could pass for Federal style if not for distinct out of scale features such as large, over powering columns on each side of the front door a main cornice that exemplifies the height of this four-story building.
--CUNY Honors Website
BH 20th Century Architecture [CUNY Honors]
Developable Corner Prop in Fort Greene
As noted earlier this week by blogger Set Speed, the property at 690-694 Fulton Street, at the center of Fort Greene's hustle bustle, is on the market with good ole Jerry Minsky. Asking $3.5 million, the triangular shaped corner property looks like it has four stores as well as three floors of existing apartments. The listing claims there are air rights in place which, mentioned in the same breath as the fact that the location is not landmarked, suggests the potential for some develoment action. Not knowing the size of the air rights, it's hard to comment on the listing price, but we do think that the the value of the commercial spaces will only increase over time. When the inevitable development does occur, we just hope it's done with a little style and taste that respects the neighboring brick, and in one case, cast iron architecture. Wishful thinking, we know.
Fulton Street Prime [Corcoran]
Entire Lot for Sale [Set Speed]
Salvager: Intact Fancy Wall
We have to say we weren't expecting such a serious piece of architectural salvage to pop up so early in the game, but we'll chalk it up to beginner's luck. This entire wall/room divider is coming out of an 1899 house in Carroll Gardens because the owner's doing a big reno and, lovely as it is, the piece doesn't fit into the new plans. Her loss is your gain. Contact info on in the Forum. If anyone can comment on the architectural significance of the piece, we'd surely appreciate it.
Fancy Wall [Brownstoner Forum]
Red Hook Walking Tour Recap
B61 Productions provides a step-by-step account of last Saturday's walking tour of Red Hook. Sponsored by the Brooklyn Center for the Urban Environment and led by Dan Wiley, the Community Outreach Director for U.S. Congresswoman Nydia Valazquez, the tour started at the Smith/9th Street Station, which recently had the funding pulled on its planned rehab, and wound through Bay Street, Columbia Street and Beard Street before concluding at the Waterfront Museum and Showboat Barge. Along the way, there was much discussion about the changes in the neighborhood, with particular attention paid to the two new kids on the block, Fairway and IKEA. Check it on the link.
Walking Tour Provides Overiew [B61 Productions]
Friday Links
Cyclone. Photo by Cornershots
Yassky on Garbage [NY Times]
Bike Lane for Brooklyn [NY Times]
Residential Sales [NY Times]
Ratner Launches Brooklyn Standard [NY Daily News]
Long Island Garden Tours [NY Daily News]
Bridge March Rips B'kln Development [Brooklyn Papers]
How Houses Eat Money [Real Estate Journal]
Brooklyn Hip Hop Festival This Weekend [SOHH]
Capture the Flag in Williamsburg [Gothamist]
Bonnie's Grill [OTBKB]
Brooklyn's Vigilante Scooter Justice [Curbed]
New Coffee Shop on Flatbush [Daily Heights]
Price Drop at Greene Scene Condos [Set Speed]
June 16, 2005
Today on the Reno Blog: Parquet Gets Laid
The salvaged parquet we bought from Olde Good Things a few weeks ago has been laid in the music room. The pieces of parquet are the same width as the existing ones in the adjacent living room so the two will hopefully blend nicely once they are refinished. That and the first batch of new wooden windows on the Reno Blog.
Parquet Complete [Renovation Blog]
Flower Box Award for a Double-Wide
We can't remember the exact address of this double-wide place on Willow Street but we thought it deserved a special mention for the flower boxes than adorn its parlor floor windows. We'll see what the experts at Apartment Therapy think.
Salvage: 4 Solid Oak Doors For Sale in the Forum
Here's a photo of one of the doors for sale or trade in today's Forum. We've got another great salvage piece coming your way tomorrow as well. We'd love it if we could get a decent flow of architectural salvage going on Brownstoner. In fact, if we get a few more submissions over the next week or so, we'll consider creating a new section devoted just to salvage. Wouldn't that be fun?
4 Original Doors [Brownstoner Forum]
House of the Day: Flipping in the Heights
This was one of the first listings we wrote about when we launched brownstoner last October. It initially caught our eye because we knew the former owner, a brilliant architect of skyscrapers named Eli Attia, and had been inside on several occasions. All of eight months ago, the house was on the block for $4.5 million and we're pretty sure that's about what it sold for. And now, with no apparent renovations or improvements, it's back on for $6.75 million with Brooklyn arriviste Leslie J. Garfield. The amazing thing is, even with the 50% price hike, it's selling at less than $800 a foot in prime Brooklyn Heights. Could make a stylin' one-family!
118 State Streeet [Leslie J Garfield] GMAP
Brooklyn Heights Modern [Brownstoner]
Follow Up on 155-157 Willow Street
Whitbo was nice enough to furnish this photo of the sidewalk skylight in front of 157. The skylight illuminates a tunnel running to what were the stables to the north of the two houses. As you can see from the second photo, the stables are now a charming converted 2-story house.
Close Up on 155-157 Willow [Brownstoner]
The Physics of the Flush
Evidently, toilet technology is improving all the time, but certain laws of physics continue to govern the process:
Flushing toilets is all about physics and stored potential energy. The water that is at rest in the tank just before the flush has the ability to do work because of its weight and the pull of gravity once the flush handle is activated. For the flush to be complete, this water needs to enter the bowl as rapidly as possible and encounter as little friction as possible as it leaves the bowl on its way to the drain. You can buy toilets that have enormous three and one-quarter inch flush valve openings at the bottom of the tank. These same toilets have fully-glazed trapways so the water and waste slips through the toilet with minimal friction.
Toilets Just Keep Getting Better [Ask the Builder via Apartment Therapy]
Chicago: Making Us Look Good
Reader's Digest recently rated the country's cleanest and dirtiest cities. As you can see, the Big Apple didn't do so well...
50 Cleanest (and Dirtiest) Cities [Reader's Digest]
Development Update at Smith and State
Transfer's got another update on the excavation at the Corner of Smith and State. This dig is going on across the street from the 14 Townhouses project we (surprisingly) like so much.
Booms on State St II [Transfer]
Thursday Morning Craig
View from Columbia Heights. Photo by Brownstoner.
2-Family Victorian + Garage $2 million [Clinton Hill]
3-Story 2-Family Brick $1.2 million [Park Slope]
4-Story 3-Family Brownstone $950K [Bed Stuy]
3-Story 2-Family brick $895K [Carroll Gardens]
3-bedroom House $739K [Windsor Terrace]
June 15, 2005
More Italianate Brownstones in The Heights
Here are two more examples of what we believe would be considered Italianate brownstones in Brooklyn Heights. This pair is also on Columbia Heights. The photos show the house numbers to be 29 and 31, which seems a little odd given that they are the first buildings one encounters after hiking up the hill from Dumbo but maybe there were other houses before the BQE was built.
Heights Up Close: 210-220 Columbia Heights
By the 1850s and 1860s, when Italianate brownstones were springing up around the city, Brooklyn Heights was already so densely built that there were limited opportunities for this style of brownstone. One prime patch of land was available, however, on Columbia Heights. With views of the Manhattan skyline and back yards leading out onto the Promenade, the stretch of six brownstones at 210-220 Columbia Heights are the best example of the Italianate brownstone in the neighborhood.
In his book "An Architectural Guidebook to Brooklyn," Francis Morrone praises their design and unity:
Though not built all at once, these six houses form a remarkably harmonious streetscape with a stately rhythm of heavily molded window enframements, segmental-arched and square-headed windows, columned doorways with heavy entablatures carried on large foliated brackets, and chunky iron stoop railings.
Number 212, top two pictures above, was built in 1860 and is particulary noteworthy for the scrolled brackets that support the doorway hood. This is the same house that grabbed headlines back in February when it was purchased for an eye-popping $8.5 million, a small step up from its previous selling price of $55,000 in 1972. The doorway at Number 210 (bottom right photo) is also particularly notable.GMAP
Morrone's Books [Francis Morrone] AMAZON
Bricks and Brownstone [CharlesLockwood.com] AMAZON
Promenade Brownstone Sets Record at $8.5 Million [Brownstoner]
Front Page Forum: Basement Digs
We got an email yesterday from someone who trying to decide whether to lay an new cement floor in her basement or to do something a little more ambitious that would require some excavation. She reminded us that there were two posts in the Forum in April on this subject and was curious to know how the two projects panned out. If either of the original posters are reading this, we'd love to hear an update.
Salvaged Mantel for Sale on Craigslist
We wanted to make sure that everyone saw this fireplace that is being offered on Craigslist for $1,000. The scavengers at Apartment Therapy highlighted it yesterday, so we don't know if it's still available, but $1,000 is about a good a price as you find for this type of thing. If this one's gone, Build It Green may still have one left for
the same price.
Antique Fireplace Mantel [Craigslist]
Scavenger [Apartment Therapy]
Two Marble Fireplaces for Sale at BIG [Brownstoner]
Close Up on Brownsville and East New York
They're really cranking out the copy over at Forgotten NY these days. It's all we can do to keep up! This week's Brooklyn coverage includes a trip to Brownsville and East New York. Kevin notes that last weekend was only his third visit to the area, which is three more times than we've ever been. Despite having fallen on particularly hard times in 1970s, the area east of Bed Stuy has much of interest to those interested in architectural and social history. In addition to having been home to Joseph Papp, Danny Kaye and Mike Tyson, the area even influenced the name of Ted Nugent's bands, the Amboy Dukes. The grand Loew's Pitkin Theatre still remains on Legion Street and Saratoga Avenue while the 70-acre East Brooklyn Industrial Park occupies 70 acres between Atlantic and Sutter. On the brownstone front, Forgotten NY highlights some modest but attractive structures like the ones shown above on New Jersey Avenue. Does anyone know if there are any particularly impressive houses or mansions left in the area?
First Train to Brownsville [Forgotten NY] GMAP
30-Year Mortgages Coming Back in Style
USA TODAY, June 14, 2005 -- Conventional 30-year mortgages fell out of favor last year as home buyers seeking to reduce their monthly payments opted for adjustable-rate and interest-only mortgages. During the second half of 2004, adjustable-rate and interest-only loans accounted for 63% of mortgage originations, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association. But while high pants will, hopefully, remain in the back of the closet, fixed-rate mortgages are enjoying a renaissance.
At Wells Fargo, fixed-rate mortgages accounted for nearly half of all mortgages in the first quarter of this year, up from 35% during the fourth quarter of 2004. The reason: Rates for 30-year mortgages are at a 14-month low. Last week, the average 30-year fixed-rate mortgage was 5.56%, the lowest since April 1, 2004, according to mortgage giant Freddie Mac. The decline has narrowed the difference between long- and short-term mortgage rates. The average rate for a one-year ARM was 4.21% last week, up from 4.14% a year ago, according to Freddie Mac.
Comment: We just locked in a 30-year fixed jumbo last week at 6%. We toyed around with the idea of a hybrid, but we're planning on staying in our house a long time and decided it was worth it to pay a premium to be able to sleep at night. Only time will tell.
Good Old 30-Year Mortgages Are Back [USA Today]
Wednesday Linkage
Borough Hall. Photo by Suarez
Rusty Railrowad Advances [NY Times]
IKEA Closes Red Hook Deal [NY Post]
New Path to Manhattan Bridge [NY Post]
Brooklyn Arson Rampage [NY Post]
Fed's Poole: Low Rates No Puzzle [Reuters]
Manhattan Transfers [NY Observer]
Chelsea Flea Market Gets the Boot [Village Voice]
Leaves of Grass in Fort Greene Park [Village Voice]
Killing 'Em on Coney Island [Curbed]
June 14, 2005
House of the Day: Delightful in Ditmas
Slipping in under the million dollar mark, this 1904 Victorian in Ditmas park grabbed our attention. We bet it shows particularly well this time of year with the lovely porch and verdant front and back yards. While some of the paint colors are a little much for our taste, there's plenty of well-preserved original detail intact and the exterior proportions are quite pleasing as well. There's also a two-car garage, a finished basement and a recently renovated office space. We don't know the area well enough to have too strong an opinion, but the view of the street looks very nice. If you're looking in the Victorian Flatbush area, we'd say this place definitely deserves a look.
E 19th Street [Corcoran] GMAP
Brooklyn Heights Close Up: 155-157 Willow Street
This pair of three-story row houses at 155-157 Willow Street is typical of many brick houses built in the Federal period, which lasted from the Revolutionary War through the 1830's. Modesty, simplicity and restaint were the themes of the day, with even doorway and window trim being kept to a minimum. Most of these houses were constructed with the long sides and short sides of the red bricks alternating in the facade. Lockwood cites these two Willow Street houses (along with a third at Number 159) as some of the best preserved examples of the period. Specifically, numbers 155 and 157 retain their original pitched roofs and dormers and the "planar smoothness" of their facades reflects the period's emphasis on classical unity. Another interesting note: The facades of the houses do not run exactly parallel to Willow Street because the street was reoriented slightly after the houses were built. GMAP
Bricks and Brownstone [CharlesLockwood.com] AMAZON
Today in the Brownstoner Forum...
We have a three new Forum posts this morning that could use your attention. One reader poses an interesting question about stripping the paint off lincrusta, another worries about tax hikes resulting from a C of O change and a third asks for advice on building a new backyard fence. On another note, we want to encourage people to use the forum to donate, sell, or trade building parts and architectural salvage. Send us a photo and description and we'll post it for you.
Lincrusta, Taxes and Fences [Brownstoner Forum]
Brooklyn's First Bubble
At this rate, we might as well declare this Charles Lockwood week here on Brownstoner, but that's not going to stop us from sharing this apt quotation he dug up from Philip Howe in the mid-1830s:
Men in moderate circumstances have become immensely rich merely by the good fortune of owning farms of a few acres of this chosen land. Abraham Schermerhorn has sold his farm of 170 acres at Gowanus, 3 miles from Brooklyn, at $600 an acre; four years ago...he offered it for sale at $20,000, and would have taken $18,000; today he pockets $102,000, and regrets that he sold it so cheap.
Bricks and Brownstone [CharlesLockwood.com]
24 Middagh Follow Up: Older Than We Thought?
We were fascinated to read Blogger Heading East's follow up to our piece on 24 Middagh yesterday. He dug up this photo from the Brooklyn Historical Society that suggests that the house may be as old as 1815. We're going to have to shoot Charles Lockwood an email to get to the bottom of this! We'll keep you posted.
24 Middagh [Heading East]
Building Supply Store Slated for Atlantic Avenue
NEW YORK, June 13 /PRNewswire/ -- The revitalization of Brooklyn took a local turn as a Brooklyn businessman broke new ground on a major development project in Brownsville. Gilbert Rivera, founder of Park Avenue Building and Roofing Supplies, LLC and AM&G Waterproofing LLC launched construction Friday on an $11 million, 132,000 sq. ft. facility which will bring 50 new jobs to the community. The facility will serve as the headquarters for the two family-owned businesses, with a large retail home center for the community.
The new facility on Atlantic Avenue and Saratoga Avenue, will include supply yards for building materials, offices, a state-of-the-art store, and parking. The project is being funded by Banco Popular. The City has also supported the project, with IDA (NYC Industrial Development Agency) providing sales and real estate tax benefits worth $5.8 million over 25 years.
Local Businessman Breaks Ground on Atlantic Ave [PRNewswire] GMAP
Tuesday Morning Craig
Heights Dog Run. Photo by Brownstoner.
3-Story 3-Family Brick $1.5 million[Carroll Gardens]
Grand St. 3-Family + Commercial $1.285 million [Williamsburg]
3-Story 2-Family + Commercial $999K [Williamsburg]
4-Story 3-Family Brownstone $950K [Clinton Hill]
2-Family Detached Victorian $769k [Ditmas Park]
June 13, 2005
Open House Round Up
By the way, did anyone else make it to the open house at 41 Monroe Street yesterday? The top two floors were not open but we thought the house looked pretty solid. Given how nice the street is, we bet it'll be snapped up this week. We were also struck by an unusual sight: The owners had turned an old marble fireplace into part of the stone walkway in the garden. Never seen that before. Any other stand-out open houses this weekend?
41 Monroe Street [Corcoran] GMAP
Open House Picks [Brownstoner]
Today on the Reno Blog: Subway Tiling Begins
We're going with the Arctic White DAL subway tiles in the master bathroom. We're starting here so that we can get the troublesome porcelain tub in place as soon as possible. That and a look at the stripping of the fireplace in the tv room today on the Renovation blog.
Subway Tiles and Mantels [Renovation Blog]
HOTD: Leslie J Garfield Dipping Toe into The Slope
This listing jumped out at us not because of the house--which looks very nice--but because of the broker. We had not realized that Leslie J. Garfield, the self-annointed "Dean of Townhouse Brokers", was doing business in Brooklyn. A visit to the firm's website reveals that the Manhattan brownstone specialist actually has a second Brooklyn listing--on State Street in Brooklyn Heights. Anyhoo, we don't have much to go on since there are no interior pics, but the house appears to be in good shape and the listing claims that the infrastructure (boiler, electrical, etc.) is new. The lack of mention of original details combined with what is a fairly low sticker price of $1.3 million for the area has us a little worried, which is why we'd love to hear from someone who's seen the inside.
306 11th Street [Leslie J. Garfield] GMAP
Brooklyn Heights Up Close: 24 Middagh Street
We're going to be focusing on the architectural history of Brooklyn Heights this week, hopefully serving up a different nugget every day (with a whole lot of help from Charles Lockwood's bible Bricks and Brownstone). Holding the title of the oldest home in the hood, the former Eugene Boisselet house at 24 Middagh Street, built in 1824, is a logical starting point. Middagh Street has a strong literary history, Number 7 (no longer in existence) having been home to W.H. Auden, Benjamin Britten and Richard Wright among others. Number 24 is one of the best examples left in New York today of the Federal-style wood frame house. At the time, these houses were typically painted white with green latticed blinds. While generally characterized by the classical simplicity that marked the Federal style, Number 24 is particularly notable for its front doorway with its "delicately leaded toplight and sidelights and elegantly carved ornaments" as well as its rear carriage house and charming garden whose gate happened to be open yesterday morning as we shuttled Brownstoner Jr. around the surrounding cobblestone streets. Lockwood also makes special note of the two dormer windows on the top floor and the small lunette windows on the side of the house. GMAP
Bricks and Brownstone [CharlesLockwood.com] AMAZON
America's Rich Dialing Down R.E. Exposure
A recent study by Capgemini and Merrill Lynch found that the richest Americans have been cutting back on their real estate exposure as the rest of the country has been loading up:
The World Wealth Report showed that Americans with $1 million or more in liquid assets cut back their real-estate holdings to 13% of their portfolios in 2004, down from 17% in 2003. The decline followed an increase in 2003. The rich increased their investment levels in hedge funds, bonds and cash. "They're bringing down their total level of exposure and taking some risks off the table," says James P. Gorman, former head of Merrill's private-client group and now head of corporate acquisitions, strategy and research...Since the wealthy are often at the forefront of investing and financial trends, market experts say their shift could be a leading indicator of a market peak.
Rich Lower Risks on Mansion, Sweet Mansion [Wall Street Journal]
Bubble, Shmubble: Who Cares What Journos Think
This article repeats a thesis we've heard a lot recently: The market's alleged slowdown is a healthy return to normalcy, a healthy, stabilizing trend that is occurring in lieu of a dramatic bursting of the bubble :
"It's been an overheated market for so long that it is a slowdown, but this slowdown is kind of like what we used to have all the time, which is a normal market," said Deanna Kory, a senior vice president at the Corcoran Group
We don't get the sense that the market it slowing down much at all--at least in Brownstone Brooklyn. (We can't speak to whether the public's appetite for $1.5 million postwar three-bedrooms on the Upper East Side is waning.) We think all that may be happening is that seller's having just gotten out of hand in their asking prices, so that we may be seeing more instances of listings selling below ask. If the foot traffic we saw at 41 Monroe Street yesterday is any indication, there are still plenty of people hungrily trying to find a place to call their own. Of course, we may be a little nonchalant simply because we're not planning to sell any time in the near future. How about those buyers who are actively in the market for a brownstone? Are you still encountering multiple-party bidding wars and feeding frenzies around well-priced deals? We expect so.
As for the statistic above, as much as we like Professor Shiller's work in general (we interviewed him a decade ago in a previous professional incarnation), we don't give it much weight. We may well be in for rude end to the party for a lot of reasons, but we doubt that the number of times that bandwagon journalists have used the term is a particularly good indicator of the impending doom.
Signs of a Spring Slowdown [NY Times]
Size Matters. So Do Money and Ego.
What an embarassment. This article made us so glad that we no longer live in Manhattan and that our children will not have to grow up around the kind of shallow, materialistic people epitomized by Gary Rabin. Hey, we've got nothing against double-wide townhouses, believe us, we just wish you didn't have to be a one-dimensional, status-hungry jerk to own one:
WHEN Gary Rabin closed on a 38-foot-wide New York City town house this month, he happily acknowledged that his new home's girth would make him the envy of the tony town-house set. He had started off in 2003 with a 19.6-foot-wide brownstone on a quiet Greenwich Village block - wide enough by any conventional brownstone standards. There was no need to hang his head in shame the way he might have had he bought, say, a 13-foot-wide property. But being slightly below the coveted 20-foot mark, it wasn't the sort of statistic he was likely to brag about among his real estate-savvy friends at dinner parties. In the fall of 2004, he found what he was looking for: a 38-foot-wide town house a few blocks away, a massive piece of real estate for New York. Sure, it was a lot more expensive, but he's a lot happier, too..."There's an element of pride when you walk out the door in the morning," Mr. Rabin says.
Gag.
Quest for a Wide Town House [NY Times]
Monday Links
Garden Tour. Photo by Diana King
Residential Sales [NY Times]
Talk of Queens Stadium [NY Times]
Partial Victory for Preservationists [NY Post]
Brooklyn Subway Terror Jitters [NY Post]
Just Sold! [NY Post]
Piece of the Rock(aways) [NY Post]
Eastern Parkway May Get $4.7 Mil Fix [NY Daily News]
Nation's Shifting Price Picture [NY Newsday]
Waiting for Bubble to Burst [Washington Post]
When ARMS Enter Dicey Phase [Wall Street Journal]
Greenspan Warns of ARMs Danger [Inman]
June 10, 2005
Not Just Brownstones: Local Watering Holes
It's getting to be that time on Friday where a (wo)man's mind turns to drink. It just so happens that a couple of Brooklyn watering holes have received some ink recently. Cheers.
Pioneer Bar and Beer Garden
NY Daily News, June 9, 2005 -- Red Hook may be tough to get to, but hanging around is easy thanks to haunts like the Pioneer. Part saloon, part clubhouse, this is a fine place to spend a Saturday. There's beer, of course, like pitchers of Pilsner Urquell ($14), plus housemade cocktails like the friendly pink watermelon margarita ($6). Hungry? Dogs, burgers and homemade fries usually cost less than $6, while vegetarians can make do with their own Sloppy Joes. And the backyard, big enough for tables of 10, features horseshoes and even movies on Sunday nights. Welcome to the neighborhood! 318 Van Brunt St., Brooklyn. (718) 624-0700.
Hot Spot [NY Daily News] GMAP
The Levee
Village Voice, June 7, 2005 -- If the cool kids with asymmetrical haircuts have been keeping you from making Billyburg a drinking destination, then the Levee will convince you to give the neighborhood a chance. The owners of this unpretentious bar welcome everyone with their famous Texan hospitality. On a recent visit, hard-drinking middle-aged men sang along to an Iron Maiden song from the jukebox near the dark wood bar, while a crowd of locals in black-rimmed glasses and hooded sweatshirts played Battleship on the thrift store sofas in the other room. Under a sign declaring "Beware Pickpockets & Loose Women," the friendly bartender chatted with diverse patrons, suggesting beers from the long list of unusual brands ($4 to $7) that includes options like Chimay Blue and Delirium Tremens, or one of the delicious specialty drinks ($6), like a Creamsicle (Stoli Vanil and Sunkist orange soda) or a Beam Cream (Jim Beam and cream soda). Food was proffered, and though the menu is simple, cheap (under $5), and decidedly Texan, everything—from the chili-soaked Frito pie to the hot dogs—can be made vegetarian. This is a bar where PBR swillers sit side by side with Hefeweisen sippers while the jukebox plays Modest Mouse songs and Dio rockers. So drive your Chevy to this Levee (or just hop on the L train)—it never runs dry. 212 Berry Street, Brooklyn. (718) 218-8787.
Loose Women in Williamsburg [Village Voice] GMAP
Open House Picks
Windsor Terrace
246 Windsor Place
Prudential Douglas Elliman
Sunday 12-2pm
$1,700,000
GMAP
Fort Greene
286 Vanderbilt Avenue
Corcoran
Sunday 2-4pm
$1,695,000
GMAP
Clinton Hill
Cambridge Place
K Corbette Realty
Sunday 12-2pm
$1,650,000
GMAP
Park Slope
274 17th Street
Warren Lewis
Sunday 2:30-4:30pm
$920,000
GMAP
Bed Stuy
41 Monroe Street
Corcoran
Sunday 11am-1pm
$799,000
GMAP
Urban Studies: A Prescription for a Thriving City
The Christian Science Monitor has an interesting interview with Joel Kotkin, author of "The City: A Global History," in which Kotkin prescribes a focus on basic middle-class amenities like schools and infrastructure rather than constructing extravagant cultural centers. We thought it was relevant given all the discussions surrounding stadiums in New York:
To [Kotkin], attracting and keeping people in urban environments is less about projecting an image of "cool" and more about providing the basics that encourage and support a strong middle class: jobs, schools, churches..."No urban civilization has flourished long without middle-class families," he says in a recent interview in New York.
He also goes on to worry about "ephemeral cities" (often marked by expensive, small apartments) which appeal to the single and the young who then leave when it's time to settle down. Sound like a certain borough to anyone?
Secret to a Thriving City [Christian Science Monitor]
There's a Light That never Goes Out
We've been keeping an eye out for a lamp post that would work in our front yard, but have yet to come across one at any of the local architectural salvage spots we frequent. To better define what would be appropriate, we photographed several within a block of our house. Another option that has surfaced is using an old newel as the post and attaching a lantern to the top of it. Does anyone know if you need Landmarks approval to put one of these in?
Front Page Forum: Building Brick Walls
We're considering building brick walls in our back yard instead of the standard off-the-rack wood fence that seems to be the default choice these days. We'd like to do it out of salvaged bricks, so one challenge will be tracking the materials down. The bigger question, though, is this: How does one construct a stable brick wall that won't have any adjoining walls to support it? How thick does it need to be? What pattern do the bricks have to be set in? Would it be crazy for us to attempt this ourselves or should we hire a pro? If so, who?
Thanks,
Brownstoner
The Village Voice on "Mini-Moguls"
31-year-old Nick Sklavanoukis (pictured) exemplifies the trend of mini-moguldom, according to the Village Voice. (Between 1995 and 2004, the number of people under age 25 owning their own home jumped 59 percent, according to the U.S. Census.) The computer prodigy started stashing his programming earnings under his mattress as a teenager, and after 15 years had saved enough to make a $140,000 down payment on a three-story building in Williamsburg. Though he's been through the school of hard knocks being a landlord and superintendent/general contractor, he's confident about his ten-year plan for financial independence. Until then, though, he's keeping his day job.
I Was a Young RE Mogul [Village Voice]
Seeing the World Through Brownstoner Glasses
Photo courtesy of Brooklyn Vegan
We don't get out much these days, but Mrs. B was nice enough to release from our fatherly duties last night so that we could go catch the Spoon show at Webster Hall. We had a nice enough time but we came away a little concerned about the effect all this Brownstoner stuff is having on how we perceive the world. When we arrived home and were asked how the show was, we responded, "Oh, pretty good, but you should see the urinals they have there!" While it is true that Webster Hall has the most incredible line-up of porcelain urinals we can remember seeing, maybe we need a vacation. Or maybe we're just getting old. We didn't have our camera with us to capture the moment on film, so you'll have to settle for this photo of lead singer Britt Daniels taken by Brooklyn Vegan at Wednesday night's performance.
Friday Linkage
Brooklyn Botanic Garden. Photo by Suarez
Residential Sales [NY Times]
Park Slope Bicyclist Killed [NY Post]
Park Slope Death Worries Cyclists [NY Daily News]
Spike Lee Takes Inside Man to Brooklyn [Monsters and Critics]
Brooklyn Street Smarts Help GC Rise [NY Sun]
The $55,000 Condo [Curbed]
Wallpaper Coming Back! [Apartment Therapy]
Photo of the Day: Coney Island Teeming
Coney Island. Photo by Trevor Little
June 9, 2005
State Street Townhouses: Promising Indeed
Blogger Transfer gives us a visual progress report on the State Street townhouses and promises more to come.
Judging from the promotional renderings of the facades, the fourteen new homes will work very well in context. We have to say that these places are really starting to grow on us. (See, we're not completely close-minded traditionalists around here!) Off the top of our head, they are the best example of new construction going on right now in Brooklyn. We'd be interested in hearing other nominations for that title, though.
Booms on State Street [Transfer]
Homepage [14 Townhouses]
Inside the State Street Townhouses [Brownstoner]
State Street Townhouses Underway [Brownstoner]
HOTD: $8 Million and a Dream
What price buildable square feet? In Brooklyn Heights the answer, evidently, is a staggering $900. There's nothing but a shell left (albeit a lovely one, we're sure), but what you're buying is potential. All you need is $8 million and a dream. Actually, you don't even need a dream. BHS already has the dream laid out for you, architectural plans and all:
A rare opportunity to create your dream home...If you have imagination we have the property. Five stories, wide and deep brownstone with a 95 foot garden. Down to bare walls and ready for your renovation. Architect plans available that include an elevator, a lap pool, 8 to 10 fireplaces, possible greenhouse or huge deck.
You had us at bare walls.
Remsen St. [Brown Harris Stevens] GMAP
WTF? Bergen Beach New Construction Blues
We can't imagine anyone actually paying $799,000 for one of these eyesores in Bergen Beach but then again we have been accused of being little narrow-minded upon occasion. Come to think of it, though, we wouldn't shell out $799,000 for this if it were on the promenade in Brooklyn Heights.
New Construction 2-Family [Craigslist]
Long Island City: Building Bonanza on Horizon
Regular readers may have noticed that our attention occasionally drifts to our neighbor to the North. We think this is justified by the fact that, of all the boroughs, Queens is probably the most comparable and viable alternative for most Brooklynites, both in terms of affordability and ambience. So we were interested to read in one of the many Metros that littered our subway station this morning that 25 new buildings are slated to rise in Long Island City over the next 5 years. Seems like a lot for the neighborhood whose ascent has been predicted for the last 25 years but has never quite materialized. Maybe it's time has come.
Long Island City: Ready to Boom [Metro, page 19]
Queens: The New Brooklyn [The Real Deal]
Atlantic Yards: Sealed With a Kiss?
In the collective post mortem that's going on over the defeat of the West Side stadium, much is being made of how well in contrast Ratner navigated the treacherous waters of politics and money get his Nets project to the point where it now looks like a done deal. The Times notes, among other things, Ratner's effort to engage local officials and community leaders, especially those with an early pre-disposition against the project. The pivotal point, it now seems, was the agreement that Ratner cut with Acorn to guarantee more minority contracting, job training and community use of the arena. When Acorn's director Bertha Lewis gave both Mayor Bloomberg and Bruce Ratner big smackers on the lips at Borough Hall last month, it was all over. Although, according to Curbed, some would disagree.
Arena in Brooklyn Is Still a Go [NY Times]
Sealed With a Kiss [Brooklyn Papers, photos by Tom Callan]
Uproar from the Anti-Ratner Table [Curbed]
Cablevision To Debut 24-Hour Brooklyn Channel
NY Post, June 9, 2005 -- Give them 30 minutes and they'll give you the neighborhood. Starting next week, Brooklyn is getting its own 24-hour cable news net work from Cablevision's News 12 Networks. Similar to NY1, the city's all-local news channel, the Brooklyn programming will consist of local news on 30-minute loops — plus special shows such as political debates, one-on-ones with lawmakers, town hall meetings and occasional live broadcasts. "Twenty-four hour news coverage of Brooklyn is long overdue," Borough President Marty Markowitz told The Post.
B'kln Gets 24-Hour Channel [NY Post]
Thursday Morning Craig
View from Promenade. Photo by Matthew.
4-Family 25' Wide Brownstone $1.9 million [Boerum Hill]
Huge Colonial on Double Lot $1.1 million [Kensington]
3-Family Detached, Gut Reno'd $880k [S. Slope Greenwood Hts]
3-Family Brownstone $695K [Bed Stuy]
4-Family Brownstone $675k [Bed Stuy]
June 8, 2005
Anti-Nets: We're Not Dead Yet, Just Badly Burned
We're glad Curbed tracked down some photos from yesterday's protest...we hadn't been able to find any.
Rally 6/7/2005 [Gotard]
Brooklyn Stadium Protest [NYC Indy Media]
You Bring the Linens [Curbed]
Today on the Reno Blog: Picking Paint Colors
Easily the most intimidating part of the whole design process, we picked paint colors this weekend with the much needed assistance of an interior designer friend. That and a look at the tub we had hoisted through the third floor window on the Renovation blog.
Paint Colors, Sinks and Tubs [Renovation Blog]
Forgotten NY: Developers Destroying Astoria
Kevin over at Forgotten NY, who typically goes out of his way to avoid the kind of sensationalism we traffic in here at Brownstoner, finally loses his cool and serves up a well-deserved kick in the ass to the "hateful, despicable" developers who are destroying Astoria as they have much of historic Queens already:
Developers are tearing down perfectly good one-family homes built in an era, the 1860s and prior, when craft and style were still treasured, and replacing them with blond-bricked junk. Flushing's gone. It died in the 50s and 60s, when its Victorian-era housing stock was razed in favor of block after block of multi-unit apartment housing. And now, Astoria Village is going.
Astoria Under Seige [Forgotten NY]
House of the Day: Crown Heights Sweet Spot
While we have been very pleased at the growth and enthusiasm of our readership, we've also been a little disappointed by the input (or lack thereof) of brokers. We've made numerous requests for brokers to send us their new brownstone listings, and yet the submissions (especially decent ones) barely add up to a trickle. So we were pleased to open our mailbox today and find this Crown Heights gem from Skyline Realty. We suspect that the 3,500-square-foot, two-family brownstone on what appears to be a very nice block will fit many of our readers' criteria. The only obvious negative drawback for some people may be that it is only three stories. At the asking price of $799,000, this place is trading at about $225 a foot. How does that stack up against recent sales in the area? It may not be particularly cheap when you consider that a meaningful renovation will probably be required. Nonetheless, if this is your price range, it is probably worth a close look.
1550 Union Street [Skyline Realty] GMAP
Architectural Detective: Find the Gargoyle
Can anyone tell us where this gargoyle resides?
We have a winner! More context here:
A Walk Down Washington Avenue [Bridge and Tunnel Club] GMAP
Blimpie, Dunkin' Donuts To Mar Lafayette
We hear that the boom in Fort Greene is attracting more than genteel brownstone residents. One concerned homeowner on South Elliott Place has tipped us off to a rumor that her historic block is about to get whacked by a nasty fast food one-two punch. Two shops on opposite corners of Lafayette and South Elliott are in the process of changing hands. According to a workman on site, a Blimpie is going into the Triangular Floor space (top) and a 24-hour Dunkin' Donuts is taking over the former bodega (bottom). We hope the workman was just having a little fun at a nosy neighbor's expense. It won't come as a surprise to anyone that we think that this stretch of Lafayette needs fast food restaurants like a hole in the head. We bet that the owners of the upscale restaurant Gia across the street agree.
Curbed: Latest on Brooklyn Condo Conversions
As usual, Curbed has had its finger on the pulse of the Brooklyn condo conversion market the last couple of days. Updates on 70 Washington and 505 Court Street are not to be missed.
70 Washington: It Hurts to Look [Curbed]
505 Court Street's Identity Theft [Curbed]
Placating Displaced Tenants with Lure of Gehry
The Daily News is reporting today that Bruce Ratner is preparing to offer those tenants living on the site of his future sports complex a deal that will be difficult to pass up:
Ratner will offer all displaced tenants new apartments in one of his soaring Frank Gehry-designed towers for the same rent they now pay. Ratner also will pay for tenants to move to a new apartment nearby and subsidize their rent until they move back...He now owns 60 of the 97 rental apartments on the site along with more than 90% of the condos and coops. Ratner is negotiating with tenants in 22 apartments of the 60 he owns; 25 of the 60 are empty. Residents not interested in moving into the new high-rise complex will be offered cash. A Ratner spokesman declined to say how much.
Ratner Sweetens the Deal [NY Daily News]
Navy Yard Studios Getting Act Together
The $118 million, 280,000-square-foot Steiner Studios won't be finished until next winter, but it's already been attracting serious star power like Nicole Kidman, Matthew Broderick, Uma Thurman, Will Ferrell and Mel Brooks. And now Spike Lee will be returning to his old neighborhood to direct "Inside Man" with Denzel Washington, Clive Owen and Jodie Foster. We're all for this revitalization, especially since this type of creative industry is in "context" (there's that word again) with many of the area's longer-term residents. As far as the impact on real estate, we are particularly interested to see how the blocks between the Navy Yard and Park Avenue (where the BQE runs over) evolve. It's mostly old commercial buildings currently used for storage/warehouse space, but certainly some of these places would spiff up nicely for loft living. There have been a couple horrible, cheapo slap jobs that have sprung up on the southern side of Park Avenue, something we hope we won't see more of. What do other people think about the impact that a vibrant Navy Yard would have on the area?
Lights, Camera, Brooklyn! [NY Times]
Wednesday Links
Carlton Avenue Stoop Sale. Photo by Frank Lynch
Landmarks Still Studying Plaza [NY Times]
Apartments Still Selling at Record highs [NY Times]
Serious Crime Declines Again in NY [NY Times]
2 More Racial Attacks in Marine Park [NY Post]
Bloomberg Upbeat About Harlem [NY Post]
B'kln Snake Goes Slither & Yon [NY Post]
Brooklyn House Collapses [NY Post]
St. Mary's Hospital Closing Planned [NY Daily News]
Rent Hike Gets Burg Tenants Down [NY Daily News]
Brooklyn Fairy Tale [NY Sun]
Red Hook: Grit Turns to Glamour [News & Observer]
Fixed-Rate Mortgages Drop Again [Wall Street Journal]
Ratner Site Expands into Park Slope [Brooklyn Papers]
June 7, 2005
Garden Tour Follow-Up
Much thanks to Victor Moran for sending in these photos of the garden tour in Fort Greene, Clinton Hill and Prospect Heights this past weekend. We saw a bunch of folks wandering the streets maps in hand this weekend but couldn't get any time away from Daddy duty to make the rounds ourselves. The first two photos are from 52 Cambridge Place, the next two from 275 Adelphi and the fifth from 141 Cambridge.
Garden Tour This Weekend [Brownstoner]
House of the Day: Size Matters
Man, this sucker's tiny! Pleasantly redone in a clean, light style, this 3-story, 1-family brick on Carroll Street between Hoyt and Bond looks pricey on a per-square-foot basis. Property Shark says the house is about 1,700 square feet which puts the asking price of $1.25 million at a stratospheric multiple of $750 a foot. We don't know the area intimately, but that seems quite high to us. It looks like the property may be sitting on some unused FAR, though, which would help support a higher price relative to comps.
325 Carroll St. [Harborview, Web #5429] GMAP
Today on the Reno Blog: Floorplans, Finally!
Well, folks, better late than never. We finally got our act together and got the new floorplans up on the Renovation blog along with a brief synopsis that includes some of the rationale driving the layout decisions. We hope that this new context will make all the daily posts we do about the renovation much more interesting. We'll be interested to see what everyone thinks, but it's too late now to change anything!
We've made our bed and hopefully soon
we'll be able to lie in it.
Floorplans [Renovation Blog]
Renovation Tip #323: Recruit Relatives
For all of you fretting over outsized construction costs, perhaps you should take a page out of obsessive restorer Craig and Yvonne's book whose cost-cutting tips include recruiting able-bodied relatives such as Yvonne's mother (pictured). Says Craig: "Give this lady a heat gun and a box of scraping tools, and you just can't get rid of her!"
Mother-in-law At Work [Our Victorian House]
Red Hook Waterfront Arts Festival A Success
According to b61 productions, the arts festival that took place on the Red Hook waterfront this past weekend was "a celebration of the neighborhood's relationship with the water [that]transformed the peninsula into one large performance space." A play-by-play account of the event on the link.
Red Hook's Rhythm Rushes Inland [b61 productions]
Reaching New Heights (and Depths) in Dumbo
After what appears to be a very crafty bait-and-switch maneuver by Cara Development, Dumbo is on its way to getting its own special 33-story eyesore in the form of the J Condo. After getting a site-specific zoning change approved for the property at 100 Jay Street back in 2002 based upon plans for an 18-story project, the developer was able to pull the switcheroo as-of-right. Cara calls the 407,000-square-foot project an "easily recognizable icon [on] the Brooklyn Skyline." We call it bullshit. So much for contextual development. GMAP
Dumbo's Tallest Building [Brooklyn Papers]
J Condominium [Hudson Companies]
Tuesday Morning Craig
Brooklyn Museum. Photo by Ixtayul Martinez
2-Family Brownstone $1.99 million [Park Slope]
3-Family Brownstone $1.8 million [Fort Greene]
3-Family Brick $1.1 million [South Slope]
4-Story SRO, Original Detail $699K [Crown Heights]
4-Family Shell $625K [Kensington]
June 6, 2005
New Old Listing Alert: Ditmas Park Queen Anne
Address: 463 East 19th Street
Nabe: Ditmas Park
Broker: Brooklyn Properties
Floors: 3
Family: 1 GMAP
Sq. Ft: 4,800
Price: $1,750,000
Status: Active
Today on the Reno Blog: Laying Salvaged Parquet
Here's a shot of the salvaged parquet we are laying down in what will be our "Music Room". (All that really means is that it's where our upright piano and record collection will live, conveniently located between the living room and dining room.) We're pretty pleased with how it's looking so far but won't really be able to tell until all the floors are sanded and refinished. Check it.
Laying Salvaged Parquet [Renovation Blog]
Historic Weeksville Houses Restored, Reopened
The four historic Hunterfly Road Houses, all that remain of Brooklyn's oldest community of free African Americans, reopened yesterday after undergoing a $3 million make-over. The Hunterfly Road Houses were once part of a much larger pre-Civil War community built on land purchased in 1838 by James Weeks, an African-American longshoreman. The community had its own school, newspaper, social and athletic groups, an orphanage, a home for the elderly, plus many churches. Professionals, as well as civil servants and craftsmen lived in houses built between 1840 and 1883. By the 1950s, except for the home facing Bergen St., the Hunterfly Road houses were largely forgotten. Then in 1968, an engineer and a historian flew over the area and rediscovered the houses, which launched a preservation effort. The houses were designated a city landmark in 1970 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1972. Under the supervision of Weeksville Society's executive director emeritus, Joan Maynard, the houses underwent several renovations. But the work just completed is the most extensive ever done. According to Pamela Green, executive director of the Weeksville Society, the houses have been restored to reflect various periods of community life - the mid-19th, early and mid-20th century.
Open House at Weeksville [NY Daily News]
Brooklyn Heritage Tour [African Genealogical Society]
Front Page Forum: To Close or Not to Close?
I've just had a sobering pre-purchase house inspection and am still in shock. The house is a 4 story 3-family on a beautiful block in Stuyvesant Heights. My second offer of the asking price of $700,000 was accepted. The house will be delivered vacant. The owner has lived in the house for almost sixty years. One tenant has lived in his apartment for 40 years. There are some lovely hidden details (tin ceiling, fireplaces, pocket doors, herringbone parquet floors), however they are painted over, or had wood paneling, carpeting, dropped ceilings, etc. put up over them. I had hoped I could do a renovation of $100,000 for the two rental units and then at some point, start to work on my duplex, for another $50,000, maybe.
The inspection shows that the house basically needs everything, and that if I'm going to renovate the tenants' units, the only sensible thing is to do the whole house. The inspector (who I think is great) feels the price for the work is minimally $300,000, and that's not with fancy finishes. All major systems need redoing, plus a new roof, re-framing of a few beams and staircases, facade work, cement work (cracked sidewalk), fire escape work, new windows - you name it.
About the only things that can be preserved/restored are most of the floors, and some of the ceilings, the fireplaces (non-working at the
moment) and one set of badly hung, painted pocket doors. If I had the money, I might do it. But I just don't have the extra $200,000 this project will take, not to mention 6 months to a year of paying the mortgage while I continue to rent in Manhattan.
Yet somehow, I'm wondering if there's any way not to walk away from this house. Should I offer the owner something outrageous like 550K, or walk? I love the block!
With my budget, am I likely to find anything that's decent that's in better shape in Bed-Stuy/Crown Heights? Should I start looking elsewhere? At foreclosures on PropertyShark?
Any and all comments greatly appreciated!
Open House Picks: Monday Morning QB
Did any of you make it to the Open House picks this weekend? We'd appreciate a report from the field!
Open House Picks [Brownstoner]
The End is Near: Housingbubble.com Up for Sale
Realty Baron has picked up on another indicator that the real estate bubble is ready to pop: the owner of the domain name housingbubble.com has put it up for auction. Realty Baron put up the opening bid of $1,000 but is "fairly confident the big boys will pounce later this week." Okay, Lockhart, get out that checkbook!
Bubble Domain Going, Going... [Realty Baron]
Monday Linkage
Brooklyn Botanic. Photo by Bluejake
When Lawyers Steal the Escrow [NY Times]
Residential Sales [NY Times]
Miller Backs $3.5 Bil Plan for Bkln Sports Complex [NY Times]
Knickerbocker Avenue in Bushwick [NY Times]
How To Buy into Harlem as a Regular Joe [NY Post]
C.I. Carousel in Jeopardy [NY Post]
Just Sold! [NY Post]
Giff Speaks His Mind on Brooklyn Arena [NY Post]
Foes of Jets Stadium Back Nets Arena [NY Daily News]
Beechhurst Yacht Club Storm [NY Daily News]
Temporary Bridge for Sheepshead Bay [NY Daily News]
June 5, 2005
Garden Tour Photos?
Did anyone take photos at the garden tour this weekend? If you did and want to share, please email us at brownstoner @ brownstoner.com.
Thanks.
June 3, 2005
Atlantic Avenue Artwalk
Check out over 85 artists, open studios, galleries, etc. this Saturday and Sunday from 1-6 in the western section of the Atlantic Avenue corridor as part of the 2nd Annual Artwalk.
Atlantic Avenue Artwalk [Cool Hunting via Curbed]
Homepage [Atlantic Avenue Artwalk]
HOTD: The Straw That Broke Brownstoner's Back
A reader commenting on the new Vanderbilt Development we posted on Wednesday pointed us in the direction of this horror show on Hicks between Baltic and Warren Street. We kinda wish he hadn't: It's almost too much for us to handle. This thing is so ugly even the developer is trying to flip it to a greater fool before leasing it up or condo-ing it. At almost $500 a foot, this place should be against the law. We are so sick of this crap getting built and the enabling parties (yes, that means you, developers, architects, and brokers). Stop the madness! Now please excuse us while we go find our happy place.
Hicks Development [Corcoran] GMAP
Open House Picks
Brooklyn Heights
34 Garden Place
Brown Harris Stevens
Sunday 2:30-4:30pm
$3,995,000
GMAP
Prospect Heights
385 Sterling Place
Corcoran
Sunday 2:30-4pm
$1,890,000
GMAP
Park Slope
576 11th Street
By Owner
Sunday 12-2pm
$1,425,000
GMAP
Park Slope
313 1/2 12th Street
Townsley and Gay
Sunday 11-2pm
$1,349,000
GMAP
Contest: Help Pick Brownstoner's Throne
When we mentioned on the Renovation Blog that we were going to be installing Toto toilets, one reader had a particularly negative reaction, going as far as calling them "the worst kind of hype-y junk." Now we consider ourselves open-minded and we don't profess to have any special knowledge about this most necessary of all plumbing fixtures, so we thought we'd appeal to our benevolent readership. Plus, Apartment Therapy had the Smallest Apartment contest and Curbed is running a contest to rename neighborhoods, so we figured we'd have our own contest of a sort: Pick Brownstoner's Throne. That's right. Help us figure out the best crapper in the land for our hard earned dollars and win [insert cheap laugh here] our everlasting gratitude.
Vintage Sink for Rental Bathroom [Renovation Blog]
Recently in the Brownstoner Forum...
Most of the posters in the Forum have gotten helpful responses recently, but a few are still empty handed. If you can help out with some advice about foundation contractors, marble mantel repairs or rear steel decks, get thee to the Forum pronto!
Foundations, Mantels and Decks [Brownstoner Forum]
Poking Around Forgotten Corners of Prospect Park
Forgotten NY offers a peak into Prospect Park's nooks and crannies in this edition of "Secrets of...". Although it's not much of a secret itself, we enjoyed learning more about the beautiful Italianate mansion that lies within the parks grounds looking out over Prospect Park West. Built between 1854 and 1857 by architect Alexander Jackson Davis (who also designed London Terrace in Manhattan) for the lawyer and railroad financier Edwin Litchfield, the house was built around when the City of Brooklyn acquired the surrounding land. Now it's open to the public on a regular basis as the Parks Department's Brooklyn headquarters.
Secrets of...Prospect Park [Forgotten NY]
Watersports in the Burg
According to today's NY Times, a 35-acre parcel of Williamsburg waterfront would be the site of a $144 million Olympic Aquatic Center if the Big Apple gets the nod for 2012. How do residents feel about that legacy on the neighborhood? Will it become a "white elephant" or a vibrant part of the community? What would you rather see done with this stretch of land?
After Cheering Stops, Arenas Would Endure [NY Times]
Friday Links
Pratt Sculpture Garden. Photo by Brownstoner.
Scaffold Death Plunge in Brooklyn [NY Post]
Courtney Suffering Lien Times [NY Post]
Revs Rip Ratner Plan [NY Daily News]
Senator Owes All to B'kln Roots [NY Daily News]
Apartment Adventures [NY Newsday]
Home Prices Jump 12.5% [Chicago Tribune]
Class Matters in Park Slope [OTBKB]
Free Entrance to B'kln Museum Saturday [NewYorkology]
June 2, 2005
Garden Tour of Ft. Greene, Clinton Hill and ProHo
More than a dozen private gardens in Prospect Heights, Fort Greene and Clinton Hill will be open on June 5 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. for the Brownstone Brooklyn Garden District's annual garden walk. (Hopefully they will be a little more presentable than our garden, pictured at right, currently is!) They will include a stone-walled garden with grapevines, blueberries and strawberries; a terraced garden; and a landscape with the plants arranged around a raised pool. Six community gardens will also be included. Tickets, $15, at the Forest Floor, Vanderbilt Avenue (Prospect Place) in Prospect Heights; at the Brooklyn Academy of Music garden, Lafayette Avenue at St. Felix Street in Fort Greene; and at Tillie's, DeKalb and Vanderbilt Avenues in Clinton Hill. Advance tickets, $10, and information: (718) 707-1277.
Spring Calendar [NY Times]
House of the Day: South Slope Bay Front
This latest offering from Warren Lewis is certainly attractive enough, with a bay front brownstone facade and lots of original wood detail and parquet floors. We're wondering, though, whether $1.99 million is a little steep for three stories in the South Slope. It's doubtful that each floor is much bigger than about 800 square feet, which would put the valuation at around $500 $800 a foot (whoops!). The yard is plenty big enough but the photo shows that it needs some work--and that the views are of apartment-style buildings, not family-owned brownstones. The house does get bonus points for having the funkiest game room we've seen this week! Maybe are Slope sleuths can figure out more precisely where this is and get us some comps.
Addendum: Holy Moly, have we been blocked by Warren Lewis? It's listing #4601 for $1.99 million. Here's the link if you want to paste it into your browser:
http://www.warrenlewis.com/cgi-bin/re/re_show.pl?re_command=show&ID=4601.
South Slope Bay Front [Warren Lewis]
Getting Squiggly In The 1860s
Does anyone know the significance of these decorative elements that are all over the facade of the Williamsburg Art & Historical Society Building? This 1867 building is of French Second Empire Design, but for some reason these squiggly designs look far too informal to us. What's the story?
Inside the Williamsburg Art Building [Brownstoner]
Gourmet Comes to Prospect Heights
Rym Abid-Gun, who lived in Paris and worked in a chocolate store there, was frustrated because there were no shops for specialty food items in her neighborhood in Brooklyn, Prospect Heights. So a few months ago, with the help of her husband, Isitan Gun, she opened Delicacies, 639 Vanderbilt Avenue (Prospect Place). She now sells items that some parts of the city take for granted, like good olive oils and condiments, artisanal breads and a nice selection of cheeses and pastries.
Across Flatbush Avenue in Park Slope, Luscious Food, 59 Fifth Avenue (St. Marks Place), has a few of the items Delicacies sells, but its owners, Stacy Mooradian and Christine Zeni, emphasize prepared foods. Ms. Zeni prepares hot and cold sandwiches, including a fine pressed Cuban; roast chicken; macaroni and cheese; assorted salads; and dips and spreads. Luscious Food also has a secluded little garden filled with greenery, marble tables and chartreuse chairs for eating in.
More Goodies for Brooklyn [NY Times - 4th item]
Scruffy Scrapmaster Struts His Stuff
While this is a little off-topic, the creativity and DIY attitude of architect Olle Lundgren is pure Brownstoner goodness. Though we like nothing more than to spend our Saturday's trolling salvage yards in search of that inexpensive yet perfect find, we are admittedly complete amateurs. Lundgren is a pro. The repurposed ferry boat that he and his wife now live on in San Francisco's Mission Bay is also a good example of the kind of modern design we tend to like: Old bones with strong, clean modern elements like the glass garage door. And the wooden water tank that Lundgren turned into a pool at his weekend house is pure genius in our opinion. Do others share our enthusiasm?
Scavenger's Guide to Galaxy [NY Times]
Brooklyn Residential Sales from NY Times
BROOKLYN HEIGHTS $210,000
85 Livingston Street
(Robert Livingston)500-sq.-ft. furnished studio co-op in a postwar building; 24-hr. doormen, concierge; dining area, kitchen with dishwasher, dressing area, new furniture; maintenance $458, includes utilities, 40% tax-deductible; listed at $225,000, 8 weeks on market (broker: Manhattan Apartments)
PARK SLOPE $610,000
422 13th Street
2-bedroom, 1½-bath, 1,300-sq.-ft. duplex co-op in a postwar building; dining area, home office, high ceilings, 2 exposures; maintenance $845, 50% tax-deductible; listed at $599,000 (multiple bids), 8 weeks on market (broker: Aguayo & Huebener)
Residential Sales [NY Times]
Thursday Morning Craig
Burg Decay. Photo by Brownstoner.
8-Story Plus Church $1.8 million [Bed Stuy]
3-Story 2-Family Brick $1.4 million [Park Slope]
3-Story Mixed Use $1.3 million [Prospect Heights]
3-Story Brownstone $779K [Sunset Park]
2-Family Brick $699K [Kensington]
June 1, 2005
Another Batch of "Out-of-Context" Brownstones
On our way to Tillary Tiles on Saturday, we parked on Concord Street, a block North of Tillary. We don't know anything in particular about the block--only that it's an oasis of old-world charm in what is now a very commercialized area. The four lovely old brick rowhouses, all painted different colors, are in stark contrast to the nearby McDonald's, housing project and BQE off-ramp. Another example of out-of-context brownstones to add to our list!
HOTD: Gardener's Delight in Center Slope
Regular readers know we almost always go with a photo of the exterior when it comes to the House of the Day, but today we couldn't help ourselves. While the facade of this charming brownstone is classic Park Slope, the rear garden on the 150-foot lot is positively rural! The current owner's color palette may not be our fave and there are a few touches that scream "Eighties", but the historic character of the house appears to be fairly intact. We wish we could see a few more photos of interior details, though, to be sure. We're hoping that the Slopers out there will be able to clue us in to some recent comparable sales in the Center Slope to put this $2.65 million price tag in perspective.
179 Garfield Place Townhouse [Brown Harris Stevens] GMAP
Another Case of the Blahs Near Atlantic Yards
With a few minutes to kill while having some graffiti buffed out of the side of our car on Saturday, we took a stroll around the area that may or may not be the future home of the Nets. Only half a block away from the car wash, we noticed that this new building was approaching completion. We were a little surprised to see it on what is otherwise a fairly unresidential block on Vanderbilt between Atlantic and Fulton, so we snapped a photo. Unfortunately, it looks to be yet another addition to Brooklyn's bland building boom. Granted, the site's proximity to the commercial thoroughfare of Atlantic Avenue does not make it a likely candidate for anything too expensive, but we can't shake this nagging feeling that developers could be doing a lot more within the same budgetary constraints. GMAP
Salvage for Sale: Two Marble Fireplaces
We were out visiting our friends at Build It Green in Astoria (where we scored this vintage china sink for our rental bathroom) on Saturday when we noticed these two marble fireplaces that had just arrived. Given that they'd come from a Brooklyn brownstone, we thought they might appeal to our readers. (They're not broken, just in pieces, we're told.) They're asking $1,000 apiece, which is a good deal less than you would pay at Olde Good Things or Demolition Depot. If interested, give Justin a call at 718-777-0132. We'd love to hear where they end up!
Homepage [Build It Green! NYC]
Vintage Sink for Rental [Renovation Blog]
Forbes on Real Estate Versus Stocks
This week's issue of Forbes reminds people that, despite what's happened over the last few years, real estate is not necessarily a better investment than stocks. The article points out that real estate prices are a lot "stickier" than stock prices and that they are not as prone to busts (a 5% down-year is a big number for real estate)--at least on a national level. (Though it looks like Big Apple r.e. outpaced the rest of the country over the last 25 years.) Hot local markets, however, certainly can suffer bigger declines and can remain stuck for years. As the oft-quoted Laszlo Birinyi remembers, "In the lates 1980s, when I lived in New York City, you couldn't sell a one-bedroom apartment." How times have changed.
Real Estate vs. Stocks [Forbes]
Wednesday Linkage
Bensonhurst Subway. Photo by Ixtayul Martinez
Work Train Derails in Carroll Gardens [NY Times]
$25 and Under: Tropics in Brooklyn [NY Times]
Crime Down in City [NY Post]
Police Video of B'kln Subways [NY Post]
Bridge Collapse in Sheepshead Bay [NY1]
Brooklyn Brewmaster [Gothamist]
Building-Wide BBQ [OTBKB]
Blogging Against Big Boxes [Gotham Gazette]
Latest Restaurant Additions
-
Manna
added November 24, 2009 12:00 PM in Williamsburg -
Piattini Ristorante
added November 23, 2009 12:00 PM in Bay Ridge -
Le Barricou
added November 20, 2009 12:00 PM in Williamsburg -
Der Schwarze Kölner
added November 19, 2009 12:00 PM in Fort Greene -
Oak Wine Bar & Café
added November 18, 2009 12:00 PM in Williamsburg -
Mr. Wonton
added November 17, 2009 12:00 PM in Park Slope -
Casa Rosa
added November 16, 2009 12:00 PM in Carroll Gardens -
Cousin John's Café & Bakery
added November 13, 2009 12:00 PM in Park Slope -
Elote
added November 12, 2009 12:00 PM in Williamsburg -
Miracle Grill
added November 11, 2009 12:00 PM in Park Slope