Brooklyn

The Brooklyn skyline will soon get a new sign to replace the iconic ‘Watchtower’ one that was put in place by the Jehovah’s Witnesses in 1970 and removed in 2017. The 15-foot-tall red sign crowned the building at 25-30 Columbia Heights for nearly five decades while the Jehovah’s Witnesses owned the campus, which served as their headquarters. The new sign will read ‘Welcome’ in similar red lettering and will be installed before the end of the month, as first reported by the New York Post.
More details

Uncategorized

New renderings revealed for FXCollaborative-designed Brooklyn Music School expansion

Renderings courtesy of FXCollaborative

October 22, 2019

New renderings revealed for FXCollaborative-designed Brooklyn Music School expansion

The Brooklyn Music School has just announced plans for a new 20,000 square-foot facility as part of a 167,000 square-foot mixed-use development in the heart of the Brooklyn Cultural District. In addition to expanding the school’s existing facilities to meet growing demand, the FXCollaborative-designed project will also create 120 new residential units with 36 of those reserved for moderate-income households earning 70 to 100 percent of the area median income.
Details here

New Developments

October 21, 2019

Stay at the creepy and kooky ‘Addams Family Mansion’ in Clinton Hill this Halloween

A 19th-century townhouse in Brooklyn has undergone a creepy and kooky makeover just in time for Halloween. Travel company Booking.com transformed the Clinton Hill home at 272 Lafayette Avenue into a real-life replica of The Addams Family Mansion from the hit 1960s comedy sitcom. For just over $100 per night, guests can spend Halloween playing with Wednesday's beheaded dolls, calling Lurch on his "you rang" bell, and getting scared by Thing.
It's creepy and it's kooky

Events & Things To Do

Sophisticated, gut-renovated Fort Greene townhouse with just enough rustic charm asks $4.35M

Listing images courtesy of Douglas Elliman

October 21, 2019

Sophisticated, gut-renovated Fort Greene townhouse with just enough rustic charm asks $4.35M

The bones of this two-family townhouse at 362 Clermont Avenue date back to 1899, but inside, a gut renovation has brought the property well into the 21st century. Several wood-burning fireplaces and the original doors were restored while other materials, like the reclaimed wood floors, were carefully sourced to reflect what was originally there. The 22-foot-wide Fort Greene home spans across 3,650 square feet (not including the basement apartment) and is seeking $4.35 million.
READ MORE

Distinctive Homes

Prospect Park will host first-ever ‘bike day’ this weekend

Citi Bike cyclists in Prospect Park; photo courtesy of CitiBike

October 18, 2019

Prospect Park will host first-ever ‘bike day’ this weekend

Does your child want to ditch the training wheels? Need a new helmet? Head to Prospect Park this weekend for the park's first annual "Bike Day." Hosted by the Prospect Park Alliance with Citi Bike and Bike New York, the free event on Sunday, Oct. 20 hopes to encourage a more diverse group of New Yorkers to take up biking by offering demonstrations, classes, prizes, and a one-month free trial of Citi Bike.
Get the details

Events & Things To Do

Photo of 25 Kent by Ty Cole

October 16, 2019

Smorgasburg and Brooklyn Flea will set up for the winter at Williamsburg’s new 25 Kent

Earlier this month, we got a look at the completed 25 Kent, Williamsburg’s first ground-up commercial project in 50+ years. The eight-story building is notable for its bi-partite, ziggurat-like design, as well as its prime waterfront location and open space--all of which make it the perfect spot for an outpost of Smorgasburg and Brooklyn Flea. The markets announced today that beginning November 2nd and lasting through March 2020, they'll be operating out of a 25,000-square-foot, top-floor space at the building.
READ MORE

Events & Things To Do

This handsome $2.25M Midwood Park Victorian has enough room for guests to stay a while

Photos by Melanie Greene, Courtesy of Compass

October 15, 2019

This handsome $2.25M Midwood Park Victorian has enough room for guests to stay a while

Built around 1910, this charming Victorian home at 699 East 18th Street in the Fiske Terrace-Midwood Park Historic District of Brooklyn has over 4,900 square feet of interior space–more than enough room for family and friends on four floors. With a basement greenhouse and home office, a two-car garage and private driveway, a lovely back patio, and a gracious front porch, there's room for everyone's hobbies, too. The house, asking $2.25 million, is filled with well-preserved architectural details like high beamed and coffered ceilings, stained glass, and working gas fireplaces.
Take the tour

Distinctive Homes

Live in a new Williamsburg rental with rooftop views and L train access, from $2,176/month

Photo by Korye Logan on Flickr

October 15, 2019

Live in a new Williamsburg rental with rooftop views and L train access, from $2,176/month

A lottery launched on Tuesday for 17 middle-income units at a new building in Brooklyn. Located at 188 Humboldt Street, the rental borders Williamsburg and Bushwick and sits just one block from the L train at Montrose Avenue. Qualifying New Yorkers earning 130 percent of the area median income can apply for the apartments, which range from a $2,176/month studio to a $2,758/month two-bedroom apartment.
Find out if you qualify

Affordable Housing

Reports find open space falls short of key goals in Bushwick, Long Island City, and part of Staten Island

Photo via Joe Mabel / Wiki Commons

October 11, 2019

Reports find open space falls short of key goals in Bushwick, Long Island City, and part of Staten Island

New Yorkers for Parks has released three new Open Space Index reports, a series of in-depth “neighborhood snapshots” of parks and open space in Staten Island's Bay Street Corridor, Bushwick, and Long Island City. According to the reports, the Bay Street Corridor failed 11 of 14 open space goals, Bushwick failed 12 of 14, and Long Island City failed 11 of 14. The goals factor in characteristics including the total amount of open space, access, tree canopy, and overall maintenance. According to the City’s own standards, all of the neighborhoods lack sufficient open space and what does exist is often hard to get to or improperly maintained.
More details

Policy

For $1.2M, a lovely Greenpoint duplex with a private patio and proximity to McCarren Park

Listing images by Rise Media; courtesy of The Corcoran Group

October 10, 2019

For $1.2M, a lovely Greenpoint duplex with a private patio and proximity to McCarren Park

Two blocks away from Greenpoint’s bustling Graham Avenue and within walking distance of McCarren and McGolrick Parks, this garden-level duplex also comes with a charming private patio for the days when you don’t want to venture out. The two-bedroom home is located at 252 Richardson Street, a 12-unit condo building that was finished in 2002. Complete with central AC, a dishwasher, and in-unit laundry, the sunny pad was last sold in 2013 for $865,000 and has just hit the market seeking $1.2 million.
Look around

Distinctive Homes

City will bring affordable co-living projects to East Harlem and East New York

Rendering courtesy of Common and L+M Development Partners

October 10, 2019

City will bring affordable co-living projects to East Harlem and East New York

A year ago, the city’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development announced plans for an affordable co-living pilot program. Known as ShareNYC, the initiative "lets developers seek public financing in exchange for creating affordable, shared-housing developments," as 6sqft previously reported. The city has now selected three proposals that will create or preserve accommodations for roughly 300 residents. Two of the projects, including one by co-living giant Common, will be located in East Harlem, while the third will be in East New York.
Learn about all the projects

132-year-old Peter Luger decides to start taking online reservations

Photo via Leonard J. DeFrancisci/Wiki Commons

October 9, 2019

132-year-old Peter Luger decides to start taking online reservations

The world-famous steakhouse in the shadows of the Williamsburg Bridge will finally start accepting online reservations, amNY reports. Opened 132 years ago, Peter Luger is the third oldest steakhouse in New York City, best known for its dry-aged steaks. After installing a new phone system, the restaurant learned first-hand that many diners were experiencing hours-long wait times trying to get a reservation. In fact, they were receiving up to 6,000 calls each day.
READ MORE

Food & Dining

Image credit: VHT, courtesy of The Corcoran Group

October 8, 2019

This $765K Brooklyn Heights co-op may be narrow, but a private garden offers the great outdoors

Image credit: VHT, courtesy of The Corcoran Group Steps from the Promenade and Brooklyn Bridge Park in Brooklyn Heights, this one-bedroom co-op at 73 Columbia Heights, asking $765,000, doesn't transcend the average New York City shoebox. But a magical 335-square-foot private garden just out back is an urban outdoor space with room to roam.
Check out the private garden getaway

Distinctive Homes

My 750sqft: A marketing strategist’s passion for sustainability is on full display in her Park Slope pad

Our series “My sqft” checks out the homes of New Yorkers across all the boroughs. Our latest interior adventure brings us to the Park Slope apartment of digital marketing strategist and sustainability advocate Natalie Skoblow. Want to see your home featured here? Get in touch!

October 8, 2019

My 750sqft: A marketing strategist’s passion for sustainability is on full display in her Park Slope pad

Many New Yorkers fill their apartments with second-hand goods for that vintage aesthetic or because it's affordable. But Long Island-native Natalie Skoblow thrifts because it also benefits the environment. "From the clothes in my closet to the photos on the wall, almost everything in our apartment is either locally made, thrifted, or sustainably made," Natalie told us on a recent tour of her Park Slope apartment. What began as a hobby in high school became a "full-fledged love affair" with supporting sustainable, ethical brands. From the books found on the sidewalks of her neighborhood to the antique maps of Brooklyn above the piano, Natalie and her boyfriend Jesse's apartment brings new life into old pieces. Ahead, meet Natalie, along with the couple's newly adopted puppy Ollie, and tour her apartment, which she describes as "playful, vibrant, and welcoming."
Meet Natalie and see inside

Rendering by DBOX

October 8, 2019

Brooklyn’s tallest office tower tops out; see new interior renderings

Brooklyn just keeps getting bigger. In April, the borough's tallest tower, the condo tower Brooklyn Point, topped out at 720 feet. Now, Brooklyn's tallest office tower has also reached its full 495-foot height. One Willoughby Square (or 1WSQ as it's now being called) is expected to open at the end of 2020, at which time its architect, FXCollaborative, will also become the anchor tenant. The 34-story building will contain 500,000 square feet of office space; all of the floor plans are column-free and many floors have private outdoor terraces.
More looks and details

26-story boutique office building planned on top of Calvary Baptist Church on Billionaires’ Row

Photo via Wikimedia

October 7, 2019

26-story boutique office building planned on top of Calvary Baptist Church on Billionaires’ Row

Developers are planning to build a massive office project on top of a Billionaires' Row church. The Real Deal reported on Monday that Alchemy and ABR Investment Partners have partnered to buy properties owned by Calvary Baptist Church at 123-141 West 57th Street. The proposed boutique office building would rise 26 stories atop church space and sit next to Extell Development's supertall, One57.
More here

New Developments

Architect-transformed triplex in Brooklyn Heights’ landmarked Eagle Warehouse seeks $2.1M

Listing images by VHT; courtesy of The Corcoran Group

October 3, 2019

Architect-transformed triplex in Brooklyn Heights’ landmarked Eagle Warehouse seeks $2.1M

A co-op in Brooklyn Heights’ iconic Eagle Warehouse & Storage Company at 28 Fulton Street—described by CityRealty as “one of the city’s great Romanesque-style landmarks”—is now available for just under $2.1 million. With a private street entrance, the residence is technically a maisonette spanning over three levels. Inside, the architect owners have added their touches to an already character-rich space.
Take a peek inside

Distinctive Homes

Photo credit: Ty Cole

October 3, 2019

Behold photos of Williamsburg’s new commercial office development 25 Kent, now complete

25 Kent Avenue, Williamsburg's first ground-up commercial office development in over 50 years, is now complete. The building spans a full city block and was designed by architects Hollwich Kushner (HWKN) and Gensler and to provide "a social campus for innovators, startup founders, and tech leaders." As 6sqft previously reported, the eight-story building holds 500,000 square feet of office space along the Williamsburg waterfront as well as retail at ground level and underground parking, with millennial-friendly rooftops and terraces and floor-to-ceiling windows.
Many more photos of 25 Kent, this way

CetraRuddy’s new tower will bring affordable rentals to Downtown Brooklyn

Rendering of 22 Chapel Street courtesy of CetraRuddy

October 3, 2019

CetraRuddy’s new tower will bring affordable rentals to Downtown Brooklyn

After breaking ground last month, the mixed-use development at 22 Chapel Street near the Manhattan Bridge now has more details to share. Designed by CetraRuddy, the 20-story tower will bring 180 rental units to Downtown Brooklyn, 45 of which will be affordable. Among other amenities, it will have a rooftop pool and terrace, along with ground-floor retail space and a new headquarters for the START organization. Completion is expected in 2021.
More details

Apply for 40 affordable apartments in East New York, from $590/month

Rendering courtesy of NYC HPD

October 2, 2019

Apply for 40 affordable apartments in East New York, from $590/month

A lottery opened this week for 41 affordable apartments in a newly constructed building in eastern Brooklyn. Located at 463 Livonia Avenue, the site is part of the city's Livonia Avenue Initiative, a program aimed at revitalizing the Brooklyn neighborhoods of East New York and Brownsville. Qualifying New Yorkers earning 40, 50, and 60 percent of the area median income can apply for the units, which range from a $590/month one-bedroom to a $1,449/per month three-bedroom apartment.
Find out if you qualify

Affordable Housing

Mixed-income development with healthy grocery store breaks ground in East New York

Renderings courtesy of Pennrose, LLC

October 2, 2019

Mixed-income development with healthy grocery store breaks ground in East New York

A groundbreaking celebration this week officially kicked off construction at 50 Pennsylvania Avenue in East New York. The Dattner Architects-designed project—referred to as 50 Penn—is led by Philadelphia-based developer Pennrose with RiseBoro Community Partnership, who will manage the property. It will bring 218 units of affordable and moderate-income housing to the neighborhood, alongside retail options on the ground floor that will include a healthy grocery store. The development is slated for completion in July 2021.
More details

October 2, 2019

For $5,800/month this furnished two-bedroom rental feels like a Parisian garret in Park Slope

Tucked into the top of a 25-foot-wide townhouse at 842 Carroll Street in Park Slope, this attic aerie could just as easily be a Parisian pied-a-terre. The home has two bedrooms, a bath-and-a-half, a washer-dryer and a balcony–and it's completely furnished, asking $5,800 a month.
Have a look around

October 1, 2019

This heavenly Brooklyn Heights duplex in an 1850 Gothic church asks $1.95M

Real estate is almost on a par with religion for many New Yorkers, and this $1.95 million co-op in a 1850 Gothic church at 99A Clinton Street in the heart of Brooklyn Heights could be the answer to your prayers. The stunning stone church was converted to a 10-unit co-op in the 1970s.
Become a believer

Distinctive Homes

Canarsie Tunnel rehab to wrap up early, full L train service expected in April

Cuomo toured the Canarsie Tunnel with MTA officials on Sunday; Photo courtesy of Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Flickr

September 30, 2019

Canarsie Tunnel rehab to wrap up early, full L train service expected in April

Repair work of the century-old Canarsie Tunnel will wrap up three months early, bringing full L train service to commuters as early as April, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Sunday. The original construction plan from the Metropolitan Transportation Authority called for the subway line to totally shut down for 15 months during the repairs. Last winter, a few months before work was set to begin, the governor stepped in with a new plan that avoided a full shutdown of L train service.
Find out more

Transit

Photo: NYC Department of Records courtesy of Urban Archive.

September 27, 2019

Get to know Bay Ridge in the Urban Archive scavenger hunt

A scavenger hunt can be a great way to get to know a new neighborhood–or discover things about its history that you might never have learned. Join Urban Archive, the Historic Districts Council, and the New York City Department of Records for a scavenger hunt using the Urban Archive app in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn on Sunday, October 6th.
Start hunting, this way

Events & Things To Do

Community board wants to rename Willoughby Square Park to honor area’s abolitionist ties

Renderings by Hargreaves Jones, courtesy of NYCEDC

September 27, 2019

Community board wants to rename Willoughby Square Park to honor area’s abolitionist ties