Brooklyn

A lottery offering 16 affordable apartments is now officially open at the newly-constructed mixed-use building at 848 Lorimer Street overlooking McCarren Park in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. Qualifying New Yorkers earning between 80 and 130 percent of the area median income can apply, with rents ranging from a $1,125/month studio to a $2,684/month two-bedroom. The brick-and-glass building is six stories tall with 52 residential units total, and includes a street-level parking garage.
Fabulous amenities, this way

Affordable Housing

56 chances to live in an amenity-rich Crown Heights rental, from $1,168/month

Via 409 Eastern Parkway

April 23, 2019

56 chances to live in an amenity-rich Crown Heights rental, from $1,168/month

Applications are now being accepted for 56 middle-income apartments at a brand new luxury building in Crown Heights. Facing Brooklyn's historic thoroughfare, 409 Eastern Parkway sits just one block from bustling Franklin Avenue and two blocks from the Brooklyn Museum, Botanic Garden, and Prospect Park. Plus, the building offers residents more than 17,000 square feet of amenities, including a fitness center, pet spa, children's playroom, co-working spaces, landscaped roof with bocce ball courts, and more. Qualifying New Yorkers earning 80 and 120 percent of the area median income can apply for the units, ranging from a $1,168/month studio to a $2,759/month two-bedroom.
Find out if you qualify

Affordable Housing

April 22, 2019

Behold views and shoes for days at this $875K Clinton Hill condo

Located in a newly-minted boutique condominium building on a bustling Clinton Hill corner, this sun-filled one-bedroom home at 500 Waverly Avenue, asking $875,000, has both space and views to its credit. And if you're a shoe collector, you'll be inspired.
More, this way

New rendering shows 277-foot tower rising next to Williamsburgh Savings Bank

Rendering courtesy of Stonehill Taylor. Bank image via Wikimedia cc.

April 22, 2019

New rendering shows 277-foot tower rising next to Williamsburgh Savings Bank

The 26-story tower rising at 159 Broadway next to South Williamsburg's landmarked, domed Williamsburgh Savings Bank is making progress on its way to becoming 21 condos and a hotel. A new rendering courtesy of architectural firm Stonehill Taylor depicts the 277-foot-tall tower on the rise thanks to air rights above the bank, purchased by developer Cornell Realty Management along with the lot adjacent the bank hall.
More this way

New Developments

At 9 DeKalb, SHoP Architects reveal a rooftop pool wrapping around Dime Savings Bank’s dome

Rendering via SHoP Architects

April 22, 2019

At 9 DeKalb, SHoP Architects reveal a rooftop pool wrapping around Dime Savings Bank’s dome

A fresh rendering of 9 Dekalb Avenue first published in the New York Times last week revealed a new aspect of the project: the Dime Savings Bank's roof will be transformed into an outdoor lounge for residents, including a pool that will partly wrap around the ornate Guastavino dome. Inside, the Beaux-Arts interior will become a flagship store, with further details to be announced. The rising 1,066-foot-tower is being developed by JDS Development, with SHoP Architects leading the design, and is set to become the tallest tower in Brooklyn upon completion.
More info

Live in a charming Park Slope co-op one block from Prospect Park for just $695K

Listing images by Shannon Dupree; courtesy of Compass

April 19, 2019

Live in a charming Park Slope co-op one block from Prospect Park for just $695K

Listing images by Shannon Dupree; courtesy of Compass On the top floor of a brownstone at 111 Eighth Avenue in Park Slope and just one block away from Prospect Park, this one-bedroom co-op offers quintessential Brooklyn living for just $695,000. While a fifth-floor walk-up isn’t ideal, if you don’t mind the effort you’ll be rewarded with a cozy home filled with pre-war details, multiple built-ins, and lots of warm western light. The unit last sold in 2013 for $415,000.
Take a look inside

Distinctive Homes

Netflix to open new production centers in Bushwick and Flatiron

Netflix will open six sound stages and support spaces in Bushwick at 333 Johnson Avenue; photo via Google Streetview

April 18, 2019

Netflix to open new production centers in Bushwick and Flatiron

Netflix plans to expand its New York City footprint with new production centers in Brooklyn and Manhattan. Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced on Thursday that the streaming-service company will take up 100,000 square feet at 888 Broadway in Flatiron and roughly 160,000 square feet at 333 Johnson Avenue in Bushwick. "Netflix is innovative, creative and bold - just like New Yorkers - and the expansion of this cutting-edge company in New York once again demonstrates the Empire State is open for business," Cuomo said.
More here

Photo by Al Siedman of VHT, courtesy of The Corcoran Group.

April 18, 2019

This cute slice of a Clinton Hill townhouse has rooms for everyone, a garden and a roof deck for $2.8M

This beautifully renovated single-family brick townhouse at 151 Willoughby Avenue among the elegant brownstone blocks of Clinton Hill may be narrow, but within its walls are five bedrooms, seven working wood burning fireplaces, a gracious parlor, a stylish and well-appointed eat-in kitchen, a family room, a back yard, and a roof deck. Though the home, asking $2.795 million, is ready for modern living, it's filled with unique details.
Take the townhouse tour

Distinctive Homes

April 17, 2019

Renovation Diary: A Clinton Hill townhouse makes room for layers of history and modernist design

Our Renovation Diary has been following 6sqft writer Michelle Cohen as she takes on the challenge of transforming a Brooklyn townhouse in the historic Clinton Hill neighborhood into a site-sensitive modern home. She previously shared plans for the 150-year-old building and the first big steps she and her husband, a public health lawyer and antique lighting dealer, have taken to make their dream home a reality, including two years of hunting, planning the renovation, and assembling the professionals needed to make it happen (and how the homeowners made the best of all the waiting time). With Landmarks' signoff and permits in hand, a year-long renovation began. Below, the results, with plenty of hindsight, advice, resources and construction photos on the way.
Hear from Michelle and see the transformation

New renderings show rebuilt, non-bouncing Squibb Bridge in Brooklyn Bridge Park

Rendering by Arup, courtesy of Brooklyn Bridge Park.

April 17, 2019

New renderings show rebuilt, non-bouncing Squibb Bridge in Brooklyn Bridge Park

Brooklynites are hoping the third time's a charm for the trouble-plagued Squibb Bridge, a 450-foot-long wooden walkway connecting Squibb Park to Pier 1 in Brooklyn Bridge Park. The bridge has had what Brooklyn Bridge Park president Eric Landau called a "challenged history.” But the park has been working with engineers at Arup to find ways to make the new bridge safe (h/t Curbed). Possible solutions included retrofitting the existing bridge, which would cost $4 million and take about a year, and building a new bridge from scratch atop the current concrete in-ground support structures, with a cost of about $6.5 million and an 18-month schedule. The latter plan was chosen, and the new bridge will be made from pre-fabricated steel, which means it should be safe for years to come rather than needing significant maintenance soon.
More on Squibb Bridge 3.0, this way

Architecture And Design

Current construction shot of Brooklyn Point by CityRealty (L); Photo of the view courtesy of Williams New York (R)

April 16, 2019

Extell’s 720-foot Brooklyn Point tops out, becomes tallest tower in borough

Brooklyn Point, Extell’s first outer-borough tower rising at 138 Willoughby Street officially topped out this week at 720 feet, and the views from near the top are even more incredible than expected. The 68-story high-rise designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox will contain 458 luxury units, ranging from studios to three-bedrooms, starting at $850,000 and reaching over $4 million. On track to be completed by 2020, it’ll be Brooklyn's tallest building (at least until the 1,000-foot building planned for 9 DeKalb Avenue rises) and boast the highest outdoor infinity pool in the western hemisphere.
Check out the views!

Apply for 143 affordable units in East New York’s Spring Creek neighborhood, from $426/month

Rendering courtesy of Monadnock Development/ MHG Architects

April 16, 2019

Apply for 143 affordable units in East New York’s Spring Creek neighborhood, from $426/month

An affordable housing lottery launched on Tuesday for 143 units in Spring Creek, a neighborhood in East New York once known only for its landfills and undeveloped marshland. As part of a multi-phase, decades-long project by the city, the area has been slowly transforming into a community of mixed-income and mixed-use developments. The fourth phase of a development called Nehemiah Spring Creek is now accepting applications for studios, one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments, set aside for New Yorkers earning 30, 40, 50, 60, and 90 percent of the area median income. Apartments up for grabs range from a $426/month one-bedroom to a $1,660/month three-bedroom.
Find out if you qualify

Affordable Housing

My 1,000sqft: Preservationist Cristiana favors family heirlooms and antiques for her Brooklyn home

Our series “My sqft” checks out the homes of New Yorkers across all the boroughs. Our latest interior adventure brings us to Cristiana Peña’s Prospect-Lefferts Gardens apartment. Want to see your home featured here? Get in touch!

April 16, 2019

My 1,000sqft: Preservationist Cristiana favors family heirlooms and antiques for her Brooklyn home

By Dana Schulz

Cristiana Peña is one of those people who will make you feel like you've known her for years when you've only just met her--especially when you visit her at her equally warm Prospect-Lefferts Gardens home. After growing up in Rapid City, South Dakota (her father was in the Air Force) Cristiana moved to NYC for grad school in 2006 to study preservation. She quickly became a force in the field, working at Woodlawn Conservancy and Cemetery and lending her expertise and advocacy skills to countless groups across the city. Today, Cristiana also works as a social media strategist, a perfect fit for her creative and snappy personality and natural knack for striking up a conversation. So it comes as no surprise that her pre-war apartment is also full of personal stories. From a mobile that her dad got while deployed in Saudi Arabia to a lobster-shaped wine decanter she found while on a trip to Maine, nearly every eclectic find in Cristiana's home comes with a childhood memory or a great tidbit about an antiquing outing.
Get to know Cristiana and take a tour of her home

For $749K this Park Slope parlor co-op is an historic brownstone dream, outdoor space included

Photo by Allyson Lubow for the Corcoran Group

April 12, 2019

For $749K this Park Slope parlor co-op is an historic brownstone dream, outdoor space included

If you're dreaming of a Park Slope brownstone but don't have the required millions to spend, this one-bedroom co-op at 420 4th Street just a few blocks from Prospect Park asking $749,000 might be the answer. The parlor-floor home has 11-foot ceilings, pocket doors, stained-glass transom windows, a working wood-burning fireplace and even a private deck set in the neighborhood's verdant collection of back gardens.
Take a look inside

Distinctive Homes

Will the Wegmans obsession continue in Brooklyn?

Rendering courtesy of S9 Architecture

April 11, 2019

Will the Wegmans obsession continue in Brooklyn?

Wegmans is officially coming to Brooklyn this fall, more than four years after the beloved grocery store announced plans to open its first ever New York City location. The grocery store will open a 74,000-square-foot spot within Admiral's Row at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, a 300-acre site transforming from a waterfront warship building site into an industrial tech-hub. While the store already has a dedicated following outside of NYC, due mostly to its wide range of brand-name and specialty products, will the Wegmans obsession continue in Brooklyn?
Get the details

New Developments

This Park Slope garden duplex has funky vintage style within and a sweet back patio for just over $1M

Photo by Russ Ross.

April 11, 2019

This Park Slope garden duplex has funky vintage style within and a sweet back patio for just over $1M

This colorful co-op at 487 6th Avenue in Park Slope three blocks from Prospect Park is brimming with vintage-modern charm throughout its two custom-designed levels. The duplex–currently being used as a two-bedroom–is asking $1,050,000, and it's uniqueness goes beyond decor. Just a few cool features in 1,100 square feet of indoor space include a customized office area with a built-in library nook with antique salvage doors and windows and an original mural hand-painted by a celebrated picture book maker; at the rear, a one-of-a kind treehouse overlooks a landscaped garden.
Have a look around

Distinctive Homes

Mixed feedback from LPC on proposed open-air pavilion at Fulton Ferry Landing

Rendering by Starling Architecture

April 9, 2019

Mixed feedback from LPC on proposed open-air pavilion at Fulton Ferry Landing

The Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) on Tuesday gave mixed reviews for a proposed new concession pavilion outside of the landmarked fireboat station at the Fulton Ferry Landing. The proposal, chosen last December by the Brooklyn Bridge Park (BBP), includes constructing an outdoor restaurant and bar that would connect to an adjacent utility shed and sit in front of the two-story fireboat station, previously home to the Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory. While Alex and Miles Pincus, the operators of the proposed space, designed the outdoor concession to be simple and airy, some LPC commissioners expressed concern over the structure possibly blocking views of Manhattan and the need to keep the space as open as possible.
See the proposed project

PHOTOS: See Coney Island’s historic Wonder Wheel get ready for the season

The Wonder Wheel with no cars installed; photos © James and Karla Murray

April 9, 2019

PHOTOS: See Coney Island’s historic Wonder Wheel get ready for the season

By James and Karla Murray

Honoring a 60-year tradition of opening on Palm Sunday, Coney Island Amusement Park will be back in business this Sunday, April 14th. One of the many activities will be the annual blessing of the rides at Deno’s Wonder Wheel. The 150-foot-tall, 100-year-old structure is one of the most iconic pieces remaining at Coney Island. But there's a lot that goes into this seasonal opening than even the most well-versed New Yorker may not know. Each winter, the 200-ton ride is repainted, and all of its 24 cars are removed. But come spring, second-generation co-owner Steve Vourderis goes through the process of precisely reinstalling and aligning the cars. We were lucky enough to visit Steve and his brother Dennis on a recent frigid Sunday to watch the magic happen.
Go behind-the-scenes at the Wonder Wheel

Insider Tours

$3.2M historic Bed-Stuy home keeps the details and gets the designer treatment

Photos by DD Reps, courtesy of Compass

April 9, 2019

$3.2M historic Bed-Stuy home keeps the details and gets the designer treatment

The landmarked 1894 row house at 386 Stuyvesant Avenue, among the elegant Beaux-Arts limestones of Brooklyn's Stuyvesant Heights neighborhood, has the impressive layout and scale of a trophy brownstone and the interiors of a designer show house. Brought back to life by designer duo Dahill Bunce, the two-family home is asking $3.195 million. Rich in original detail, the 19' x 48' home has a few surprises that set it apart, like a convenient "summer kitchen" leading to an enviable back garden.
Take the tour

April 8, 2019

Aussie artist Jeremyville’s renovated Bed-Stuy brownstone asks $2.7M

This two-family townhouse at 408 Macon Street in Bed-Stuy's Stuyvesant Heights Historic District was renovated a few years ago by Australian expats Jeremy Andrew–the artist Jeremyville whose colorful feel-good graphics have a sizable following–and Megan Mair. The creative pair–she's a creative director, curator and brand strategist–bought the home for $1.5 million in 2013, when it was divided up into three units. They gave it a top-to-toe renovation, as featured in Brownstoner. The 3,400-square-foot four-story Neo-Grec brownstone was built around 1880 by local builder Charles Isbill.
Townhouse tour, this way

Distinctive Homes

Study for Utica Avenue subway extension launches four years after city secured $5M for it

Photo via Flickr

April 8, 2019

Study for Utica Avenue subway extension launches four years after city secured $5M for it

A study examining the feasibility of extending Brooklyn's Utica Avenue subway line has finally launched, NY1 reported. As part of the Utica Avenue Transit Improvement Study, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and the city will look into extending the 3 and 4 train south of Eastern Parkway in Crown Heights to neighborhoods like East Flatbush and Marine Park. Funding for the study has been in place since 2015 when Mayor Bill de Blasio designated $5 million for it as part of his One NYC plan.
Details this way

April 5, 2019

$1.25M Williamsburg triplex comes with two terraces and dramatic curved glass walls

A curved wall of floor-to-ceiling windows is the centerpiece of this two-bedroom triplex at 117 Kingsland Avenue. The 1,127-square-foot Williamsburg pad offers some cool custom built-ins, two terraces, and a convertible mezzanine level. Located in a boutique condo built in 2007, the apartment is equidistant from both the L and G trains and within walking distance of McCarren and McGolrick Parks. Last sold in 2017 for $995,000, the unit just hit the market seeking $1,250,000.
Take a look inside

Distinctive Homes

Sample the wares and see what’s new at NYC’s top flea and food markets

Image courtesy of Brooklyn Flea; photo credit: Scott Lynch

April 5, 2019

Sample the wares and see what’s new at NYC’s top flea and food markets

The city's local flea and food markets set up shop in springtime, bringing irresistible edibles and covetable goods to a neighborhood near you. Though dates and locations vary and favorite vendors come and go, the mighty market phenomenon keeps growing. The shop-and-nosh mecca Brooklyn Flea again changes locations (hello, WTC!), a favorite night market returns in Queens, and the Manhattan classics are back to offer more of what you didn't know you couldn't live without. Some of the best fairs are the most fleeting, and one-offs like the annual Renegade Arts and Crafts Fair are always worth the trip. The list below rounds up the city's top food and flea picks. Let the hunting and gathering begin!
Plan your market strategy

Events & Things To Do

$2.25M Park Slope penthouse comes with three outdoor spaces and an indoor jungle gym

Photos by Will Ellis of Donna Dotan Photography, courtesy of Compass

April 4, 2019

$2.25M Park Slope penthouse comes with three outdoor spaces and an indoor jungle gym

Photos by Will Ellis of Donna Dotan Photography, courtesy of Compass This beautifully renovated three-bedroom co-op at 421A Union Street sits atop a historic row house across the street from the Park Slope Food Co-op and a block from Prospect Park. Asking $2.25 million, the duplex-plus-roof-deck offers three outdoor spaces–including a gorgeous glass-walled sunroom–and stunning Manhattan views.
Fun in the sun, this way

Distinctive Homes

235-unit affordable building with farm and fresh food market coming to Atlantic Avenue in Bed-Stuy

Rendering of 1921 Atlantic Avenue via Dabar Development Partners.

April 4, 2019

235-unit affordable building with farm and fresh food market coming to Atlantic Avenue in Bed-Stuy

On March 27 the City Planning Commission voted unanimously to approve an application for a 14-story affordable development that will bring 235 residential units to 1921 Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn's Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood, New York Law School's CityLand reports. The mixed-use project is funded by private developers Dabar Development Partners and Thorobird in partnership with a program run by the Department of Housing Preservation and Development that creates affordable housing and set-asides for the formerly homeless. The proposed project, which will be located on city-owned vacant land and three adjacent private lots, will feature a community facility run by Oko Farms and NHS as well as a fresh food grocery store.
Find out more

Affordable Housing

Bjarke Ingels reveals new proposal for a park-covered BQE

Rendering courtesy of Bjarke Ingels Group

April 4, 2019

Bjarke Ingels reveals new proposal for a park-covered BQE