Brooklyn

Just across the street from Willoughby Park, where the city is planning a memorial to commemorate the abolitionist history of Downtown Brooklyn, the townhouse at 227 Duffield Place—once the home of prominent abolitionists Thomas and Harriet Truesdell and believed to be a stop on the Underground Railroad—is facing an uncertain future. As Brownstoner reported, demolition plans were filed with the city’s Department of Buildings on June 5 and an eviction notice has been posted at the site.
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History

Temporary “pop-up park” opens at future site of Willoughby Square Park

Images courtesy of EDC

July 10, 2019

Temporary “pop-up park” opens at future site of Willoughby Square Park

As plans for a permanent park at Willoughby Square go forward, a temporary green space at the same site has opened to the public. The 15,000-square-foot "pop-up park" will provide a green escape for the local community until the end of the summer in 2020, at which point construction will commence on the permanent, 1.15-acre park scheduled for completion by 2022.
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Architecture And Design

Operators of Coney Island’s Luna Park will lead retail transformation of the Stillwell Avenue Terminal Complex

Image via Wiki Commons

July 10, 2019

Operators of Coney Island’s Luna Park will lead retail transformation of the Stillwell Avenue Terminal Complex

Since taking over operations of Luna Park in 2010, Central Amuseument International (CAI) has had a big hand in the transformation of the neighborhood, and that will continue to increase. Following a Request for Proposals (RFP) last June, the MTA has just announced that CAI Foods—a subsidiary of CAI—will lead a retail conversion of Coney Island’s iconic Stillwell Avenue Terminal Complex. CAI will take over nine of the 11 retail units in the Complex, turning the largest into “Rcade,” an arcade with a restaurant, bar, and coffee shop that will be open year-round. The remaining units will be subleased on a seasonal basis.
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Transit

10 Brooklyn stations won’t have overnight L train service for nine weekends

Via Flickr

July 8, 2019

10 Brooklyn stations won’t have overnight L train service for nine weekends

A large part of the L line in Brooklyn will not be available during overnight hours for nine weekends, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority announced Saturday. Starting on July 16, there will be no L service from midnight to 5 a.m. between Broadway Junction and Lorimer Street spread out across nine different weekends until January. L train service has been reduced since April when the 15-month reconstruction and partial shutdown of the Canarsie Tunnel began.
Get the L train low-down

Transit

Two Trees exploring a new Williamsburg waterfront park and development next to Domino Park

Image via Google Street View

July 8, 2019

Two Trees exploring a new Williamsburg waterfront park and development next to Domino Park

Developer Two Trees has begun convening meetings with Williamsburg residents in the early stages of planning a future waterfront park and development in the neighborhood. As Brownstoner reported, the site under consideration is comprised of three lots owned by Con Edison on River Street between Grand Street and North 3rd Street, right between Grand Ferry Park and Two Trees’ popular Domino Park. The new park would thus connect the existing parks “and take a giant step towards creating a contiguous waterfront park that extends from the Navy Yard to Newtown Creek,” Two Trees notes.
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Architecture And Design

$20M first phase of Brooklyn’s new 407-acre Shirley Chisholm State Park opens

Photo by Mike Groll/Office of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo via Flickr.

July 3, 2019

$20M first phase of Brooklyn’s new 407-acre Shirley Chisholm State Park opens

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced on Tuesday the opening of the first phase of New York's newest park–and the largest state park in New York City. Brooklyn's 407-acre Shirley Chisholm State Park on Jamaica Bay offers hiking, biking, fishing and picnicking under the watch of a colorful mural honoring Chisholm by Brooklyn muralist Danielle Mastrion. Under a second $20 million phase currently being designed and expected to be completed in 2021, the park will include a grand entrance on Fountain Avenue, lawn patios, a patio overlooking Hendrix Creek and pop-up environmental education facilities. A native of the borough, Chisholm, a former representative of the 12th Congressional district in New York for seven terms, was the first African American woman elected to Congress in 1968; she ran for President in 1972 as the first African American woman to do so.
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After a four-year renovation project, N train service in Brooklyn is fully restored

Photo via Wiki Commons

July 2, 2019

After a four-year renovation project, N train service in Brooklyn is fully restored

By Dana Schulz

The average New Yorker's biggest MTA gripe is delays at their station, but imagine having no station at all for two years? That's what residents in the Bensonhurst area of Brooklyn have endured. Beginning in July 2017, seven Coney Island-bound N train stations, starting at Fort Hamilton Parkway in Borough Park and stretching to 86th Street in Gravesend, were closed as part of the Sea Beach Line restoration project. After a sixth-month delay, the final phase is now complete, with four stations in Bensonhurst finally reopening, reports The City.
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Transit

440-square-foot Bushwick studio is sleek and sunny for $345K

Listing images by Travis Mark, courtesy of the Corcoran Group

July 1, 2019

440-square-foot Bushwick studio is sleek and sunny for $345K

Condo interiors are often less than inspiring—but a modern canvas that you can easily customize for your lifestyle is nothing to scoff at. This 441-square-foot studio in north Bushwick has all the bones you would look for: sunny southeastern exposures and hardwood floors, alongside efficient upgrades like central heating/cooling, your very own washer and dryer, and a topnotch security system. Located at 307 Cooper Street in a 2016 development nicknamed 18th Ward, the apartment is seeking a cool $345,000.
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Distinctive Homes

Listing photos courtesy of Douglas Elliman

July 1, 2019

Brooklyn Heights’ third-oldest house, with a gut renovation, is asking $10M

This wood frame house at 59 Middagh Street, which, according to the current listing, is considered third oldest home in Brooklyn Heights, was built in 1832 for a New York University professor. The 6,300-square-foot home certainly appears quaint–if unremarkable–on the outside. And while it's a spacious 28 feet wide, the home's interiors have been completely reconstructed with a high-end builder-grade renovation, giving it every contemporary luxury–including an elevator, a wet bar, a sauna and a gym–and all of the historic charm of a suburban McMansion. The six-bedroom, single-family home's last recorded sale was for $3 million in 2014. It's been on the market for nearly a year, first asking $11.5 million. After a broker switch and a price chop, the house is asking a still-ambitious $10 million.
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Distinctive Homes

$1.3M Cobble Hill condo adds contemporary details to traditional loft bones

Listing images by Matt Vacca, courtesy of Compass

June 27, 2019

$1.3M Cobble Hill condo adds contemporary details to traditional loft bones

Located in a former warehouse at 29 Tiffany Place that was converted to condos in 1999, this loft-like Cobble Hill pad underwent a recent renovation which, among other upgrades, transformed it from a three bedroom to a two bedroom with a bigger living room. The unit last sold in 2015 for $1.155 million, and has just hit the market asking $1.295 million.
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Five properties in Gowanus may be landmarked ahead of proposed rezoning

Via LPC

June 25, 2019

Five properties in Gowanus may be landmarked ahead of proposed rezoning

Five properties in Gowanus may be landmarked as the Brooklyn neighborhood prepares to be rezoned. The Landmarks Preservation Commission on Tuesday voted to calendar eight buildings across five properties in the neighborhood, describing them as both architecturally significant, as well as closely associated with the history of the Gowanus Canal. The decision to calendar the sites comes after the city released in January its rezoning draft for Gowanus, which includes enabling more residential buildings and access to the waterfront.
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Policy

LPC designates Bay Ridge’s first historic district

Courtesy of Landmarks Preservation Commission

June 25, 2019

LPC designates Bay Ridge’s first historic district

Bay Ridge has gained its first historic district. The Landmarks Preservation Commission voted on Tuesday to landmark an area in the Brooklyn neighborhood along Bay Ridge Parkway between 4th and 5th Avenues. Dubbed Doctors' Row due to its historic and current demographics, the district consists of one block of 54 architecturally consistent row houses. LPC Chair Sarah Carroll said after surveying Bay Ridge, the commission found that this particular block "really does stand out in the neighborhood in terms of high-quality architecture and consistency."
A first for Bay Ridge

Policy

New renderings reveal amenities at Eliot Spitzer’s Williamsburg-waterfront development

Renderings courtesy of Citi Habitats New Developments

June 25, 2019

New renderings reveal amenities at Eliot Spitzer’s Williamsburg-waterfront development

New renderings of 420 Kent Avenue, the Williamsburg waterfront development located just south of the Williamsburg Bridge, offer a first peek at the building’s amenity package as the project enters its final phase of construction. Set to open for leasing in August, residents will have access to more than 25,000 square feet of indoor amenities, in addition to 80,000 square feet of outdoor space—including an outdoor pool and a 400-foot-long waterfront esplanade—and 20,000 square feet of retail space. The development’s public esplanade will link the entire Brooklyn waterfront and is set to officially open on July 4th—just in time to give Williamsburg residents a front-row seat to the Macy’s Fireworks Show on the East River.
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MAP: Where to watch the 2019 4th of July fireworks

All map images courtesy of Macy’s

June 25, 2019

MAP: Where to watch the 2019 4th of July fireworks

The talented folks behind the hotly anticipated Macy’s Fourth of July live fireworks spectacular happening next Thursday evening have provided a detailed guide to the prime Manhattan spots for watching the night sky light up. Read on to get the scoop on official viewing points–and some unofficial favorites–and use the interactive map to make sure you’re in the right place when the pyrotechnics start at the Brooklyn Bridge.
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Events & Things To Do

Williamsburg duplex filled with light, storage, and sweet details lists for only $895K

Listing images by Rise Media

June 24, 2019

Williamsburg duplex filled with light, storage, and sweet details lists for only $895K

It’s not easy to find anything under $1 million in Williamsburg these days, but this $895,000 condo at 37 Powers Street comes in comfortably under the mark. Built in 2008, the unit comes with a rare combination of high-end features—central AC, a built-in sound system, a central vacuum system—and charming details, like exposed brick and beams. A loft space on the second floor provides a flexible home office, second bedroom, or guest room, while large closets throughout cover all your storage needs.
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Distinctive Homes

Charming studio on a tree-lined block in Cobble Hill seeks $395K

Listing images by Allyson Lubow

June 21, 2019

Charming studio on a tree-lined block in Cobble Hill seeks $395K

The sweet details at this classic Cobble Hill studio will distract you from the caveats of small-space living, including a charming fireplace framed by exposed brick to anchor the living space. And if that doesn’t get you, the centrally located address at 177 Amity Street certainly earns this petite, 350- square-foot pad it’s $395,000 asking price.
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Distinctive Homes

June 21, 2019

Remarkable Williamsburg shipping container townhouse is for sale asking $5.5M

Two years ago 6sqft reported on the rise of a singular single-family residence on a Williamsburg corner lot; the amazing townhouse was built from 21 steel shipping containers, tamed and transformed into a sleek and surprisingly livable home by the architecture and design firm LOT-EK for the Brooklyn couple behind neighborhood barbecue favorite Fette Sau. If you've always wanted to live in the 25-by-100-foot, 5,000-square-foot home at 2 Monitor Street, now's your chance; the house just hit the market for $5.5 million.
Tour this industry-inspired wonder

Celebrate the official start of summer at the Coney Island Mermaid Parade this weekend

Image via Flickr

June 21, 2019

Celebrate the official start of summer at the Coney Island Mermaid Parade this weekend

The 37th annual Mermaid Parade kicks off in Coney Island this Saturday, signaling the official start of the summer season. Celebrated as the largest "art parade" in the country, the festive lineup features marching bands, drill teams, floats, antique cars and some 1,500 participants dressed in handmade costumes of mermaids, sea creatures, and mythical figures. This year, Coney Island natives Arlo Guthrie & Nora Guthrie—who both grew up on Mermaid Avenue—will lead the way as Queen Mermaid and King Neptune. Per tradition, they'll be wheeled through in an antique wicker Boardwalk Rolling Chair dating back to 1923.
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Events & Things To Do

Photos by Nicole Mondrus for 6sqft

June 20, 2019

The world’s largest street art exhibition arrives in Williamsburg

By Nicole Mondrus

From June 21 to sometime in August, LA’s premier street art and graffiti exhibit will call Brooklyn home. “BEYOND THE STREETS” is a multimedia art exhibition that takes up two floors of 25 Kent Avenue in Williamsburg and is the biggest showcase of street art to date. With art by the likes of Fab 5 Freddy, The Beastie Boys, and the late Keith Haring, the exhibition celebrates the history of graffiti and street art and also examines public art as a means of protest and self-expression.
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Events & Things To Do

June 20, 2019

Notorious B.I.G.’s childhood home in Clinton Hill is renting for $4K a month

Late rapper Notorious B.I.G.'s former home in Clinton Hill hit the market this week as a $4,000 per month rental, the New York Post reported. In the song "Juicy," the artist, whose real name is Christopher Wallace, refers to the apartment at 226 St. James Place as a "one-room shack." The listing describes the renovated unit as a three-bedroom home with additional office space in "the desired neighborhood of the Clinton Hill historic district."
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Waitlist opens for ‘affordable’ units at Pacific Park’s modular tower, from $2,025/month

Via Flickr

June 20, 2019

Waitlist opens for ‘affordable’ units at Pacific Park’s modular tower, from $2,025/month

A rental tower in Brooklyn's long-plagued Pacific Park development is currently accepting applications for its affordable housing waitlist. The 363-unit building at 461 Dean Street opened in 2016, with its affordable housing lottery launching that same year. Three years later, the building's lottery waitlist has opened, inviting New Yorkers earning 160 percent of the area median income to apply for the not-so-affordable $2,025/month studios and $2,541/month one-bedrooms.
Find out if you qualify

Affordable Housing

Brooklyn Children’s Museum installs a rooftop playscape made from reclaimed water tower wood

Images courtesy of Tri-Lox

June 19, 2019

Brooklyn Children’s Museum installs a rooftop playscape made from reclaimed water tower wood

Images courtesy of Tri-Lox A new interactive playscape created by design and fabrication practice Tri-Lox brings creative play to the rooftop terrace at Brooklyn Children’s Museum in Crown Heights. Inspired by the unique nests made by the baya weaver bird, Nest is made from reclaimed NYC water tower wood fashioned into an organic form; the woven landscape has a climbable exterior, circular hammock area and permeable interior space, all designed to foster free play and discovery.
Find out what makes this playscape so special

Sunset Park gains four historic districts

535 to 545 48th Street via LPC

June 18, 2019

Sunset Park gains four historic districts

The Landmarks Preservation Commission on Tuesday voted to designate four historic districts in Sunset Park, protecting the Brooklyn neighborhood from potential out-of-scale alterations and development. The noncontiguous areas include Sunset Park North, Central Sunset Park, Sunset Park 50th Street, and Sunset Park South, all standing out for their cohesive and intact architecture, according to the commission.
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Policy

Dumbo celebration marks the 10th anniversary of the iconic Archway’s public life

The Brooklyn Flea under the Archway. Photo: Noemie Trusty, courtesy of Dumbo Improvement District.

June 18, 2019

Dumbo celebration marks the 10th anniversary of the iconic Archway’s public life

On Friday, June 21, Brooklyn's Dumbo neighborhood will be celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Archway under the Manhattan Bridge–the "UMBO" of Dumbo (Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass), so to speak. The Archway–one of the only covered outdoor spaces in New York City—has for the past decade served as the neighborhood's town square, giving hundreds of thousands of residents and visitors a prime public place for large-scale events, community gatherings, film shoots, art exhibitions and local start-up events. In celebration, expect food, music and visual arts exhibitions befitting a neighborhood with Dumbo's unique creative history.
Ahead, a transformation

Dorrance Brooks Square Historic District, St. Marks United Methodist Church. Image courtesy of NY State Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation.

June 17, 2019

Historic places in the UWS, Harlem and Sunset Park are recommended for state and national designation

Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced on Friday that the New York State Board for Historic Preservation has recommended adding 18 properties, resources, and districts to the State and National Registers of Historic Places. The new nominations include the Upper West Side home of author and civil rights activist James Baldwin, the Dorrance Brooks Square Historic District and the former 32nd Precinct Station House complex in Harlem, and the Fourth Avenue Methodist Episcopal Church in Sunset Park, Brooklyn in addition to 14 other nominated places throughout the state.
Find out how New York continues to recognize varied historic places

City designation saves Brooklyn’s Weeksville Heritage Center from uncertain financial future

The Center’s historic Hunterfly Road Houses via Wiki Commons

June 17, 2019

City designation saves Brooklyn’s Weeksville Heritage Center from uncertain financial future