Brooklyn

Own a pair of 1840s clapboard houses in Clinton Hill for $4.4M
June 1, 2018

Own a pair of 1840s clapboard houses in Clinton Hill for $4.4M

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Wooden houses are certainly dispersed throughout Brooklyn, but it's a rare opportunity when one hits the market. A few months ago, we uncovered a listing for Crown Heights' oldest home, a circa-1850s wood frame. Now, a pair of rare clapboard homes have hit the market in Clinton Hill and they're even older. Numbers 448 and 450 Waverly Avenue are thought to have been built in the 1840s or even earlier, according to the neighborhood's designation report. "The unusual pair of extremely wide (25 feet) clapboard houses" are the only example of pure Greek Revival buildings in the district, and they can be yours, individually or together for $4.4 million.
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New, permanent public pool coming to Brooklyn Bridge Park
June 1, 2018

New, permanent public pool coming to Brooklyn Bridge Park

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A conceptual rendering of the pool via Brooklyn Bridge Park After five years of having a pop-up pool at Pier 2, Brooklyn Heights is getting its own permanent public pool. This morning, Brooklyn Bridge Park officially announced plans to build a pool at Squibb Park, above Pier 1 near the Pierhouse condo. Together with the NYC Parks Department, BBP will develop, operate and maintain the pool and future amenities. Tentatively, the pool is scheduled to open in 2020, with community planning sessions to be held this summer and fall ahead of issuing a Request for Design Proposals.
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One week after the Brooklyn Bridge opened, a rumor of its collapse caused a fatal stampede

Drawing by a staff artist at Frank Leslie’s Illustrated Newspaper

May 30, 2018

One week after the Brooklyn Bridge opened, a rumor of its collapse caused a fatal stampede

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On May 24, 1883, the Brooklyn Bridge officially opened, with roughly 1,800 vehicles and over 150,000 people crossing what was then the only passageway between Brooklyn and Manhattan. Less than a week later, 12 people were killed and over 35 others injured in a violent stampede. On that fateful day, the bridge was brimming with people celebrating the Memorial Day holiday and checking out the new overpass, which was considered the longest bridge in the world at the time. A woman had tripped and fallen down the wooden stairs headed toward Manhattan, which caused another woman to scream. In a grand misinterpretation, a rumor was started that the bridge was about to collapse, sending the crowd into complete hysteria. Pedestrians ran to get off the bridge, stampeding their way to the entrance and pushing others to the ground.
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Fresh set of renderings for Dock 72, the new home for WeWork at the Brooklyn Navy Yard

Rendering of Dock 72 via Ekoomedia

May 30, 2018

Fresh set of renderings for Dock 72, the new home for WeWork at the Brooklyn Navy Yard

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New renderings have been unveiled of Dock 72, a 675,000-square-foot office building co-developed by Boston Properties and Rudin Management for the evolving Brooklyn Navy Yard. Surrounded by water on all sides but one, Dock 72, designed by S9 Architecture, features outdoor terraces, 35,000 square feet of amenities and unobstructed views of Manhattan. As the anchor tenant and co-developer, WeWork will occupy a third of the space, or 220,000 square feet. With its glassy facade installed, the 16-story office building is scheduled to wrap up construction in the fall, becoming one of the largest ground-up office buildings in the borough in nearly three decades.
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The backyard at this $1.2M Park Slope co-op is perfect for outdoor entertaining
May 29, 2018

The backyard at this $1.2M Park Slope co-op is perfect for outdoor entertaining

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For $1.2 million, get a huge, private backyard in Park Slope with an additional 900 square foot co-op attached. This two-bedroom unit at 134 Lincoln Place, just two blocks from Grand Army Plaza, has 530 square feet of sun-drenched outdoor space with enough space for a full-size dining table, lounge chairs, and a barbecue. The inside is equally charming, blending old and new details with a cool built-in dining nook perfect for when the party moves inside.
Have a look around
$3,800/month Williamsburg loft will let you buy all its cool art
May 25, 2018

$3,800/month Williamsburg loft will let you buy all its cool art

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This oversized one-bedroom loft, located at 63 North 3rd Street one block from the Williamsburg waterfront, is truly unique. Not only is there room for a convertible second bedroom (see the current cool cube) and access to a rooftop deck with stunning views, any and all of the art is for sale. Listed for $3,800 a month with no fee, the loft is currently home to Eye Dazzler studio's textile designers, hence all of the very cool rugs and wall hanging. 
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Proposal revealed for new public park on the Gowanus Canal’s Salt Lot
May 24, 2018

Proposal revealed for new public park on the Gowanus Canal’s Salt Lot

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The Salt Lot is a triangular piece of land just south of the point at which all three branches of the Gowanus Canal meet. The city-owned site hosts a NYC Compost Project facility, as well as the Gowanus Canal Conservancy's nursery and educational facilities. However, the EPA has mandated a new four-million-gallon retention tank be placed there to manage combined sewer overflow. Gowanus by Design (GbD) saw this new infrastructure requirement as a catalyst for sparking conversation about much needed public urban space in the area. They've therefore created a conceptual proposal for the Gowanus Salt Lot Public Park, which includes three buildings constructed with materials that reference the Canal's industrial history, along with sloping hills and wetlands.
More details and renderings ahead
Dockless bike-share pilot will roll out in four boroughs outside of Manhattan this summer

Photo via mamojo

May 24, 2018

Dockless bike-share pilot will roll out in four boroughs outside of Manhattan this summer

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Four outer-borough neighborhoods undeserved by Citi Bike will host dockless bike-share programs this summer, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced on Thursday. In July, the city's pilot kicks off in the beach communities of Coney Island and the Rockaways. The Bronx and Staten Island will also have the bike-share program, a first for both boroughs, near Fordham University and on the North Shore. "We are bringing new, inexpensive transportation options to neighborhoods that need them," de Blasio said in a statement. "Dockless public bike sharing starts this summer, and we're excited to see how New Yorkers embrace this new service."
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Lottery launches for three middle-income units in historic Weeksville for $2,700/month

Rendering via Samuel Wieder Associates

May 24, 2018

Lottery launches for three middle-income units in historic Weeksville for $2,700/month

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A housing lottery launched this week for three middle-income units in the Crown Heights area of Weeksville, a historic Brooklyn neighborhood founded by freed African Americans about 180 years ago. Conveniently, the newly constructed rental at 233 Buffalo Avenue sits just a few blocks from the Weeksville Heritage Center, a museum dedicated to preserving the history of the 19th century African American community. Qualifying New Yorkers earning 130 percent of the area median income can apply for the $2,700/month three-bedroom units.
Find out if you qualify
Jennifer Connelly trades Tribeca co-op for $15M Brooklyn Heights townhouse

140 Columbia Heights via Google Earth; Photo of Jennifer Connelly via Wikimedia

May 23, 2018

Jennifer Connelly trades Tribeca co-op for $15M Brooklyn Heights townhouse

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Actors Jennifer Connelly and Paul Bettany are switching boroughs by selling their Tribeca co-op and picking up a Brooklyn Heights townhouse for $15.5 million. The sale represents one of the most expensive deals in Brooklyn ever, according to the Wall Street Journal. While the transaction was off-market, an old listing for the Brooklyn property at 140 Columbia Heights describes the 8,000-square-foot home as having views of the Statue of Liberty and the Lower Manhattan skyline. The sellers are Timothy Ingrassia, a Goldman Sachs executive, and his wife Stephanie, who serves as a vice chair on the Brooklyn Museum's board of trustees. The Ingrassias paid $10.75 million for the property in 2006.
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A charming two bedroom co-op in the Park Slope Historic District for under $1M
May 23, 2018

A charming two bedroom co-op in the Park Slope Historic District for under $1M

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A Park Slope Historic District two-bedroom co-op apartment on a quintessential tree-lined street for under $1 million? Yup. Renovated in 2015, the $925,000 home at 105 Park Place blends modern amenities with historic features such as original wood shutters, pine wood floors, and a wood burning fireplace with a carved marble mantle. Plus, with a southern exposure, this top floor residence is filled with natural light year-round--hence the current owners' plethora of plants. 
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‘Little Haiti’ district will come to Brooklyn’s Flatbush neighborhood

Photo via Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams on Twitter

May 22, 2018

‘Little Haiti’ district will come to Brooklyn’s Flatbush neighborhood

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To celebrate the thousands of Haitian-Americans who have called Flatbush home for decades, city officials revealed last week plans to designate the "Little Haiti Business and Cultural District" in the Brooklyn neighborhood. The borough boasts one of the largest communities of Haitian-Americans in the country, with more than 90,000 individuals of Haitian descent living in Brooklyn. Once the City Council passes a resolution, an official Little Haiti district would be able to request funding earmarked for cultural initiatives, obtain permits easier, create a museum and build monuments, the Observer reported Monday. Marking the new district, lawmakers and locals on Friday unveiled a new street sign for Nostrand Avenue, where it meets Newkirk Avenue, which will now be co-named "Toussaint L'Ouverture Boulevard," to honor a leader of the Haitian Revolution.
More details here
May 22, 2018

Downtown Brooklyn gets another high-rise headed for 511 feet tall

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The new hotspot for tall towers, Downtown Brooklyn, will be getting another contender, CityRealty reports. Revised permits show that a 43-story, 511-foot tower set to rise at 540 Fulton Street will contain 327 residential units along with retail and office space. The building's height is only about a foot shy of the former Williamsburgh Savings Bank Tower–now condos–which held the title of Brooklyn's tallest high-rise from 1929 to 2009. The new tower will join Brooklyn's future tallest towers: 720-foot 138 Willoughby Avenue (Brooklyn Point),986-foot 80 Flatbush, and 1,000+ foot 9 Dekalb.
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Get a free hot dog and become a living piece of art at Brooklyn Bridge Park

Photo courtesy of the Public Art Fund

May 21, 2018

Get a free hot dog and become a living piece of art at Brooklyn Bridge Park

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This summer, from June 9th to August 26th, from 12pm to 6pm, Austrian artist Erwin Wurm's Hot Dog Bus will distribute free hot dogs to anyone who agrees to eat it. The Hot Dog Bus, which will be parked at Brooklyn Bridge Park, is presented by the Public Art Fund. The project’s goal is to both get people to eat (is this really a goal we need?) and to think of the human body as a piece of art, specifically as a sculpture. According to the Public Art Fund site, “it is the participation of the viewer that 'completes' the work.”
What's cookin?
Three chances to snag a middle-income apartment in East Flatbush, from $1,733/month

Photo via Absolute Consulting/ Michael Avramides Architects

May 21, 2018

Three chances to snag a middle-income apartment in East Flatbush, from $1,733/month

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A recently constructed building in the East Flatbush neighborhood of Brooklyn launched a lottery this week for three middle-income units. The rental units at 1544 Nostrand Avenue sit just a block from the 2 and 5 trains at Church Avenue and about a mile from the southern part of Prospect Park. Qualifying New Yorkers earning 130 percent of the area median income can apply for the $1,733/month one-bedroom and $2,089/month two-bedroom apartments. While the lottery offers a discount, it's relatively small, with market-rate one-bedrooms in Flatbush going for $1,917/month for a one-bedroom and $2,120 for a two-bedroom on average, according to RENTCafe.
Find out if you qualify
Live in a new Art Deco-inspired rental in Crown Heights, from $1,080/month

Via CitiHabitats

May 18, 2018

Live in a new Art Deco-inspired rental in Crown Heights, from $1,080/month

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A Karl Fischer-designed rental in Crown Heights launched a lottery this week for 40 affordable one- and two-bedroom apartments. Dubbed The Frederick, the building at 564 St. John's Place boasts a masonry and cast stone facade lined with stunning bay windows. To break away from the cookie-cutter look of new developments, the Frederick has residences with "state-of-the-art, but full of uncommon detail," according to the building website. Qualifying New Yorkers earning 60 percent of the area median income can apply for the affordable units, consisting of $1,080/month one-bedrooms and $1,223/month two-bedrooms.
Find out if you qualify
Proposal calls for a floating pedestrian bridge to connect Greenpoint and Long Island City

Rendering via CRÈME / Jun Aizaki Architecture and Design

May 17, 2018

Proposal calls for a floating pedestrian bridge to connect Greenpoint and Long Island City

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A Kickstarter campaign launched on Thursday for a civic design project aimed at reconnecting the neighborhoods of Greenpoint and Long Island City and the residents who live there. Brooklyn-based studio CRÈME/ Jun Aizaki Architecture & Design's concept, called Timber Bridge at LongPoint Corridor, calls for constructing a floating bridge made of durable timber that would sit on Newtown Creek and expand past to the LIRR rail yard in LIC. Not only would it provide people greater access to transit options, according to the design team, Timber Bridge would give bikers and pedestrians a safer commute than the Pulaski Bridge, a less-than-ideal path with lots of cars.
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Holly Hunter lists historic Fort Greene townhouse for $4.5M
May 17, 2018

Holly Hunter lists historic Fort Greene townhouse for $4.5M

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Holly Hunter seems to be a perennial house hunter. In 2014, the Academy Award-winning actress sold her Greenwich Village apartment for $7.6 million. Now, she’s selling again, according to the Post. Hunter has just listed her 19th-century Brooklyn brownstone at 20 South Oxford Street, half a block away from Fort Greene Park, for $4.5 million. Built in 1864, the four-bedroom Italianate home is filled with original details.
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27 middle-income apartments up for grabs in Prospect-Lefferts Gardens, from $1,807/month
May 16, 2018

27 middle-income apartments up for grabs in Prospect-Lefferts Gardens, from $1,807/month

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Photo of Prospect Park via Maria Eklind on Flickr A second affordable housing lottery launched for the Lincoln Road Apartments, a two-tower rental building offering up 27 middle-income units. Located in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Prospect-Lefferts Gardens, the rentals at 31-33 Lincoln Road sit directly across from sprawling Prospect Park. In addition to its proximity to the park, 33 Lincoln provides residents a common roof deck, fitness center, a lounge and lots of storage. The apartments sit less than 500 feet from the B and Q trains at the Prospect Park Subway stop. New Yorkers earning 130 percent of the area median income can apply for units ranging from $1,807/month studios to $2,733/month two-bedroom apartments.
Find out if you qualify
Vendors unveiled for Williamsburg’s new food hall, set to open next to Radegast Hall this month

Di Fara, considered one of the best pizzerias in NYC, will open at the Williamsburg food hall; photo via apasciuto on Flickr

May 16, 2018

Vendors unveiled for Williamsburg’s new food hall, set to open next to Radegast Hall this month

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Does New York City really need another food hall? Before answering, check out the list of impressive vendors setting up shop in Williamsburg's new food hall at the end of May. The line-up includes iconic Di Fara pizza from Midwood, James Beard-nominated baker Zachary Golper's Bien Cuit, Brooklyn ramen shop Chuko, Greenwich Village's Corner Bistro and over a dozen more well-established food and retail vendors, according to Eater NY. Developer LENY market agency MRKTPL will open the doors on May 29 to its 15,000-square-foot indoor space at 103 North 3rd Street, where it will share a space with popular Radegast Hall & Biergarten, with a limited-vendor menu. Starting June 4, the North 3rd Street Market's hours will be extended and the full roster of vendors will be ready to serve up some tasty fare.
Dig into the details
Apply for 39 middle-income units by the Williamsburg waterfront, from $1,999/month
May 16, 2018

Apply for 39 middle-income units by the Williamsburg waterfront, from $1,999/month

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Renderings of 321 Wythe via ND Architecture & Design A newly constructed mixed-use building located near the Williamsburg Bridge has launched a lottery for 39 middle-income apartments. Built on the site of a former parking lot and single-story church, the 19-story tower at 321 Wythe Avenue includes 130 rental units, two floors of amenities, and an adjacent healthcare facility. Notably, because developer Watermark Capital Group is leasing the property from Saints Peter and Paul Church, certain activities "not in line with Catholicism" will be prohibited, DNAinfo reported in 2015. This includes a ban on things related to abortion, birth control, euthanasia, pornography, and stem-cell research. Despite these strange stipulations, the ND Architecture-designed tower does sit in a prime location, just steps from a host of bars, coffee shops, restaurants and the Williamsburg waterfront. Qualifying New Yorkers earning 130 percent of the area median income can apply for the available 17, $1,999/month one-bedrooms and the 22 $2,399/month two-bedrooms.
Find out if you qualify
Quirky nautical-themed Brooklyn Heights flat where Norman Mailer wrote his novels lists for $2.4M
May 15, 2018

Quirky nautical-themed Brooklyn Heights flat where Norman Mailer wrote his novels lists for $2.4M

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Not only did Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Norman Mailer write several of his well-known novels including “The Executioner’s Song” and “Ancient Evenings” while living on the top floor of this landmarked 1840 townhouse at 142 Columbia Heights, the author transformed the space to resemble a ship, complete with a double-height glass and wood atrium and a smooth wood ceiling that recalled a sailboat's curves. This unique property, now on the market for $2.4 million, spans 1,636 square feet, and features multiple outdoor terraces with sweeping views of Manhattan, the Brooklyn Bridge and the Statue of Liberty. The sale also includes a separate one-bedroom unit on the third floor.
But there's more
Lottery opens for six middle-income apartments near the Greenpoint waterfront

View from one of 56 Box Streets terraces, via Nooklyn

May 15, 2018

Lottery opens for six middle-income apartments near the Greenpoint waterfront

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Just two blocks inland from Newton Creek and right near hot spots like the Brooklyn Ice Cream Company, Saint Vitus Bar, and Milk & Roses, a stretch of Box Street is transforming from its industrial past to a more modern, residential block. At 56 Box Street, a new six-story rental, new Greenpoint tenants started moving in last August, and now a middle-income lottery has launched for six of the units, $2,253/month one-bedrooms and $2,716/month two-bedrooms. The market-rate units go from $2,650/month one-bedrooms to $3,300/month two-bedrooms. So while this isn't the deal of the century, there are still some savings to be had in an up-and-coming 'hood.
Find out if you qualify
The buzz on Boerum Hill: How an iconic Brooklyn neighborhood blends old and new
May 15, 2018

The buzz on Boerum Hill: How an iconic Brooklyn neighborhood blends old and new

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Shelly Place, an agent with Triplemint, describes Boerum Hill as “the perfect blend of old and new. Geographically, it is smack dab in the middle of Brooklyn, convenient to downtown [Manhattan], and close enough without being in the middle of the hustle and bustle. You can go days or weeks without ever leaving Boerum Hill but, if you want, you have the rest Brooklyn right there.” Known for tree-lined streets filled with historic brownstones, Boerum Hill is one of those unique neighborhoods that has successfully blended past and present in a way few communities have been able to. There are a ton of great restaurants and creative cocktail lounges and independent specialty stores alongside the big brands, like Apple, Whole Foods’ 365, and Lululemon, lining Smith Street and Atlantic Avenue. And with a slew of new contextual developments springing up, it's time to turn your attention to the buzz on Boerum Hill.
Everything you need to know about Boerum Hill
Coney Island boardwalk designated as a New York City landmark

Photo via Shinya Suzuki’s Flickr

May 15, 2018

Coney Island boardwalk designated as a New York City landmark

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Ninety-five years to the day since it first opened, the Coney Island boardwalk has been officially designated by the Landmarks Preservation Commission as NYC's 11th scenic landmark. The historic designation includes 2.7 miles of public beachfront, stretching from Coney Island's West 37th Street to Brighton 15th Street in Brighton Beach. Since 2014, Council Member Mark Treyger has pushed for the boardwalk to be landmarked, but the commission repeatedly rejected the proposal. "The Coney Island Boardwalk is as much a part of the culture as it is a part of the history of New York City," LPC Chair Meenakshi Srinivasan said in a press release Tuesday. "It is a beloved public space that embodies Coney Island’s democratic spirit and reflects our City’s values of tolerance, inclusivity and equity."
More details here
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