Brooklyn

April 4, 2018

MTA sued over L train shutdown plan to transform 14th Street into an all-bus corridor

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority released late last year its mitigation plan for the 15-month shutdown of the L train, set to begin in April of next year, calling for an all-bus, no-car corridor on 14th Street between Third and Ninth Avenues. The city says the MTA will have to run 70 buses every hour across the Williamsburg Bridge in order to accommodate the projected 84,000 daily bus riders. According to the New York Times, this would make 14th Street the busiest bus route in the country. In response, a coalition of Lower Manhattan neighborhood groups on Tuesday filed a federal lawsuit against the MTA and the city's Department of Transportation in attempt to stop repairs of the L train, claiming the agencies failed to conduct an environmental review before releasing its plan.
More here
April 2, 2018

Live in a loft above the Red Hook Fairway for $7K/month

It boasts spectacular views of the Statue of Liberty and Manhattan skyline. It features original Civil War-era wood beams and natural oak flooring. But the best attribute of the two-and-a-half bedroom apartment available to rent at 275 Conover Street might very well be the Fairway Market located on the ground floor of the building. Found in the historic Red Hook Stores building, a 1860s-era warehouse with renovated loft apartments, the pad is asking $7,000 per month (grocery bill not included). As Brick Underground learned, that's roughly two and a half times the median rent for a two-bedroom in the Brooklyn neighborhood.
Get the details
March 30, 2018

Celebrate Prospect Park’s opening weekend with an 1860s-style ballgame, a scavenger hunt and more

Image by Elizabeth Keegin Colley for the Prospect Park Alliance Spring has officially sprung. And what better way to welcome the season than celebrating with a weekend full of activities at Prospect Park? To kick off the park's opening weekend on April 7th and 8th, the Prospect Park Alliance will bring events like free yoga, a baseball parade and 1860s exhibition baseball game, a fair, history tour and much more. Although most events are free, a few require advance reservation and some cost a couple of bucks. Ahead, check out the full schedule of events.
More details here
March 30, 2018

$925K North Slope brownstone co-op comes with a fireplace, a loft, and a loggia

Looking at the 25-foot wide townhouse known as the Warwick at 8 8th Avenue in one of the prettiest spots in brownstone Brooklyn, it's easy to imagine that the apartment within would be a study in historic parlor-floor grandeur–and this well-maintained two-bedroom co-op doesn't disappoint. Steps from Grand Army Plaza and a few blocks from Prospect Park, this anything-but-boring home on the Park Slope/Prospect Heights border boasts a romantic wood-burning fireplace and historic details, plus quirky surprises like a loft and a loggia.
Take a tour
March 29, 2018

New renderings for Tishman Speyer’s 10-story office tower above Downtown Brooklyn Macy’s

Tishman Speyer last April unveiled plans to revamp the Macy's building at 422 Fulton Street in Downtown Brooklyn by building a 10-story office tower on top of it. Now, new renderings have been released this week of the building, known as the Wheeler, highlighting the design's fusion of 19th century and Art Deco architecture. A 256-foot tall glassy addition to the historic department store will add over 840,000 square feet of commercial space, according to YIMBY.
See the renderings
March 29, 2018

‘Atlantic Chestnut’ development will bring over 1,100 fully-affordable units to East New York

A mixed-use development will bring 1,165 fully-affordable units to the Brooklyn neighborhood of East New York, an evolving community in need of new and preserved housing. Dattner Architects released this week new renderings of the development, dubbed Atlantic Chestnut after the two streets it will face (h/t CityRealty). The complex, which will include three 14-story buildings, sits on 4.5 acres and measures over a million square feet. The three buildings will be completed in successive phases, with the first scheduled to wrap up in 2020, the second in 2021 and the third in 2022.
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March 29, 2018

Daniel Libeskind’s first New York City building may be affordable senior housing in Bed-Stuy

Though he has called New York home for decades, noted Polish-American architect Daniel Libeskind has yet to see a NYC building to completion. But it appears that may soon change, as CityRealty reports that his first ground-up building will be a 197-unit affordable housing project on Site 2 of the Sumner Houses in Bed-Stuy. A January press release announcing the selection of the project’s developers credits Studio Daniel Libeskind as the designer of the 10-story building-to-be, and a rendering shows an angular white-colored building done in the firm’s signature un-orthogonal style.
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March 29, 2018

Time Out is bringing a food hall to the Dumbo waterfront this year

Time Out Group, the British company that writes up everyone's favorite freebie magazine Time Out New York, announced on Wednesday that it will open a massive food hall in Brooklyn this year. Set to open between October and December, the 21,000-square-foot Time Out Market New York will be located in the Empire Stores at 55 Water Street in Dumbo. According to the company, the food market will feature a group of 20 restaurants hand-selected by the magazine's editors, three bars and a performance stage.
Dig in
March 27, 2018

Brooklyn Heights wood-frame, once Truman Capote’s muse, still on the market a year later for $2M less

The  wood-frame house at 13 Pineapple Street in Brooklyn Heights was previously noted by 6sqft for having inspired Truman Capote's words about the neighborhood in 1959: "Cheerfully austere, as elegant and other-era as formal calling cards, these houses bespeak an age of able servants and solid fireside ease; of horses in musical harness," wrote the author, referencing the 1830 Federal-era home around the corner from his own. The house, owned by the same couple for 26 years, hit the market in January of 2017 for $10.5 million. After a new price chop, the home's second in just over a year, the grey-shingled muse is asking $8.4 million.
Have another look
March 26, 2018

Lottery launches for 38 affordable units at an amenity-rich Clinton Hill building, from $735/month

Located within walking distance to the Barclays Center and Prospect Park, a newly constructed building at 555 Waverly Avenue in Clinton Hill has 38 affordable apartments up for grabs. The eight-story building, situated between bustling Fulton Street and Atlantic Avenue, features amenities like on-site parking, a landscaped roof deck, indoor lounges and a 1,500-square-foot fitness center. Qualifying New Yorkers earning 60 percent of the area median income can apply for the units ranging from $735/month studios to $888/month two-bedroom apartments.
Find out if you qualify
March 26, 2018

Ditmas Park house featured in ‘Futurama’ asks $2.2M

In addition to being an enchanting single-family home with a big front porch and a garage, this Ditmas Park house at 516 Rugby Road has the fun history of being the home of "Futurama" star Philip J. Fry (h/t Curbed). The seven-bedroom house was the childhood home of one of the popular cartoon's writers, Eric Kaplan. The well-preserved 1905 Brooklyn home is asking $2.195 million.
Take the tour
March 23, 2018

My 330sqft: A Greenpoint photographer does ‘grandpa cool’ in his earthy pad

After studying photography in Massachusetts, Brett Wood moved to New York in 2001. At the time, all he knew is that he wanted to be close to the artists he admired, but nearly two decades later, he's made a home for himself in Brooklyn and a career that sends him around the world. Though he's usually capturing other New Yorkers' home for 6sqft, Brett has now stepped out from the behind the lens to show off his own Greenpoint pad. A mix of earthy colors and textiles, eclectic finds from his travels, and an aesthetic that he endearingly describes as "cool grandad," Brett's home is certainly the making of someone with an eye for style.
Take the tour
March 22, 2018

Extell launches sales at Brooklyn’s current tallest tower, starting at $837K

Extell on Thursday officially launched sales at Brooklyn Point, the developer's first skyscraper in the borough. According to the building's site, units available include studios, one-, two- and three-bedroom condos, ranging from $837,000 to $3,413,000 in price. Residents at the 720-foot tower, located at 138 Willoughby Street in Downtown Brooklyn, will enjoy a plethora of amenities including a wine room, a stroller valet, well-equipped fitness center and, of course, the highest rooftop pool in the Western Hemisphere.
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March 22, 2018

Lottery launches for seven affordable apartments in Park Slope, from $642/month

Ever fantasize about living in the gem of Brooklyn's brownstone belt? A new lottery for seven affordable housing units in Park Slope just might turn that dream into reality. The newly renovated apartments are located in various buildings in the historic neighborhood: 643 President Street, 579 Warren Street and 677 and 680 Union Street. Qualifying New Yorkers earning 40, 50 or 60 percent of the area median income can apply for the studio and one-bedroom apartments, which start at $787/month and $642/month respectively.
Find out if you qualify
March 21, 2018

One of only two condos with private terraces at One57 lists for $28.5M

Sure, Michael Dell has bragging rights to buying One57's $100 million penthouse, the most expensive home ever sold in New York City, but Bill Ackman's $91.5 million buy a few floors down came with a coveted terrace. Only two units in the Billionaires' Row building claim "private outdoor space on the park," and the second has just come on the market for the first time, asking $28.5 million. Dubbed the Spring Garden Residence (as opposed to Ackman's "Winter Garden Penthouse," as Curbed notes), the 41st- and 42nd-floor duplex boasts a 43-foot-long great room wrapped in floor-to-ceiling windows that lead to a 671-foot solarium and a terrace with views of the park and skyline.
Take a tour
March 20, 2018

13 affordable units up for grabs at new Bushwick rental Lyceum Square, from $856/month

Bushwick's latest rental Lyceum Square, at 961 Willoughby Avenue, just commenced move-ins at the beginning of the year for its market-rate units, which start at $2,295/month for one-bedrooms and go up to $2,970/month for three-bedrooms. But there are now 13 chances to live in the 63-unit building, complete with a large, furnished roof deck, for much less. New Yorkers earning 60 percent of the area median income can apply for the affordable apartments, which range from $856/month studios to $1,114/month two-bedrooms.
Find out if you qualify
March 20, 2018

Original Park Slope ‘brownstoner’ lists his Victorian wonderland for $4M

When Clem Labine bought the townhouse at 199 Berkeley Place in Park Slope for $25,000 back in 1966, Brooklyn was a very different place. Among the original wave of "brownstoners" who bought dilapidated townhomes to give themselves more living space and put years of sweat equity into restoring them, Labine, now 81, went on to found Old-House Journal (“Restoration and Maintenance Techniques for the Antique House”), and live in the painstakingly-preserved home for over 50 years (h/t Brownstoner). The Neo-Grec-style house was was built in 1883 along with 10 other homes. A much-subdivided rental SRO when Labine rescued it, it's now an impressive two-family home listed for $3.895 million.
Gaze at this well-preserved brownstone treasure
March 20, 2018

More Banksy work pops up in Brooklyn, this time commenting on capitalism and real estate

Banksy is at it again. Last Friday, we highlighted the 70-foot mural on the Houston Bowery Wall depicting the Turkish artist Zehra Dogan’s unjust prison sentence. Now the elusive street artist is taking credit for two murals on a derelict site slated for redevelopment in Midwood, Brooklyn, reports Hyperallergic. One of the murals depicts a man in a suit and hard hat (most likely a real estate developer), cracking a whip that looks like a stock market up arrow, over a group of children and adults desperate to get away. Coincidence or not, Trump has properties in nearby Coney Island. The mural is classic Banksy commentary on the evils and influence of capitalism.
Details on the second piece
March 19, 2018

Wunderbroker Ryan Serhant bought Jonathan Safran Foer’s perfect Brooklyn brownstone–at a discount

“Million Dollar Listing New York" star Ryan Serhant had recently taken over the listing for novelist Jonathan Safran Foer's gorgeous five-story Boerum Hill home, asking $8.995 million; the award-winning scribe first listed the home with Compass for $10.5 million last May. Now, according to The Real Deal, Serhant is the new owner of the 8,000-square-foot townhouse. Safran Foer bought the 1899 Greek Revival home at 374 Pacific Street for $5.4 million in 2014, so while the sale price represents a price chop, he didn't do too badly on the deal.
Take one last look
March 16, 2018

Coney Island boardwalk likely to be landmarked

Image:  Shinya Suzuki via Flickr After repeatedly declining to protect the celebrated walkway–even as its wooden planks become increasingly replaced with concrete and plastic as a result of Superstorm Sandy repairs–the city's Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) has agreed to add the historic Coney Island Boardwalk to the agency's list of properties to consider for protected status, according to remarks made at a LPC hearing Thursday, Crain's reports. LPC chair Meenakshi Srinivasan said the boardwalk–its official name is the Riegelmann Boardwalk–could be protected as early as this spring or summer.
It could happen in time for summer
March 16, 2018

The Urban Lens: Artist Janice McDonnell captures Brooklyn’s waterfront with her paintings

6sqft’s series The Urban Lens invites artists to share work exploring a theme or a place within New York City. In this installment, Janice McDonnell shares some of her paintings of the Brooklyn waterfront. Are you an artist who’d like to see your work featured on The Urban Lens? Get in touch with us at [email protected]. In a city as bustling and overbuilt as New York, it's easy to forget this metropolis' roots as a port city, and that all boroughs but the Bronx are islands. The timeless beauty of NYC's watery surroundings are not lost on artist Janice McDonnell, who has produced a series of paintings of the Brooklyn waterfront. "It started out as just documenting to enjoy myself," McDonell said. That's how it started, but the more she got into it from her Dumbo studio, the more the combination of buildings near the broad harbor and their contrast to the sky began to resonate with her. Ahead, see Janice's paintings and hear all about her inspiration and process.
Dive in
March 16, 2018

Crown Building penthouse may be in contract for $180M, beating NYC record by $80M

Another Billionaire's Row sky mansion–this one with a piano lounge, two kitchens, a wraparound terrace, and two swimming pools spread out over five stories at 730 Fifth Avenue–is on its way to record-smashing glory, according to The Real Deal. Sources say an unknown buyer has spoken for the 12,536-square-foot residence in the actual crown of the Crown Building, to the tune of $180 million. If the sale closes, it will be the New York City's most expensive sale ever at $14,358 per foot (also a record), surpassing Michael Dell's $100.5 million penthouse atop Extell Development’s One57.
Check this place out
March 15, 2018

Tiffany Place jewel box-condo has a refined rustic vibe and a room of Tiffany blue

Fitting right in with the refined/quirky feel of Brooklyn's Columbia Street Waterfront, this two-bedroom corner condominium has been outfitted with pretty custom details that highlight the basics of the warehouse conversion at 29 Tiffany Place. Rustic bones and creative renovations make this spacious two-bedroom home appear anything but square.
Take a closer look
March 15, 2018

Brownstones and ballot boxes: The fight for women’s suffrage in Brooklyn

Today, Brooklyn is home to all things avant-garde, but Kings County has always led the pack. Beginning as early as 1868, the women of Brooklyn established one of the first suffrage organizations in the country and began advocating for women’s enfranchisement and political equality. The "wise women of Brooklyn," as they were lauded in suffrage literature, made some of the foremost contributions to the movement. From the Silent Sentinels, who organized the first March on Washington, to the African American women who established the nation’s first suffrage organization by and for Black women, Brooklyn was home to extraordinary advocates. Here are eight badass Brooklynites who brought us the ballot.
Learn their histories here
March 15, 2018

Crown Heights’ oldest house debuts as a condo conversion, with two units each priced over $2M

Crown Heights oldest home--long considered a neighborhood eyesore--has undergone a complete transformation. The Susan B. Elkins House is a circa-1850s wood frame at 1375 Dean Street, and the only home in the neighborhood that dates back to when the area was rural. In later years, the individual landmark fell into serious disrepair, only to be purchased in 2014 for a condo conversion. Now it's ready for residents after a complete and total renovation overseen by nC2 Architecture and Komaru Enterprises. The house has been split into four duplex units, ranging from 2,000 to 2,600 square feet. Two have just hit the market, with the eye-popping price tags of $2.3 and $2.7 million.
The interior was gutted
March 14, 2018

Clinton Hill Halloween Queen’s celebrated townhouse hits the market for $2.65M

Brooklynites know and love Janna Kennedy Hyten, the Halloween Queen of Clinton Hill. For over 20 years, she hosted a spooky bash known as Halloween 313 right outside her historic townhouse. Sadly, the performance has come to an end and Kennedy Hyten has gone ahead and listed her home --a duplex on the lower floors--for sale. The gorgeous spread, with tons of historic details intact, is asking $2.65 million.
See the not-so-spooky interior