Brooklyn

March 15, 2016

This $1.2M Factory Loft With a Rooftop Garden Is a Pleasant Surprise in Greenwood

A certain "just right" location can make a buying a home there seem like it's a way better idea than it might have been, say, ten years ago. That certainly describes one thing this unexpected loft condominium has going for it; it's exactly at the crossroads where Greenwood meets South Slope and Sunset Park, with a side of Gowanus. All of those neighborhoods are uniquely poised, each in their own way, to become some of the most exciting districts in Brooklyn. Though the surrounding streets are more likely to yield modest clapboard or brick multi-family homes, this 1,255 square foot condominium in a converted factory building at 248 17th Street just south of the border (of Park Slope) conveys a vibe of cool, authentic loft living, with poured concrete floors, painted brick walls, 14-foot ceilings and oversized steel-framed casement windows. And while the $1.2 million price tag may be a sign of the times, it's definitely a sign of the territory.
Check out this lovely loft

Distinctive Homes

March 14, 2016

New Close-Up Renderings of Brooklyn’s Future Tallest Tower

By Dana Schulz

About a month ago we were treated to a lone rendering of Brooklyn’s future tallest tower at 340 Flatbush Avenue Extension (now re-dubbed 9 DeKalb Avenue) that showed its full 1,066-foot height, towering against the rest of Downtown Brooklyn. Now, Curbed has spotted a full set of views, these showing more facade details and close ups of the building's triangular base next to the historic Dime Savings Bank.
All the renderings ahead

March 14, 2016

Surfboard Storage and Skylights at This $2.7M Mixed-Use Building in Williamsburg

By Emily Nonko

This Williamsburg townhouse at 61 Withers Street has been outfitted with all kinds of bonuses. A recent reno brought skylights, custom built-in shelving -- perfect for a surfboard collection -- and a new kitchen. Then there's 1,700 square feet of outdoor space and a commercial unit on the ground floor for some extra income to pay off that $2.69 million price tag. Finally, the zoning for this site allows a new buyer to expand the property, adding an extra 1,800 square feet.
Take a look inside

Distinctive Homes

March 11, 2016

Spotlight: The Word on Whiskey From Kings County Distillery’s Colin Spoelman

By Susan Cohen

Colin Spoelman moved to New York for post-grad job opportunities, but it was his home state of Kentucky that ended up giving him direction. On trips back home, he developed a deep appreciation for moonshine and distilling, and now his interest has gone from hobby to profession. Six years ago, Colin combined his Kentucky roots, his life in Brooklyn, and his love of distilling whiskey through Kings County Distillery, where he is one of the founders (along with David Haskell) and the head distiller. Founded in 2010, Kings County Distillery is making a name for itself with the whiskey and bourbon it distills at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, making it New York City's oldest operating whiskey distillery, the first since prohibition. The company started with eight five-gallon stills, and were at the time the smallest commercial distillery in America. But they now have a 250-gallon and a 180-gallon still and are beginning to distribute out west and internationally. With St. Patrick's Day coming up and lots of whiskey drinking to be had, 6sqft spoke with Colin to find out what's distilling in Brooklyn and why it makes perfect sense to make whiskey in this borough.
The full interview, this way

March 11, 2016

Barn Wood and Brick Abound at This $1.1M Cobble Hill Co-op

By Dana Schulz

It's not surprising that this ridiculously charming Cobble Hill co-op restoration was featured in Good Housekeeping Magazine. From it's cozy furniture to rustic architecture, the one-bedroom home at 29 Tompkins Place has a little something for every type of design lover. We can't quite pinpoint the style, but it seems to be a mashup of country cabin, bespoke Brooklyn, and midwestern flair. It's currently on the market for $1,115,000 (h/t Curbed), which will get you details like exposed brick, crown moldings, wide-plank hardwood floors, and two cozy faux fireplaces.
You don't want to miss this one

Distinctive Homes

March 11, 2016

New Renderings of Boerum Hill’s Nevins Condominium, Teaser Site Launched

By Ondel Hylton

Walk down any of Downtown Brooklyn's high streets -- Court, Fulton, or Atlantic Avenue -- and you'll experience a palpable energy that can now rival any American downtown. Thanks to its cost advantages relative to Manhattan, the surging city economy, and attractive building stock, the district seems to have reached a level of vibrancy worthy of its borough's 2.1 million inhabitants. Since a major upzoning in 2004, the one-gritty hub has attracted thousands of residents and now has more than 41 million square feet of residential, commercial, and institutional space completed, under construction, or in the pipeline, according to an NYU Rudin Center report. Along the district's southern periphery, where its new soaring tower blocks transition into the genteel streetscapes of Boerum Hill, the Nevins condominium rises at 319 Schermerhorn Street. Now Curbed has spotted the first renderings of the 21-story, 73-unit development and the newly launched registration site for prospective buyers.
More details ahead

March 10, 2016

Property Markets Group Shares New Eye Candy of 111 West 57th Street

By Ondel Hylton

Here's a new set of images of Property Markets Group's and JDS Development's 111 West 57th Street. In case you haven't been paying attention, the highly-anticipated tower will be among the tallest residential skyscrapers in the world, climbing some 1,421 feet high to its tip. Designed by SHoP Architects, the feathery spire is sheathed in terra cotta, bronze and a glass curtain wall. The tower will be the most slender skyscraper in the world with a height to width ratio of 24:1.
More renderings ahead

March 10, 2016

Closing Time at 432 Park: A Look at the Numbers at NYC’s Tallest and Most Expensive Building

By Dana Schulz

Closings at Macklowe Properties/CIM Group‘s Billionaires’ Row blockbuster 432 Park Avenue officially commenced just eight days into the new year, and now that enough time has gone by for these sales to be re-listed as rentals, CityRealty has put together an informative infographic that takes a look at the numbers at New York City's tallest and most expensive residential building. There's a lot of fun and fascinating info to be found ahead, but one of the most surprising facts? Of the 141 units available, only 13 have sold to date.
See the full infographic here

March 10, 2016

Indulge Yourself in History at This $15K/Month Park Slope Brownstone Rental

By Michelle Cohen

When you think "historic Brooklyn brownstone," this restored Park Slope home is likely to at least come close to what's on your mind–and more likely to hit a bullseye. Perfectly-preserved flourishes and original details frame every room, including decorative moldings, original oak floors and Lincrusta wallcoverings, adding up to elegance you don't usually find in such flawless condition. Yet there's nothing old-fashioned about daily life in this five-bedroom, 3,680-square-foot triplex currently seeking tenants at $15,000 a month. You'll get zoned central air and heat, a laundry room with a washer/dryer, a kitchen that's ready for cooking and entertaining a crowd, baths filled with luxurious details, and countless other ways this pretty period piece has been optimized for modern life.
Take a walk around

March 10, 2016

Clinton Hill’s Waverly Brooklyn Condo Tops Out, Teaser Site Launched

By Emrys Fitzgerald

The teaser site has launched for Clinton Hill’s seven-story condo development known as Waverly Brooklyn. The project, developed by Andrew Bradfield’s Orange Management, will accommodate 48 condominium units throughout roughly 60,000 square feet of floor area. The architect is Gerner Kronick + Valcarcel Architects (GKV), who have perfected textured exteriors comprised of exposed cast-in-place concrete. Inside there will be studio, one, two, three and four-bedroom condominium residences.
More info this way

March 10, 2016

POLL: Would You Pay Extra to Live in a Building With a Personal Subway Entrance?

By Dana Schulz

It’s already been pretty well documented that proximity to subway lines increases rental value. But what about subway access right in the building? Brooklyn Paper recently reported on the new AVA DoBro tower in Downtown Brooklyn that offers, in addition to swanky amenities like a heated dog run and an espresso bar, a brand new subway entrance […]

March 9, 2016

For $3M You Can Live in Williamsburg and Still Have Your Townhouse Dreams

By Michelle Cohen

In most cases, the beautifully renovated dream townhouse is not the sort of dwelling you'd find in prime (or any) Williamsburg, but rather in historic brownstone 'hoods like Park Slope, Cobble Hill, Bed-Stuy or Crown Heights. Housing options in the 'burg, though pricey, are limited mostly to sleek new condos or nouveau lofts, with a few old-school converted warehouses, low-lying garages and smaller wood-frame houses. And the few row houses that exist have been split up, often rather unattractively, into many apartments. But this little unicorn at 338 Metropolitan Avenue, on the market for $3 million, puts you in the cool north Brooklyn zip code while getting to live your multi-storied townhouse dreams, complete with patio, skylight, amazing kitchen and creative play space. Since this isn't a landmarked block, you even get to paint the house a cute color with cool contrasting details. In this case the fire-engine red facade matches the fire/EMT station next door.
Take the tour

Distinctive Homes

March 8, 2016

Norah Jones Gets Approval to Renovate ‘Eat, Pray, Love’ Carriage House

By Michelle Cohen

According to plans filed with the Department of Buildings, singer/musician/actress Norah Jones is planning to renovate the historic and charming Cobble Hill stable she purchased last fall. Back in September 6sqft reported that Ms. Jones was the buyer of the $6.25 million converted 1840s firehouse that had a cameo role in the Julia Roberts film "Eat, Pray, Love." Permit documentation shows that Ben Baxt of Baxt Ingui Architects has drawn up plans to convert the two-family home into a single-family dwelling and replace an existing rear addition (including the existing solarium) with a new back wall that features a full-height door and sliding glass door on the ground floor and two sets of French doors with Juliette balconies on the floor above. Plans also include six skylights and roof access, among other updates. Landmarks has also given the green light to the proposed rear-facade renovations (h/t Brownstoner).
More on the reno plans this way

March 8, 2016

$1.8M Flatiron-Shaped Prospect Heights Co-op Gets the Modern Loft Treatment

By Dana Schulz

This interestingly shaped Prospect Heights co-op at 296 Sterling Place came on the market back in January for $1.8 million. It's now been re-listed, and though the price hasn't changed, it's gotten quite the interior overhaul, going from kitschy country to elegantly modern. Thanks to its location in a Flatiron-shaped building, the pre-war loft has open views on all three sides through eight picture windows, as well as 13-foot beamed ceilings, original hardwood floors, and exposed brick.
Take a look around

Distinctive Homes

March 7, 2016

New Renderings of the Brooklyn Navy Yard’s Office Space and Food Hall

By Dana Schulz

After announcing two weeks ago that they'd be launching a free shuttle service to connect with 13 subway lines, the Brooklyn Navy Yard has now released additional details about the shuttle, as well as new renderings of Building 77's $185 million renovation, reports Brownstoner. The 1,000,000-square-foot structure, a former ammunition depot, is the largest on the site, and when it reopens in 2017 it will offer luxury commercial space, a 16,000-square-foot rooftop, and its hotly anticipated food hall to be anchored by Lower East Side mainstay Russ & Daughters. The shuttle will have WiFi and will also connect to the LIRR. Additionally, the Navy Yard will get seven Citi Bike kiosks and 1,600 parking spaces.
More details and all the renderings

March 4, 2016

Live Like Park Slope Royalty Atop a Queen Anne Stone Mansion for $1.85M

By Michelle Cohen

There's a lot that's grand about this listing, including the fact that you're steps from Grand Army Plaza (with all of Prospect Park below). But the building that holds this three-bedroom condominium is the kind that turns heads. The historic Queen Anne/Romanesque Revival mansion at 70 Eighth Avenue stands out even in a neighborhood filled with architectural grandeur, with a turret and bell dome, terra cotta ornamentation and stained glass details. This 1,847-square-foot, three-bedroom duplex on the market for $1.847 million would give you a chance to roll up to that bad boy every day. You would have to keep rolling up at least a couple of flights of stairs (there's no elevator to get to this "penthouse") but the landmarked four-story beauty would certainly be an interesting place to call home.
READ MORE

March 3, 2016

Grand Carroll Gardens Brownstone With Original Details Gets a Price Chop to $6M

By Michelle Cohen

The story of the historic townhouse at 46 First Place in Carroll Gardens is just as much a story of its owner, Kathryn Sennis, who has lived in and worked from the elegant 1899 brownstone for nearly 32 years. In 2012, Sennis, a psychotherapist, opened Who's On First? Children's Enrichment Studio with her daughter here, offering art classes, parties, baby yoga and programs for parents and children, including foreign language classes and parenting groups. Ms. Sennis's story was highlighted in the Observer last May, where she told of buying the townhouse in 1981 for $250,000 from an “elderly Italian woman,” how her presence confused the neighbors at the time ("you ain't even Italian!") and how much the neighborhood has changed since then. She also talks of the extensive, exhaustive renovations she painstakingly undertook. She rents out the upper two floors, and her daughter uses the garden level of the four-family home. It’s a Brooklyn story like so many others–though in this case it's one with a $6 million price tag attached.
Tour the inside

March 3, 2016

New Renderings and Video Released for Sheepshead Bay’s Waterfront Vue Condominium

By Ondel Hylton and Julian Friedman

Rybak Development's latest venture named the Vue Condominium will add a bit of pizzazz and a sizable plaza to a popular stretch of Emmons Avenue in Sheepshead Bay. Rising from a prominent, full-block parcel at the intersection of Emmons and Sheepshead Bay Road, the envisioned eight-story structure replaces former neighborhood fixture the El Greco Diner, whose site was snapped up by Sergey Rybak and Jason Reznik for $13 million in late 2014. The project first appeared one year ago, and now a handful of renderings and a video have been released by the developers. The 175,000-square-foot structure will be the first LEED Certified building in south Brooklyn and will house 58 condos, 26,000 square feet of retail, two commercial office units, and a 134-car garage shared by tenants and businesses. The 9,000- square-foot plaza will take up a quarter of the development site and will have raised planters, ambiance lighting and bicycle parking.
Watch the video and see more renderings

March 3, 2016

Inviting One Bedroom Hits the Market for $625K at Popular Park Slope Co-op

By Emily Nonko

Man, there's been a lot of action recently at the Park Slope co-op building 404 3rd Street. Last summer, a Parisian-looking one bedroom went on the market for $575,000, selling in December for $660,000, nearly 15 percent above ask. Then in February, an architect listed the two-bedroom apartment she designed herself for $800,000. (It's still on the market for slightly less, $799,000.) This one bedroom is asking $625,000, which will be a potentially nice profit for the owner, who bought it only two years ago for $515,000. It's got some lovely details like moldings, inlaid floors, a painted brick wall, and a retro kitchen with open shelving and a funky built-in table attached to a mirrored column.
See the rest

Distinctive Homes

March 2, 2016

$4.75M Neo-Federalist House in Park Slope Has Private Parking and Neighborhood Ties

By Michelle Cohen

Built in 1913 by Charles Neergaard, a patriarch of the family who founded the neighborhood mom-and-pop pharmacy of the same name in the late 19th century (with two locations, Neergaard Pharmacy is the oldest family-owned drugstore in Brooklyn), this Neo-Federalist home at 234 Eighth Avenue has a lot going for it. For one, it's a block from Prospect Park. It's on a corner lot. And, probably best of all in a neighborhood dubbed "No Place to Park Slope," it comes with private curb-cut driveway parking. All of this is tangential to the fact that this is a 4,000-square-foot renovated 1913 townhouse in perfect condition in one of the most coveted parts of north Park Slope.
Get a room-by-room tour of this unique residence

March 1, 2016

$5M Home in Boerum Hill Combines Townhouse and Loft Aesthetics

By Emily Nonko

This Boerum Hill townhouse at 243 Dean Street has gone through quite the renovation. A buyer purchased it in 2008 for $2.44 million and then made big changes to the five-story, single-family property, restoring some of the old details and adding lots of new perks in a complete gut renovation. Now it's outfitted with lots of wooden ceiling beams, huge skylights, exposed and painted brick walls and restored fireplaces and plasterwork. The listing even says that new walls, doors windows were fabricated on site. The result is something between a townhouse and a loft—perhaps it's got the best of both worlds. And it's now on the market for a good deal more than $2.44 million, asking nearly $5 million.
Take a look

Distinctive Homes

March 1, 2016

First Look at Pair of Apartment Houses Coming to 220-222 Withers Street in East Williamsburg

By Emrys Fitzgerald

Here's our first glimpse of a pair of four-story residential buildings at 220-222 Withers Street in East Williamsburg. Renderings recently published by the site's owner, BK Developers, depict two identical, eight-unit buildings faced with a routine exterior of red brick, multi-pane windows, and dark metal trim. Three floors are flush to the streetwall, while the fourth is setback. Within each 5,000-square-foot building, the first and second floors will each house a single unit while the upper two levels will contain a duo of duplexes.
More ahead

Lightstone’s Paris-on-the-Gowanus Rental Building at 365 Bond Street Opens

363-365 Bond Street, via Lightstone Group

March 1, 2016

Lightstone’s Paris-on-the-Gowanus Rental Building at 365 Bond Street Opens

By Michelle Cohen

One of the Lightstone Group's two new rental buildings in Brooklyn's Gowanus neighborhood is set to open Tuesday. The new residence at 365 Bond Street, along with its neighbor at 363 Bond (a year from completion) represent a $350 million effort by the developer to build 700 luxury rental apartments on the left bank of the Gowanus Canal. Designed to look like an historic brick-walled warehouse, market-rate apartments at 365 Bond start at over $2,000 a month for a studio and over $3,000 for a one-bedroom unit, according to the Wall Street Journal. Lightstone President Mitchell Hochberg says the project was inspired by the Canal Saint-Martin neighborhood in Paris, known for a residential project near a similarly polluted waterway which helped create a "newly hip atmosphere."
Find out more

March 1, 2016

Williamsburg Hotel/Residential Tower at 500 Metropolitan Avenue Rises Above Ground

By Ondel Hylton and Julian Friedman

Not to be completely outdone by Bjarke Ingels' Via 57 West, Williamsburg is getting its own highway-fronting pyramidal pile. Alongside the bucolic banks of the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, the concrete frame of 500 Metropolitan Avenue has finally climbed above street level, now reaching its third floor. The uniquely massed 200,000-square-foot, mixed-use project ascends near the Metropolitan Avenue-Lorimer Street station of the G and L lines, and from a V-shaped lot that borders five streets: Metropolitan Avenue, Union, Keap, Ainslie and Rodney Streets. Its stepped, ziggurat-like form will soar 14 stories and 172 feet above the low-slung area, making it among the tallest structures in the 'hood.
Find out more

February 29, 2016

RAAD-Designed Bushwick Building May Have the World’s Largest Urban Farm

By Dana Schulz

Design firm RAAD is no stranger to boundary-pushing projects (their founder James Ramsey is a co-creator of the Lowline underground park), and their latest endeavor may grant them bragging rights as the designers behind the city's, perhaps even the world's, largest urban farm. Brownstoner spotted conceptual renderings (read: the developer has not filed permits nor have they confirmed they'll move ahead with RAAD's vision) for 930 Flushing Avenue in Bushwick, part of the Rheingold Brewery mega-development. The mixed-use project, officially known as 1 Bushwick, would offer commercial, retail, residential, hotel, cultural, and agricultural spaces. The aforementioned rooftop farm would be nearly 165,000 square feet; Brooklyn Grange, which is currently the world's largest rooftop soil farm, occupies 108,000 square feet across two sites. A description of 1 Bushwick says: "Guests relaxing in the rooftop pool will be regaled by a rare experience: views of the skyscrapers of Manhattan — and cornfields."
More renderings and details

Apply for 30 Affordable Units in Three Williamsburg Buildings, Starting at $532/Month

A rendering of 356 Bedford Avenue from the construction fence from July, 2014. Via Brownstoner

February 29, 2016

Apply for 30 Affordable Units in Three Williamsburg Buildings, Starting at $532/Month

By Ondel Hylton and Dana Schulz

Here's the third affordable housing lottery to open in Williamsburg over the past few weeks. First, 33 units opened at 149 Kent Avenue, followed by 13 more spread across five small buildings. Now, 30 additional apartments are up for grabs at 37 Ten Eyck Street, 37 Maujer Street, and 356 Bedford Avenue, according to the NYC HPD. The Bedford address, the largest of the buildings, is located in the heart of South Williamsburg, just north of the Williamsburg Bridge between South 3rd and South 4th Streets, near a cluster of trendy bars and restaurants; the Maujer and Ten Eyck buildings are in East Williamsburg between Union Avenue and Lorimer Street. According to the posting, the units range from $532/month one-bedrooms to $1,182/month three-bedrooms.
Find out if you qualify

Affordable Housing

February 26, 2016

Spotlight: François Vaxelaire Blasts Tunes from a Shipping Container in a Williamsburg Parking Lot

By Dana Schulz

An independent online radio featuring live DJ sets, located in a shipping container on an empty piece of land on the Williamsburg/Greenpoint border -- if your inclination is to roll your eyes at just how Brooklyn this is, you might want to reconsider. The Lot Radio was founded by 34-year-old Brussels native François Vaxelaire, who has been living in the neighborhood for the past three years. After passing by the vacant triangle day after day, and growing more and more infatuated with its strange beauty, he decided it would be the perfect home for an online radio similar to those in Europe. And after getting through the city's red tape, Lot Radio is officially up and running, save for its adjacent coffee shop and outdoor seating area that are both awaiting permits from the Department of Health. What's most interesting about Vaxelaire is that he is committed to steering clear of the Brooklyn cliches. His goal is to grow an internationally focused, New York-based radio, but in terms of the physical location, he wants local residents exiting the nearby church to feel just as welcome hanging out as would an experimental music aficionado. 6sqft recently visited him at the shipping container to learn more about this very unique idea.
The full story from François

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