Williamsburg

This converted East Williamsburg warehouse at 139 Powers Street is of the sort you don't come by too often anymore. It's one of those really cool-looking spaces you'd walk by maybe ten or twenty years ago and think, "hey, I'd like to live in this neighborhood" and wonder who lived there and what it looked like inside. As the listing says, it offers "authenticity that is difficult to find." The immediate neighborhood is that rare "unspoiled" old-school slice of what was once the 'burg's Italian enclave, and still has the vibe of being a mix of old, new, neighborhood-y and Vice-era cool. The two-story property, currently used as a single-family home, spans 3,600 interior square feet in a 25 x 100-foot building and is listed at $2.95 million; the loft currently belongs to local artist Joanne Ungar, and it definitely reflects the owner's creative tendencies–and green thumb.
Take a look around

October 16, 2015

Williamsburg’s New Soda Factory Lofts Bottle Industrial Architecture but Add Modern Style

Leasing has launched at the former Williamsburg manufacturing plant of the Brooklyn Bottling Company and Dr. Brown's Soda. The new development at 60 Berry Street is aptly called the Soda Factory Lofts, and the 40 units are an attractive mix of industrial architecture and modern style. There are currently 12 apartments on the market, ranging from a $3,300/month one-bedroom to a $5,500/month two bedroom.
Check them out

October 14, 2015

Spiffed-Up Williamsburg Loft Has Killer Views and Brilliant Built-Ins for $6,500 a Month

Williamsburg was once a neighborhood known for its big, open loft spaces. While those lofts may have gone condo and acquired dog-washing stations and compost centers, they’re still very much in existence. Case in point: this cavernous loft in the totally 21st century Esquire Lofts at 330 Wythe Avenue, just a hair south of the 'burg's decidedly factory-to-fancy Northside, on the rental market for $6,500 a month. This impressive space in a former shoe polish factory–built in 1914 and converted to condos in 2000–is listed as a one-bedroom, but it’s a duplex (in the loft sense of the word), and though there’s no floor plan, it claims a sizable 1,600 square feet. One of the best things about lofts–even well-groomed ones–is that no two are alike; former residents have carved out unique living and sometimes working spaces, and this is no exception. The standout feature here would have to be that custom-milled raised wooden storage platform.
See what else is cool in this loft

Distinctive Homes

October 14, 2015

REVEALED: Karl Fischer Pens Another Bottom-Line Design for East Williamsburg

By Ondel Hylton

Here's our first unfortunate look at a 12-story residential building slated to rise within a rapidly gentrifying corner of East Williamsburg. The block-through parcel at 46 Cook Street, between Graham and Humboldt Streets, will give way to a 34,000-square-foot mixed-use development designed by Karl Fischer Architect and Brooklyn-based developer Joel Braver, under the LLC Cook Properties. The project replaces a one-story brick warehouse building and is located just two blocks from the Flushing Avenue J/M subway station.
More info ahead

September 1, 2015

Modern Two-Bedroom in Williamsburg Comes With a Dreamy Outdoor Space

If you're on the hunt for a modern condo unit (and aren't shopping on a strict budget), Williamsburg is one Brooklyn neighborhood that is full of them. Here's the top-floor unit at 317 South 4th Street, a boutique condo with four total units—a two-bedroom, two-bathroom on the market for $1.45 million. The floor-through apartment has all modern finishes, lots of glass, a private balcony and even a 700-square-foot roof garden.
See more of it

August 27, 2015

REVEALED: First Look at Thor Equities’ Retail Jewel Box in Williamsburg

By Ondel Hylton

Last August, Joseph Sitt's Thor Equities purchased a string of Williamsburg properties for nearly $22 million with the intent of replacing the gritty row with a 10,000-square-foot retail jewel box. Now, Thor's website gives us our first look at what the prime property at the southeast corner of Berry and North 6th Streets may hold. The two renderings presented of 124-136 North 6th Street reveal a sleek, two-story building clad in brick and glass that could potentially house a half-dozen boutique retailers. According to the Observer, who first reported the deal last October, Thor is seeking a retail showroom and/or restaurant tenants. Above the spaces, the building may be topped with a gardened roof deck enclosed in trellises.
More details

August 26, 2015

A Glassy, Modern Single-Family Home Asks $12,000 a Month in Williamsburg

If historic townhouses are not your thing, this single-family home has gone the modern route. Built in 2006, it's a 1,000-square-foot, four bedroom home located at 257 Berry Street in Williamsburg. The exterior is, of course, plenty glassy, and the interior is a more modern take on Williamsburg's older loft apartments. It is now on the rental market asking $12,000 a month.
Take a tour

Distinctive Homes

August 21, 2015

Model Agyness Deyn’s $3.6M Former Williamsburg Loft Has a Tax Bill of Just $24 a Year

A renovated 2,911 square-foot corner loft in Williamsburg's Mill Building at 85 North 3rd Street just hit the market for $3.6 million. The spacious loft condominium with dramatic open spaces and original details is the former home of Brit model Agyness Deyn, who bought the Northside pad for $1.97 million in 2008 and sold it in 2012 for $2.175M. New owners have given it a rustic-luxe update and hope to keep the upward trend going, with a current ask of $3.65 million. An expensive loft in the 'burg wouldn't faze us, (and the building has an impressive menu of amenities–doorman, garage, roof deck–for a loft), but the tax bill was a shocker: Taxes on the pricy pad are a mere–as per the listing–"unheard-of $24 a year," due to a J-51 exemption and tax abatement in effect until 2025.
Find out why the taxes are so low

August 18, 2015

‘Exceptional Quirks’ and Reclaimed Materials Abound in This Historic Williamsburg Church Conversion

One of the neighborhood's oldest landmarks, the Saint Vincent De Paul Church at 167 North Sixth Street in Williamsburg's uber-trendy North Side was recently converted into 40 rental apartments known as the Spire Lofts. We know that converted churches get people's attention at the very least–but like many historic building conversions, they can be a disappointment. The apartments here don't try to be especially historic–but the interiors differ somewhat from the usual boilerplate rental "lofts" that tend to spring up like weeds in North Brooklyn. The building's recently-listed batch of two- and three-bedrooms ranges from $6,400 to $8,000 (the spoken-for one-bedrooms started at $4k), so they're pricey. The interiors are somewhat innovative, though. The listing promises "...modern details and state-of-the-art finishes [that] blend flawlessly with expertly salvaged materials, including original exposed brick, reclaimed Heart Pine pillars and beams, arched stained glass windows, custom steel work and exceptional quirks around every corner." On the down side, there's no floor plan and no mention of square footage.
Take a look at the loft-style interiors, this way

August 9, 2015

Construction Update: Williamsburg’s 95 South Fifth Tops Out

By Heather Cooper Vivares

After breaking ground earlier this year, Horrigan Development and Pilot Real Estate Group’s 95 South Fifth Street has already topped out. Although the site’s pre-war building is not landmarked, Standard Architects is preserving the industrial heritage aesthetic by incorporating the facade of the former three-story brick warehouse into the new 6,500-square-foot addition. The 26,500-square-foot renovation will be split between 18,000 square feet of residential space, plus a small 675-square foot commercial space that will be used as a restaurant at the base.
More here

New Developments

June 17, 2015

POLL: Is Eliot Spitzer’s Williamsburg Development ‘Offensive?’

Yesterday, former New York governor Eliot Spitzer revealed the first official rendering for Spitzer Enterprises’ mega development on the South Williamsburg waterfront. The $700 million trio of 24-story rental towers was designed by ODA Architects, who referred to the project as a “molded iceberg.” Today, Lincoln Restler, a senior policy advisor to Mayor de Blasio, took to Facebook to […]

June 16, 2015

Renderings Revealed for Eliot Spitzer’s ODA-Designed Williamsburg Mega-Development

Leaving his political career in the past, former New York governor Eliot Spitzer is taking on the development world. After his father's death in November, the controversial politician took over the family's real estate business, Spitzer Enterprises. And he's now revealed the first rendering for his Williamsburg mega-development in the New York Times (not Twitter), showcasing a trio of 24-story rental towers designed by ODA Architects. Located at 420-430 Kent Avenue in South Williamsburg, the project is in keeping with ODA's signature boxy, glassy aesthetic. It will cost $700 million, have 856 units, and boast two rooftop pools and a park with an esplanade.
More details here

June 8, 2015

The Ultimate Williamsburg Loft Is on the Market for $7,500 a Month

Coming straight from Williamsburg, the Brooklyn neighborhood that's perhaps best known for its stock of loft apartments, is the ultimate loft at 330 Wythe Avenue. This is at the Esquire loft building, a pre-war building that now has its own dog washing station, common terrace, and compost center. While the building's gone condo, this apartment is up for rent asking $7,500 a month. It's been billed "the coolest loft apartment in Williamsburg," according to the listing. Do you think it fits the bill?
Take a look inside

Distinctive Homes

June 4, 2015

According to Real Estate Brokers, All of Brooklyn Is an Extension of Williamsburg

A hilarious new map on Reddit pokes fun at real estate brokers’ tendency to stretch the truth to when it comes to an apartment’s proximity to desirable Williamsburg. Here, Coney Island is South-SouthSouth Williamsburg, East New York is South EastWilliamsburg, but only a tiny little triangle in Brownsville gets a reprieve from the hipster treatment […]

Real Estate Trends

May 28, 2015

Quirky Cabin-Like Home with Tons of Outdoor Space Is Up for Rent in Williamsburg

This 2,000-square-foot three-bedroom Williamsburg duplex is a lot of things: It's cool, kooky, rustic and a little beachy, too. Some nice interior details have been paired with a fun, smart design. The listing calls this a "city meets country oasis," and with all the exposed wood, we'd have to agree. It all makes for a special pad with a killer outdoor patio and garden. If you fall in love with it, it's now on the market for $7,995 a month.
Go inside here

May 22, 2015

Combine Two Offbeat Williamsburg Apartments to Create the Ultimate Loft

Two apartments, units 408 and 309, are now available at the Mill Building, 85 North 3rd Street in Williamsburg, with the potential to create a massive loft apartment. When we first saw this listing, only one unit was up for grabs, but now a buyer will have two floors and 3,600 square feet to work with, as well as the potential to build out as many as five bedrooms alongside a media room and library. How much for the opportunity to create this mega loft? The asking price is $4.775 million.
Take a look inside

Distinctive Homes

May 7, 2015

This Williamsburg Townhouse Is Giving Off Hipster Vibes

A townhouse on the market is pretty rare in Williamsburg—this is the neighborhood better known for loft apartments and waterfront condos. But this single-family townhouse at 296 Manhattan Avenue is now on the rental market for $13,995 a month. It has been designed with the hipster in mind, with plenty of exposed brick, wooden ceiling beams, and even "locally sourced" hardwood floors.
Check out the rest of the cool interior after the jump

Distinctive Homes

May 1, 2015

New Condo Project Rising at 629 Grand Street in Williamsburg

Just four blocks from the Lorimer Street station on the L train, a new condo project is rising at 629 Grand Street. The property is a conversion of an existing mixed-use building, having been extended both horizontally and vertically. It will feature seven units–one two-bedroom/two-bath residence and six one-bedroom/one-bath homes. There's also a ground-floor commercial unit that will house a vintage clothing store (how very Williamsburg).
More info here

April 16, 2015

VIDEO: Watch VICE Trying to ‘Make It’ in ’90s Canada, Well Before They Took Over Williamsburg

By Diane Pham

Long before VICE became a media giant gobbling up much of Williamsburg's north side real estate and displacing some of the neighborhood's beloved institutions, it was just a regular ol' start-up company consisting of three guys putting out an indie mag from a small office in Montreal. A recently uncovered video made for a '90s reality TV show transports us to that far more innocent time, introducing us to the founding fathers of the magazine, Suroosh Alvi, Shane Smith, and Gavin McInnes, and documenting their days as the get ready for a move to New York City with hopes of taking their publication to the next level. Although the then-best buds have long left the realm in which we normal folks dwell, the concerns they expressed in the video back then—"I'm scared of being poor there," McInnes says at one point—bring them back down to earth with us regular folks just trying to make it in the city. Jump ahead for an intimate look at the trio 15 years ago, chatting about the roots of the magazine and the saucy side of Canada—and watch as they stress out over searching for NYC apartments.
Watch the video here

History

February 19, 2015

Hip Loft with High Ceilings and Exposed Brick Is Quintessentially Williamsburg

By Aisha Carter

This Williamsburg loft at 337 Kent Avenue is what Brooklyn living is all about: spacious, filled with character, and begging for interesting use of wall space like creating artwork out of hanging clothing or accessories. This is what real New York looks like—and you just have to shell out $3,500 a month to experience it.
More pics inside

Distinctive Homes

February 8, 2015

MADE IN BROOKLYN: A Rep for Authenticity and Excellence That’s Well-Earned–and Far from New

The story behind cheese-aging facility Crown Finish Caves in Crown Heights tells of an enormous amount of risk and dedication to making something on a small scale; to doing one thing well. It also once again stirs the hive of buzz around today’s Brooklyn. Article after article raises the idea that Brooklyn’s moment as the new hot spot for excellence in food, culture and authentic, hand-crafted goods, is in some quarters regarded as trite and trendy hype with little substance to it. For some, the underground cheese caves are just one more example: Cheese caves. How Brooklyn. Thirty feet below street level, in the lagering tunnels of a former brewery beneath the Monti Building in Crown Heights, Benton Brown and Susan Boyle spent several years renovating and creating “Brooklyn’s premier cheese-aging facility” complete with state-of-the-art humidity control and cooling systems. The couple created the 70-foot space with advice from the world’s top cheese experts; Crown Finish Caves opened in 2014. On an article in Cheese Notes, a commenter raves: “If I were a mouse, I would move to Crown Heights.”
More excellence and authenticity this way

History

January 28, 2015

BergDesign Architecture Transforms a Williamsburg Mechanics Garage into a Multi-Use Space with a Hidden Bar

A multi-disciplinary event/performance space, retail store, and hidden bar all in one–we must be in Williamsburg. Located at 94 Wythe Avenue, in a slower-to-gentrify, industrial section of the neighborhood, this outpost of Kinfolk Studios was transformed by BergDesign Architecture from a mechanics garage into a space that feels like "it was designed for an off-the-grid Pacific Northwest hippy mathematician" by adding wood-clad geodesic dome shell structures to divide the space into separate functions.
Find out more about this impressive design

Architecture And Design

January 26, 2015

New Residential Building in East Williamsburg by James Cleary Architecture Will Have a Double-Height Solar Shade