Search Results for: Brooklyn Heights

A housing lottery has launched for five newly-constructed middle-income units at 876 Bergen Street in the rapidly growing Crown Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn. The 8-story, 16-unit building is located near Classon Avenue surrounded by popular restaurants, bars and lots of public transportation options. Amenities include an outdoor garden, a rooftop lounge, 24-hour security cameras, a laundry room and bike storage. Qualifying New Yorkers earning 130 percent of the area median income can apply for one-bedroom apartments for $2,415/month.
Find out if you qualify

Affordable Housing

February 1, 2018

$749K co-op in Prospect Heights has prewar charm with customized touches

This apartment comes from one of the grand prewar co-op buildings off Eastern Parkway, located in the Prospect Heights Apartment House District and designed to be Brooklyn's alternative to Park Avenue. Located at 135 Eastern Parkway and known as the Turner Towers, the 1926 building holds nearly 200 lovely prewar pads. This one, now on the market for $749,000, is an oversized one- bedroom with beamed ceilings, plaster details, herringbone parquet, the original hardware, and vintage doors. Those classic elements are joined by some more modern, customized touches in storage. The Prospect Heights apartment's grown significantly in value since 2008, when it last sold for $450,000.
See the full space

Distinctive Homes

Six things you didn’t know about the Prospect Heights Apartment House District

Photo courtesy of the Prospect Heights Neighborhood Development Council

January 26, 2018

Six things you didn’t know about the Prospect Heights Apartment House District

By Historic Districts Council

This post is part of a series by the Historic Districts Council, exploring the groups selected for their Six to Celebrate program, New York’s only targeted citywide list of preservation priorities. Constructed on a lost fragment of the original footprint of Prospect Park, the Prospect Heights Apartment House District is a concentration of 82 apartment buildings dating from 1909-1929. This development was promoted by the Prospect Park Commissioners to attract high-quality construction to complement the nearby Park, Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn Botanic Garden and Brooklyn Public Library. The buildings, representative of a period in Brooklyn history when building patterns shifted to accommodate a rising middle class, remain exemplary for their architectural integrity and as housing stock for a diverse population. As one of this year's Six to Celebrate recipients, the Prospect Heights Neighborhood Development Council and the Cultural Row Block Association on Eastern Parkway are working to garner local support and submit a proposal for historic district status from the LPC.
Find out six little-known facts about this handsome district

History

January 4, 2018

Live inside a castle-like turret in Crown Heights for $4,400/month

A home with an incredible, well-documented history has a unit up for rent inside its turret. The townhouse in question is 1372 Dean Street in Crown Heights. The castle-like, three-story Romanesque Revival brick residence was built in 1888 for $8,000 with a slate-shingled turret. A few years back, its seller was featured in the New York Times--she had bought the property in 1983 for $66,000 and then sold it to an investor for $1.32 million in 2013. It has since been converted to rental apartments.
The master is inside the turret

ODA Architects reveal renderings for Crown Heights hotel with arched patio and floating gardens

Proposed renderings courtesy of ODA Architects

December 27, 2017

ODA Architects reveal renderings for Crown Heights hotel with arched patio and floating gardens

By Dana Schulz

Perhaps piggybacking on the positive reaction to their Rheingold Brewery project, ODA Architects have revealed renderings for another Brooklyn project with a central courtyard, sloping green roof, and stepped terraces. First spotted by CityRealty, the proposed views depict the Bedford Hotel at 1550 Bedford Avenue in Crown Heights, a five-story, 100-key development at 1550 Bedford Avenue. And according to plans submitted to the DOB, there will be a rooftop bar and a banquet hall and retail/restaurant spaces on the ground floor.
More details and renderings ahead

Luxury condos may be off the table at Crown Heights armory after City Council hearing

Rendering of the Bedford Courts development planned for the Bedford-Union Armory; image: BFC Partners/Bedford Courts

November 15, 2017

Luxury condos may be off the table at Crown Heights armory after City Council hearing

Amid growing opposition, the proposed Crown Heights Bedford-Union Armory redevelopment project began its evaluation by the City Council at a hearing Tuesday on land use applications filed by the Economic Development Corporation (EDC), amNewYork reports. The massive armory, once housing for the National Guard, became city property in 2013. The EDC plans to sell the property to developer BFC Partners for the creation of 56 condos, of which 20 percent would be income restricted. The remaining market rate condos would help pay for the rest of the project, which would be leased by BFC Partners and would include 330 rentals (165 affordable), office space and a recreation center. Critics say the city is setting a dangerous precedent by leasing public land for private use, especially when market-rate condos are included. The de Blasio administration has championed the recreation center and housing, but the plan has has come under fire by neighborhood advocacy groups and has had an uphill battle in achieving the City Council approval it needs.
Find out more

Nearly 100 middle-income units sit vacant at Brooklyn’s Pacific Park development

Photo of 535 Carlton Avenue, courtesy of Max Touhey for Greenland Forest City Partners

November 6, 2017

Nearly 100 middle-income units sit vacant at Brooklyn’s Pacific Park development

In July 2016, the lottery opened for 298 mixed-income rentals at 535 Carlton Avenue, part of the sprawling Pacific Park complex, in Brooklyn. But now, more than a year later, about 95 units remain vacant at the Prospect Heights site, as City Limits reported. Despite over 93,000 New Yorkers applying for the nearly 300 units within just eight weeks, the applicants were rejected because they did not make enough money to qualify for those specific units. The 95 vacancies, the most expensive apartments at Pacific Park, are reserved for households that earn between 135 and 165 percent of the area median income, which translates to $74,606 and $173,415 annually. Unable to secure tenants for this income bracket, developer Greenland Forest City Partners (GFCP) placed advertisements for the units on market-rate real estate websites.
Find out more

Affordable Housing

September 21, 2017

Historic beauty shines through lush design in this $3.5M Prospect Heights Neo-Gothic townhouse

Given the renovation fever that has swept the city's historic neighborhoods, it sometimes seems rare to see a home like this one, built at the turn century in a Neo-Gothic style, that retains its grandeur after being designed and remodeled into a picture of 21st century city living perfection. This four-story Prospect Heights townhouse at 577 Carlton Avenue, currently asking $3.495 million, has retained its historic details, while color, texture and inspired design decisions elevate it above many of its more ordinary brownstone Brooklyn neighbors.
Take the tour

Distinctive Homes

Matt Damon may set record for Brooklyn’s priciest sale with $16.6M penthouse buy

The building via DDG; Matt Damon via Wiki Commons

September 13, 2017

Matt Damon may set record for Brooklyn’s priciest sale with $16.6M penthouse buy

By Annie Doge

He may fly under the radar in Hollywood, but when it comes to Brooklyn real estate, Matt Damon seems to be all about high life. This time last year, he toured the historic Brooklyn Heights mansion at 3 Pierrepont Place, which was the borough's most expensive listing ever at $40 million. Though he didn't follow through, it looks like he's still poised to set a record, as Mansion Global reports that sources say the actor has gone into contract on the penthouse at the nearby recent condo conversion The Standish. If the sale closes for its most recent price of $16,645,000, it will take the crown for priciest residential sale ever in Brooklyn, stealing the title from a $15.5 million Cobble Hill townhouse sale in 2015.
READ MORE

Crown Heights’ controversial homeless shelter development opens lotto for 33 low-income units

Rendering via Think Architecture and Design

September 7, 2017

Crown Heights’ controversial homeless shelter development opens lotto for 33 low-income units

By Dana Schulz

Facing an unprecedented homelessness problem, in February, Mayor de Blasio announced plans to open 90 new shelters and expand 30 existing ones. But when it came down to which neighborhoods would house the developments, it became a not-in-my-backyard issue, especially in Crown Heights, an area already heavy with shelters and transitional houses, where the Mayor said three of the first five projects would be built. The animosity intensified shortly thereafter when it was announced that one such shelter would open in a new building at 267 Rogers Avenue, originally planned as a condo. But despite opposition from local residents and a temporary restraining order, the building began welcoming tenants over the summer, with space for 132 homeless families and another 33 units reserved for low-income New Yorkers. The latter, set aside for those earning 60 percent of the area median income, are now available through the city's affordable housing lottery and range from $931/month one-bedrooms to $1,292/month three-bedrooms.
See the qualifications

Affordable Housing

FREE RENT IN BROOKLYN: This week’s roundup of rental news

Images (L to R): 1326 OCEAN AVE, 153 REMSEN STREET, 27 ALBANY AVE and 1004 GATES AVE

August 26, 2017

FREE RENT IN BROOKLYN: This week’s roundup of rental news

By Ondel Hylton

Images (L to R): 1326 OCEAN AVE, 153 REMSEN STREET, 27 ALBANY AVE and 1004 GATES AVE Building Opens on Ocean Ave in Flatbush near Brooklyn College; Rentals from $1,800/Month [link] Brand New Rentals Debut in Brooklyn Heights (A Rare Occurrence); Peek Inside 153 Remsen Street [link] Carter Reviews Domino Sugar Rental 325 Kent, No […]

Real Estate Trends

In 1894, the first bike lane in America was built on Brooklyn’s Ocean Parkway

Photo by Kai Brinker on Flickr

August 1, 2017

In 1894, the first bike lane in America was built on Brooklyn’s Ocean Parkway

While many New Yorkers can be seen trekking through Brooklyn on their bikes today, the borough’s infatuation with cycling actually dates back to the 19th century. On June 15, 1894, Ocean Parkway became the first street in the U.S. to have a designated bike lane. The nearly five-mile stretch of road was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux, the urban planning masterminds behind Central Park and Prospect Park. Originally, their design for Ocean Parkway was to be one of four spokes originating at Prospect Park and spanning across the borough. Today, the road doesn’t actually start at the park but runs parallel to Coney Island Avenue to reach the beach.
The full history this way

History

Brooklyn politicians want to decriminalize subway turnstile jumping

Image via WNYC

July 26, 2017

Brooklyn politicians want to decriminalize subway turnstile jumping

By Dana Schulz

According to the Daily News, in 2016, roughly 92 percent of persons arrested for fare evasion were people of color, many of whom were also low-income and ended up spending at least one day in jail. With this in mind, State Senator Jesse Hamilton of Crown Heights and Assemblywoman Tremaine Wright of Bed-Stuy, both Democrats, will introduce legislation to decriminalize turnstile jumping cases. Instead of the offense warranting an arrest, misdemeanor charges, and a $100 fine, they propose the MTA's Adjudication Bureau handle it as a civil matter.
All the details ahead

Artist proposes installing a Hollywood-style ‘Brooklyn!’ sign to attract visitors

A rendering of the proposed Brooklyn sign in place of the “Watchtower” sign. Image courtesy of Susanna Briselli.

July 25, 2017

Artist proposes installing a Hollywood-style ‘Brooklyn!’ sign to attract visitors

"Brooklyn is a potent idea as well as a place,” according to Susanna Briselli, who explains in the Brooklyn Eagle that the borough's name "summons vivid images and associations.” Briselli, who is an artist and photographer, suggests this potent chemistry is a compelling enough reason to create an enormous free-standing illuminated sign that reads “Brooklyn!” The massive work would be used to draw in more visitors and increase value, placed where the soon-to-be removed "Watchtower" sign in Brooklyn Heights now stands, or at another highly visible site such as Pier 7.
A sign of the times

Events & Things To Do

July 17, 2017

‘Mad Men’-looking studio along Brooklyn Bridge Park asks $810K

This studio apartment at One Brooklyn Bridge Park looks straight off the set of "Mad Men." The owner managed to pack plenty of mid-century modern design into just 589 square feet while creating an inventive layout that creates some private spaces within the apartment. Best yet, the studio comes with a big wall of windows, a common feature throughout the Brooklyn Heights development, which leads out to a private terrace. After last selling in 2013 for $672,045, the studio is now on the market asking $810,000.
Check out the creative layout

Distinctive Homes

July 13, 2017

Sunny co-op with lots of exposed brick asks $510K in Prospect Heights

This bright Brooklyn co-op is worth the two floor walkup. The unit comes from the prewar, 16-unit cooperative 786 Washington Avenue, on the border of Prospect Heights. The price has gone up significantly over the years--in 2004 the apartment sold for $164,800, in 2014 it sold for $320,000 and now it's listed for $510,000. Over the years the one bedroom has gotten updates, like mosaic tile flooring in the bathroom. But it still retains wonderful historic details that includes tons of exposed brick.
Right this way for more photos

Distinctive Homes

July 11, 2017

Construction of locally-sourced food hall underway in Washington Heights

New York City’s furor for food halls has not fizzled out quite yet. Construction is currently in progress for the North End Food Hall in Washington Heights at 4300 Broadway and 183rd Street. Set to be the largest food and beer hall in upper Manhattan, the space stretches 6,000 square feet and will feature locally sourced and sustainable goods. As Eater NY learned, seven kiosks will serve everything from fair-trade coffee and craft beer to organic barbecue and burgers.
See inside

July 3, 2017

62 affordable units up for grabs in Fordham Heights, from $882/month

Applications are currently being accepted for 62 newly constructed, affordable units at 2264 Morris Avenue in the Fordham Heights neighborhood of the Bronx. The building provides ecologically viable features, including rooms with abundant natural light, high-tech water, heating and cooling systems and spacious outdoor space. New Yorkers earning 60 and 100 percent of the area median income can apply for available units ranging from $822/month one-bedrooms to $1,740/month three bedrooms.
Find out if you qualify

Affordable Housing

June 27, 2017

Brooklyn’s iconic ‘Watchtower’ sign coming down to make way for Kushner’s Panorama office complex

For nearly 50 years, the neon red 15-foot-tall ‘Watchtower’ sign has sat atop the former headquarters of the Jehovah’s Witnesses luminously overlooking Brooklyn Heights. However, earlier this month, the religious group filed a permit application seeking to remove the sign. According to The Real Deal, this comes almost a year after developers Kushner Companies, CIM Group and LIVWRK Holdings purchased the spot at 25-30 Columbia Heights for $340 million with plans to convert the building into a 635,000-square-foot office complex, “Panorama.”
Find out more

New Developments

June 12, 2017

Score a middle-income apartment in the Brooklyn Cultural District’s Caesura, from $866/month

Applications are currently being accepted for 49 middle-income units at The Caesura in Fort Greene, a rental expected to open late this summer. Located in the heart of the Brooklyn Cultural District at 280 Ashland Place, the 12-story mixed-use rental building sits just one block from the famed Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM). Designed by Dattner Architects and Bernheimer Architecture, Caesura features a landscaped rooftop garden and conservatory, fitness center, bike room, community room and a shared goods or “lending library” space. New Yorkers earning 80 and 130 percent of the area median income can apply to rent units ranging from $886/month micro-units to $2,715/month two-bedrooms.
Find out if you qualify

Affordable Housing

May 22, 2017

From shipping hub to waterfront wonder, the history of Brooklyn Bridge Park with Joanne Witty

134 years ago, the opening of the Brooklyn Bridge transformed the Brooklyn waterfront, not to mention the entire borough, by providing direct access into Kings County from Lower Manhattan. The opening only boosted Brooklyn's burgeoning waterfront, which became a bustling shipping hub for the New York Dock Company by the early 1900s. Business boomed for several decades until changes in the industry pushed the shipping industry from Brooklyn to New Jersey. And after the late 1950s, when many of the warehouses were demolished to make way for construction of the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, the waterfront fell into severe decline. New Yorkers today are living through a new kind of Brooklyn waterfront boom, heralded by the Brooklyn Bridge Park. Ideas to transform the abandoned, run-down waterfront into a park seemed like a pipe dream when the idea was floated in the 1980s, but years of dedication by the local community and politicians turned the vision into reality. Today, the park is considered one of the best in the city.
continue reading here

City Living

May 20, 2017

$625K Prospect Heights apartment with its own roof access is lovely as can be

This charming pad comes from the top floor of 786 Washington Avenue, a 16-unit prewar co-op in Prospect Heights. Interior details include 11-foot ceilings, exposed brick, and hardwood flooring throughout. But the real perk is exclusive rights to the portion of the roof directly above the apartment, which is currently outfitted with a deck and custom bench seating. This appealing combo of indoor and outdoor space, plus the nice Brooklyn location, is on the market for $625,000.
This way for a tour

Distinctive Homes

April 18, 2017

INTERVIEW: Co-founder of the Brooklyn Home Company, Bill Caleo

By Michelle Sinclair Colman

The Brooklyn Home Company (THBCo) is a family-run cooperative of artists and builders that develop unique residential spaces in booming Brooklyn. Best described as white and wood but never cookie cutter, their work is always light and airy, and blend modern style with historic elements. It's this signature style that's made THBCo a favorite amongst both renovators and Pinterest enthusiasts alike. But what inspires their designs and how do they decide where to develop projects? Ahead, 6sqft speaks to THBCo's co-founder and Head of Operations, Bill Caleo, about the business. Find out how this family-run establishment firmly roots itself in working with local makers, how they've grown their business model to include sustainability, and why they always add a custom piece of art to all their homes.
our interview with bill here

April 13, 2017

Increased demand and new condos leads to record home sale prices in Brooklyn and Queens