Search Results for: Brooklyn Heights

March 17, 2016

Aaron Dessner of Brooklyn Band The National Gets $2.3M for Ditmas Park Beauty

There's lots of big-name news happening in Ditmas Park this week. Just yesterday, 6sqft found out about Michelle Williams' plans to renovate her Colonial Revival mansion in the neighborhood, and now the Observer reports that Aaron Dessner of Brooklyn-based band The National has sold his beautiful, historic home for $2.35 million. The sale will affect the whole Grammy-nominated band, since their studio space is located in the converted garage. As the Observer notes, "A three-story Victorian-style house isn’t exactly where we pictured an indie rock band recording their album," but nonetheless Dressner bought the 3,282-square-foot residence for $700,000 in 2003. He then renovated and restored it extensively, doing most of the work himself. He configured it as a two-family home and at one point rented out the top apartment to band co-founder Matt Berninger, who now lives in Prospect Heights.
Check out the entire property
March 15, 2016

Lofted Duplex With 18-Foot Ceilings Is Priced at $699K in Prospect Heights

Hello Madison is a boutique condo building that was constructed at 925 Pacific Street, in Prospect Heights, by the Brooklyn developer Hello Living. Many of the developments feature glassy, bright and lofty apartments, and this one now on the market is no exception. It's a one bedroom that's maximizing space with a loft built upstairs. While both the loft and the apartment downstairs are compact, double heights windows and a terrace manage to lend a feeling of spaciousness.
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March 8, 2016

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

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
March 1, 2016

Brooklyn’s Getting an Olsen Twins Museum; Why Do Airplane Bathrooms Still Have Ashtrays?

After the success of their Tonya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan museum, two Brooklynites have launched a $9,500 Kickstarter to fund a new museum — The Olsen Twins Hiding From the Paparazzi. [Brokelyn] New Yorkers are the most wrinkled people in the country. [NYDN] Here’s the lineup for the inaugural Panorama music festival on Randall’s Island (you know, […]

February 9, 2016

Housing Lottery Kicks Off for $801/Month Middle-Income Apartments in the Brooklyn Cultural District

It's been quite a week to up your chances of snagging an affordable apartment in the city, with housing lottery applications being accepted for 175 West 60th Street, PS 186, EŌS, and 149 Kent Avenue. Now in booming Downtown Brooklyn, near BAM in the Brooklyn Cultural District, the Ashland at 250 Ashland Place has kicked off its lottery process, offering 282 below market-rate apartments, according to the NYC HDC. Unlike many of the recent launches, aimed towards low-income households, the Ashland is geared towards middle-income applicants earning between $28,835 for single individuals up to $200,400 for a family of six. Those who fall within the income guidelines have the opportunity to pay rents ranging from $801 for studios to $3,649 for three-bedroom units.
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February 8, 2016

Brooklyn’s Most Expensive Rental Ups Its Price to $29K/Month

The listing calls this 6,300-square-foot Brooklyn Heights townhouse at 11 Cranberry Street, for rent at $29,000 a month, "five floors of fabulous.com." We'd hope it lives up to the praise: The meticulously restored and painstakingly designed historic home is available furnished, for short or long term, and the asking rent (up from last summer's $25K monthly ask) makes it the borough's most expensive rental. The pretty–and pricey–neighborhood, transcendent bridge and river views, and proximity to Brooklyn Bridge Park already count for a premium. In addition to historic bones and soaring ceilings, the home has designer flair and up-to-the-millisecond modern conveniences like "an epic 5 zone Sonos music system" (though with five stories, we're noting the lack of an elevator).
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January 22, 2016

Watch the Seasons Change in Three Directions From This Unusual Prospect Heights Co-op

When we're looking for a new home we're often hoping for something different and, well, special, especially after seeing space after generic space. This Prospect Heights pad at 296 Sterling Place is definitely unique. It's spacious at 1,400 square feet, with 13-foot beamed ceilings and windows everywhere with open views on all three sides–because the building has three sides. You get the elegant original details of a classic pre-war co-op (original parquet wood floors, for example), plus the exposed brick and beams you'd love in a loft. And with two bedrooms plus an office/third bedroom, there's room for everyone. Overall, charming modern updates and the above cool-old-building-of-the-day infrastructure–plus the fact that the perfect Prospect Heights location tops pretty much everyone's list–are the stuff bidding wars are made of. The ask–$1.799 million–could get you an entire townhouse worth of quirky charm a few years back, but not in Brooklyn of 2016.
Take a look around this unique space
January 4, 2016

In the Historic ‘Fruit Streets’ of the Heights, a $4.5M Townhouse With a Private Garage

Tucked into one of the city’s more picturesque enclaves on Orange Street in Brooklyn Heights, this four-story, nearly-3,000-square-foot townhouse offers modern comforts with a nod to its historic surroundings. At an ask that doesn't raise eyebrows in a neighborhood whose graceful townhouses range from pricey to record-setting–sometimes regardless of interior state–this brick-clad row house, while not loaded with grand details, gets warmth from wood beams, exposed brick, a wood-burning fireplace and restored window moldings while providing turnkey touches like central air and an updated chef's kitchen. Another plus is a private garage, not exactly common in brownstone Brooklyn.
Have a look inside
December 17, 2015

$1.6 Million Dumbo Apartment Comes With Awesome Views of the Brooklyn Bridge

Views! Views! Views! Seriously, that's what you're getting with this two-bedroom apartment at 70 Washington Street, a former Dumbo warehouse that has been converted into 225 condo apartments. It was converted by Two Trees Management, prominent developers in the neighborhood, who built out luxury loft apartments and included a 24-hour concierge, doorman, fitness room, and roof deck with the building. This apartment has windows in both the living room and bedroom that offer an incredible look out onto the entire stretch of the Brooklyn Bridge and Lower Manhattan skyline. There's a total of 1,310 square feet and a lofty, open floor plan. A view like that in a neighborhood as popular as Dumbo doesn't come cheap -- although you can still find the occasional apartment in the area for under $1 million without the impressive views, of course. This one is on the market for $1.6 million, after last selling in 2007 for $1,055,926.
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December 7, 2015

Brooklyn Bath Bombs Will Leave Your Skin Smelling Like Brownstones

We can't say we're surprised that now you can bathe in the scent of Brooklyn neighborhoods. But we are surprised that these Brooklyn Flavors bath bombs don't offer gimmicky scents like "Hipster's Beard" for Williamsburg or "Bacon Cupcake" for Crown Heights. As Brooklyn Mag explains, the creator of the products "conducted demographic research of the residents that live in the neighborhood—past and present—to create each scent." For example, the Church Avenue bath bomb has a Caribbean scent representative of the neighborhood's West Indian demographic.
More neighborhood scent profiles
November 25, 2015

New Renderings of Prospect Heights’ Hello Townhouses, Construction Reaches Street Level

Here's another look at Brooklyn's Hello Townhouses rising at 22-36 Underhill Avenue between Dean and Pacific Streets in Prospect Heights. Developed by Eli Karp's Hello Living, the townhouses will be in line with much of the company's brand of modern, clean and minimalist buildings, with muted exteriors of brown and gray, pattered by an alternating arrangement of large windows. The full-service real estate development firm was founded by Karp in 2005 and purchased the 8,000-square-foot parcel that previously held a one-story warehouse for $2.1 million in 2013. Now with foundation work wrapping up, parts of the development are emerging above street level. Ultimately, the buildings will climb 32 feet and the entire project will encompass 15,516 square feet of zoning floor area. Zambrano Architectural Design is serving as the architect of the record, while Brooklyn-based Loadingdock5 are the designers.
See all the renderings here
November 18, 2015

Bought for Just $7,600 in the ’70s, Prospect Heights Co-op Returns 43 Years Later for $2.15M

In the statuesque Art Deco-style Turner Towers co-op along what’s arguably the most picturesque stretch of the grand Olmsted and Vaux-designed boulevard in Prospect Heights, this sprawling four-bedroom residence at 135 Eastern Parkway has been a family home for 43 years. The current owner moved to–and fell in love with–the neighborhood in the early ‘70s, when it was on the cusp of far darker times. How she came to acquire the spacious 14th-floor apartment, with unobstructed views over the treetops, the park and to the Verrazano Bridge and beyond, for $7,600 (nope, that’s not a typo) is a classic New York story.
Read More on the brains, luck and community spirit of Brooklyn in the 70s
November 16, 2015

$2.5M Brooklyn Waterfront Condo Has a Gorgeous Garden and a Wall Made of Shipping Containers

The loft-like apartments at 360 Furman Street–known as One Brooklyn Bridge Park–have made headlines in the past; the building was among the first wave of luxury conversions of its kind in the borough; it’s surrounded by one of the city’s favorite waterfront parks; it contains what was for a time the most expensive apartment listing in Brooklyn, and the list goes on. The building’s most alluring features are the stunning Manhattan and East River views from some of the apartments (others have less-stunning views of the BQE), luxury finishes, and convenience to the best of Brooklyn and downtown Manhattan. Interiors tend to be sleek and contemporary; it's not the first place you’d expect to find a wall crafted from shipping containers. This spacious and versatile three-bedroom apartment, on the market for $2.5 million, feels more like a laid-back loft with high-end details than a sleek new condo, with creative custom additions and steel-framed walls of glass overlooking a verdant garden-filled 600-square-foot terrace.
Check out this lofty space
November 4, 2015

Spend Eight Months in This Picture-Perfect Prospect Heights Townhouse for $12K/Month

There's not much about this townhouse triplex at 159 Prospect Place, available for short-term rental, that doesn't embody the brownstone Brooklyn ideal. On a beautiful block near the corner of Carlton Avenue and Prospect Place in heart of the neighborhood, this bright, sun-filled and renovated home also has the pretty historic details that give these big old houses such charm, and the private outdoor space we dream of–including one of those extra-long backyards unique to Prospect and Crown Heights.
Tour this lovely townhouse
October 22, 2015

City Subsidies Have Been Focused on Wealthy Neighborhoods; New Construction in Crown Heights Draws in Buyers

A new report from the Association for Neighborhood and Housing Development shows that city subsidies have historically gone to the neighborhoods that need it the least. [Crain’s] Why it was faster to build subways back in 1900. [Atlas Obscura] New condos in Brooklyn’s Crown Heights account for 20 percent of the borough’s sales. [DNA Info] […]

October 7, 2015

This $635K Washington Heights Co-op Is a Ground Floor Opportunity With Lofty Ambitions

At first glance, the price of this 1,245-square-foot well-configured and loft-like co-op in Washington Heights looks like a pretty good deal. The same spot in the parts of Manhattan and Brooklyn where one usually finds sprawling industrial-chic lofts would undoubtedly be several times more than the $635,000 ask. Upon further inspection, it becomes evident that this apartment at 447 Fort Washington Avenue occupies the building's basement. We're assuming it's been excavated enough to be legal, but even the listing prepares us for the fact that "...this lower first floor garden apartment is sublimely peaceful with no neighbors above, below or beside." It's certainly a nice-looking lower first floor garden apartment, though. In addition to the no-neighbors-because-it's-the-basement thing, keep in mind that the neighborhood is known as a no-longer-secret spot to find relatively reasonable real estate in NYC; the Times called it "affordable Manhattan," pointing out that the median price for apartments in Washington Heights was less than $500,000 in Q1 of 2015. On the other hand, a similarly-outfitted, though much larger, Cobble Hill duplex condo loft consisting of a ground floor and basement is listed for $2.85 million. So perhaps this lofty lower lair in upper Manhattan deserves further investigation after all.
Take a look around
October 6, 2015

$1.6M Fort Greene Floor-Through Designed by The Brooklyn Home Company Is Quite Photogenic

Though they're charming and often in great neighborhoods, condos created from historic townhouses often disappoint. Railroad-style layouts get circumvented by oddly-configured hallways (left resembling a linear "ant farm" accessed by tunnels), kitchens are across the apartment from living rooms, bedrooms get subdivided into virtual closets, and so on. This lovely two-bedroom parlor-floor home at 122 Fort Greene Place in prime Fort Greene escapes most of those fates, and interiors by popular brownstone Brooklyn design firm The Brooklyn Home Company elevate it even further into the charm circle. The $1.6 million ask may seem high, but a sizable 1,384 square feet, tons of restored original details within a superb renovation, stellar location, and designer showcase status (it was featured in the coffee-table-favorite "Design Brooklyn," and a slew of interiors mags) rack up plenty of selling points.
Check out more of the interior this way...
October 1, 2015

Construction Kicks Off at Brooklyn Bridge Park’s Eight-Acre Marina Atop a Subway Line

Most of the conversation about Brooklyn Bridge Park has been centered around the residential Pierhouse and the controversy surrounding its height, but right next door, an entirely different part of the urban development is taking shape. The Wall Street Journal reports that construction on the eight-acre $28 million marina between Piers 4 and 5 has commenced, with an opening planned for next spring. Officially called One° 15 Brooklyn Marina, its sailing club already has 145 pre-registered members. In addition to the fact that it will bring 140 slips to Brooklyn Heights, the project is most notable for its unconventional construction. Normally to build a marina, dock builders drill piles into the waterbed to support the docks, but at this site the R subway line is directly below. "The solution was to sink 160 giant concrete blocks, weighing 10 tons each, to the bottom of the East River," says the Journal. Then, "a large, elastic bungee cord-like mooring system called Seaflex will be used to connect the dock on the water’s surface to the concrete block below."
More details and renderings
September 25, 2015

Check Out These Insane Views From Brooklyn’s First 1,000+ Foot Tower

Seeing the boroughs from sky-high heights is nothing new thanks to all the supertall towers in Manhattan, but it's not as common to have a panoramic view of our main island, which is why we had to share this video. JDS Development posted the short clip on their Instagram stream yesterday that shows potential views from their upcoming mixed-use skyscraper planned for Downtown Brooklyn using air rights from the Dime Savings Bank site. If constructed as intended, it will be the first 1,000+ foot tower outside of Manhattan. The nine-second video, whose camera height seems nearly eye-level to the 1,368-foot roof of One World Trade Center, depicts far-reaching, panoramic views to the west and northwest over Manhattan and beyond.
Check it out here
September 18, 2015

Five-Story Brooklyn Townhouse Makes the Best-Dressed List in Pretty Pastels and Contemporary Flair

If you've got a big family and you want to live within city limits, it's said that you'd better be able to afford it; this Brooklyn Heights house helps make the case. This whopping 5,000-square-feet of townhouse goodness at 281 Henry Street is missing very little as far as house-in-the-city perfection. There's a stylishly appointed room ready for everyone and their guests—and an opportunity for rental income with a freshly renovated garden apartment to help offset costs. It almost makes the $7.2 million price tag seem like a deal. The current owner has decorated the five-story, six-bedroom brownstone to the nines with a cake-frosting-pastel palette and contemporary design elements, while retaining the home's lovely historic details; the basic infrastructure is as modern as can be with central a/c, alarm and intercom systems and every appliance, fixture and finish freshly and stylishly updated. Besides the fact that the home is actually a bit narrow at 15.5 feet (though over 54 feet deep) there's only one thing we can think of that would improve this impressive townhome: An elevator.
Five floors of eye candy, this way...
September 16, 2015

Trader Joe’s to Open in Downtown Brooklyn’s City Point; REBNY Landmarking Report Flawed Says Data Source

Trader Joe’s has officially inked a 13,700-square-foot lease at the 1.9-million-square-foot site at City Point. It’s scheduled to open in 2016. [City Point; 6sqft inbox] Here are the before and afters of the numerous towers going up in Queens. [Rent Cafe] Red Hook’s upcoming massive waterfront tech campus has gotten an updated design. [Curbed] Airbnb […]

September 15, 2015

Brooklyn Brownstone by McGrath II Shines With Subtle Color Palettes and Curated Accessories

The mother-daughter design team that makes up McGrath II recently renovated this beautiful Brooklyn brownstone. Their eclectic but elegant aesthetic combines traditional furnishings with contemporary style, resulting in a whole that's definitely greater than its parts. Not only is their ability to curate refined yet surprising design accessories apparent in all of their projects, their talent for selecting subtle colors outlined by bold, bright accents is also always worth another look.
Explore the space in greater detail
August 18, 2015

22,000 New Apartments Coming to Northern Brooklyn by 2019

We recently reported that New York City was entering its biggest building boom since 1963. Building permits rose 156 percent over the last year, accounting for 52,618 new residential units. If that number seems large to you, keep in mind it's spread over the five boroughs, including the supertall towers of Manhattan. But a new report from CityRealty shows that northern Brooklyn alone with get 22,000 new apartments over the next four years. According to the report, which only looked at buildings with 20 or more units, "around 2,700 new units are expected to be delivered in 2015. That number will nearly double in 2016, when approximately 5,000 apartments will be ready for occupancy." The majority of these units, 29 percent or 6,412 apartments, will come to Downtown Brooklyn, followed by Williamsburg with 20 percent or 4,341 units.
More on the Brooklyn building boom
August 12, 2015

Green, Grand, Great Eats: A History of Jackson Heights and Its Future as the Next Hot ‘Hood

As the transformation of Queens reaches a bit deeper into the borough, it’s really no surprise that Jackson Heights is quickly becoming a focal point for savvy buyers and renters. The area, roughly bounded by Northern Boulevard, Junction Boulevard, Roosevelt Avenue and the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, is fully loaded with stunning pre-war co-ops practically everywhere and shiny new redevelopments for under $800,000. Combine this with its diverse cultural offerings and a myriad of subways that can always get you smack dab in the middle of Manhattan in less than 30 minutes (that’s better than a lot of the up-and-coming areas of Brooklyn, mind you), it has all the makings for the next hipster-setting housing boom.
Why Jackson Heights is one to consider