Brooklyn

New York City's first Passive House-certified public schools have opened in Downtown Brooklyn, setting the bar for sustainable education. Designed by Architecture Research Office (ARO), the ultra-low-energy-use building houses two schools: the Khalil Gibran International Academy, the nation’s first English-Arabic public high school, and the Elizabeth Jennings School for Bold Explorers (aka P.S. 456). Part of the mixed-use development Alloy Block, the facility consumes less than a third of the energy of a typical NYC public school.
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Architecture And Design

Keke Palmer lists her Williamsburg penthouse for $3M

Photo credit: Krisztina Crane of Evan Joseph Images

November 21, 2024

Keke Palmer lists her Williamsburg penthouse for $3M

Multi-hyphenate actress Keke Palmer is selling her twin-terraced, top-floor Williamsburg apartment at 308 North 7th Street in the heart of Williamsburg. Asking $2,999,999, the North Brooklyn condo has three bedrooms and almost as many terraces, making it a perfect launch pad for an up-and-coming star.
Step outside for the view

46 affordable co-ops in Bed-Stuy for sale, from 206K

37 Rochester. All renderings courtesy of NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development

November 20, 2024

46 affordable co-ops in Bed-Stuy for sale, from 206K

First-time homebuyers can apply to own an affordable co-op in Bed-Stuy through a new housing lottery. The Belle Gardens cooperative includes 46 newly constructed one- and two-bedroom apartments at four buildings in the neighborhood, including 37 Rochester Avenue, 20 Suydam Place, and 331-335 Ralph Avenue. New Yorkers earning 90, 110, and 130 percent of the area median income, and who have 10 percent of the purchase price available for the down payment, can apply for the apartments, priced from $205,827 for a one-bedroom.
how to apply

Affordable Housing

This $3.75M Lefferts Manor townhouse has well-preserved historic details and every modern luxury

Photo credit: Hayley Ellen Day / DD-reps

November 18, 2024

This $3.75M Lefferts Manor townhouse has well-preserved historic details and every modern luxury

Sometimes a listing has so much going for it, we wonder how anyone could leave it behind. This four-story Brooklyn townhouse at 49 Rutland Road embodies that "has it all" status. Asking $3,750,000, the neo-Renaissance townhouse–one in a row of five built in 1897 in the Lefferts Manor Historic District section of Prospect-Lefferts Gardens–offers turn-key living within a beautifully restored historic home.
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Distinctive Homes

November 12, 2024

Deal reached to build 355-unit development across from Brooklyn Botanic Garden

Several years and project iterations later, a new mixed-use building will rise across from the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. Developer Continuum Company and Council Member Crystal Hudson reached a deal to develop a 10-story project with 355 apartments, 30 percent of which will be income-restricted, at 962-972 Franklin Avenue in Crown Heights. The revised rezoning proposal, approved by the City Council's subcommission on zoning on Tuesday, features additional changes to the roof slope to minimize shadows on the garden's rare plant collection.
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Prospect Park wildfire scorches two acres amid record-breaking dry spell

Images courtesy of the Prospect Park Alliance

November 11, 2024

Prospect Park wildfire scorches two acres amid record-breaking dry spell

More than 100 firefighters battled a brush fire in Prospect Park on Friday night that charred two acres of greenery, occurring during one of the longest dry spells in New York City's history. The blaze, which broke out in the Nethermead near the Prospect Park Boathouse, was reported around 6:40 p.m., according to AMNY. After the fire, Mayor Eric Adams banned grilling in city parks as the five boroughs remain under a drought watch.
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Policy

For $3M, this two-family Crown Heights townhouse fills every available inch of space with great style

Photo credit: Hayley Ellen Day

November 8, 2024

For $3M, this two-family Crown Heights townhouse fills every available inch of space with great style

This two-family Crown Heights townhouse at 742 Lincoln Place is a great opportunity for rental income in the form of a garden apartment, with a spacious duplex above–or for creating a three-floor home. Beyond living space and perks like a full basement and a backyard, the 20-foot-wide property, developed and designed by Bolt Equities and asking $2,995,000, is a showcase of dazzling interior design, with modern fixtures and comforts galore.
take the townhouse tour

Distinctive Homes

58 apartments available at Gowanus rental, from $848/month

Renderings courtesy of NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development

November 6, 2024

58 apartments available at Gowanus rental, from $848/month

A housing lottery launched this week for 58 mixed-income apartments at a brand-new rental near the Gowanus Canal. Located at 240 3rd Avenue, Union Channel offers tenants light-filled apartments complemented by an impressive suite of amenities. New Yorkers earning 40, 60, 100, and 130 percent of the area median income can apply for the apartments, with studios priced from $848/month, one bedrooms from $903, two bedrooms from $1,071, and three bedrooms from $1,225.
learn if you qualify

Affordable Housing

A grown-up townhouse with a Bushwick address–and a koi pond–asks $2M

Photos courtesy of Russ Ross for The Corcoran Group

November 4, 2024

A grown-up townhouse with a Bushwick address–and a koi pond–asks $2M

While Bushwick may be where the cool kids are, this three-story townhouse at 1163 Putnam Avenue is an adult-friendly two-family property with all the trimmings. With a picture-perfect renovation designed by the current owner, a former creative director at Elle Decor magazine, the turn-key home, asking $1,995,000, includes a separate garden apartment and a landscaped backyard, complete with a koi pond.
take the townhouse tour

Distinctive Homes

For $700K, this parkside Brooklyn co-op adds dramatic design details to classic pre-war bones

Photo Credit: Manuel Pellón

October 30, 2024

For $700K, this parkside Brooklyn co-op adds dramatic design details to classic pre-war bones

This thoughtfully renovated 1,000-square-foot Prospect Lefferts Gardens home at 125 Ocean Avenue is a perfectly elegant blend of custom comforts, striking design, and gracious pre-war proportions. Asking $700,000, the one-bedroom (plus home office space) co-op is framed by Art Deco details, like a sunken living room and gracefully arched doorways, with modern additions, adding up to a sophisticated 21st-century home across from Prospect Park.
take the tour

Distinctive Homes

MTA moves forward with design of Interborough Express project

Credit: Marc A. Hermann / MTA on Flickr

October 30, 2024

MTA moves forward with design of Interborough Express project

The Interborough Express, a proposed public transit connection between Brooklyn and Queens, is one step closer to becoming a reality. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority on Tuesday issued a request for proposals (RFP) for the preliminary engineering and design phase of the 14-mile light rail line and began an environmental review with the federal government, according to Bloomberg. The initial phase is expected to take roughly two years to complete.
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MTA releases Olivia Rodrigo MetroCards as second-to-last custom card

Credit: Rahul Bhatt

October 28, 2024

MTA releases Olivia Rodrigo MetroCards as second-to-last custom card

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority has released its second-to-last limited-edition MetroCard before fully transitioning to the tap-and-go OMNY system. In collaboration with Sony, the special cards will feature pop star Olivia Rodrigo wearing the new Sony Linkbuds in her signature purple aesthetic. The MTA on Monday loaded machines at seven subway stations across the city with 50,000 limited-edition cards.
find out where to get them

Sales launch for boutique condos with private outdoor spaces in Prospect Lefferts Gardens, from $835K

Credit: Palette Architecture

October 23, 2024

Sales launch for boutique condos with private outdoor spaces in Prospect Lefferts Gardens, from $835K

Sales launched this week at one part of a unique two-building luxury development in Brooklyn's Prospect Lefferts Gardens neighborhood. Developed by Kingsdel Real Estate and designed by Palette Architecture, Calvert Villas at 624 New York Avenue is a six-story boutique condo building with 10 two- to four-bedroom apartments, each with private outdoor space. Prices start at $835,500.
see the condos

For $1.45M, this barrel-fronted Bay Ridge home offers three floors for living and lots of outdoor space

Photo credit: Allyson Lubow for The Corcoran Group

October 22, 2024

For $1.45M, this barrel-fronted Bay Ridge home offers three floors for living and lots of outdoor space

In quiet Bay Ridge, surrounded by waterfront and parks, this classic townhouse at 172 Senator Street has plenty of curb appeal. A limestone-clad facade and gracefully rounded barrel front–like those of its neighbors–wrap a 20-foot-wide, 2,000-square-foot single-family home. Within are three floors of cozy rooms, highlighted by historic architectural details like pocket doors, high coffered and medallioned ceilings, and bay and stained-glass windows.
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Distinctive Homes

Lottery opens for 50 mixed-income apartments in Gowanus, from $888/month

Rendering courtesy of the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development

October 21, 2024

Lottery opens for 50 mixed-income apartments in Gowanus, from $888/month

Applications are now being accepted for 50 mixed-income apartments at a new rental development in Gowanus. Located at 655 Union Street, the 13-story residential building offers spacious, sun-drenched units with top-tier amenities at the intersection of some of Brooklyn's liveliest neighborhoods. New Yorkers earning 40, 60, 110, and 130 percent of the area median income can apply for the units, priced from $888/month one-bedroom units to $3,982/month two-bedrooms.
Learn if you qualify

Affordable Housing

A bigger and better Pearl Street Triangle plaza opens in Dumbo

Photos by Julienne Schaer

October 18, 2024

A bigger and better Pearl Street Triangle plaza opens in Dumbo

A plaza near the Manhattan Bridge in Dumbo has received a pedestrian-friendly makeover. The Dumbo Improvement District on Friday unveiled the newly designed Dumbo Archway Plaza, which enlarges the Pearl Street Triangle to create more permanent space for the public and less space for vehicles. New sculptural seating, custom umbrellas, and artwork have transformed the underutilized street and parking spot into a large plaza that seamlessly connects to the neighborhood's unofficial town square, the Archway under the Manhattan Bridge.
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Architecture And Design

City begins public review for Atlantic Avenue rezoning plan to create over 4,500 new homes

Rendering of Atlantic Avenue’s improved, and safer streets, courtesy of DCP

October 16, 2024

City begins public review for Atlantic Avenue rezoning plan to create over 4,500 new homes

A plan to create thousands of new apartments and add open space to Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn is moving forward. Mayor Eric Adams on Tuesday announced the start of the public review process for the Atlantic Avenue Mixed-Use Plan, a rezoning that could create roughly 4,600 new homes—1,440 of which will be permanently income-restricted and affordable—and 2,800 jobs along a 21-block stretch of Atlantic Avenue. The plan will also include traffic safety upgrades at intersections along the corridor to improve pedestrian safety, accessibility, and visibility.
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Rental component of One Domino Square opens lottery for 120 apartments, from $2,832/month

One Domino Square. Photo credit: Evan Joseph

October 14, 2024

Rental component of One Domino Square opens lottery for 120 apartments, from $2,832/month

A housing lottery launched this week for 120 middle-income apartments at the rental portion of One Domino Square, part of the Domino Sugar Factory redevelopment in Williamsburg. The first residential project designed by architect Annabelle Selldorf, One Domino Square consists of a 39-story building with 160 condos and a 55-story building with nearly 400 rental units, the latter of which is the tallest tower in the neighborhood. The affordable apartments will be available through a lottery to New Yorkers earning 125 and 130 percent of the area median income; apartments are priced from $2,832/month for studios to $4,415/month for two bedrooms.
Find out if you qualify

Affordable Housing

For $2.7M, this Crown Heights townhouse is a brilliant bohemian paradise designed for living

Photo credit: Fiore/Rise Media for The Corcoran Group

October 14, 2024

For $2.7M, this Crown Heights townhouse is a brilliant bohemian paradise designed for living

This one-of-a-kind two-family townhouse at 1459 Dean Street in landmarked Crown Heights, asking $2,695,000, consists of a spacious duplex atop a large garden flat. Both are spacious enough for family living, with a deck and a magical garden oasis. A recent renovation blessed the home with every possible comfort and modern detail; the interiors in both units elevate design to masterpiece level, adding up to a sophisticated bohemian paradise of the highest order.
take the tour

Distinctive Homes

Experience the beauty of the Sistine Chapel at new Brooklyn exhibit

All images courtesy of Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel: The Exhibition®

October 4, 2024

Experience the beauty of the Sistine Chapel at new Brooklyn exhibit

Forget a trip to Vatican City, a captivating new exhibition in Sunset Park brings the breathtaking frescoes of Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel to Brooklyn. Debuting on October 11 in Industry City, "Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel: The Exhibition" showcases 34 of the chapel's iconic frescoes, meticulously reproduced and enhanced to offer visitors an even more vivid experience. While tourists traveling to Italy must crane their necks 66 feet to view the original frescoes, the exhibition allows visitors to experience their stunning beauty up close.
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The Dupont offers luxury rentals on the Greenpoint waterfront, from $3,500/month

Renderings courtesy of VMI Studio

October 4, 2024

The Dupont offers luxury rentals on the Greenpoint waterfront, from $3,500/month

Greenpoint's latest luxury high-rise rental launched leasing this week. The Dupont is a 41-story building on the waterfront and part of the 22-acre Greenpoint Landing development. After an affordable housing lottery launched at the building earlier this summer, the market-rate rentals are now available, priced from $3,500/month to over $10,000/month for the penthouse units.
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New Developments

NYC restores original ‘road diet’ plan for McGuinness Boulevard

McGuinness Boulevard. Courtesy of NYC DOT

October 3, 2024

NYC restores original ‘road diet’ plan for McGuinness Boulevard

In an unexpected reversal by Mayor Eric Adams' administration, Greenpoint's McGuinness Boulevard will get protected bike lanes after all. After revealing a scaled-back redesign of the corridor less than two months ago, the city's Department of Transportation (DOT) on Wednesday announced that it will instead proceed with the original proposal to install protected bike lanes and reduce lanes of traffic by four to two along busy McGuinness Boulevard. Adams had previously supported a watered-down redesign that extended a bike lane but kept the same number of traffic lanes and excluded a protected bike lane due to community concerns.
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1515 Surf is complete: 100% electric Coney Island rental is steps from the beach

All photos courtesy of LCOR

September 30, 2024

1515 Surf is complete: 100% electric Coney Island rental is steps from the beach

New York City's first multi-family geothermal project has officially opened in Coney Island. Developer LCOR on Monday celebrated the grand opening of 1515 Surf Avenue, a 100 percent electric two-tower residential development featuring 463 apartments steps from the famed Brooklyn beach and boardwalk. Designed by STUDIO V Architecture, the innovative project offers a mix of one- and two-bedroom apartments, 13 luxurious penthouses, and an expansive suite of indoor and outdoor amenities with stunning views of the Atlantic Ocean and the iconic Riegelmann Boardwalk.
see it here

Architecture And Design

NYC’s first mixed-use affordable housing and industrial development opens in Brownsville

Photo by Michael Hnatov, courtesy of GMDC

September 26, 2024

NYC’s first mixed-use affordable housing and industrial development opens in Brownsville

New York City’s first mixed-use development combining affordable housing and manufacturing space is now complete in Brownsville. The $118 million project converted the former Fox's U-Bet Chocolate Syrup factory into 39,000 square feet of light industrial space on the ground floor with 174 units of affordable and supportive housing above it. Designed by THINK! Architecture and Design, the complex addresses two city priorities by adding affordable housing and supporting new jobs.
details this way

Affordable Housing

$475K Bed-Stuy co-op is a cozy home in a historic mansion

Photos courtesy of Allyson Lubow Photography

September 25, 2024

$475K Bed-Stuy co-op is a cozy home in a historic mansion

The Romanesque Renaissance Revival mansion at 237 Hancock Street, originally designed by architect Peter Lauritzen for clothier Wilson Randolph in 1890, possesses the curb appeal and historic charm coveted in landmarked Bedford-Stuyvesant. Within, this one-bedroom second-floor co-op, asking $475,000, offers a well-appointed refuge for modern life–surrounded by the neighborhood's vibrant social scene.
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Distinctive Homes

Wrapped in pink and surrounded by greenery, Fort Greene condo 144 Vanderbilt launches sales

Renderings courtesy of EthanDeClerk

September 24, 2024

Wrapped in pink and surrounded by greenery, Fort Greene condo 144 Vanderbilt launches sales