Midwood/Borough Park

Get a fresh start in this just-renovated pre-war co-op in Midwood, asking $849K

Photo credit: Ed Menashy of Evan Joseph

April 13, 2022

Get a fresh start in this just-renovated pre-war co-op in Midwood, asking $849K

A three-bedroom pre-war apartment that's fresh, bright, move-in ready, and under $1,000,000 isn't an easy thing to find in Brooklyn these days, much less in a neighborhood that's growing, diverse, filled with amenities, and near the Q express train. This 1,400-square-foot co-op at 1160 Ocean Avenue, at the border between Midwood and Ditmas Park, has three bedrooms, two baths, corner windows, and hardwood floors. A stylish renovation adds fresh new fixtures, finishes, and conveniences to gracious pre-war proportions.
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Distinctive Homes

$1.8M Midwood Victorian is overflowing with flowery, vintage appeal

Listing photos courtesy of Douglas Elliman

August 24, 2021

$1.8M Midwood Victorian is overflowing with flowery, vintage appeal

By Dana Schulz

We sincerely hope that whoever buys this Victorian home in Midwood decides to keep at least some of the floral wallpaper, and there's really no choice when it comes to preserving vintage elements like clawfoot tubs, a vintage Kenmore stove, and stained glass windows. The home was built in 1899, and today it's an intriguing mix of 19th-century architecture and 1950s retro. It has six bedrooms, a covered porch, driveway, two-car garage, and both front and rear yards, and it's on the market for $1.8 million.
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Distinctive Homes

Apply for 13 middle-income apartments in a new Midwood building, from $1,850/month

All renderings and photos courtesy of NYC Department of Housing Preservation & Development

August 10, 2021

Apply for 13 middle-income apartments in a new Midwood building, from $1,850/month

By Dana Schulz

New Yorkers earning 130 percent of the area median income can apply for 13 apartments in a brand-new Midwood, Brooklyn rental. Located at 1941 Coney Island Avenue, the building is called The Posh and offers tenants a roof deck, parking garage with electric car charging, gym, and more. The apartments, which include $1,850/month studios, $2,250/month one-bedrooms, and $2,750/month three-bedrooms, have sleek interiors with big, floor-to-ceiling windows.
See if you qualify

Affordable Housing

Listing photos by Al Seidman, VHT

June 22, 2021

In the Fiske Terrace Historic District, this Colonial Revival house is impeccably modernized for $5M

By Dana Schulz

This listing calls this six-bedroom Colonial Revival house "the centerpiece of the landmarked Fiske Terrace Historic District," and we can certainly see why with its all curb appeal. Built in 1905, it sits on a 0.31-acre lot at the corner of the dead-end Wellington Court and East 17th Street, one of the gorgeously landscaped Flatbush Malls. In addition to its rolling green lawn and giant oak trees, the house has a driveway that leads to a two-car garage/carriage house apartment. And inside, it's been impeccably modernized, while retaining all the historic details. The home is asking $4,999,000.
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Distinctive Homes

Slight jump in COVID-19 cases in Borough Park linked to large wedding

Photo by Christopher Macsurak on Wikimedia

August 19, 2020

Slight jump in COVID-19 cases in Borough Park linked to large wedding

By Devin Gannon

City health officials this week discovered an uptick in coronavirus cases in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Borough Park. Mayor Bill de Blasio on Wednesday said 16 new cases were found in the last week, with some linked to a large wedding that recently took place in the community. The mayor said the city will work with local leaders and organizations to spread the word about testing and social distancing and distribute masks at houses of worship.
Details this way

Policy

Rendering of 1277 East 14th Street by Maqe

January 21, 2020

91 middle-income units up for grabs at brand new Midwood rental, from $2,346/month

By Devin Gannon

A housing lottery launched Tuesday for 91 middle-income apartments at a newly constructed building in Midwood. Located at 1277 East 14th Street in the central Brooklyn neighborhood, the building sits on the former site of Vitagraph Studios, an acclaimed production company founded in the borough in 1897. The Vitagraph Apartments, which opened last summer, contain 302 units and amenities like a landscaped roof deck and fitness center. Qualifying New Yorkers earning 130 percent of the area median income can apply for the units, which includes $2,346/month one-bedrooms and $2,830/month two-bedrooms.
Find out if you qualify

Affordable Housing

The city introduces a new branding initiative to unite NYC’s public markets

Photo of the Arthur Avenue Retail Market by Leonard J. DeFrancisci via Wikimedia Commons

November 11, 2019

The city introduces a new branding initiative to unite NYC’s public markets

By Michelle Cohen

The New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) last week unveiled a new brand strategy for the city's network of six public markets, which includes a multilingual ad campaign, a dynamic new website and social media presence, direct mail campaigns and more, all of which are designed to consolidate a network of historic markets under one city-wide brand. It's all part of the organization's comprehensive initiative to promote NYC's public markets--including Essex Market, the Bronx's Arthur Avenue Market, and Williamsburg's historic Moore Street Market--as "world class destinations for both local residents and tourists."
See what's in store

City Living

De Blasio vows to save legendary Di Fara Pizza after tax seizure

Image via Flickr cc

August 21, 2019

De Blasio vows to save legendary Di Fara Pizza after tax seizure

By Alexandra Alexa

When news broke yesterday that legendary Midwood pizzeria Di Fara was seized by authorities for failure to pay $167,506 in state taxes, many New Yorkers lamented the loss of what is widely considered to be the city's best pizza—including Mayor Bill de Blasio. "Di Fara is THE best pizza place in New York City," de Blasio tweeted early this morning. "I'm ready to do anything I can to get them reopened—as are thousands of New York City pizza-lovers."
More info

Food & Dining

My 1,100sqft: Pizza pundit Scott Wiener’s Midwood home holds the world’s largest pizza box collection

Our series “My sqft” checks out the homes of New Yorkers across all the boroughs. Our latest interior adventure brings us to Scott Wiener’s Midwood

May 7, 2019

My 1,100sqft: Pizza pundit Scott Wiener’s Midwood home holds the world’s largest pizza box collection

By Dana Schulz

apartment. Want to see your home featured here? Get in touch! How does one person amass 1,471 pizza boxes you may ask? After spending a few minutes with Scott Wiener, this will seem like a silly question. Scott founded Scott's Pizza Tours 11 years ago, and since his first tour, he has become NYC's resident pizza expert. In addition to his company's signature bus tours, it now hosts daily walking tours, and Scott is often cited in both gastronomy and historical publications. But the real reason people from all over the world are keen to send Scott one of their pizza boxes is his genuine personality. Whether he's talking about the different types of flour used to make dough or discussing how he used 19th-century tax maps to unearth the various coal-fired ovens that once existed in the city, you can't help give Scott your full attention; his passion is contagious. And he's just a really nice guy. When a couple recently got engaged on his tour, Scott told us that he had been texting for months with the groom to make sure everything was perfect. 6sqft recently paid Scott a visit at his Midwood apartment and got to learn even more about him, from how he developed his pizza passion to what an average day looks like. Of course, we also got a behind-the-scenes look at that record-setting pizza box collection.
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August 6, 2018

15 middle-income units available in up-and-coming Midwood, from $1,350/month

By Dana Schulz

As we recently noted, "Midwood might not yet be considered an up-and-coming ‘hood," but it is getting a Target and the food hall treatment, which seems to be NYC's answer to the "Whole Foods effect." And for New Yorkers who are keen to get in at the very beginning of a possible transformation, the city's latest affordable housing lottery could be just the answer. As of today, middle-income households earning 130 percent of the area median income can apply for 15 units at the newly constructed rental 1930 Avenue M. It's located right at the corner of Ocean Avenue, which in recent years has seen a surge of new residential development. The available apartments range from $1,350/month studios to $2,050/month two-bedrooms.
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Affordable Housing

June 14, 2018

SHoP Architects design a food hall, co-working, and retail space for Midwood

By Dana Schulz

Midwood might not yet be considered an up-and-coming 'hood, but this new mixed-use project from trendy architects SHoP might be the first step. CityRealty spotted renderings for a 10-story commercial building at 1508 Coney Island Avenue, which will be one of the largest in the area. Preliminary outlines detail three floors of medical offices, three floors for non-profit offices, and two floors for co-working. Plus, there will be two levels of parking, two levels of retail, an event space, restaurant, and, of course, food hall. And while SHoP's design for the exterior seems pretty straightforward, the interiors take on a bit more of a fantastical approach.
Check it all out

April 13, 2018

Lottery launches for nine middle-income apartments near Marine Park, from $1,700/month

By Devin Gannon

A lottery launched this week for nine middle-income apartments in the Midwood neighborhood of Brooklyn. Located at 2802 Kings Highway, the building sits at a nexus of Madison and Marine Park, which is home to Brooklyn's largest public park. Nearby transit options include the B and Q trains, as well as a slew of Brooklyn-bound buses. Qualifying New Yorkers earning 130 percent of the area median income can apply for the one-bedrooms for $1,700/month or two-bedrooms for $2,200/month.
Find out if you qualify

Affordable Housing

More Banksy work pops up in Brooklyn, this time commenting on capitalism and real estate

Photo by Benjamin Sutton for Hyperallergic

March 20, 2018

More Banksy work pops up in Brooklyn, this time commenting on capitalism and real estate

By Michelle Sinclair Colman

Banksy is at it again. Last Friday, we highlighted the 70-foot mural on the Houston Bowery Wall depicting the Turkish artist Zehra Dogan’s unjust prison sentence. Now the elusive street artist is taking credit for two murals on a derelict site slated for redevelopment in Midwood, Brooklyn, reports Hyperallergic. One of the murals depicts a man in a suit and hard hat (most likely a real estate developer), cracking a whip that looks like a stock market up arrow, over a group of children and adults desperate to get away. Coincidence or not, Trump has properties in nearby Coney Island. The mural is classic Banksy commentary on the evils and influence of capitalism.
Details on the second piece

May 9, 2017

Freestanding home in Fiske Terrace Historic District asks $1.6M

By Emily Nonko

This charming property comes from the Fiske Terrace-Midwood Park Historic District, where historic, freestanding homes are the norm. Fiske Terrace is an enclave of Flatbush, a Brooklyn neighborhood located just east of Ditmas Park. (Ditmas is also known for its freestanding beauties.) Here at 819 East 19th Street, which is now on the market for $1.595 million, there are historic details throughout formal living and dining rooms, as well as an enclosed porch, backyard, private driveway and garage.
Take a peek inside

Distinctive Homes

December 13, 2016

For $560K, this spacious Sunset Park co-op has a Scandinavian heritage and interior style to match

By Michelle Cohen

We're told this big and bright pre-war apartment at 1413 9th Avenue is in a 1923 Finnish co-op building. We know that's not unusual for Sunset Park: In the first half of the 20th century, the neighborhood was home to a large Scandinavian community. But this particular home's charming interiors are also the picture of Scandi-chic (though we're pretty sure it's coincidental). At $560,000, three big bedrooms with plenty of space to spare make the laid-back minimal decor that much easier on the eyes.
Tour this lovely southwest Brooklyn gem

Distinctive Homes

August 26, 2016

With $2.5 billion in Brooklyn real estate, Hasidic investors are a formidable gentrification driver

By Michelle Cohen

We hear so frequently about the players behind Manhattan’s billion-dollar real estate projects and how foreign investors are pouring a global vault's worth of currency into New York City property, often shielded by LLCs. It's illuminating to get a closer look at the city’s larger real estate landscape–one that has changed so much in recent decades–and learn who's behind the soaring property values, skyrocketing rents, frenzied flipping and veritable horse-trading that has driven the unprecedented and transformative gentrification beyond Manhattan’s rarified development scene. A recent story by The Real Deal titled “Learning and earning: Hasidic Brooklyn’s real estate machers” reveals that a huge slice of the borough’s real estate pie is owned by the Hasidic community. The ultra-orthodox sect reportedly includes some of Brooklyn’s wealthiest property owners, to the tune of $2.5 billion.
Find out more

Real Estate Trends

March 18, 2016

The Notorious RBG: Exploring Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s Brooklyn Roots

By Annie Doge

Though news this week has been focused on President Obama choosing Merrick Garland as the next Supreme Court justice, it's Ruth Bader Ginsburg who's been grabbing headlines for most of the recent past. And as Brownstoner recently pointed out, "the Notorious RBG, as Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is known to her fans, shares a home borough with the original Notorious title holder — the late rapper Biggie Smalls, aka the Notorious B.I.G."
Learn all about RBG's Brooklyn roots

February 8, 2015

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

By Michelle Cohen

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

520 Fifth Avenue

Midtown West

Live at the center of NYC

1 beds starting at $2,445,000
2 beds starting at $3,435,000
3 beds starting at $6,775,000

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Midwood/Borough Park

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