Crown Heights

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

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

Crown Heights project near Brooklyn Botanic Garden may be scrapped despite city approval

Franklin Avenue looking north toward Montgomery Avenue and 54 Crown Street. Photo © 6sqft

September 24, 2024

Crown Heights project near Brooklyn Botanic Garden may be scrapped despite city approval

After securing a key approval from the city after years of delays, the developer behind a controversial residential project near the Brooklyn Botanic Garden said they plan to withdraw the application. The City Planning Commission (CPC) on Monday voted to approve a modified rezoning of 962-972 Franklin Avenue in Crown Heights that would result in fewer shadows cast on the garden from a new 14-story building developed by Continuum Company. But despite the approval, an attorney for Continuum's Ian Bruce Eicher told The Real Deal the group plans to withdraw the application because the modifications make the project impossible to finance.
learn more

Everything you need to know about NYC’s Caribbean Carnival

Photo by Brian Lin on Flickr

August 30, 2024

Everything you need to know about NYC’s Caribbean Carnival

New York City's West Indian-American Day Carnival and Parade returns to Brooklyn this Labor Day. The festival, which typically attracts over a million spectators, takes over a stretch of Eastern Parkway in Crown Heights, celebrating the diversity of Caribbean culture with dancing, elaborate costumes, traditional music, and food.
What you need to know

Events & Things To Do

Brooklyn Children’s Museum begins $15 million garden makeover

The Brooklyn Children’s Museum’s terrace, courtyard, and outdoor spaces will be modernized under the project. Rendering courtesy of Gans and Company / NYC DDC

August 14, 2024

Brooklyn Children’s Museum begins $15 million garden makeover

Work has begun on the $15 million revitalization of outdoor space at the Brooklyn Children's Museum. The city's Departments of Cultural Affairs and Design and Construction this week broke ground on the project to beautify the Crown Heights museum's courtyards and terraces and create 20,000 square feet of accessible outdoor programming space for young New Yorkers and their families. The project is being funded by the Mayor's Office, City Council, and the Brooklyn Borough President's office.
learn more

Architecture And Design

Brooklyn’s greenest block is in Crown Heights

Lincoln Place. Photo by Artchan Nadura

August 6, 2024

Brooklyn’s greenest block is in Crown Heights

The greenest block in Brooklyn is in Crown Heights. And so is the second-greenest block. The Brooklyn Botanic Garden on Tuesday crowned Lincoln Place between New York and Nostrand Avenues as the winner of its Greenest Block competition, an annual contest open to all blocks and community gardens in the borough. Another win for the neighborhood, the garden awarded Eastern Parkway between Bedford and Franklin Avenues second place.
and the winners are

Rental at historic Crown Heights site opens lottery for 48 apartments, from $3,128/month

All renderings courtesy of Morris Adjmi Architects

July 16, 2024

Rental at historic Crown Heights site opens lottery for 48 apartments, from $3,128/month

A lottery opened this week at a new luxury rental building on a historic site in Crown Heights. Designed by Morris Adjmi Architects, Mason Gray is a mixed-use development at 959 Sterling Place consisting of a seven-story brick building with 158 apartments. Landmarked as part of the Crown Heights Historic District, the property is home to a 19th-century Romanesque Revival complex currently occupied by the Hebron Seventh Day Adventist Church and School. Qualifying New Yorkers earning 130 percent of the area median income can apply for the apartments, priced at $3,128/month for studios, $3,345/month for one-bedrooms, and $4,000/month for two-bedrooms.
how to apply

Affordable Housing

289-unit condo proposed for Crown Heights site next to Brooklyn Botanic Garden

960 Franklin Avenue. Street View 2024 © Google

May 6, 2024

289-unit condo proposed for Crown Heights site next to Brooklyn Botanic Garden

A Crown Heights property that has seen several development proposals over the years traded hands again. A limited liability company tied to Yitzchok Schwartz's YS Developers paid $64 million for 960 Franklin Avenue, which sits a block from the Brooklyn Botanic Garden and is home to a former spice factory, as The Real Deal reported. YS Developers acquired the site from Isaac Hager and Daryl Hagler and on Friday filed plans for a seven-story residential building with 289 condos. A previous plan that called for two 34-story towers with over 1,500 apartments was successfully stopped by the Brooklyn Botanic Garden and local residents, who feared the high-rises would block sunlight to its nearby greenhouses.
details here

New Developments

Historic Crown Heights school is now a 40-unit luxury rental

Rendering courtesy of PKSB Architects

April 4, 2024

Historic Crown Heights school is now a 40-unit luxury rental

A former Catholic school in Crown Heights is now a 40-unit rental building. The Gregory at 991 St. John's Place sits within the St. Gregory the Great Roman Catholic Church complex, designed by Frank J. Helmle and Harvey Wiley Corbett in the 1920s. GEMA Capital Partners and PKSB Architects oversaw the conversion of the historic schoolhouse into a multi-family rental. Leasing has kicked off for the project's mix of studios, one-, two-, and three-bedroom homes, starting at $3,437/month.
discover more

ODA-designed Crown Heights rental with 328 apartments secures $135M in financing

Rendering courtesy of ODA Architecture

March 26, 2024

ODA-designed Crown Heights rental with 328 apartments secures $135M in financing

The Crown Heights rental development that drew the ire of residents for replacing an Associated Supermarket is moving forward. The Hudson Companies on Monday announced it closed on $135 million in financing for the mixed-use project at 975 Nostrand Avenue, a new nine-story development with 328 apartments. As part of a deal reached in 2021, a grocery store run by the same manager of the previous store will take up about 20,000 square feet at the new building.
find out more

New Developments

Crown Heights townhouse seized from slumlords available for $678K through lottery

Photos courtesy of NYC Housing Preservation and Development

February 12, 2024

Crown Heights townhouse seized from slumlords available for $678K through lottery

A Crown Heights townhouse owned by an infamous slumlord duo and seized by the city is for sale. The home at 1214 Dean Street was turned over in 2022 after a $2.25 million settlement between the city and the previous owners, who tried to illegally evict tenants during the pandemic and ran an illegal hotel. Following a restoration, the property is now accepting applications as part of the city's affordable housing lottery system. First-time homebuyers with at least a four-person household earning 110 percent of the area median income can apply to buy the home, which is listed at $678,000.
HOW TO APPLY

569-unit rental planned next to Brooklyn Botanic Garden in Crown Heights

Rendering via JLL

August 15, 2023

569-unit rental planned next to Brooklyn Botanic Garden in Crown Heights

Plans for a 17-story mixed-use project with 569 rentals in Crown Heights are moving ahead. Carmel Partners acquired $233 million in construction financing for the development of the new building at 54 Crown Street, which sits just one block east of the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. Work has already begun on the complex, which will include both commercial and community space as well as parking for 170 vehicles.
See it here

New Developments

Brower Park Library reopens within the Brooklyn Children’s Museum

Photos courtesy of Gregg Richards

July 24, 2023

Brower Park Library reopens within the Brooklyn Children’s Museum

The Brooklyn Public Library's Brower Park branch has joined forces with another Crown Heights institution: the Brooklyn Children's Museum. After facing a hefty price tag of $5.6 million to make necessary improvements at its existing building, the library instead moved to the ground floor of the museum, according to Patch, with the branch officially open as of last week. Located at 155 Brooklyn Avenue, the library includes a main reading room, a community room, a colorful children's space for both reading and play, as well as an outdoor reading terrace.
See more here

Uncategorized

Hypnotizing flower-themed sculptural exhibit coming to Brooklyn Botanic Garden

Jean-Michel Othoniel, view of the exhibition Treasure Gardens at Seoul Museum of Art and Imperial Palace Garden, Seoul (South Korea), 2022. Photo by CJY ART STUDIO. © Jean-Michel Othoniel / ADAGP, Paris & ARS, New York 2023.

June 28, 2023

Hypnotizing flower-themed sculptural exhibit coming to Brooklyn Botanic Garden

The Brooklyn Botanic Garden is hosting a new sculptural exhibition in three of its most well-known garden spaces this summer. Created by French artist Jean-Michel Othoniel, "The Flowers of Hypnosis" consists of six separate flower-like sculptures inspired by Othoniel's passion and observations of nature and work on a landscape scale. The sculpture series, Othoniel's largest exhibition in the United States since 2012, will be on view at the BBG from July 18 through October 22, 2023.
See more here

Events & Things To Do

Lottery launches for 53 luxury apartments at new Crown Heights rental, from $1,576/month

Rendering courtesy of StudioSC

January 24, 2023

Lottery launches for 53 luxury apartments at new Crown Heights rental, from $1,576/month

Applications are currently being accepted for 53 mixed-income apartments at a new luxury rental in Crown Heights. Located between Grand and Classon Avenues, the building at 1010 Pacific Street, dubbed Pacific House, rises nine stories, contains 175 total units, and offers residents a fitness center, a unique library room, and a large landscaped rooftop. New Yorkers earning 80 and 130 percent of the area median income can apply for the apartments, priced from $1,576/month for studios.
Do you qualify?

Affordable Housing

Leasing launches at Bedford Union Armory rental in Crown Heights, studios from $2,875/month

Renderings courtesy of Pax Brooklyn; Photos courtesy of QuallsBenson, unless otherwise noted

August 16, 2022

Leasing launches at Bedford Union Armory rental in Crown Heights, studios from $2,875/month

Leasing launched this week at a new mixed-income rental building that is part of the redeveloped Bedford Union Armory complex in Crown Heights. Located at 1101 President Street, The Arch rises 16 stories, contains 355 rental units, and offers residents amenities like a furnished rooftop, indoor-outdoor gym, and a work-from-home business center. The more than 160 market-rate apartments start at $2,875/month for a studio, $3,212/month for a one-bedroom, $4,514/month for a two-bedroom, and $5,675/month for a three-bedroom, according to the building's website.
Get the details

Apply for 160 affordable units at Bedford Union Armory complex in Crown Heights, from $465/month

Image courtesy of the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development

July 21, 2022

Apply for 160 affordable units at Bedford Union Armory complex in Crown Heights, from $465/month

Applications are now being accepted for 160 affordable units at a new rental in the Bedford Union Armory redevelopment in Brooklyn. Located at 1101 President Street in Crown Heights, the building offers residents brand new units and a prime location near Prospect Park. New Yorkers earning 30, 40, 50, and 60 percent of the area median income, or between $18,515 for a single person and $99,300 for a household of seven, are eligible to apply for the apartments, which range from $465/month studios to $1,841/month three bedrooms.
Find out if you qualify

Crown Heights residents sue LPC over apartment complex on site of landmarked ‘crown jewel’

All renderings courtesy of Morris Adjmi Architects via the Landmarks Preservation Commission

April 12, 2022

Crown Heights residents sue LPC over apartment complex on site of landmarked ‘crown jewel’

A coalition of Crown Heights residents and preservationists last week filed a lawsuit against the Landmarks Preservation Commission for approving a major residential project on a historic Brooklyn property. Developed by Hope Street Capital and designed by Morris Adjmi Architects, 959 Sterling Place (aka 920 Park Place) consists of a seven-story complex with 158 apartments and community space that will replace a landmarked 19th-century building. On Friday, attorneys representing the coalition of opponents filed a lawsuit against the LPC and Hope Street Capital, claiming the commission violated the law by failing to hold a public hearing.
See more here

Policy

Brooklyn Museum’s free First Saturdays program returns after two years

First Saturday at the Brooklyn Museum, April 2017. Photo: Kolin Mendez Photography; courtesy of the Brooklyn Museum

March 25, 2022

Brooklyn Museum’s free First Saturdays program returns after two years

For the first time since March 2020, the Brooklyn Museum's popular First Saturdays program will return next month. The program, which got its start over two decades ago, offers a night of free events, performances, activities, and more, on the first Saturday of every month. The famed program resumes on April 2 from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.
More here

Events & Things To Do

Brooklyn Museum’s iconic ‘OY/YO’ sculpture is wrapped in blue fabric to show support for Ukraine

Deborah Kass (American, born 1952). OY/YO, 2015. Painted aluminum, 96 x 19 5 x 54 ½ in (243.8 x 495.3 x 138.4 cm). Courtesy of the artist. © 2018 Deborah Kass/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Photo: Courtesy of the Brooklyn Museum

March 3, 2022

Brooklyn Museum’s iconic ‘OY/YO’ sculpture is wrapped in blue fabric to show support for Ukraine

The bright yellow OY/YO sculpture that sits in front of The Brooklyn Museum has been partially wrapped in blue fabric to show solidarity with Ukraine. Deborah Kass, the New York artist behind the piece, joined museum staff on Wednesday to cover the letter "O" with the fabric, a nod to the blue and yellow Ukrainian flag. According to an Instagram post published by the museum, Kass' activation "aligns with her original motivation in creating this sculpture—to connect communities and to see our commonalities."
Get the details

Events & Things To Do

February 24, 2022

NYC reaches $2.25M settlement with notorious Crown Heights landlord duo

Mayor Eric Adams and New York Attorney General Letitia James on Wednesday announced a $2.25 million settlement against Gennaro Brooks-Church and Loretta Gendville, who attempted to illegally evict tenants at their Brooklyn property during the pandemic in violation of the state's moratorium, and reportedly ran an illegal hotel operation over the course of several years. By terms of the settlement, the property located at 1214 Dean Street in Crown Heights will be turned over to the city and transformed into affordable housing, with the previous owners paying $250,000 in fines.
See more here

This $1.15M Crown Heights condo has a colorful Plain English kitchen and plenty of space for dinner guests

Photos courtesy of Douglas Elliman

December 13, 2021

This $1.15M Crown Heights condo has a colorful Plain English kitchen and plenty of space for dinner guests

This $1,149,000 Crown Heights condo at 720 Nostrand Avenue has high-floor light, a spacious layout, and a custom kitchen that transcends the ordinary. On the fifth floor of a six-story elevator building, the two-bedroom, two-bath home also has a private balcony off the master bedroom, a washer/dryer, and pale hardwood floors throughout.
Take the tour

The 30+ best neighborhood shops in NYC for finding the perfect gift

Photo credits clockwise from top left: Park Deli; Frankie Marin/Verameat; Quality Goods; Michele Varian

December 10, 2021

The 30+ best neighborhood shops in NYC for finding the perfect gift

We've been shopping online for what seems like forever, and there's not a thing wrong with it–except when we crave that amazing experience of finding just the right thing and getting to take it with us now. While brick-and-mortar shops aren't going away anytime soon, we appreciate the good ones that much more. If you're lucky enough to live in New York City–where shopping is high art–some of the best shops on the planet could be just around the corner from where you live. You're sure to find something fabulous for everyone on your list among the local addresses below.
Amazing local NYC shops, this way

Events & Things To Do

Photo: FAD Holiday Market

November 18, 2021

The 15 best NYC holiday markets of 2021

Even a pandemic can't keep a New York City shopper down. The city's retail landscape may look different now, but that hasn't dimmed the sparkle of beautiful baubles, clever crafts, and the company of fellow shoppers. While most of the city's holiday markets went virtual last year, many of our favorites have returned in their fabulous original form. The big Manhattan markets at Union Square, Bryant Park, and Columbus Circle are still impressive, but smaller, more intimate neighborhood gems shine brightly on their own. They're all great places to find seasonal delights like ice skating, live music, drinks, food, and family fun designed to keep shoppers' spirits bright.
Find out where the goods are

Events & Things To Do

Bedford Union Armory recreation center officially opens in Crown Heights

Photo credit: Brett Bayer

October 28, 2021

Bedford Union Armory recreation center officially opens in Crown Heights

The transformation of a former armory in Brooklyn into a recreation center is now complete. Located in Crown Heights, the Major R. Owens Health & Wellness Community Center opened its doors on Wednesday, bringing a new 60,000-square-foot community center with an indoor swimming pool, three basketball courts, a soccer field, dance studios, and space for local nonprofits to the neighborhood. The long-awaited project also includes 415 units of housing, expected to open in 2023.
More this way

NYC commission kills application for shadow-casting towers next to Brooklyn Botanic Garden

Rendering: NYC Department of City Planning

September 23, 2021

NYC commission kills application for shadow-casting towers next to Brooklyn Botanic Garden