Brooklyn

April 13, 2018

A Buckminster Fuller dome almost kept the Dodgers in Brooklyn

With baseball season back in full swing, talk at some point turns to the heartbreak of losing the Brooklyn Dodgers to Los Angeles. Modern Mechanix informs us that team owner Walter O'Malley had championed a Brooklyn dome stadium designed by Buckminster Fuller–and how the result is yet another reason to blame Robert Moses. O'Malley took the team to Cali, if you'll remember, because he got a better deal on land for a stadium–better than he was able to get in the five boroughs. He had wanted to keep the team in Brooklyn, but Ebbets Field was looking down-at-the-heels by then and bad for morale. In 1955 O'Malley wrote dome-obsessed architect Buckminster Fuller requesting a domed stadium design.
So what happened?
April 13, 2018

L/AND/A transforms a dark Bed-Stuy row house into a spacious, sun-drenched dream

LIGHT AND AIR, better known as L/AND/A, is a New York-based architecture and design studio led by architect and artist Shane Neufeld. Established in 2017, L/AND/A takes a “primal approach” to architecture by reducing design to its essential components to find clarity in a hectic world. Neufeld believes, "architecture is most powerful when elemental, and that spatial clarity and specificity have the potential to shape distinct experiences that ultimately enrich our lives- reconnecting people to their environments in meaningful and surprising ways.” This is just what Neufeld has done in his most recent project.
See the transformation
April 13, 2018

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

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
April 11, 2018

$4M duplex in Park Slope’s Tracy Mansion is dripping with historic details

After struggling to sell for what would have been a record-breaking $25 million, Park Slope's grand Tracy Mansion – a Montessori School since 1970 – finally sold for $9.5 million back in 2013. Scott Henson Architect then divided the neoclassical landmarked structure into seven luxurious condos, the first-floor duplex now asking $3.85 million. In addition to a 432-square-foot backyard, the three-bedroom home boasts a myriad of historic details, an eight-foot-tall marble fireplace, tons of decorative molding, Corinthian pillars, wood paneling, herringbone wood floors, and a sweeping grand staircase that was featured in the HBO show "Boardwalk Empire."
Drool over this grand home
April 11, 2018

Sunny Crown Heights condo with stained glass and bay windows asks $775K

This laid-back, sunny home at 875 Saint Marks Avenue in where-it's-at Crown Heights is the kind of space you hope to find a pretty, historic townhouse across from the Brooklyn Children's Museum. With plenty of century-old details and carefully designed modern style–and did we mention sunlight?–this one-bedroom condominium looks like a great place to spend an afternoon.
Take a look
April 10, 2018

New renderings revealed for Daniel Libeskind’s affordable senior housing building in Bed-Stuy

Just a few weeks ago, 6sqft reported that starchitect Daniel Libeskind's first New York City building to rise from the ground up would be a 197-unit affordable senior housing project planned for Site 2 of the Sumner Houses in Bed-Stuy. Now Studio Libeskind has released three new renderings of the 10-story building-to-be, showing more of its an angular white-colored facade done in the firm’s signature un-orthogonal style (h/t Dezeen).
See more, this way
April 9, 2018

This $4M Park Slope Passive House is as green and efficient as it is chic and livable

Though it would be an enviable Brooklyn townhouse even without the certification, this unique  home at 331 8th Street in Park Slope got a complete Passive House retrofit in 2013. It's a shining 21st century energy-efficient example; better yet, the home's many period details were preserved. Asking $4 million, the 3,675 square-foot three-story home has wood molding, original doors and slate mantles across four bedrooms, three full baths, a powder room and a fully finished basement. A total of four outdoor spaces multiplies what we love about townhouse living.
Take the tour
April 9, 2018

REVEALED: Jeanne Gang’s 51-story condo next to Downtown Brooklyn Macy’s

Tishman Speyer released on Monday the first renderings for its new luxury residential tower in Downtown Brooklyn, 11 Hoyt. Designed collaboratively between Hill West Architects and Jeanne Gang's architecture firm, Studio Gang, the 51-story, 480-unit condominium project will offer a variety of apartment layouts, with more than 190 different floor plans. The tower's rippling exterior seems to borrow elements used in two of Gang's Chicago projects, the Aqua Tower and the Vista Tower, which is currently under construction. The project will rise next to the Macy's on Fulton Street, which is currently undergoing renovations by Tishman Speyer, who are also planning a 10-story office tower on top of the store. Sales will launch at the tower this summer, but interested buyers can now check out the building's newly launched teaser site.
See them here
April 5, 2018

REVEALED: New renderings of Domino Sugar Factory’s waterfront park and esplanade

Almost a year to date since the first renderings were revealed for Domino Park, the 11-acre park and waterfront esplanade that will anchor the three-million-square-foot Williamsburg mega-development at the Domino Sugar Factory site, a new batch of views has been released by developer Two Trees, and they showcase everything from an urban "beach" to a better look at how preserved artifacts from the historic factory will be incorporated throughout. Designed by James Corner Field Operations (of the High Line fame), the park is scheduled to open this summer, ahead of most of the buildings.
All the renderings and details ahead
April 5, 2018

Snag an affordable one-bedroom in Greenpoint for $1,020/month

Photo via CityRealty A newly constructed, 14-unit rental in Greenpoint has launched a lottery for three affordable one-bedroom apartments. The ground-up building is located at 977 Manhattan Avenue, between India and Huron Streets, and is an investment property, with the entire building listed for $14.25 million. Qualifying New Yorkers earning 60 percent of the area median income can apply for the $1,020/month one-bedroom apartments.
Find out if you qualify
April 5, 2018

10 things you didn’t know were made in Brooklyn

The new exhibition at the Brooklyn Historical Society, "The Business of Brooklyn," celebrates the 100th anniversary of the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce and tells the fascinating story of the borough’s 100 years of business, detailing its industrial past, large companies, as well as its preponderance of mom-and-pop shops. It also showcases many objects and artifacts, which have their origins in Brooklyn, demonstrating the significant “role that Brooklyn has played in American consumer culture.” The exhibition is on view at the Brooklyn Historical Society’s landmark building in Brooklyn Heights located at 128 Pierrepont Street until Winter 2019. From those iconic yellow pencils to Brillo pads to Cracker Jack, you may be surprised to see what has been made in Brooklyn.
The history of 10 famous products made in Brooklyn
April 5, 2018

Adrian Grenier put a $10,000 toilet in his mom’s Clinton Hill townhouse renovation

In 2015, 6sqft reported that "Entourage" star, filmmaker and local green renovator had just purchased an impressive five story home in the heart of the Clinton Hill historic district. Nosy neighbors and friendly observers have noted steady progress in the massive renovation effort that has followed at 112 Gates Avenue. Now the New York Post tells us that the home, which the actor adorably bought for his Brown Harris Stevens broker mom, will not only retain its Landmarks-mandated charm but will be positively flush with modern conveniences–starting with $10,200 Toto Neorest 750H high tech toilets courtesy of a sponsorship by the Japanese manufacturer.
'before' photos a-head
April 5, 2018

Apply for 35 middle-income units near Pratt Institute in Clinton Hill, from $2,030/month

A newly constructed Clinton Hill building is now accepting applications for 35 middle-income units. Located at 325 Lafayette Avenue, the building sits around the corner from the Pratt Institute, Classon Playground and a plethora of restaurants and bars. The eight-story rental, designed by Aufgang Architects, features a brick facade with metal panels. Qualifying New Yorkers earning 130 percent of the area median income can apply for units ranging from a $2,030/month studio to a $2,581/month two-bedroom.
Find out if you qualify
April 5, 2018

Starbucks targets low- and middle-income communities, starting with new Bed Stuy location

Starbucks has been all over the map, not only geographically but symbolically. Reactions to a new Starbucks often range from being a welcome addition by caffeine-deprived people to being the face of a large corporation that is a lightning rod for gentrification, threatening mom and pop shops. With 14,163 Starbucks in the US, what street corner doesn’t have a Starbucks? Well, the Bedford-Stuyvesant community didn’t, until now. A Starbucks just took over the location of shuttered local department store, Fat Albert. Is this another example of the big, faceless corporation blazing its way into a community that doesn’t want it?
Get more info here
April 4, 2018

15-room Ditmas Park Victorian with a sun porch and Jardin à la Française asks $3M

This stunning home has everything you could possibly want from a Ditmas Park Victorian: sprawling, standalone, and full of original details such asparquet floors, stained glass, French doors, built-ins, a sun porch, and even a Jardin à la Française out back. Located within the neighborhood's eight-block historic district, 485 East 17th Street is asking $2.995 million for its three stories of well-maintained space.
See the whole place
April 4, 2018

Take a tour of artist Cj Hendry’s ‘MONOCHROME’ rooms in a Brooklyn warehouse

Australian-born, New York-based hyperrealist artist Cj Hendry--whose past work, which is often sold out through Instagram and has been quite dominated by blacks, whites and grays--created an amazing color exploration in a 22,000-square-foot Brooklyn warehouse. In each of the seven single-colored rooms, the self-described “fashion fangirl” Hendry’s MONOCHROME exhibit creates a color sensory experience centered around her new images of crumpled Pantone swatches. Everything from the walls to floors to clothes hanging to plants are the same color. It looks as if she was inspired by the 2018 Pantone color of the year, ultraviolet, for the bathroom. The rooms are built with lego-like Everblocks, creating somewhat prison-like walls in the most colorful jail ever.
Take a tour
April 4, 2018

MTA sued over L train shutdown plan to transform 14th Street into an all-bus corridor

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority released late last year its mitigation plan for the 15-month shutdown of the L train, set to begin in April of next year, calling for an all-bus, no-car corridor on 14th Street between Third and Ninth Avenues. The city says the MTA will have to run 70 buses every hour across the Williamsburg Bridge in order to accommodate the projected 84,000 daily bus riders. According to the New York Times, this would make 14th Street the busiest bus route in the country. In response, a coalition of Lower Manhattan neighborhood groups on Tuesday filed a federal lawsuit against the MTA and the city's Department of Transportation in attempt to stop repairs of the L train, claiming the agencies failed to conduct an environmental review before releasing its plan.
More here
April 2, 2018

Live in a loft above the Red Hook Fairway for $7K/month

It boasts spectacular views of the Statue of Liberty and Manhattan skyline. It features original Civil War-era wood beams and natural oak flooring. But the best attribute of the two-and-a-half bedroom apartment available to rent at 275 Conover Street might very well be the Fairway Market located on the ground floor of the building. Found in the historic Red Hook Stores building, a 1860s-era warehouse with renovated loft apartments, the pad is asking $7,000 per month (grocery bill not included). As Brick Underground learned, that's roughly two and a half times the median rent for a two-bedroom in the Brooklyn neighborhood.
Get the details
March 30, 2018

Celebrate Prospect Park’s opening weekend with an 1860s-style ballgame, a scavenger hunt and more

Image by Elizabeth Keegin Colley for the Prospect Park Alliance Spring has officially sprung. And what better way to welcome the season than celebrating with a weekend full of activities at Prospect Park? To kick off the park's opening weekend on April 7th and 8th, the Prospect Park Alliance will bring events like free yoga, a baseball parade and 1860s exhibition baseball game, a fair, history tour and much more. Although most events are free, a few require advance reservation and some cost a couple of bucks. Ahead, check out the full schedule of events.
More details here
March 30, 2018

$925K North Slope brownstone co-op comes with a fireplace, a loft, and a loggia

Looking at the 25-foot wide townhouse known as the Warwick at 8 8th Avenue in one of the prettiest spots in brownstone Brooklyn, it's easy to imagine that the apartment within would be a study in historic parlor-floor grandeur–and this well-maintained two-bedroom co-op doesn't disappoint. Steps from Grand Army Plaza and a few blocks from Prospect Park, this anything-but-boring home on the Park Slope/Prospect Heights border boasts a romantic wood-burning fireplace and historic details, plus quirky surprises like a loft and a loggia.
Take a tour
March 29, 2018

New renderings for Tishman Speyer’s 10-story office tower above Downtown Brooklyn Macy’s

Tishman Speyer last April unveiled plans to revamp the Macy's building at 422 Fulton Street in Downtown Brooklyn by building a 10-story office tower on top of it. Now, new renderings have been released this week of the building, known as the Wheeler, highlighting the design's fusion of 19th century and Art Deco architecture. A 256-foot tall glassy addition to the historic department store will add over 840,000 square feet of commercial space, according to YIMBY.
See the renderings
March 29, 2018

‘Atlantic Chestnut’ development will bring over 1,100 fully-affordable units to East New York

A mixed-use development will bring 1,165 fully-affordable units to the Brooklyn neighborhood of East New York, an evolving community in need of new and preserved housing. Dattner Architects released this week new renderings of the development, dubbed Atlantic Chestnut after the two streets it will face (h/t CityRealty). The complex, which will include three 14-story buildings, sits on 4.5 acres and measures over a million square feet. The three buildings will be completed in successive phases, with the first scheduled to wrap up in 2020, the second in 2021 and the third in 2022.
Find out more
March 29, 2018

Daniel Libeskind’s first New York City building may be affordable senior housing in Bed-Stuy

Though he has called New York home for decades, noted Polish-American architect Daniel Libeskind has yet to see a NYC building to completion. But it appears that may soon change, as CityRealty reports that his first ground-up building will be a 197-unit affordable housing project on Site 2 of the Sumner Houses in Bed-Stuy. A January press release announcing the selection of the project’s developers credits Studio Daniel Libeskind as the designer of the 10-story building-to-be, and a rendering shows an angular white-colored building done in the firm’s signature un-orthogonal style.
Find out more
March 29, 2018

Time Out is bringing a food hall to the Dumbo waterfront this year

Time Out Group, the British company that writes up everyone's favorite freebie magazine Time Out New York, announced on Wednesday that it will open a massive food hall in Brooklyn this year. Set to open between October and December, the 21,000-square-foot Time Out Market New York will be located in the Empire Stores at 55 Water Street in Dumbo. According to the company, the food market will feature a group of 20 restaurants hand-selected by the magazine's editors, three bars and a performance stage.
Dig in
March 27, 2018

Brooklyn Heights wood-frame, once Truman Capote’s muse, still on the market a year later for $2M less

The  wood-frame house at 13 Pineapple Street in Brooklyn Heights was previously noted by 6sqft for having inspired Truman Capote's words about the neighborhood in 1959: "Cheerfully austere, as elegant and other-era as formal calling cards, these houses bespeak an age of able servants and solid fireside ease; of horses in musical harness," wrote the author, referencing the 1830 Federal-era home around the corner from his own. The house, owned by the same couple for 26 years, hit the market in January of 2017 for $10.5 million. After a new price chop, the home's second in just over a year, the grey-shingled muse is asking $8.4 million.
Have another look
March 26, 2018

Lottery launches for 38 affordable units at an amenity-rich Clinton Hill building, from $735/month

Located within walking distance to the Barclays Center and Prospect Park, a newly constructed building at 555 Waverly Avenue in Clinton Hill has 38 affordable apartments up for grabs. The eight-story building, situated between bustling Fulton Street and Atlantic Avenue, features amenities like on-site parking, a landscaped roof deck, indoor lounges and a 1,500-square-foot fitness center. Qualifying New Yorkers earning 60 percent of the area median income can apply for the units ranging from $735/month studios to $888/month two-bedroom apartments.
Find out if you qualify
March 26, 2018

Ditmas Park house featured in ‘Futurama’ asks $2.2M

In addition to being an enchanting single-family home with a big front porch and a garage, this Ditmas Park house at 516 Rugby Road has the fun history of being the home of "Futurama" star Philip J. Fry (h/t Curbed). The seven-bedroom house was the childhood home of one of the popular cartoon's writers, Eric Kaplan. The well-preserved 1905 Brooklyn home is asking $2.195 million.
Take the tour