Prospect Heights

The inaugural work of the Lefferts Historic House museum's first artist-in-residence debuts in Prospect Park next month. Artist Adama Delphine Fawundu's "Ancestral Whispers" is a site-specific installation honoring the heroism of the individuals enslaved by the Lefferts family from the farmhouse's construction in 1783 to the abolition of slavery in New York in 1827. Inspired by research conducted by the Prospect Park Alliance, Fawundu created 25 fabric banners to be displayed on the museum's Flatbush Avenue facade. The installation will be on view starting June 9.
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Events & Things To Do

Prospect Heights pre-war co-op seen in ‘Black Swan’ lists for $1.7M

Photos courtesy of Allyson Lubow Photography

April 23, 2024

Prospect Heights pre-war co-op seen in ‘Black Swan’ lists for $1.7M

The home of Natalie Portman's character in the 2010 film "Black Swan" has hit the market. While in the movie, the apartment is shown near 103rd Street, just north of the ballerina's Lincoln Center workplace, in reality, the two-bedroom co-op is at 135 Eastern Parkway, across from the Brooklyn Museum in Prospect Heights. Asking $1,700,000, the classic six home radiates pre-war charm, with herringbone oak floors and high-beamed ceilings. As the New York Post reported, the Art Deco-style apartment building, known as the Turner Towers, was the childhood home of the late comedian Joan Rivers.
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Distinctive Homes

‘Park of Dreams’ brings vibrant public art to Brooklyn’s Grand Army Plaza during renovation

All photos by Javier Romero courtesy of ART FOR CHANGE

February 9, 2024

‘Park of Dreams’ brings vibrant public art to Brooklyn’s Grand Army Plaza during renovation

A new site-specific public art installation is livening up Brooklyn's Grand Army Plaza during the renovation of its famous Soldiers' and Sailors' Arch. ART FOR CHANGE and the Prospect Park Alliance this week revealed "Park of Dreams," a public art exhibition displayed on the construction fencing surrounding the iconic Arch. The large-scale artworks, created by contemporary artists like Jules de Balincourt, Marcus Brutus, Kelly Beeman, Danielle Orchard, Amy Lincoln, and others, will be on view through the spring.
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116 deeply affordable homes coming to city-owned Prospect Heights site

All images courtesy of HPD

February 6, 2024

116 deeply affordable homes coming to city-owned Prospect Heights site

A project that will bring affordable apartments and a community garden to Prospect Heights is underway. The city's Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) last week selected Apex Building Group and Bridge Street Development Corporation to convert a 17,000-square-foot HPD satellite office at 516 Bergen Street into a 116-unit affordable housing development known as "Bergen Green." The project falls under the Atlantic Avenue Mixed-Use Plan (AAMUP), which in combination with the nearby redevelopment of a Dean Street parking lot, will bring roughly 270 affordable homes to Prospect Heights.
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Affordable Housing

Art collection of Alicia Keys and Swizz Beatz will be on view at the Brooklyn Museum

Ebony G. Patterson (born Kingston, Jamaica, 1981). . . . they were just hanging out . . . you know . . . talking about . . . ( . . . when they grow up . . .), 2016. Beads, appliqués, fabric, glitter, buttons, costume jewelry, trimming, rhinestones, glue, digital prints, 90 × 224 in. (228.6 × 569 cm). The Dean Collection, courtesy of Swizz Beatz and Alicia Keys. © Ebony G. Patterson. Courtesy of the artist, Monique Meloche Gallery, and the Studio Museum in Harlem. (Photo: Adam Reich)

January 9, 2024

Art collection of Alicia Keys and Swizz Beatz will be on view at the Brooklyn Museum

Next month you'll be able to view a world-class selection of artworks from the personal collection of Alicia Keys and Swizz Beatz at the Brooklyn Museum. The exhibition, called "Giants: Art from the Dean Collection of Swizz Beatz and Alicia Keys," features more than 100 major artworks from world-renowned Black American, African, and African diasporic artists, including Gordon Parks, Kehinde Wiley, Esther Mahlangu, Barkley L. Hendricks, Lorna Simpson, and more. "Giants" will be on view at the Brooklyn Museum from February 10 through July 7.
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Events & Things To Do

After 20 years, Pacific Park faces foreclosure and an uncertain future

Photo credit: Amaury Laporte via Flickr.

December 19, 2023

After 20 years, Pacific Park faces foreclosure and an uncertain future

As the massive Brooklyn megadevelopment once known as Atlantic Yards reaches its 20th anniversary, news of the project's progress has been scarce. But recent changes affecting the development anchored by Barclays Center may put the 22-acre site–now known as Pacific Park–back in the spotlight. As The Real Deal reported in a wrap-up of its progress over the past two decades, current developer Greenland USA has defaulted on nearly $350 million in loans attached to the project's second phase. With foreclosure imminent, an auction, scheduled for next month, may mean a new developer will be responsible for fulfilling crucial affordable housing agreements and inherit penalties for unbuilt units.
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Photo credit: Russ Ross for The Corcoran Group

September 28, 2023

$3.75M Prospect Heights townhouse has laid-back charm, three big apartments, and extra-long backyard

The feature that will undoubtedly impress visitors the most about this four-story brownstone at 307 Park Place in pretty Prospect Heights is its seemingly endless backyard. It's one of a fortunate handful of homes in the neighborhood to be blessed with a 131-foot lot. Within, the three-family 1910 townhouse may come up short on original architectural details, but there's still plenty of warmth and charm within its brick-accented walls. Asking $3,750,000, the property offers flexibility in the form of three large apartments that can be combined–or left as-is to maximize rental income.
tour every level

Distinctive Homes

Affordable senior housing to replace Prospect Heights parking lot

Rendering of the proposed plans for 542 Dean Street shows the new entrance to the park and public space created as part of the design for the affordable senior housing project. Courtesy of GRAPH.

August 10, 2023

Affordable senior housing to replace Prospect Heights parking lot

A plan to replace a Prospect Heights parking lot with affordable housing for low-income and homeless seniors is moving forward. The city's Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) on Tuesday announced its selection of Jobe Development, Corp., Mega Group Development, and the Institute of Community Living Room to convert a city-owned parking lot at 542 Dean Street into the residential development "Park Edge." The redevelopment is part of the Atlantic Avenue Mixed-Use Plan (AAMUP), which found a community desire for new affordable housing projects on city-owned properties.
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Affordable Housing

Brooklyn Public Library opens surprise installation honoring Jay-Z

Photo © 6sqft

July 14, 2023

Brooklyn Public Library opens surprise installation honoring Jay-Z

The Brooklyn Public Library on Friday opened a new installation celebrating the life and legacy of Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter, from his beginnings in Bed-Stuy's Marcy Projects to worldwide fame. Located at the library's Central Branch next to Prospect Park, the exhibition, titled "The Book of HOV," features art, images, ephemera, and memorabilia from the rapper's archives that pay tribute to his incredible life and career and highlight the ways he helped redefine hip-hop, music, and culture on a global scale. The experience is free and open to the public for a limited time starting July 14.
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Events & Things To Do

Two-tower Prospect Heights rental with huge public park launches lottery, from $2,290/month

All images courtesy of TF Cornerstone

May 5, 2023

Two-tower Prospect Heights rental with huge public park launches lottery, from $2,290/month

A housing lottery opened this week for 240 middle-income units at 595 Dean Street, the latest building to open at the Prospect Heights mega-development, Pacific Park. The two-tower, mixed-use project has 798 total rentals, 30 percent of which are designated below market rate, and is anchored by roughly 60,000 square feet of public open space. New Yorkers earning 130 percent of the area median income, or between $78,515 annually for a single person and $187,330 for a household of five, can apply for the apartments, which range from $2,290/month studios to $3,360/month two-bedrooms.
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Affordable Housing

City designates these NYC neighborhoods as ‘rat mitigation zones’

Photo by Ludovic Bertron on Flickr

April 5, 2023

City designates these NYC neighborhoods as ‘rat mitigation zones’

New York City this week named eight rat-prone neighborhoods as part of Mayor Eric Adams' quest to control the rodent population. According to a notice posted by the city's Department of Health and Mental Hygiene on Monday, the "rat mitigation zones," which are areas with "high levels of rat activity," include Bushwick, Bed-Stuy, and Prospect Heights in Brooklyn, Grand Concourse in the Bronx, and Chinatown, the East Village, the Lower East Side, and Harlem in Manhattan. As Crain's reported, these identified zones will be the focus of a multiagency effort to address the rats and the conditions that cause them, according to the city.
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NYC is considering making Brooklyn’s Grand Army Plaza car-free

Photo courtesy of Jordan Rathkopf/ Prospect Park Alliance

November 11, 2022

NYC is considering making Brooklyn’s Grand Army Plaza car-free

Brooklyn's Grand Army Plaza may become the city's next car-free space. As first reported by Gothamist, the city's Department of Transportation (DOT) is considering connecting the Prospect Heights plaza to the Open Streets program on Vanderbilt and Underhill Avenues. The plaza, anchored by its ornate Soldiers' and Sailors' Arch and the official entrance to Prospect Park, has long been the target of safe street activists due to its vehicle traffic and poor sidewalk conditions.
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This $1.7M Prospect Heights co-op has city views, a terrace and penthouse potential

Photo credit: Russ Ross for The Corcoran Group

July 1, 2022

This $1.7M Prospect Heights co-op has city views, a terrace and penthouse potential

This top-floor co-op's current floor plan can be re-imagined almost as easily as its interiors, giving the two-bedroom home an additional bedroom; the dazzling city views, all-day sunlight and perfect sunsets expected of penthouse living are already here. Asking $1,695,000, the Prospect Heights co-op at 34 Plaza Street East –overlooking Grand Army Plaza and Prospect Park–also has a private terrace for beholding those panoramic views.
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Distinctive Homes

There’s a place for all of your collections in this $749K two-bedroom Prospect Heights co-op

Photo courtesy of The Corcoran Group

April 5, 2022

There’s a place for all of your collections in this $749K two-bedroom Prospect Heights co-op

With the right apartment, every time you come home can feel like getting a fresh perspective on life. Staying organized can help, and for $749,000, this bright, light-filled co-op at 382 Prospect Place comes with the infrastructure required to put everything in its place. Walls are lined with attractive built-in shelving, ready to display your books, art, handmade tableware, and quirky collectibles.
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Distinctive Homes

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.
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Events & Things To Do

Photo credit: Stephano Ukmar

March 18, 2022

Prospect Heights brownstone with an Elizabeth Roberts renovation and terraced garden asks $4.5M

Located in the heart of historic Prospect Heights, 275 Park Place is the kind of four-story, two-family brownstone designers' dreams are made of. Consisting of an upper triplex and a garden-level one-bedroom apartment, the pristine late-19th-century home is beyond turn-key. With a renovation–it was featured in New York magazine–helmed by noted architect Elizabeth Roberts, every bit of infrastructure was replaced, while retaining its stunning original details. Asking $4,500,000, the property also boasts the unique extra-long lot only found in a few Brooklyn neighborhoods, giving it a 90-foot back garden with two terraces above.
Enviable interiors and gorgeous gardens, this way

Distinctive Homes

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."
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Events & Things To Do

258 middle-income units up for grabs at Brooklyn’s Pacific Park complex, from $1,905/month

Rendering courtesy of the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development

January 11, 2022

258 middle-income units up for grabs at Brooklyn’s Pacific Park complex, from $1,905/month

A housing lottery opened this week for 258 middle-income apartments in a new rental building in Prospect Heights. Designed by Perkins Eastman, Brooklyn Crossing is a 51-story residential tower in Prospect Height’s 22-acre Pacific Park mega-development. New Yorkers earning 130 percent of the area median income, or between $65,315 for a single person and $167,570 for a family of five, are eligible to apply for the apartments, which range from $1,905/month studios to $3,344/month for two bedrooms.
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Affordable Housing

Leasing begins at 51-story Brooklyn Crossing, Pacific Park’s largest building

Image courtesy of VMI Studio for IF Studio

January 5, 2022

Leasing begins at 51-story Brooklyn Crossing, Pacific Park’s largest building

The Brodsky Organization and Greenland USA on Tuesday announced the beginning of leasing for Brooklyn Crossing, the latest, and currently tallest, addition to Prospect Height’s 22-acre development Pacific Park. Located at 18 Sixth Avenue between Atlantic Avenue and Pacific Street, the 51-story residential tower offers 858 mixed-income units, ranging from studios to one-to-three bedroom apartments, with 258 of the units to be designated as affordable for middle-income earners. Occupancy is expected this month.
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New Developments

Prospect Park’s Vale to undergo $40M restoration

Rendering of the Sensory Garden and Rustic Arbor. Image courtesy of Prospect Park Alliance

December 17, 2021

Prospect Park’s Vale to undergo $40M restoration

On Thursday, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced the allocation of $40 million to restore Prospect Park’s Vale. This funding is the largest in the history of Prospect Park Alliance, the non-profit organization that manages the park. The Vale, also known as the “Vale of Cashmere,” is a 26-acre portion of the park's northeast corner known for its breathtaking foliage.
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Architecture And Design

94 middle-income units available at 27-story rental at Brooklyn’s Pacific Park, from $1,547/month

Renderings of Plank Road by VMI rendering for IF Studio

November 15, 2021

94 middle-income units available at 27-story rental at Brooklyn’s Pacific Park, from $1,547/month

A new rental tower at the Brooklyn mega-development Pacific Park has opened applications for 94 middle-income apartments. Located at 662 Pacific Street, Plank Road is a 27-story residential building in Prospect Heights, with a total of 312 rental units and a public middle school at its base. New Yorkers earning 130 percent of the area median income can apply for the available studio, one-, and two-bedroom units, priced between $1,547/month and $3,219/month.
Find out if you qualify

Affordable Housing

Brooklyn Public Library reveals Central Library redesign by Toshiko Mori

All photos by Gregg Richards

May 7, 2021

Brooklyn Public Library reveals Central Library redesign by Toshiko Mori

By Dana Schulz

This week, the Brooklyn Public Library revealed the first phase of a major remodel of its Central Library on Grand Army Plaza. Designed by renowned architect Toshiko Mori, the undertaking was the single largest renovation and restoration in the Central Library’s 80-year history. The modern, light-filled rooms now provide more accessible space for the public, which includes civic commons for community engagement (providing city and passport services), a "new and noteworthy" book gallery, and an enlarged and modernized business and career center.
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Architecture And Design

NYC unveils $9M plan to restore Grand Army Plaza in Brooklyn

Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Arch lighting design test in 2019; Photo courtesy of Jordan Rathkopf/ Prospect Park Alliance

November 23, 2020

NYC unveils $9M plan to restore Grand Army Plaza in Brooklyn

Plans to renovate Brooklyn's Grand Army Plaza were unveiled this week, the first major restoration of Prospect Park's historic entrance in decades. The $8.9 million revamp focuses on the Soldiers' and Sailors' Memorial Arch, including replacing the arch's roof, cleaning and restoring the brick and stone structure, repairing the interior staircases, and adding modern lighting to the exterior. Surrounding plaza and landscape berms that frame the plaza will also be restored and new native trees and shrubs will be planted.
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Architecture And Design

August 27, 2020

The best NYC apartments for sale under $500K