Open Thread Wednesday

By on September 17, 2019 11:10 pm in open thread

What’s on your mind? Comment away!

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  • Andrew Porter

    Oops…

  • Andrew Porter

    I’ve harvested more photos of BH and done a little work on them. Here, courtesy of the Municipal Archives, is 110 Court Street in 1983 in Technicolor. Replaced by the B&N bookstore and the movie theater:
    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/d65d093a254d513eb18c8a8fc2c29144ba71982f9426ebc07831b2efa5ad431c.png

  • CassieVonMontague

    88 Remsen is for sale again. The home was the most expensive home in Brooklyn when it sold for $10.8 million in 2008, and the sellers hare hoping to set a record again at $18 million. The home includes the carriage house on Grace Court, and your next-door neighbor is a billionaire.

    https://ny.curbed.com/2019/9/11/20860842/brooklyn-heights-new-york-historic-townhouse-for-sale

    However, there’s a glut of townhomes for sale in the neighborhood. Walk down any block and there will be least two single-family homes for sale. I’ve noticed sellers have started renting the homes instead.

  • Chuck Eff

    When is the new library scheduled to open?

  • Nomcebo Manzini

    A glut? As in 5? … But you clearly ARE well-informed, so maybe it’s significantly more! What I know is that some of these projects move slowly, … and the Trump tax “reform” surely made owning VERY expensive R.E. in NYC quite a bit less alluring.

    I believe there’s another 8-digit townhouse for sale on … Middagh. The listings – perhaps not surprisingly – do not mention that the block is shared – and not remotely – with a working firehouse. Call me picky, but that has GOT to be one of the tougher sales. One almost wonders, “What were they thinking?” when there surely was an alternative for 3 floor-throughs.

  • Cranberry Beret

    They lowered the price on that Middagh house so it’s $1 less than 8 figures – now priced for the masses! LOL

  • Chris Bastian

    What happened to the plan to turn the “VEGETARIAN GINGER” restaurant at Montague & Henry into “OTTO’S TACOS”? That was reported nine months ago.

  • KXrVrii1

    Given the trend of subdivided townhouses getting undivided, I wonder at what point someone is going to actually convert a “carriage house” back into a literal carriage house.

    I mean, how cool would it be to have your servant drop off the kids at St. Ann’s in a horse drawn carriage?

    PS – who is the billionaire next door, didn’t see that in the link?

  • Cranberry Beret

    No idea. But I have noticed that there’s been a rash of restaurant closures. Teresa’s, Vineapple, Caffe Buon Gusto downsizing into its failed sibling’s space, etc. Noticed similar trend in Cobble Hill. Feels like canary in the coal mine for coming recession.

  • Jorale-man

    I walked by there this morning around 10 and there was an August vacation notice on the door. Joe’s was packed. It’s a nice space but a little loud – probably intentionally, to keep the laptop crowd away.

  • CassieVonMontague

    Streeteasy has 16 single-family homes for sale in Brooklyn Heights. That is not including homes that were removed from listings after failing to sell. I know of three of those on my block.

  • Cranberry Beret

    I looked at StreetEasy. Hard to say whether 16 is a high number or not. It does seem that there are some houses where a developer did a gut renovation and thinks it justifies $7 or $9 million compared to non-renovated houses that are asking $3-4 million. I think those developers are going to be disappointed to find that today’s market isn’t going to pay a $2-$3 million premium just for delivering a turn-key house. (Ie. The $4 million house plus $2 million renovation doesn’t magically equal $9 million…it’s just $6 million plus)

  • CassieVonMontague

    Cranberry Baret is probably right. The trends point to a dip in the luxury sales market, which in turn is pushing up rents.

    https://gothamist.com/news/nyc-rents-are-rising-rapidly-luxury-condo-market-dips

    More than 25% of condos built in the past six years are unsold

    https://ny.curbed.com/2019/9/13/20864269/nyc-luxury-real-estate-new-development-billionaires-row

    What happens next? Do developers slash prices? To they just sit on the condos and rent them out at the new high rents? Will NYC’s population continue to decline? Is everyone moving to Atlanta?

  • http://selfabsorbedboomer.blogspot.com/ Claude Scales

    Don’t count Teresa’s out yet. A friend talked with Teresa’s daughter who maintained firmly that it won’t close.

  • Local_Montague_Man

    this happens when rent is too damn high. landlords should be fined for empty store-fronts

  • TeddyNYC

    Maybe there was a last-minute deal with the landlord.

  • TeddyNYC

    I once spoke to the owner of another coffee shop why the music was so loud and he said he didn’t want people to become too comfortable and turn his business into their work space.

  • http://selfabsorbedboomer.blogspot.com/ Claude Scales

    Teresa is the landlord.

  • Local_Montague_Man

    and Teresa’s isn’t an empty storefront…talking about the many empty places on Montague

  • Andrew Porter

    The building is owned by the woman who runs Teresa’s, so no landlord.

  • Jorale-man

    Oh, I’m sure. A better strategy, if that’s their goal, would be to turn off the wi-fi at certain hours or eliminate the electrical outlets at tables. Loud restaurants are just unpleasant for any purpose, IMHO.

  • Reggie
  • Clara West

    Looks like another Court Street business about to close.
    The Duane Reade on Court and Joralemon is nearly empty and
    will close shortly.

  • meschwar

    I mean, it’s weird how close the two Duane Reades on Court are. At joralemon and Montague.

  • Sandy McCroskey

    Is the new Buon Gusto really smaller than the old place? My Iranian-born friend never got to go to Dariush with me, though she planned to. The food was quite good, but the place never seemed very busy and I was worried about its prospects for success. I and a couple friends were among the first customers there, and the staff was very nice… even gave us free dessert a couple times, and the bourbon shots were generous, from the not-yet-complete bar… But the last time, we remarked that our drinks seemed weak. They gave us extra vodka, fine… but then charged us three bucks each ($9 total) for the pita bread that previously we hadn’t had to ask for. I think that in the ensuing altercation someone prophesied that they wouldn’t last… I managed to smooth things over with the staff, but I guess the curse had already been uttered.

  • Sandy McCroskey

    That would be her daughter-in-law, also named Teresa. I don’t know where this rumor about Teresa’s started (EDIT: just saw the post from last week about the real estate ad!), though some think longtime manager Tom’s leaving to be a doorman at 1 Pierrepont was the catalyst. Not gonna close. They also own the laundromat and the liquor store on that block.
    Even if under new management (and the same ownership), I think they would want to maintain it as Teresa’s, with the same character.

  • PeterMMM

    Every one of my orifices slams shut at the mention of living in Atlanta.