Brooklyn Heights Blog

Weegee photo

A Joralemon Street resident told reporters at the scene of this afternoon’s manhole explosions that a neighbor’s home renovation crew may be to blame. Reports claim that work was being done near 25 Willow Place. [Bklyn20 reports that contractors working for National Grid -- possibly to run a gas line into the home -- may have caused the accident. The Brooklyn Paper reports that Con Ed was working in the area.]

Weegee photo

BHB’s Weegee adds this dispatch:

Looks like contractors doing excavation work in front of the MTA substation at 25 Willow Pl. hit a gas line, which caused the initial blast at Willow Pl. & Joralemon St.  The electrical lines affected are all MTA, apparently.  Power was supposedly out at Clark St. and Borough Hall for a short while, but was restored quickly.  They were checking surrounding homes for carbon monoxide and gas.  The paving stones on Joralemon around the manhole are upheaved.  The manhole right next to the excavation site cooked off while crews were next to it.  No injuries.

Riverside Apartments resident Andy sends in this dispatch and photos:

Here are some photographs I took from the roof of the Riverside Apartments on the corner of Joralemon and Columbia Place around 1:45.  I live above Iris Cafe, halfway down Columbia Place.  I heard a loud noise that sounded like a truck hitting a bump on the BQE behind my apartment, but it was odd since it echoed through my front door more than the back.

photo by Andy Holz

photo by Andy Holz

And BHB tipster Irene sends in this shot of buckled cobblestone on Joralemon Street:

Irene Carroll photo

Gothamist has a blow by blow of today’s events.

Nabe resident Dan offers this Flickr slideshow.

Headline revised on 1/19/10 based upon additional information

BHB newshound “AW” sends us this tip:

I was walking home tonight down Columbia Place and noticed that one of the formerly empty storefronts was no longer empty. I stopped and talked to the person there. Apparently it’s going to be a coffee shop and will be open this Thursday. It’s called Iris Cafe. As a resident of Riverside Apartments, I for one am very excited!

The Iris Cafe is one of the new restaurants revitalizing the Riverside Apartments strip.   An Italian restaurant is planning to open soon in the old River Deli space.

Updated Thursday at 4:50 pm

BHB just got word that the state Division of Housing & Community Renewal has rejected the landlord’s proposal to build a garage at the Riverside Apartments at the westernmost end of Joralemon Street.

Ken Fisher, the attorney for landlord Pinnacle Group, told BHB, “While we are disappointed, this is only the first level of administrative review at DHCR and we are confident that eventually our Landmarks Commission-approved project will move forward and will meet the needs of both area residents for parking as well as the tenants.”

The Pinnacle Group will file an appeal with the state “shortly,” Fisher said.

We now have the state’s full decision, Read more »

A BHB tipster sent us this photo of a notice posted at Riverside Apartments. It suggests that the landlord’s proposed garage project is dead. DEVELOPING….

Here are some of last week’s headlines you may have missed:

Only on BHB

Willowtown Fair Draws Local Dignitaries

Scaffolding Finally Gone from 65 Montague

Parking permit proposal on table

New sidewalks in the Heights

Park Progress: Pier 1 (Eleventh Report)

The story with use of Cadman Park

CB2 full board meeting recap!

Roebling Descendant Lends Voice to Dock Street Opposition

And in other news…

B’Paper: Levin Promises to Attend His First 33rd District Debate

Knitted cozies up on Montague Street

Aniston’s Baster Begins in Brooklyn Heights

Recap of BQE triple cantilever meeting

Brooklyn Heights Players Slain by Brooklyn Paper

Squibb Skate Park?

From Cobble Hill Blog:

Maine Crustaceans Invade Red Hook! (Get ‘em Before They’re Gone)

Chocolate & absinthe… mmm

One Year Ago on BHB

Brooklyn Bridge Fireworks - Super Fantastic!

LPC: No Parking Lot for You, Riverside Apartments

Two Years Ago on BHB

Blue Pig Opening In Manhattan

BHA House Tour 2007

Riverside Apartments resident Brad Smith (at right in photo) opened today’s Willowtown Spring Fair with a short speech about the life and accomplishments of Alfred T. White, the Heights resident and philanthropist responsible for the building of Riverside and of other affordable housing complexes in Brooklyn. Listening were (right to left) State Sen. Daniel Squadron, State Assembly Member Joan Millman, City Council candidate Jo Anne Simon, and City Council Member (and Mayoral candidate) Tony Avella. Read more »

Brooklyn Heights in 2009 will be about preserving the neighborhood’s landmarks and property values, and it’s fair to say everything the community hoped and wished for in 2008 did not always go as planned, Brooklyn Heights Association President Tom van den Bout told a packed crowd last night.

“I hereby officially call for a ‘do-over’ [of 2008],” van den Bout said. “Not that last year was a total disaster, but let’s just say it did not quite go as planned.” [PDF of the minutes from the meeting]

We spoke with van den Bout after the meeting last night to get his full thoughts on what lay ahead: Read more »

Our new man in the NY State Senate, Democrat Daniel Squadron, was sworn into office today in Albany.  It was announced that Senator Squadron would take over the helm of the Cities Committee a post formerly held by Republican Senator Serphin Maltese.

BHB’s Claude Scales is in Albany and will be filing a report later.  For now, here’s the unexpurgated press release from Squadron: Read more »

BHB Photo by Marc Hermann

And now on with the countdown… here are some BHB highlights from April - June 2008: Read more »

Flickr photo by bettyblade

If it’s the 21st century in America, the end of the year signals the chorus of “is it over yet?” and/or “next year can’t be any worse.”  With that in mind (errr sumthin’) let us look back at the wacky year we like to call 2008. Here’s a rundown from Q1 08.  Stay tuned to the rest of the year this week: Read more »