Landmarks Unamused By Interior Alterations At Former Gage & Tollner Space

With the gentrification currently under way on the Fulton Mall, might we hope that a sit-down high quality restaurant, such as G&T once was, might return to that location one day? Nah, pipe dream…

Gerry this is why people seem to hate you with a passion. You are so quick to be negative about ANYTHING that you are not personally associated with. And you do it with out and out lies.

For anyone interested in the truth there was an article in the New York Post today describing how Metotech is thriving. Just a snippet:

MetroTech is neither fish nor fowl as a neighborhood. There are some tidy, well-maintained office buildings rubbing up against crummy ones. It’s a land of driving schools and fast-food chains. Finding a grocery store or a dry cleaner requires effort.

“We’re kind of a 10-minute walk to everything — in the middle of nowhere,” says Janice Behrens, who moved into a 1,300-square-foot two-bedroom at Belltel Lofts in September with her husband, Antoine, and her daughters, Charlotte, 5, and Juliette, 17 months.

Despite the somewhat undesirable location, MetroTech is a force to be reckoned with real estate-wise — and about to become more so.

Belltel (an Art Deco 1920s former telephone-company building) on Bridge Street was the first big shot in the arm to the neighborhood when it was converted to condos in 2007. It is now 70 percent sold, according to Michael Ettelson of Prudential Douglas Elliman. (According to Streeteasy, units sold for a reasonable $585 per square foot.) Then in late 2009, the Brooklyner — currently the tallest building in Brooklyn, at 51 stories — opened on nearby Lawrence Street. The building has been a huge success; its 490 units maintain a 97 to 98 percent occupancy rate, and the rents have been starting at a sturdy $2,600 for studios, sans concessions.”

This MetroTech boom is the culmination of several decades of work. In the early 1980s, a push was made to make the area like Brooklyn’s version of Silicon Valley (no, really!) — an urban renewal project with new businesses and schools. But it remained gritty. Well into the ’90s, it wasn’t uncommon to see a snake charmer openly practice his trade in an empty storefront on the Fulton Mall.

And yet developers and hoteliers pushed on. “The Marriott opened up in 1998, and it’s one of the most successful hotel stories in the city,” says Tom Conoscenti, director of real estate planning for the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership.

Marriott’s success drew other hoteliers. In 2010, a 25-story Sheraton opened on Duffield Street, followed this past summer by the adjacent Aloft hotel.

“During the peak months — July, August, September — we’ve had over 94 percent occupancy,” says William Collins, front-office manager for the Aloft (where prices can start very low, in the $130-per-night range). He adds that funky indie bands have performed on the roof-deck bar, which has attracted the younger set.

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/business/realestate/residential/tech_savvy_ypxvBI52Q3RsbYDCsyWIEK/1

Just a snippet?

G and T was my family’s destination for holiday and celebratory dinners. I too wish that someone would take the chance and reactivate the cuisine, waiters with white aprons, and general atmosphere.