Anchor Away at 76 Montague Street in Brooklyn Heights

By on January 21, 2015 11:01 pm in Brooklyn Heights, History, Maritime, Real Estate

The news I had feared and knew inevitable came with this Eagle story confirming that the owner of Friend of a Farmer, the restaurant that is moving into the space at 76 Montague formerly occupied by Design Within Reach, will remove the antique anchor (photo) that has been displayed in front of the building since the days when it was occupied by a ship brokerage, to make way for outdoor seating. Four crossings of the Atlantic by sea in my childhood made me a lover of all things maritime, and that anchor has been my friend since I moved to the Heights in 1983. Living as I do at the foot of Montague, I’ve walked past it almost every day that I’ve been here.

I would love to see it remain in the Heights rather than sent off to some distant spot like the Navy Yard. My notion of an ideal place is at the center of the circle at the south end of the Promenade, near the foot of Remsen Street. It would then “anchor” the south end, just as the armillary globe anchors the north end. This would require the cooperation of the City’s Parks Department, but perhaps with the assistance of the Brooklyn Heights Association and other community voices, we could make it happen.

Publisher’s Note: To support Claude’s proposal, “like” this page on Facebook now!

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  • SJ Plaxo

    As a Gramercy Park veteran, I think Friend of a Farmer is a really nice place.

  • T.K. Small

    This is really sad news. After my father passed away, roughly 3 years ago, I was struggling with the loss and decided to make a tribute to him by getting a tattoo. My father was a huge nautical enthusiast, so the tattoo had to have a seafaring connection, and I quickly chose an anchor. However, getting the exact image that I wanted to live with for the rest of my life was tricky. My father drew anchors all the time and I tried to find one of his sketches that might work. Unfortunately, none of them were suitable. Eventually, I took a picture of the 76 Montague St. anchor over to Adam Suerte of Brooklyn Tattoo, and he created his rendition of the photograph. With a couple of tweaks, the anchor was perfect and the rest is history…

  • ujh

    Folks, there’s no need to collect money. The restaurant needs a license from the city to add outdoor seating, and the license application is reviewed by the community board, specifically CB2’s Transportation & Public Safety Committee, which recommends approval or rejection. Call the district office at 718-596-5410 and request to be alerted when this item will be on the committee agenda. As public comments are taken at the end of meetings, the committee will have made its recommendation and your comments will be too late. Instead, collect signatures for a petition urging CB2 to recommend against removal of the anchor as an iconic part of the building’s history in the Historic District of Brooklyn Heights. The district office can provide guidance as to timing. It’s then important that a large number of opponents show up at the committee meeting at which the application is reviewed. The photo angle makes it difficult to tell, but it looks as if there’s a trap door to the right of the entrance, so the three tables and six chairs would have to go on the anchor site.

  • Knight

    Opposing the outdoor seating will not necessarily get the owner to keep the anchor. As many people here have pointed out, it is a lawsuit waiting to happen.

  • ShinyNewHandle

    Also, it’s not a seafood restaurant.

  • Ann B Chapin

    Just sent this to a blog on Facebook and the anchor picture did not appear? Instead just brownstone buildings?? Takes the “zing” out of the post to say the least :-(

  • e

    which FoaF will be, if it matches the quality of the gramercy park one.

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