Open Thread Wednesday

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  • Effective Presenter

    DUMBO not Dumbo

  • Effective Presenter

    That possibility is in the stars y’all may bet on it.

    Not a better spot for a shelter so that we can ALL feel the pain of the homeless.

    What will be ill be.

    If the shelter does become a reality perhaps powers that be can create a GOOD place for the homeless offering mental health services, housing opportunities, services that the homeless need and NOT just another dangerous shelter.

  • KDHicks

    Just walked by as well — not sure it’s 100% an optical store, just has that old apothecary display vibe. Still holding out that it will be nicely displaced apothecary items, but we will see!

  • KDHicks

    This would be great

  • CassieVonMontague

    2019 NYMag article about the last residents in the Bossert. The article says there are five rent-stabilized tenants in the building. I wonder how they’re doing.

    https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2019/06/the-last-residents-of-the-hotel-bossert-in-brooklyn.html

  • CassieVonMontague

    One million dead Americans would probably care.

  • Mike Suko

    Per the W.H.O. today – the report is a little opaque – the U.S. has probably already lost 2 MM+ already. And just as the report last week showed that a crazy high number of people’s blood work shows that they HAVE HAD COVID, I’ll guess that “long Covid” – more precisely, health problems going forward that turn out to be partly/mostly as a result of Covid – is going to be more and more recognized and bemoaned.

  • Mike Suko

    It’d be more likely if the much bigger building at Tillary & Sands weren’t already earmarked for supportive housing. Plus Adams knows that taking on B.Hts would be expensive – even to him personally – given our outsized role in political fundraising.

    But mostly the idea is nuts because think of the payday for everybody involved when new condos finally are ready to sell.

    Remember, Clinton & Joralemon was an “Insurance office building.” I’m no construction wiz, but that and the other J.W. conversion projects (“The Watermark” and the bldgs near the promenade) convince me that it’s very doable once one commits to it.

  • Alex

    I don’t think the person is downplaying the deaths, just saying a lot of us are in a “post-Covid” mindset and don’t care about cases anymore, only deaths and hospitalizations. There’s always going to be small waves, this will keep happening for years.

  • Andrew Porter
  • Andrew Porter
  • Andrew Porter

    Anyone notice all the instant upvotes on a lot of posts here?

    I notice some of my posts got upvotes within a few seconds of appearing.

  • Andrew Porter
  • Jorale-man

    Swanky! I wonder what became of that space. Did the Witnesses use it as a dining hall? Or cocktail lounge? Someone should buy that separately and reopen it, even if the rest of the building remains in limbo.

  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7nPOzGeyaw Arch Stanton
  • CassieVonMontague

    So do you care now?

    UPDATE: #COVID19 cases, hospitalizations and hospital occupancy in NYC are all increasing, according to our latest data. All New Yorkers should wear masks in public indoor settings and get a booster shot when eligible.

    Learn more: http://on.nyc.gov/covidalert

    https://twitter.com/nycHealthy/status/1522561957685043203

  • Alex

    Hospitalizations numbers increased to… 7. OMG PEOPLE LOCK DOWN!!

  • Jorale-man

    Yes, that means that of those who are tested in a facility that reports to the city, nearly 10% are coming back positive. I’ve also read from a credible news source (don’t remember which now) that the published data is an undercount by as much as 3-5 times the reality. I doubt that 50% of the Heights is currently infected but the number above is still low. The link includes more details on other parts of the city.

  • Jane C
  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7nPOzGeyaw Arch Stanton

    Yeah noticed, most likely the work of Bots. At first they had female names and if you looked at their Disqus profiles they had a link to some “dating” site. Now they just say “Guest Vote”.

  • Mike Suko

    Thanks for that link. Some great photos, BUT no info about those tenants & surprisingly? nothing remotely like analysis of how this came to be. There’s 1 or more hotels at Tillary & Flatbush – probably erected within the last 5 years and probably 2 or 3 newer ones elsewhere in Downtown Brooklyn. I love our boro, but WHY? To put up visiting NBA teams? Did the Trump-like family (by all appearances) that “blew this” screw up or did someone? stand in their way?

    Paging Mary Frost – if Brooklyn stories had their own Pulitzer Prize, this one would look like a promising one to pursue.

  • Effective Presenter

    Mr. Porter,

    WOW!

    Thank you for posting this Bossert Hotel post card.

    Back in the day $2 for dinner had been substantial we suppose.

    And the “Bossert Mails It For You” paid the postage!

    Brooklyn Union Gas, KEYSPAN, National Grid paid the postage also y’all received a postage paid envelope with the gas bill.

    National Grid did away with the FREE postage a few years ago.

    The FREE postage that was NOT really FREE the cost of postage buried in the bill with a myriad of charges, fees, 17% MTA Surcharge Tax, etc.

    Today y’all need to find your own stamp to pay the the gas bill.

    Kevin

  • Effective Presenter

    From the roof of our home on Montague Terrace with binoculars we could see this beautiful lounge restored meticulously by the Watchtower people.

  • Effective Presenter

    As we understand it the lounge had been used for recruiting dinners, celebrations, etc,

    Watchtower families could reserve the space have a dinner sent in, or use the kitchen., a business meeting could be held, weddings,etc for members of the Watchtower only.

    We THINK the J. W. people abstain from alcohol?

    Back in the day the Brooklyn Dodgers had used the lounge for cocktails, etc.

  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7nPOzGeyaw Arch Stanton

    The JoHo’s are allowed to indulge in libations. Thought they are not supposed to get “drunk”. When I was a lad I worked for a few months delivering for a local liquor store, some of the witnesses were our best regular customers!

  • Andrew Porter

    The St. George Tower was an SRO, too—and they gutted it, turned it into apartments. So anything is possible. Money talks.
    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/45a7f788cf358b803386e4f648a99b3abdb3cd5d5595626572fbb83342584dfc.jpg

  • Andrew Porter

    I noticed not just a sidewalk shed, but scaffolding up on 194 Columbia Heights, the empty and decades-long deteriorating house that’s even worse from the Promenade side. Wonder if something is actually going to happen here—other than it falling down, that is.

    Here are numerous posts on the BHB about the place:

    http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/tag/194-columbia-heights

  • Andrew Porter

    Great resource. Here’s the link to the building plans for mostly just Brooklyn Heights. Note how 101 Clark Street started out completely different:

    https://dlc.library.columbia.edu/nyre?f%5Bsubject_hierarchical_geographic_neighborhood_ssim%5D%5B%5D=Brooklyn+Heights+-+Cobble+Hill&per_page=100

    https://tinyurl.com/bdesfrf4