Open Thread Wednesday

By on January 31, 2024 12:09 am in open thread

What’s on your mind? Comment away!

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  • Nomcebo Manzini

    A modest plea that the BHA or electeds or “the City” take a long hard look at our sidewalks. This is prompted by walking down Pierrepont past the Supreme Court Building and seeing numerous accidents waiting to happen.

    True, replacing bluestone is pricey – concrete, too, probably – and it’s landmarking at its worst with a “public good” subject to property-by-property requirements and, I’m sure, lots of violations – some tagged, some not.

    But for the same reason – only more so – that sheds have become ubiquitous – one SHOULD be able to walk on sidewalks without having to worry about falling objects – one should not have to watch the ground to avoid trips, falls, broken bones.

    2 people in Albany who represent us sign off every year on (?) $10 Billion to keep our Courts functioning. I’m sure they have adequate heat inside. Someone needs to insist that they take care of their outside, too.

    It’s also nuts that that prime location hasn’t been sold off and put to better use. Some Dobro building could be 5 stories taller with that Court occupying a couple of floors. But that’s a much bigger deal, of course.

  • Matt

    I know its not technically Brooklyn Heights, but found this last night about Court Street Bagels closing and then re-opening.

    https://ny.eater.com/2024/1/30/24055566/court-street-bagels-closes-overnight-cobble-hill-brooklyn

  • Amy

    What is going on with the flashing lights coming from the Bossert? What can be done to get them to stop?

  • random resy

    A few things i noticed in the neighborhood, whether they are new or not, it’s new to me:
    1. Stop Sign at Henry and Orange (seems odd, but whatever)
    2. All scaffolding down at the north end of promenade (finally)
    3. New? mural on the building next to the ramp that goes from fruit street park down to squibb park (could be old, just never noticed it)

  • random resy

    Also Barriers at Clark St. Station. Seems odd to have them there, but i won’t complain

  • Andrew Porter

    The sidewalk shed over the Pineapple Street entrance to the Promenade is also gone. I guess the reconstruction of the old JW dormitory building is finally done.
    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/e2ab6ec023d8c14e7fc98b00c60998aff2bcaf43a73d213d36624d230f0a7350.jpg

  • Andrew Porter

    Coming back from shopping at Trader Joe’s today, I noticed crocuses on the north side of Henry Street about to flower. Every year, Spring is coming a few days earlier…

  • Andrew Porter

    Claude, those ornate balconies are only a few years old! I have photos somewhere of them being put on the Promenade side of that building.

    Meanwhile, here’s a photo of two well-known people hanging out on the Promenade back in the 1970s:
    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/6924554e688c611607945f701bbba80bc6bce74ab19fec62a8e4dd21e4abec67.jpg

  • Red Leader

    I like them there.

  • T.K. Small

    The link below is still an interesting piece in the New York Times about an incident that happened near the post office, and written by a neighborhood writer. Belafonte is one of my favorites.

    https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/02/nyregion/assault-police-lineup.html

  • Hotel Bossert is in play

    Well, the Bossert is going to auction. If you want to bid, you need to put down a $100k deposit and have proof that you have funds to complete the transaction if you’re the winning bidder.

    https://hotelbossertucc.hodgeswardelliott.com/

    Good luck to us all on finding a good owner for the property. Maybe some of our celebrity or hedge fund neighbors can team up on this?

  • Karen and Chad

    Is the BHA on top of this – he;ping to find an owner that complements the neighborhood?

  • Red Leader

    Just saw that Amy’s Bread on Henry shut down suddenly.
    Across town, there seems to be some action in the Clark Pets space on Clark. Anyone have any intel?

  • Nomcebo Manzini

    I could be wrong, of course -especially on something like this, but I’d be very surprised if this is the kind of thing they would get involved with.

    But I have 3 questions of my own:
    1) Does a hotel make business sense at that location?
    2) If one lives in the Hts – near the Bossert or not – what are the pros & cons of a hotel… as opposed to…
    3) How daunting would it be to pivot to the building as something like “conventional housing?” (The Watermark on Clark and 2-3 re-purposed JW properties make me think that all it would take is vision & $.)

    The Prof. who got a lot of ink for writing about “NYC in a doom loop” is now less pessimistic and said recently that while “SRO” has a bad rep, it has some signif. pluses in connection with office [or hotel] conversions.

  • clarknt67

    Looks like Hotel Bossert is heading back to auction. Previously reported plans to partner with Ian Schrager have apparently fallen through. The Chetri group owes Wells Fargo $129M, the bank says.

    https://therealdeal.com/new-york/2024/01/19/foreclosure-auction-on-tap-for-chetri-groups-hotel-bossert/

  • Andrew Porter

    I was aghast. Surely a clear iPhone photo is better than a possibly years old NYPD mug shot!

    Next year: NYPD will discover DNA—and fingerprints…

  • Effective Presenter

    Question #1. We can NOT see the Bossert Hotel working as a hotel at that location due to the many ways the world has changed since the Bossert Hotel was built, opened.

  • Effective Presenter

    We see the only compliment to the neighborhood would be a co/op residential, homes for those who like Brooklyn Heights.

    If large family size units can be created, even better.

  • Mark C

    Why not? Please elaborate. I’m curious what are the many ways the world has changed that would not make it viable as a hotel at that location? It seems that there are plenty of hotels in Manhattan on similar types of streets that work just fine, no?

  • Mark C

    I’d love a hotel to open there. It would bring some more energy to the street and hopefully something would take advantage of the rooftop there. I’d hate to see just another expensive apartment building that doesn’t bring much to the neighborhood. There are so few hotels in Brooklyn these days. And those that are here are concentrated in Downtown Brooklyn or Williamsburg, which doesn’t appeal to many. It’s strange that I can’t recommend a single hotel in the surrounding area to anyone. Brooklyn Heights has tons of transportation options, great views. Why not a hotel (besides the $1000/night 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge)?

  • clarknt67

    I think the Bossert would absolutely do well as a hotel. Marriot Brooklyn is always full and downtown has added so much hotel capacity over the last twenty years. Brooklyn tourism is booming, I read a times article it had bounced back from Covid bigger and faster than manhattan.

    I think it would be great for the shops and restaurants on Montague. I would prefer it to another expensive condo building. Plus a hotel would preserve the rooftop restaurant for public access.

  • Andrew Porter

    The Watermark is a very expensive assisted living facility for elderly people, not an option for a place to live.

  • Karen and Chad

    From what I’ve heard, the real issue with apartments is that it requires a lot of work to get them in agreeable layouts with the proper electric/gas/water etc. Hotel rooms are much easier, but it’s hard to know what the current status of the building is after so much renovation. I’m just hoping the city doesn’t buy it.

  • A Neighbor

    As I recall, when the Bossert was originally sold, architects/engineers determined that the cost of converting the building to apartments would be prohibitive. The walls of the small rooms support the structure and cannot simply be removed.

  • Andrew Porter

    Headline in AMNewYork: Feds reject city’s $800M grant applications to redesign crumbling BQE cantilever.

    Article here:

    https://www.amny.com/transit/feds-reject-grants-crumbling-bqe-cantilever/

  • Brixtony

    There were two robins and a cardinal in Cadman Plaza this morning, and it felt like spring

  • Jessica Brooklyn Heights

    Hello, do we have any updates on Hotel Bossert? I live on Remsen Street so rather concerned!