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Photo by Homer Fink

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Today, BHB was pinged by Twitter user Jeremy Greenfield. He’s fed up with the Henry Street (technically 101 Clark Street) Gristedes. Heck, who isn’t?

What we’ve found over the years of cultivating a hate-on for the place is that the staff is dedicated and hard working but the ownership is perfectly content squeezing every possible nickel out of Brooklyn Heights residents. Because, capitalism. Heck, the dude who owns the chain is still trying to sell bottles of water from his failed mayoral campaign. For two bucks more than at his other stores. (Note that when we compared them to Fresh Direct, we were surprised.)

And folks, FIRE COULDN’T DRIVE THEM AWAY. But what do you think? And is lining up at Trader Joe’s like it’s Soviet Russia really a better bet?

Comment away!

@AdorablyFlawed @bkheightsblog wasn't here then. All I know is the managers are awful, the product is awful…does it have to be this way?

— Jeremy Greenfield (@jdgreenfield) March 20, 2015

@AdorablyFlawed @bkheightsblog we should organize a boycot. I'm serious.

— Jeremy Greenfield (@jdgreenfield) March 20, 2015

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Developer Jonathan Rose Companies closed on 181-183 Montague Street today, The Real Deal reports.

The bank building, currently home to a Citibank branch, comes with development rights of 93,500 square feet according to the report.

TRD: No permits have been filed with the Department of Buildings for any alterations or a new building at the site, but Rose purchased the property under the name Montague Pierrpont Apartments, LLC, which could indicate he is looking to convert it into a residential building.
Citibank currently occupies 9,350 square feet of retail space in the building. Another 21,700 square feet of the property, which goes through Pierrepoint Street, is used for office space.

183 Montague Street was built in 1909 as the People’s Trust Bank building.

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This dispatch just in from First Presbyterian Church:

First Presbyterian’s 84th Precinct and Firefighters Appreciation Sunday is this Sunday, March 22. This annual worship service, attended by dozens of officers and their families and followed by lunch, is particularly significant this year following the traumatic events of 2014.

The 84th Precinct’s new commanding officer, Captain Sergio Centa, and Officer Fred Mitchell, community liaison officer, will be present, and officers will take part in leading worship, as has been our tradition for the last 25 years. As always, we are honored to extend a warm welcome to firefighters from Engine Companies 224 and 205, and Ladder Company 118.

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Curbed published a comprehensive guide to the landmarking of Brooklyn Heights today. As we start stocking up on Champale for the 50th Anniversary of our neighborhood’s landmark status on November 23, this piece will help you get amped up for the celebration.

While you’re at it, please take some time out to rediscover Martin L. Schneider and Karl Junkersfeld’s mini-doc on the landmarking of Brooklyn Heights.

Brooklyn Is My Neighborhood from The Brooklyn Bugle on Vimeo.

RELATED: Five Books About Brooklyn Heights You Should Be Reading Right Now

Curbed: Dissent from within the neighborhood was fast and furious—and, unlike many neighborhoods in which Moses operated, predominantly white and upper middle class. The Brooklyn Heights Association, founded in 1910, began a campaign against the highway. In September 1942, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, under the headline “Plan for Express Highway Is Shocking,” suggested what seemed to everyone the logical alternative: routing the BQE along Furman Street at the water’s edge. This idea was embraced by residents, especially those along Columbia Heights and Pierrepont Place, who advocated for a top deck cantilevered over the new highway to both shield them from noise and to replace their back gardens which would be destroyed during construction. Surprisingly, Moses—who believed that “When you operate in an overbuilt metropolis you have to hack your way with a meat ax”—embraced the new plan. In fact, to the chagrin of some in the Heights, he took the idea one step further, deciding that the cantilevered area over the highway should be turned into a public promenade, opening the views to the masses.

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A BHB tipster sent us this photo today regarding the anchor at 76 Montague Street, commenting “spotted this construction person drilling into the sidewalk this morning (3.18.15) and apparently removing the metal poles which surround the anchor.”

While the future location of the anchor remains unknown, we wonder where it’s headed in the interim.

The Friend of a Farmer restaurant will be opening at 76 Montague later this year.

DEVELOPING…

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What’s on your mind? Comment away!

Photo via the “Nabeguy Collection”

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In general, our pals at Gothamist are doing the Lord’s work when it comes to pointing out the things that make living in New York City an existential circus.

But this obsession with “manspreading” on the site (not to mention the MTA’s current courtesy campaign) is getting out of hand. How insane has it gotten?

THEY’VE GONE AFTER PAUL GIAMATTI.

RELATED: Paul Giamatti’s 10 Memorable Supporting Roles

Yes, Brooklyn Heights neighbor and super-fantastic actor Paul Giamatti is being shamed for making himself comfortable on a number 4 train this morning.

Stop the madness!

Photo via Gothamist

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Oy to the vey.

Those of you who have opted not to have a car in New York City are excused from this conversation. We get it, you feel great about that decision. And to be honest, it’s the most sensible one.

But for many of us, having a car is a necessity and alternate side parking rules are the bane of our existence. Forget to move your car (or like Homer be so sleepy one morning as to move the car to the WRONG side of the street) and you get towed. We’ve noticed that our friends in the NYPD have been booting more cars lately, like this one we spotted on Cranberry Street this morning. Friend, we feel your pain.

So which is worse – the boot or the tow?

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As previously reported, Hillary Clinton might be opening her campaign office in Brooklyn Heights. That is if she decided to run for president and if she chooses One Pierrepont Plaza (one of the rumored locations) and not MetroTech (the other rumored HQ). Why? Oh, you know the answer:

METROTECH IS NOT IN BROOKLYN HEIGHTS.

Now this slight error would be all fine and dandy if the media wasn’t actively perpetuating this misconception. Behold:

New York Times: Mrs. Clinton’s aides are looking at the Metro Tech complex in Brooklyn Heights, two people with knowledge of the plans said.

NY Magazine: Once Hillary Clinton gets around to officially announcing that she’s running for president, she’s going to need a campaign headquarters — and she’s said to be quite interested in Brooklyn Heights. Consider it Mayor de Blasio’s consolation prize for losing the DNC to Philly.

“Clinton and her team … are nearing a deal for office space at the MetroTech complex in Brooklyn.

Heck, we’ll give New York Magazine a pass since they’re just lucky to still have the lights on. But the NEW YORK TIMES? Come on sheeple!

For the record, Mrs. Clinton (and journalists) Metro Tech is in Downtown Brooklyn.

Puh-leeze @nytpolitics MetroTech office complex *not* in Brooklyn Heights @bkheightsblog But HRC choice wud boost landlord Ratner @maggieNYT

— Norman Oder (@AYReport) March 14, 2015

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Girls creator Lena Dunham has a place in Brooklyn Heights, but she’s just purchased a house in Los Angeles. The cool thing about that is that it’s the former home of the A-Team’s George Peppard. That dude was cool.

For some, Girls is an unwatchable show. Watching it is like seeing a scripted version of Snapchat or Tinder. Interesting for some, notsomuch for others.

However, Comedy Central’s Broad City, which stars Brooklyn Heights resident Abbi Jacobson – which is to Dunham’s series what Seinfeld would have been to ThirtySomething – is one of the best shows on TV. They’re the new Lucy and Ethel.

John Stewart hit the nail on the head this week about why it’s so enjoyable – the absolute “joy” conveyed on the show. The adventures of Jacobson and partner Ilana Glazer in the show channel every great comic team in history – Abbott and Costello, Cheech and Chong, the Marx Brothers, Firesign Theater, Monty Python, etc – every week. They’re here to entertain us while they hold a mirror up to society and make us laugh at ourselves.

And this season, the show’s second, has been outstanding. Even America’s Sweetheart Kelly Ripa has jumped onto the magic bandwagon:

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An off duty corrections officer shot a man Tuesday night (3/10) after an altercation that spilled out from number 4/5 train onto the platform at Borough Hall station. (Note: The NY Daily News reports that the shooter is a “retired corrections officer”.)

WPIX TV reports:

A witness tells PIX11 that 2 young men were acting “belligerent” on a downtown train. An older gentleman got on the crowded train at Bowling Green, and attempted to get by the pair, when an argument broke out. The witness says the man was not engaging the men and said “don’t touch me,” when one of the men punched him in the face.

The man attempted to restrain the suspect and pulled out a gun from his pocket. One of the men ran from the train when the doors opened at Borough Hall. A scuffle ensued and the man shot one of the suspects on the platform.

The wounded suspect was hit in the abdomen, was taken to an area hospital.

Sources say 2 people are in custody.

Metro spoke to a witness named “Thomas”:

Thomas said he then saw one of the young men push the older man onto the floor as they approached Borough Hall station. “I saw [the older man] reach into his pocket and I saw the older man pull out the gun from his pocket and people were like ‘It’s a gun’ … I saw the older guy put the clip in the gun and he looked like he was getting in the position to shoot him so we all ran off the train. The two dudes ran up the stairs and the guy was all calm with the gun in his hand and walked up the stairs and everybody ran down the stairs. Not even 40 seconds later we heard a pop.”

Update: The shooting victim has died.

Update: The alleged attacker killed in the incident has been identified as Gilbert Drogheo. The alleged shooter has also been identified as Will Groomes.

gun shots at borough hall station. thankful for a conductor who kept a cool head and got us to the next stop safely.

— Abigail Salvatore (@swagigail) March 10, 2015

These 2 guys on the train have footage of #NYPD shooting someone at Borough Hall. Conductor just says "police investigation"

— Nobody Beats the Liz (@emaphotography) March 10, 2015

Here's a look at the scene from our photog Steve Harasymiak after a man was shot in #Brooklyn Borough Hall station pic.twitter.com/xvDW7UMbIM

— Joe Frumusa (@joefrumusa) March 11, 2015

#BREAKING UPDATE: 4, 5 trains bypassing Borough Hall subway station after shooting http://t.co/NKhRciwH24 pic.twitter.com/6MIr9ufvrQ

— NBC New York (@NBCNewYork) March 10, 2015

Photo: Joe Frumusa/News 12 via Twitter

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Ah! March, it comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb. But while it’s here it’s clearly chronic. Behold this specimen found on Hicks Street Sunday morning. Was this a discarded bong that escaped from a long forgotten garbage bag? Did someone drop it while casually walking down the street while checking out the latest 2 Chainz jam? The truth may never be known.

Nevertheless, welcome to #deblasiosnewyork as we believe is the parlance of the day.

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Bob Sahadi of Atlantic Avenue mainstay Sahadi’s was a guest last week on WNYC’s Brian Lehrer Show. If you missed it or you’re just not “that guy” who listens to public radio, you can listen to the full interview here.

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Brownstoner confirms today what commenter DoBro84 posted on last week’s OTW:

Brownstoner: Developer Jonathan Rose Companies filed demolition applications last month to take down 189 Montague Street and 146 Pierrepont Street (pictured above). Situated between between Cadman Plaza West and Clinton Street, the buildings are some of the few in the Heights that are not landmarked.

A hotel may be in the works, but no new-building applications have been filed under these or any other addresses that we could find. Last year, the Eagle wrote there was talk of a hotel coming at 189 Montague.

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Brooklyn Heights Association Executive Director Judy Stanton, who will be retiring later this year, sat down for a Q&A with amNY. When asked what she thinks the future of Brooklyn Heights holds she replied:

amNY: The neighborhood will become denser. Because the zoning around us is quite generous, new buildings will replace some of the older ones on Montague Street and Cadman Plaza, which will mean that our streets will be more crowded and P.S. 8, our public school, which is already overcrowded, will face an even bigger challenge. In time, the neighborhood may feel less small, but happily the scale of the buildings in much of Brooklyn Heights will stay protected by the 50-foot height regulation and restrictions placed on changes to facades by the Landmark Law.

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Upper West Side based blogger Tracy Kaler recently visited Iris Cafe in Willowtown. After schlepping all the way here, she posted a positive review. She liked it! She really liked it! Take that, Manhattan!

Tracy’s New York Life: The place feels so yummy inside (even before you’ve bitten into any item on the menu) that you’ll insist on grazing at your tiny table for hours on end. In fact, if I lived closer, they’d surely get sick of me.

Mike and I shared a variety of dishes, all of which were innovative and unbelievably tasty. Iris’s offerings rotate seasonally, and the chef adjusts ingredients accordingly. What can you expect to find on the menu? There will be bright, colorful pastas with just the right amount of flavor, perfectly grilled octopus that might be the best you’ve ever eaten, and a selection of unique starters that could include brussel sprouts croquettes, pumpkin carpaccio, shisito peppers, and hen of the woods mushrooms.

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Boerum Hill resident Ethan Hawke’s movie “Maggie’s Plan” will be shooting on Hicks Street tomorrow and Wednesday. That would be all fine and dandy if the streets weren’t a slushy mess, alternate side parking rules are back in effect and the production is taking up all the spots south of Clark Street.

Don’t get us wrong we like Ethan Hawke. We paid to watch that ponderous time travel movie he did, admire his commitment to 12 years of shooting Boyhood and we even read his friggin’ books.

But folks – this is ridiculous. The streets are a mess. It’s going to snow tomorrow and alternate side rules are back in effect. So if YOU (and we) don’t move our cars by 5 AM – who knows where they’ll end up. The worker bee laying cones down couldn’t tell us if they’d tow cars or not as he was just following orders. This note doesn’t say if they will or won’t (we only saw a yellow sign, orange means they WILL tow..right?)

"Maggie's Plan" filming on Hick's, Clark Sts & Cadman Plaza West in #BrooklynHeights March 2, 3rd & 4th @olv pic.twitter.com/GxHQpbKW9n

— EncyclopediaVi (@VioletL_Phoenix) February 26, 2015

We called the production office and spoke to “Sandy” who told us, in a nutshell, sorry but tough luck we have a permit. It’s an indie film so they probably don’t have the budget to be courteous and reschedule.

So, if you’re as outraged as we are feel free to call the production office at 917-546-9041. The location manager’s name is “Ana”.

Update: We went back to Hicks and Clark after posting this. Checked the memo (included in tweet above) and it says that space is needed for one truck on the west side of Hicks. Another staffer on scene confirmed this and told us we could leave our car there with no problem tomorrow. If you’re parked there we suggest you check for yourself as Homer Fink’s Razor says – “Ask the same question many times and you may receive many different answers.”

Update: Went by Tuesday night. The shoot seemed to be well run, and the east side of Hicks seemed pretty much untouched. Most of the cars (including ours) were still there from last night and the space didn’t seem needed. With ASP suspended Wednesday, it looks like the impact of this shoot will be minimal on parking. Could have been much worse with a different crew/company.

Ethan Hawke gets intimate with Greta Gerwig while filming scenes in Chinatown on Thursday http://t.co/eUKCahoFKy

— Chinatown NYC (@ChinatownNYC) February 27, 2015

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We went, we tweeted, we went home and posted this while warming up a nice packaged Fresh Direct meal. Yes, we’re living the dream here at BHB. But there were other “reporters” at the group’s annual confab and here are 5 key points or, as we believe is the vernacular, “takeaways”:

1) Judy Stanton is Awesome:

“No one can replace Judy Stanton,” said the group’s president, Alexandra Bowie, as she presented Stanton with a commemorative trophy. “She has an encyclopedic knowledge of our organization and the determined energy to get things done.” (Brooklyn Paper)

Shout out to Judy Stanton – Heights Hero Neil Calet gives her flowers! #bhbbha pic.twitter.com/vWr0rIGOsC

— brooklynheightsblog (@bkheightsblog) February 25, 2015

And Tom Stewart (who, btw, has still never given us a channel 13 totebag) was verklempt:

Noting that Stanton was listed as one of the “50 most influential people who have shaped Brooklyn neighborhoods” by Brownstoner.com, called “the godmother of P.S. 8” by Principal Seth Phillips and named “the mayor of Brooklyn Heights” by former borough president Marty Markowitz, Stewart had tears in his eyes as he presented Stanton with a special engraved vase honoring her service. (Brooklyn Eagle)

2. Not for Nothin’ But Those Pier 6 Towers Are Not a Great Idea

Bowie lauded Brooklyn Bridge Park, and said BHA has always recognized the necessity of housing there. “But we have always argued that only housing necessary to support the park should be built. At this moment, we are not convinced that housing is needed on Pier 6.

“Mayor de Blasio, Pier 6 is one of those places where skyscrapers do not belong,” she said. (Brooklyn Eagle)

3. Oh and the Pierhouse Ain’t So Great Either

BHA believes the buildings going up at Pier 1 are “larger than they should be, and that their height contravenes agreements that were made in the community many years ago.” (Brooklyn Eagle)

4. Say What You Will About Michael D.D. White and Citizens Defending Libraries, but Brother Has a Point

Michael D. D. White, co-founder of Citizens Defending Libraries, questioned what he called BHA’s “highly suspicious” and rapid support of the decision to redevelop the Brooklyn Heights Library branch.

“What will it take for you to reconsider your support to sell and shrink the library?” he asked.

“I will take that up with our library committee, which is how we operate, and if the library committee feels that it wants to revisit the question, then I will take it to the full board,” Bowie said. (Brooklyn Eagle)

5. We Want to Hang Out with Justin Davidson, Like David Blaine, His Magic is Real

To see what preservationists have achieved, “just look around,” he said. There is “a deep and widespread acknowledgement that the new city is intertwined with the old one. On a philosophical level, preservationists have won.”

Justin Davidson, New York magazine architecture and classical music critic. Photo by Mary FrostJustin Davidson, New York magazine architecture and classical music critic. Photo by Mary FrostBut preservation can sometimes “denature” a neighborhood, he warned. “If you turn a working class district into a historic district, it is unlikely to remain working class. You cannot preserve a living thing.” (Brooklyn Eagle)

yeah but did Moses do this? #bhbbha pic.twitter.com/NhtchFh5xb

— brooklynheightsblog (@bkheightsblog) February 25, 2015

Bonus: Claude Might Be a Hippie

Claude Scales, a reporter with the Brooklyn Heights Blog, asked Davidson if there would ever again be a true Bohemian neighborhood in New York City, as Greenwich Village once was.

Davidson theorized that Bohemias of the future might be dispersed “mini-Bohemias” – sometimes as big as one apartment. He also opined that the dispersal of young people to other cities like Milwaukee, Pittsburgh, Boise and Salt Lake City “is a really good thing.” (Brooklyn Eagle)

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Also, feel free to add any relevant news links about Brooklyn Heights or related stories you think are interesting in the comments below!

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It was really cold out Tuesday night and BHA Annual Meeting also found itself competing against the season finale of Master Chef Junior and the series finale of Parks and Recreation. So, if you’re asking where all the “youngs” were there’s your answer.

The meeting was held at Grace Church and featured guest speaker Justin Davidson, archtecture critic for New York Magazine and author of the upcoming book Magnetic City. He’s also a dude we’d like to have about 10 beers with some time.

It was also the final BHA Annual Meeting with Judy Stanton as the organization’s executive director. We cannot thank Judy enough for her friendship and support over the years. She will be missed. However, we hope she has a retirement that rivals that of Jimmy Carter.

And now the Tale of the Tweets:

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Allow us to be blunt – anti-vaxxers are wrong, have never been right and have been following the advice of dopey celebrities and debunked “research” for far too long.

This week, parents whose children are patients at the Brooklyn Heights pediatric practice of Doctors O’Connor, Pytlak and Dalton were told that families who refuse to vaccinate their kids will be asked “to find another health care provider who shares your views.”

Good for them! Even more shocking is that there are anti-vaxxers in Brooklyn Heights. Come on people – wake up. Sure you don’t trust the government, or a nice children’s hospital, or a national organization of pediatricians but surely you’ll trust our favorite MAGICIAN, Penn Jillette. He says this is a problem created by POORLY EDUCATED RICH PEOPLE:

And the SciShow tries to explain the science of being wrong…or somethin':

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The new Eamonn’s, which replaced Taperia virtually overnight two weeks ago, has added an interesting feature — blacked out windows.

What the what?

Here’s what Eamonn’s with clear windows looked like:

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Maybe it’s the fact that we remember the bad ol’ days when a place with blacked out glass like this meant something other than “come in and enjoy a pint with some bangers and mash”.

That aside, it appears that this is something that’s allowed under Landmarks as stated in Section 8‐04 Storefront Alterations:

(B) Display Window. A storefront shall have one or more display windows. Display windows shall be framed with wood or metal and shall be glazed with clear glass. Any blocking of the transparency of the glass of portions of the storefront shall be reversible and maintain the exterior surface of the glass. Back‐painting or the installation of removable opaque panels behind the glass shall be permitted. The installation of tinted or mirrored glass shall not be permitted.

So what do you think of the windows?

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Juice Press, purveyors of cold-pressed juices and a favorite of celebrities, is coming to Henry Street (technically part of 124 Montague Street, next to Kiehl’s). The company announced last year that it would be in five new locations including the one here and another in Connecticut. Now, the brown paper is up and the permits posted as the yet to be announced opening draws near.

Juice Press is coming to Brooklyn Heights.

And it’s apparent that folks in Brooklyn Heights are amped up for its arrival:

@bkheightsblog dude did a dance of joy at seeing Juice Press is coming to Henry Street next to Kiehl's. #EatClean #woohoo #bkheights

— grrlgenius (@grrlgenius) February 21, 2015

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The days of having to wait 24 hours or more for those news socks, space heater, book or gadget from Amazon are officially over in Brooklyn Heights. Amazon announced this week that it’s Prime Now One Hour delivery service, which had previously been limited to Manhattan, has been expanded to include Brooklyn Heights, Downtown Brooklyn, Park Slope, Fort Greene, Clinton Hill and Prospect Heights.

If you’re a Amazon Prime subscriber, you can get one hour deliveries for a $7.99 fee.

Have you tried it yet?

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Earlier this week, Henry Street’s Siggy’s Good Food closed its doors forever. As previously reported, the health food establishment – where “aliens ate free” – announced it would be shutting down at the end of February.

Owner Siggy Sollitto spoke with the Brooklyn Paper this week, saying:

Brooklyn Paper: Sollitto is not completely shocked that her creative culinary enterprise has been forced out of Brooklyn Heights, though.

“That’s what always happens to the artists,” she said. “Look at Dumbo, they can’t afford to live there anymore.”

Sollitto launched a second Siggy’s in Manhattan in 2012, and it is still open. But she said city regulations are making it tough to run a business in that distant borough, citing the health department as a particularly pronounced source of headaches.

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