Genevieve speaks fondly of the nabe throughout the episode, as she sloshes through a half-foot of snow on the Promenade during filming. It originally aired in March, and encores today, Tuesday, Sept. 6, at 3:30 p.m. Set those Tivos: Time Warner channel 64/HD764.

You can read details about the experience on The Smoking Nun Blog.

Brian McGorry, owner of 31 Cranberry Street, posted signs today between Willow and Hick alerting neighbors that a crane will be in use Friday around the property.   On the note, he apologizes for any inconvenience this may cause.

The BHA has announced the date for its annual House Tour – Saturday May 7. This year through the magic of the “internet” you may purchase advance tickets online! Early bird ducats for the grandaddy of all lookey lous are $30 for members and $40 for non-members. Day of the tour tix are $40 for everybody.

On tap for this year’s tour -

A c. 1843 Greek Revival brick townhouse is owned by an artist whose inventive decorating style and eclectic textile and painting collections are combined with her own fanciful creations to create a warmly personal home.

An 1880′s townhouse — Originally a four-family house, it has been stylishly transformed by the current owner whose architect Steven Harris has created an open floor plan, adding extensions to all four stories with floor to ceiling height windows.

A three-storied Federal frame house, listed in the 1826 city directory, is the oldest house on the tour.

Built in 1905, a house [that] has its main entry at street level. The current owners undertook a substantial renovation, keeping as much of the original design of the home as possible, turning what was a service entrance (still intact) into a “mud room”, and retaining the fully functioning dumb waiter.

An 1831 Federal style house [that] was renovated in 1885 by famed New York architect, William B. Tubby, who is especially known for his Dutch Revival and Romanesque style.

More about the homes on this year’s tour at the BHA website.

According to Brownstoner, an 1846 vintage row house on Sidney Place is being made into a “Passive House”, a technology developed in Germany that, through use of insulation, airtight windows and doors, and high efficiency heat pumps, reduces the energy needed to heat or cool the house by 80 to 90 percent.

The story indicates that the window treatments have been approved by the Landmarks Preservation Commission; it also claims that this is the first Passive House conversion of a landmarked building, but one of the comments in the thread below the story says that a landmarked house in Park Slope has already undergone such a renovation.

Photo: Brownstoner

As previously reported, BHB pal/Celine Dion fan/Montague Street resident/author Chuck Taylor and his partner Ayhan Sahin were the lucky recipients of a bedroom make over from HGTV’s Dear Genevieve. While Chuck is still under a “gag” order from the show (it will air in March) he shared just a lil’ bit more about last week’s filming:

The Smoking Nun: On Monday, we wrapped our week-long fantasy bedroom makeover with “Dear Genevieve” and her amazing crew. The show will air in about seven weeks on HGTV. After it debuts, I’ll deliver a play by play of the experience. We had a blast and the bedroom… ooh la la! Can’t wait to share!

The Smoking Nun: You’d think that was the holy grail, but in New York, coop living requires Board approval, which was as tenacious a task as chewing off one’s toenails with two teeth in the back of your head, so there was a long road toward making this a reality. Given the number of queries and concerns, you’d think we were proposing rebuilding the Brooklyn Bridge.

But at last, in December, we got a thumbs up from the Board… only to find out that it had taken us so long to gain approval that our makeover had been pushed back from January to late February. Sigh… But then, a week ago, a call: The show had a cancellation —and an opening for the week of Jan. 10-14. Our response: Yes, please!

Workers at 155 Henry Street (one commenter says it’s work on 161 Henry) are lifted to the job with a crane on Monday afternoon.

Brooklyn Green Roofs from Heather Quinlan on Vimeo.

Why a green roof, you might ask? Aside from looking more appealing than tar, there are financial and environmental benefits, including:

- Buildings are naturally cooler inside, and the city is cooler outside.
- Less power is required to cool buildings.
- Stormwater is absorbed and filtered by the plants.
- Less polluted water reaches the rivers and estuaries of NYC.
- We can harvest rainwater from the roof to irrigate our gardens.
- Migratory birds, butterflies and bees enjoy an expanded habitat.
- Green roofs produce oxygen and filter dust and pollutants from the air, making our city a healthier place to live.

In addition, NYC now offers a tax credit for those who have a green roof installed, which helps pay a large part of the cost. For more information, check out brooklyngreenroof.com.

At the New York Landmarks Conservancy’s 20th Presentation of the Lucy G. Moses Preservation Awards to be held on April 21, Brooklyn Heights’s Tom van den Bout and his wife Brenda Nelson will be honored for their architecture firm NV/da’s work on 36 Grace Court in the Heights.

Of the projects to be recognized this year at the American Museum of Natural History, which include the Museum itself, the Empire State Building lobby, and The High Line, 36 Grace Court is the only private residence.

“It’s a little intimidating,” van den Bout said, laughing. NV/da will accept the award along with the home’s owners, the contractor, and all of the sub-contractors involved in the restoration, which took place from November 2008 until July of last year.

36 Grace Court before restoration

Van den Bout, who is also the current president of the Brooklyn Heights Association, said the most difficult part of the restoration, which included both interior and exterior work, was getting approval from New York City’s Landmarks Preservation Commission to remove concrete panels on the upper stories of the exterior.

“We hoped there might be brick underneath,” van den Bout recalled. “It turned out the concrete was bonded to the brick, and they had totally destroyed the brick behind it to get the concrete to adhere.”

It’s NV/da’s first and only “Lucy” Award, the Landmarks Conservancy’s highest honors for preservation efforts. Come May, anybody who wants to can marvel at the award-winning work both inside and out: 36 Grace Court will be one of the houses on display during this year’s Brooklyn Heights Spring House Tour.

(Editor’s Note: Owners Trena Keating and David Pitofsky were honored earlier this year by the BHA for the restoration of 36 Grace Court.)

NYSD photo

The Brooklyn Heights brownstone of designer Kathryn Scott and artist Wenda Gu is featured in New York Social Diary:

NYSD: They are both organized and thorough to a point that fascinated us. Kathryn physically learned how to do various skills such as carpentry when the house was being renovated (one floor also serves as an office space) and, a linguist, she made sure she knew enough Chinese to get Chinese craftsmen to perfect her designs for various projects in China, where they also own property.

More photos at New York Social Diary.

Brooklyn Eagle:  “With all due respect to architects, you don’t always need one,” he said. “Everyone told me, ‘you can’t do it without an architect.’ But you can. The truth is, all you need is an engineer’s stamp.”

Per Marty’s press release:

On Thursday, April 23, Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz will host the eighth annual assembly of the Federation of Brooklyn Block Associations, an opportunity for all residents to meet City agency representatives and discuss issues and concerns facing their blocks and communities.

Presentations will be offered on street activity permits procedures and assistance for community building projects, as well as a Brooklyn Botanic Garden workshop on composting and a panel discussion about energy efficiency hosted by Con Ed, Neighborhood Housing Services of NYC, the Pratt Center for Community Development and the Department of Sanitation.

“Build a better Brooklyn, block by block”: Thursday, April 23 from 5:30-8:30 pm; Brooklyn Borough Hall, 209 Joralemon St. (between Court and Adams streets). Questions? Call Mark Zustovich, 718-802-3830.

If you’re like us the words “thrifty” and “green” may just throw you into a fit of hipster hating backlash. Or maybe it would make you a little misty for the bearded Al Gore. Whatever. Today’s NY Times has a story about Katherine Belsey Davis and her husband’s (a musician, not named…hmm) Brooklyn Heights kitchen reno:

New York Times: Leftovers….: Over the last year, after Ms. Davis and her husband combined their apartment in Brooklyn Heights with one next door to make space for their growing family, she built a laundry room and a recording studio for her husband, a musician, and renovated a bathroom at budget prices. But it was her kitchen renovation, which included appliances, cabinets, counters and floor, where she really managed to get a lot for a little. The kitchen came to a total of $10,600, said Ms. Davis, who estimated that she saved $19,000 to $28,000 on that one room by recycling.

The Street.com: Find Your Green Thumb…: New Yorker Erin Combs managed to get the latter without the former — and if you're an urbanite who wants to add some natural beauty to your concrete existence, you'd do well to follow her example.

Combs, 32, is the founder of Jardiniere, a three-year-old urban gardening company run from her Brooklyn Heights brownstone apartment.

Growing up in Farmington, Maine, or as she calls it, "the middle of nowhere," everything was potential garden space, and her parents started her digging in the dirt at an early age. "Mom and Dad were escaped Long Islanders," she says, "and I think they just ran out of gas in Farmington."

Brownstoner: Stained Glass in the Floor: I wanted to share an architectural find my husband and I uncovered during the demolition phase of a coop apartment we recently purchased. The apartment is in a stunning limestone building in Brooklyn Heights with the original mahogany trim, plasterwork and mosaic tiled hallway still intact. It's one of the main reasons we were drawn to the apartment—this house was really something in its day. The apartment is on the second floor and there was what appeared to be an unused shaft between a closet and the kitchen that we could use as additional space. There was no evidence of the shaft in the apartment above or below. We figured it was the remnants of a very large dumbwaiter. After making the proverbial inspection hole, however, we discovered the interior was finished plaster and wainscot trim. Clearly not something one would have seen inside a dumbwaiter. It was also very large (3' by 6') and a ton of construction debris that had been piled inside the shaft from the renovation of the apartment above many years before.

The seminar will focus on four different approaches to renovating a brownstone.  The first of these is to replace original details (such as railings, gates, terra cotta and furniture) with identical material, the second to adapt the interior for a new use (such as an artist's studio), the third to make it "modern and green", and the fourth (continuing the "green" theme, but also considering economy) to make it energy-efficient.

Ms. Salomon said the seminar is aimed at the "hands-on homeowner" who owns or is considering buying a brownstone.  It's intended to show, in a practical way, how to enjoy "modern living in an old house"; including, for example, how to adjust old wiring for modern appliances. 

A subsequent "Anatomy" seminar on October 27 will continue the "green" approach, with speakers on, among others, the topics of non-toxic paint and non-polluting power.  

City Tech's continuing education program is a valuable and convenient resource for Heights residents, offering over 300 courses each year.  Charles Johnston, Director of the Continuing Education Center, noted that home owners and renovators can benefit from courses on electrical repair and maintenance, plumbing, and heating, ventilation and air conditioning, among others.  

The fee for the May 12 "Anatomy of a Brownstone" seminar is $35.  If you are interested in attending, please call 718-552-1170.    

Join us at the DWR Brooklyn Heights Studio every first Thursday of the month as we team up with Pret-a-Habiter to make interior design more accessible. Bring your questions and ideas to the design professionals and let them provide you with modern solutions using DWR products. The experts at Pret-a-Habiter, a New York based interior design firm, aim to make the interior design experience fun, easy and affordable through their “ready-to-go” approach. If you have an interior space in need of a modern make-over, then come enjoy an evening at DWR and get free design advice that will help give your home a new look. Wine will be served.

Bring photos of your current space if you've got any. You may RSVP at brooklynheights@dwr.com. Let us know how it goes.

NYC Inside: Brooklyn Heights: The renter writes…We moved into this small yet completely gut-renovated apartment in November 2006. We pay $2,400 for the 1BD apartment which is approximately 550-600 sq.ft. Exposed brick (which is neither boring nor cliché as some might think), brand new everything floor to ceiling is what attracted us to the apartment…oh, and two other amenities…a washer and dryer in the apartment, and we’re a half block to the Promenade! We love the Heights…we kid our Manhattanite friends by telling them it is the best neighborhood in Manhattan! Take care everyone and enjoy the photos.

Lots of work done over the weekend. Lowered the floor of the "standing area" for the loft portion, put in the rafters for the bed platform and the ceiling for the room aka The Study aka The Batcave. Shifted the doorway closer to center, maybe a little past center actually. This will add to the cost, since the contractor didn't figure it in to his original estimate, but that's okay. It's coming along nicely, though I suspect that some of my measurements were a bit off.  The standing area is a little worrisome. There's not as much headroom as I expected — I can fit in there perfectly, however some of my 6+ foot tall friends might have to hunch over. They can hang out in the batcave, though. I want to lower the loft wall facing the windows by at least half its current height, as well. Right now, the bed space seems too closed off, and the air would easily become too hot and stale. Cutting off the wall would help with airflow and light. This, of course, will be an additional expense.

The Study has good headroom, and benefits from the standing area miscalculations. I was assured all the little cracks between the pieces will be taken care of. The light fixtures and outlet won't be placed until the walls have been primed and painted. I still don't know what I'm going to do with the room, but I have many options, ranging from TV room to a library to a walk-in closet. If you have any ideas, comment below or send your suggestions to webmaster@brooklynheightsblog.com.

Currently, there's a little downtime, due to one of the workers suffering from ingrown tooth pain. However, next major task will be the stairs. Originally, I was going to have the fine folks at Nova Zembla on Atlantic modify their rosewood step cabinet piece into a stairway, but unfortunately the price was beyond my budget. So, it will be built, against the wall, with 8 inch risers, some shelf space, and a little closet underneath.

Day 1 — Day 0 — Other People's Apartments 

Work began with cutting out the space for the "standing area" (the space to the right of the door), and installing the frame for it. I wasn't happy with the doorway being so close to the future stairway, it looked awkward. The entrance to "the study" (or "the TV room") should be centered between the edge of the wall and the edge of the stairway.

Also, the "standing area" is a bit too high. When I stood on the frame I bumped my head. Can't have that. The light fixture will be turned into an outlet for a possible bed light, and the light fixtures that were on that wall will be moved to the side wall in "the study". The rest of the frame and the rafters should come up rather rapidly, as soon as the "standing area" height is reduced.

Day 0 — Qfwfq's "inspiration" 

No, the room isn't leaning, just the camera. 

We can't all be a Brownstoner renoblogger.

When I bought my "Junior 1 Bedroom" apartment, one of the more interesting aspects of it was the "Junior Bedroom". As you can see, the walls don't reach the ceiling, and the space inside barely fits a bed. Since the ceiling is 11 feet high, I felt this arrangement was a poor use of space. 

Some said: "You should put a ceiling on the existing room, and use the top part for storage." Others said: "You could build a short loft and use the small 'room' for storage."  I said: "NO! I want both a room AND a loft! AND a place to stand when I get out of my loft bed!" And they all said: "That's CRAAAZY!"

Well, not really. This is how it's going to work. Because I don't have quite enough space to stand in both areas, I will have to sacrifice some space in both the loft and the room. The stairs, which will be up against the building wall, will lead up to a "standing area" where I can ingress and egress out of bed without worrying about bumping my head on the ceiling. Consequently, in the room, there will only be around 4 feet of open space underneath the standing area. This should be enough space to put furniture items, such as a dresser perhaps, or maybe a TV and some shelves as well. I haven't decided what to do with the room. Next to the standing area will be a raised area where the bed will be, which will be high enough to stand in the room below. I won't be able to stand on the bed.

We'll see how this all plays out. I'm mostly concerned with  the strength of the loft. I want it to be sturdy enough so when I host a party, people can hang out there without the floor giving in. Work began today with a local contractor. I'll be sleeping on a small sofa for now, and will be eating Ramen noodles after I pay for all this.

New York Times:A Repeat Renovator Finds His Rhythm: But Mr. Chambers claims that his first renovation six years ago, when the work was late and over budget, was as bad as any of these dramas.

The moment he can’t get out of his mind came when he was in Miami, on business, talking on the phone with his cabinet maker. When he realized that a project that that was supposed to be finished had not even been started, he went so crazy he threw his phone off the balcony of his hotel room at the Mandarin Oriental, into the water — for a publicist, a rash act indeed.

“We had this company dinner I was supposed to go to, I never came out of my room the rest of the night,” says Mr. Chambers, 35, at his Brooklyn Heights triplex. “I remember it clearly. I did not want to come home.”

Photo: NY Times

Details of the facade of 177-179 Columbia Heights. Click for larger images.

There’s an article in the Thursday March 1st edition of the “Brooklyn Heights Press & Cobble Hill News” by Phoebe Neidl about my new home, 177-179 Columbia Heights, and it’s strange and mysterious facade. Unfortunately the newspaper, a subsidiary of the Brooklyn Eagle, doesn’t have a web presence, so I cannot link to it directly. However, I will quote what I can. I urge you to seek it out. (Update: According to Ms. Neidl, the article has just been published in the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, so make sure to pick up a copy! It will also appear on their website, for those with access).

For reference, here’s how the building looks now (February 10th, 2007):

And here is how it looked in 1920:

1920 photo from the Brooklyn Public Library Digital Collection

The facade is an example of a very old art style called Sgraffito — layering a very light colored plaster onto a dark layer of plaster, then etching or scratching in the design (in a sense, it’s the rich uncle of graffiti and “street art“). It’s commonly found in the Bavaria region of Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic, and Italy. This particular facade is Italian in origin. Though the Brooklyn Heights Press’ headline calls them the “Devils of Brooklyn Heights”, they are actually gargoyles (or grotesques, technically):

“Some people call them devils,” [a resident said] “But I think they are more gargoyle-like, and gargoyles are there to protect you, so I prefer to think of them that way.”

The facade was discovered last year during a building-wide paint job. When a chemical paint remover was applied to the ground floor, it revealed this “most unusual facade treatment.” Art restorer Gabriel Popian of G &L Popian in Long Island City, who has helped to restore art and architecture throughout the world including the Vatican, examined the structure:

“It is a master technique”…”It’s very difficult to do. It’s very precise,” he said, crouched over inspecting what remained of the ochre paint detailing the fruit and flower motif. “It’s nothing commercial. It’s art.”

Usually, sgraffito is done on-site, however for this building the facade was made on pre-cast panels off-site, and then attached to the building. Who could’ve done it? The artist, an Italian immigrant, remains unknown, however there are clues to its origin. Built sometime in the 1860s, the building didn’t get the fanciful facade until the early 1900s, consequently when a substantial Italian conclave existed near the river and around Adams street. The Department of Buildings’ records state that several alterations were made in 1919, the year it was sold by Matilda Mygatt to Studio Apartment Company, Inc. According to the BH Press article, the most likely impetitus behind the sgraffito facade is Matilda’s son, Robertson Mygatt.  An artist who had traveled to Europe, particularly through Italy, he was a member of several local artist organizations, and was “in a position to know many artists, and Italian artists at that.” He passed away in December 1919.

Sadly, ironically, the restoration of this Brooklyn Heights hidden gem is in jeopardy due to its cost:

…Part of the reason it has incurred so much damage is that the panels were not fused to the original facade of the building. The panels would have to be backed up with steel if the expensive restoration goes forward.

…

It’s so expensive they needed an estimate on the estimate,” said the building’s superintendent Steven Todorovich. And because it’s a co-op building in an affluent area, “it would be hard to find philanthropic groups that would fund it,” said [Alex Herrera of the New York Landmarks Conservancy group], adding, “My board wouldn’t fund it.”

Though I may be willing to subsist on nothing but Ramen Noodles to get the restoration completed, I don’t think nor expect others in the building to be that enthused (can’t really blame them either, I don’t think this is a typical Heights co-op). It would be a shame if this isn’t restored. In a neighborhood — in a city — full of architectural marvels and artistic achievements, this facade stands out as unique. There are few examples of this lost art on this side of the Atlantic, none as ornate as this. Not only a lost art, but a historical document of the first waves of Italian immigrants into this country. In this era of contentious war between those who want to preserve everything no matter how questionable its merit, and those who want nothing but giant glass boxes everywhere, who will champion this small rare find of fine Italian craftsmanship and artistry?

What do you think of the facade? Future Brooklyn Heights Association award winner? Or just another exhibit of the Forgotten NY museum?

All photos by World’s Worst Photographer in the World, except the BPL 1920 photo above. You can view the full set sgraffito photos as well.

The restoration of 135 Joralemon seems to be nearing completion, at least the exterior is. For better photos…

These photos were taken Saturday (2/17/2007). Compare with this older shot and this even older shot: 

And another shot…

Click on the images for a closer look. Looks like the front door and the steps are all thats left to fix. Anyone have any other updates on the progress of this house?

Photos by World's Worst Photographer In The World via Flickr.

DWR and Pret-a-Habiter Design Q&A
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February 1st, 6-8pm. First Thursday of every month
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DWR Brooklyn Heights Studio, 76 Montague Street

Brooklyn Heights $3Toomuch,000
Somewhere on Columbia Heights

"Junior" one-bedroom, one-bath co-op, around 500 sq. ft., 11' high ceiling, with renovated kitchen, touched-up wooden floors, a dwarf refrigerator, and a showerhead that snapped off shortly after use. Maintenance $average.00, 44% tax-deductible.

Asking price $SlightlymorethanToomuch,000, on the market since the late summer 2006. Brokers: NONE! Through the owner! Sponsored Unit! Sucker Buyer: Me.

The new owner reportedly will be converting the "bedroom" into a loft and office space/studio/TV room, installing a real fridge, and adding a bar to the kitchen. There's sure to be a renoblog of it. Meanwhile, just like everyone else in the neighborhood, he's on a quest for a good, decently-priced restaurant in the immediate area (Jack The Horse: very tasty, will return, but holy crap was it expensive).

New York Times: 4 Star Dinner Conjured from a 1 Star Kitchen: For the last 12 years, Brian Bistrong and Chieun Ko-Bistrong have rented the parlor floor of a Brooklyn Heights town house. It’s a nice place, though not a marvel of brownstone Brooklyn like many of its neighbors on Remsen Street. It has a small kitchen, which is peculiar, given that food — well prepared, fresh, local and organic, if possible — is a primary bonding agent for this couple.

The kitchen, which is six feet wide from backsplash to wall, is the only part of the house that Mr. Bistrong and Ms. Ko-Bistrong, who are both 38, have lavished any attention on. Four years ago, they transformed what was a typically forbidding New York City rental nightmare kitchen into a graceful 10-foot-long space with Ikea cabinets, butcher-block countertops and a stainless-steel refrigerator tucked in the corner behind a column.

The large kitchen window opens onto their charming block just a short walk from the Brooklyn Heights Promenade. It’s a cheerful space.