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Film Shoot Moratorium Short-Lived: Remsen Street Site For ‘Amish’

Film Shoot Moratorium Short-Lived: Remsen Street Site For ‘Amish’

So much for New York City’s two-month moratorium on film shoots in Brooklyn Heights and DUMBO. The Brooklyn Paper reported May 10 that following persistent complaints from neighbors about parking restrictions, lights, power cables and trailers, filming was halted from April 1 until the beginning of June.

However, here in the third week of May, a notice is posted at the bottom of Remsen Street that says filming for “Insomnia TV—Amish” is taking place Wednesday May 23, beginning at 4 p.m. (Mind you, as of 5:30 p.m., there were no signs of action, nor were cars ordered to vacate the block.) Continue Reading →

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BHA, Other Groups Settle with City and State over Park Land

BHA, Other Groups Settle with City and State over Park Land

Last year, neighborhood and preservation organizations, including the Brooklyn Heights Association, prevailed in lawsuits in both federal and state courts in which they contested the actions of the National Park Service and the city and state governments to transfer the Tobacco Warehouse site from Brooklyn Bridge Park for use as a new home for St. Ann’s Warehouse Theater, as well as the Empire Stores building for possible commercial development. Following the court decisions, BHA and the other successful plaintiffs began negotiations with city and state officials to establish rules governing possible development of these sites. Yesterday, Mayor Bloomberg announced that an agreement had been made under which, among other things, additional land will be added to Brooklyn Bridge Park should the Tobacco Warehouse and Empire Stores be made available for non-park use. Continue Reading →

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Roof Cornice Breaks Off At 7 Old Fulton Street

Roof Cornice Breaks Off At 7 Old Fulton Street

Our faithful videographer & correspondent Karl Junkersfeld was on the scene on the Brooklyn Heights/DUMBO border as a piece of the roof cornice at 7 Old Fulton Street—which houses a restaurant by the same name and has apartments above—collapsed onto the street, at 12:45 Monday afternoon. Fortunately, no one was injured. Karl notes that a similar incident recently took place at Grimaldi’s Pizza up the street. See his 1:21-minute report below. Continue Reading →

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City Issues Cease Fire On Movie Shoots In Brooklyn Heights & DUMBO

City Issues Cease Fire On Movie Shoots In Brooklyn Heights & DUMBO

It’s a good thing NBC’s hit series “Smash” has wrapped its first season. The city has imposed a two-month moratorium on film shoots in Brooklyn Heights and DUMBO—bringing a cease fire to movie-making in two of the borough’s most cinematic communities.

The Brooklyn Paper reports today that the clamp-down follows persistent complaints from neighbors about parking restrictions, lights, power cables and trailers. Continue Reading →

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Ceiling Burglar Sought

NYPD

Police are looking for a man who, they say, broke into an office at 68 Jay Street this week and stole a laptop computer. The suspect, pictured here, apparently got into the office through a hole in the sheetrock ceiling at approximately 4:15 a.m. Tuesday, where surveillance video shows him removing a computer. His getaway was less dramatic: He used the door. Continue Reading →

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Phenomenal Photography Of Heights Resident Rick Elkins

Phenomenal Photography Of Heights Resident Rick Elkins

Brooklyn Heights’ resident Rick Elkins, who works as an art director and editorial/advertising photographer, shared with BHB a series of eight stunning photographs from his portfolio. To see his Flickr photostream, click here, and here for a set of 131 NYC-centric pics. (See large images below the jump.)

Elkins tells us, “Six of these were taken in Brooklyn Heights proper. The ballerina is in DUMBO, but it shows the Brooklyn Bridge, which is a really big part of our neighborhood. And the one of the harbor taken from up on the Bridge shows the area we see from our neighborhood, just from a different angle.” Continue Reading →

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Quote Of The Day: Actress Ana Gasteyer Praises The Promenade

Quote Of The Day: Actress Ana Gasteyer Praises The Promenade

ABC comedy Suburgatory cast member and former Saturday Night Live regular Ana Gasteyer, who resides in DUMBO, is profiled in New York magazine’s Daily Intel.

Among the questions New York mag tossed at the actor, singer and comedienne: “Where do you go to be alone?” Her response: “The Brooklyn Heights Promenade and the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. But I have small children, so I’m not really ever alone.” Continue Reading →

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High Street iRobber Foiled

High Street iRobber Foiled

A tech-savvy police officer from the 84th Precinct helped catch a thief this afternoon. According to cops, a 32-year-old woman fell prey to an armed robber at the High Street station just before 1:20 P.M. The suspect fled with the victim’s pocketbook and iPhone. The victim quickly found an officer stationed on Pearl Street and reported the incident. Officer Benito Ocasio, honored as a Cop of the Month in 2009, suggested that he might be able to track the phone using the victim’s iTunes account. In doing so, they saw that the phone was then in the vicinity of 111 Bridge St. in the Farragut Houses. Responding there, police found the suspect exiting the building…with a ringing phone. He was stopped, positively identified by the victim, and taken into custody. The victim’s property, including credit cards and state ID, was recovered. Police have identified the suspect as Brian Mack, 55. He now faces charges of robbery, grand larceny, menacing, possession of a weapon, and criminal trespass.

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Say ‘How Do’ To Your New DUMBO Neighbor: Anne Hathaway

Say ‘How Do’ To Your New DUMBO Neighbor: Anne Hathaway

Anne Hathaway seems to have a penchant for Brooklyn. The Oscar-nominated doe-eyed actress—who is starring next as Catwoman in this summer’s “The Dark Knight Rises”—has just moved from her BK Prospect Heights home to… DUMBO.

Both Curbed and Gothamist are reporting a goodie bag of details: She and fiancé Adam Shulman have moved into a rental unit in the Clocktower building at 1 Main Street, setting up house in a 1BR with home office going for $6,400 a month. Continue Reading →

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P.S. 8 Spring Gala Friday, March 23.

P.S. 8 Spring Gala Friday, March 23.

P.S. 8, our local public elementary (and soon to be middle as well) school will hold its Spring Gala on Friday, March 23, from 8:00 to 11:00 p.m, at the Powerhouse Arena in DUMBO, at 37 Main Street (corner of Water). There will be cocktails, hors d’ouevres, and both live and silent auctions. Amy Klein, the P.S. 8 parent in charge of the auctions, says:

We have over 200 items, really great stuff this year, including sporting tickets, jewelry, restaurants, summer camps, and some great unique experiences. Of course all the funds will go toward paying for teachers’ aides, enrichment, things that other schools might take for granted. Continue Reading →

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DUMBO Getting “Surf and Snow” Shop

DUMBO Getting “Surf and Snow” Shop

A surfing website picks up, verbatim, Two Trees’ press release about three new lease deals in DUMBO: one for a “locally sourced restaurant from the team behind Colonie in Brooklyn Heights” to be located at 15 Main Street; another for an outlet for bakery One Girl Cookies at 33 Main; and a third for Aegir Boardworks, a “surf and snow” shop that will occupy what “was formerly a barren loading dock” at 99 Water Street. Video after the jump. Continue Reading →

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Quote Of The Day: ‘People Choose Brooklyn For Its Lifestyle’

Quote Of The Day: ‘People Choose Brooklyn For Its Lifestyle’

This may not come as a surprise to those who live in Brooklyn, but collegiate blog The Brooklyn Ink published a piece Friday March 9, asking “Is Brooklyn Still A Bargain?” looking at real estate trends in the borough’s trendiest neighborhoods versus Manhattan.

The overall conclusion: The notion that Brooklyn living is only for bargain hunters is gone. More people are choosing Brooklyn for its lifestyle than its rents. “You see people going there because they want to actually live there,” says Andrew Barrocas, CEO of real estate company MNS, “and they are willing to pay a premium in order to do it.” Continue Reading →

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Sunday Stabbing At reBar in DUMBO

Sunday Stabbing At reBar in DUMBO

Photo by M. Hermann/BHB

A man was assaulted with a knife and his assailant taken into custody shortly after 1:00 this morning at reBar, 147 Front Street, near Jay Streeet in DUMBO. The 25-year-old victim, whose left foot was bandaged, reportedly called 911 to report that he had been stabbed, while others held the perpetrator until police arrived. Detectives from the 84th Precinct took the suspect into custody. The victim was transported to Kings County Hospital in stable condition. Continue Reading →

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Jane’s Carousel Earns Kudos From Travel & Leisure’s Design Awards

Jane’s Carousel Earns Kudos From Travel & Leisure’s Design Awards

The March 2012 issue of “Travel and Leisure” magazine, which features its 2012 Design Awards, includes Brooklyn’s own Jane’s Carousel Pavilion, winning kudos for Best Public Space.

The wondrously recreated carousel in the DUMBO section of Brooklyn Bridge Park was designed and meticulously restored by Jane Walentas Continue Reading →

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The New York Times Reports on Jed Walentas

The New York Times profiled Jed Walentas of Two Trees Management over the weekend. In the piece by Marc Santora we learn among other things that the heir to the Walentas empire is pals with Donald Trump and that Bruce Ratner doesn’t think the kid is chopped liver. And just in case you didn’t think there was any tension between those down the hill in DUMBO and folks up here in Brooklyn Heights… Continue Reading →

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