Brooklyn Heights Blog » Brooklyn Heights

NYC Fleet Week Brings U.S. Naval Crews To Visit Brooklyn’s opSail & Parade Of Ships

Chuck Taylor — Wed, 23 May 2012 22:31:37 +0000

NYC Fleet Week, which takes place every Memorial Day Weekend, brings thousands of young men and women serving the nation’s naval crews to our fine city to visit tourist attractions and take part in numerous special events. It has been a tradition since 1935.

This year’s Fleet Week Celebration is highlighted in Brooklyn by the previously reported 2012 Operation Sail Parade (opSail) and U.S. Navy Parade of Ships.

Feel like taking part? An event guide for the coming weekend is here.

(Photo: Chuck Taylor)

Tips for New Dog Owners from Brooklyn’s DogBoy Robert Haussman

grrlgeniusbk — Wed, 23 May 2012 00:42:32 +0000

Spring offers plenty of new vitality to the neighborhood from outdoor fairs to flowers to volleyball games at the Pier. It also means the addition of many new puppies to the neighborhood. As a dog owner, I have met a lot of new dog owners asking many questions, which I now turn over to Certified Professional Trainer, Robert Haussman, owner of DogBoy Inc.

Robert helped me become the alpha of my French Bulldog, he also helped train Mayor Bloomberg’s dogs Bonnie and Clyde, has been featured in The New York Times, USA Today, People’s Pet website peoplepets.com, and tonight will appear on Bravo’s show “Pregnant in Heels” training another French Bulldog.

Q: Rob could you give us your Top Three Tips for new dog owners:

1. Socialize with dogs, people, kids like crazy before 16 weeks. The sooner the better. It’s ok to meet dogs who are vaccinated and clean.

2. Get your new puppy or dog use to being handle and having human hands in and around their food. Teach your dog hands around food and treasured objects equals tasty treats and pleasant petting. Make sure to your dog associates having his paws, tail and ears handled as a fun,exciting event.

3. Bring your puppy to meet the vet and groomer regularly before they actually need to go. They should make a good association with these locations and people before they go there for vaccines or nail trimming.

These will prevent big issues down the road.

Q: How much space should be left between a collar or harness and my dog?

A: You should be able to slip 2 fingers under your dogs collar/ harness, not your whole hand. It shouldn’t choke him but loose collars slip off and can be dangerous. And yes harnesses slip off to!

Q: I ran into a woman who’s puppy hadn’t had all of it’s shots but was taking her dog into an empty dog park to get him used to it. What are the unseen health risks in a dog park?

A: Yikes! Dogs or no dogs the dog park is a petrie dish of infectious disease to an unvaccinated pup. It’s good to expose your dog to as many people, animals, places and things. But it is just as important to do it safely. Unvaccinated pups should avoid dog parks, tree beds and dogs straight from the park. You can even bring in dangerous bugs into your home on your shoes. Be careful and discuss the dangers with your vet.

Q: How long does it usually take to potty train a dog?

A: No two dog are the same, some may take a bit longer and some may figure it out 1-2-3. Mini and toy breeds tend to take a bit longer then larger dogs. If you are consistent in you house training, you could see some results as early as 3 months. You should be sitting pretty somewhere in the 4 to 6 month range but you may see some accidents up to 8 months or so. Hang in there!

Q:How much exercise does my dog actually need?

A:A dog’s exercise needs varies from breed, size and age. Dogs require at least 1/2 hour of aerobic activity a day. That doesn’t mean running in little circles around the yard or fetching up and down the hall. More athletic breeds require more while giant breeds and older dogs need less. Also ask your vet if your dog is old enough for higher intensity exercise like long runs or an agility course before going forward. A well exercised dog is a happy dog who is easy to live with.

Q: What exactly does ‘curb your dog’ mean?

A: Quite simply, bring your dog out to where the curb meets the street to do his business. This way when he has a soft stool you don’t fingerprint the sidewalk picking it up. If its in the gutter, pick it up as best as you can and the rest is the street sweepers problem. It’s a bit more sanitary and keeps your neighbors stoop urine free, as well as tree beds, sidewalks and bikes which get peed on regularly.

Thank you Rob! Aside from one-on-one training, Rob is teaching puppy classes at The WagClub. His website is: http://dogboynyc.com/ and don’t forget to watch him on “Pregnant in Heels” tonight on Bravo.

Taxi Commission Supports 20% Cab Fare Hike

Chuck Taylor — Wed, 23 May 2012 00:20:07 +0000

There’s truth to the well-traveled (har, har) belief that it can be a Herculean task convincing cabbies to bring passengers from Manhattan home to Brooklyn Heights late at night. I’ve experienced it myself, despite knowing the trick of taking a seat before announcing my destination.

Perhaps sulking over the April approval of livery cabs, taxi drivers are demanding a fare increase of up to 20%—which is supported by the Taxi and Limousine Commission. I think I’ll stick to the subway, thank you.

Fleet owners & drivers are asking for a fare increase of between 16% and 20%, saying that increasing gas prices eat into their bottom line. TLC Commissioner David Yassky deems the request “reasonable.” The limo-loving Bloomberg administration also says it will likely support the fare increase.

A hearing is scheduled at 11 a.m. May 31 at the commission’s 19th-floor headquarters at 33 Beaver Street, to discuss the first “official increase” since 2006—but that’s not quite true. In 2009, a 50-cent surcharge was added by the state Legislature to fund subway and bus service.

Currently, the base taxi fare is $2.50, plus $2 per mile. It’s unclear yet whether the base fare or the fare-rate would increase. The commission said the average fare in January was $11.82 for a 2.76-mile ride. A 20% increase would add $2.50 to that ride.

(Photo: Chuck Taylor/December 2010)

Roof Cornice Breaks Off At 7 Old Fulton Street

Chuck Taylor — Mon, 21 May 2012 18:15:06 +0000

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.
YouTube link is here.
(Below: Before the incident. Photo from Flickr)

Heights’ Downtown Neighbor Reclaims Residential Rights

Chuck Taylor — Fri, 18 May 2012 23:16:42 +0000

In recent times, the 15,000 folks that reside across the half-square mile of Brooklyn designated as “Downtown”—unfolding at the ends of the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges—have again earned the right to call their locale a “neighborhood.” With a massive influx of new residential projects, it is no longer merely “near Brooklyn Heights” or “on the edge of Boerum Hill,” says Nora McCauley, who has lived in the destination for six years. “I’ve started to say just that I live Downtown.”

That’s the calling card of a Thursday New York Times story titled “To the Heights and the Slope, Add ‘Downtown’.” The piece delves into the history of the area, recalling that the first land rush came in the early 1800s, after Robert Fulton’s ferry service eased the link to Manhattan. Country lanes were transformed into lively blocks of city dwellings.

But “a century and a half later, efforts at ‘slum clearance’ demolished many of those same buildings,” the Times reports. “In place [came] Cadman Plaza, a linked collection of three high-rise co-ops, with shops and parks. In the same spirit, the city in the 1990s closed streets near Flatbush Avenue for the creation of the 14-building MetroTech Center. Low-slung tenements were relegated to the wrecking ball in favor of hulking bank offices.”

McCauley once rented a two-bedroom apartment in Brooklyn Heights with access to a garden. In 2006, she paid $660,000 for a 2-bedroom Downtown condo that faces the “urban bustle” of Court Street. “We definitely sometimes miss sitting on a stoop,” she says in the NYT, but relishes the year-round farmer’s market in front of Borough Hall: “It’s hard to beat in terms of convenience.”

The Times adds, In February, Downtown officially became more similar to the Heights when the city approved the Borough Hall Skyscraper Historic District, which covers more than a dozen buildings. As well, the story reflects its rejuvenation as an active neighborhood: “Years ago [sidewalks] were empty on Saturdays and Sundays, after the courts adjourned. But shoppers, tourists and bicyclists now” pervade.

The New York Times also discusses the new high-rise residential developments changing the face of Downtown Brooklyn, along with current prices, the commute, what to do and more history. Read the story here.

(Photos: Top: Chuck Taylor; below: C.J. Hughes/NYT)
“A bluestone plaza in Columbus Park, seen from the steps of Borough Hall, is one of many magnetic spaces in Downtown Brooklyn, an oft-reinvented area that residents seem increasingly to see as special and worth preserving.”

Brooklyn Heights Rallies For Montague Street Retail Corridor

Chuck Taylor — Fri, 18 May 2012 04:09:44 +0000

Call it what you will… resurrection, revitalization, renaissance or even recovery. The Montague Street retail corridor is healthier than it has been since the economic collapse of 2009… Over the past year or so, a dozen or so new businesses have gained traction, including restaurants, spas, bodegas, bakeries and clothiers. Let’s take a walk up Montague, shall we?

* Around the corner from 84 Montague Street’s Heights Cafe, at 214 & 216 Hicks Street, Della Rocco’s of Brooklyn is coming in June, a brick-oven pizzeria and bar, operated by Brooklyn-bred brothers Greg and Glenn Markman and Joseph Secondino.

* Across the street, the three narrow retail spaces are all filled for the first time in years: At 89 Montague is bodega Heights Deli & Convenience, which opened in April 2010 in space that once housed an upscale clothing boutique and then temporarily served as a political office for Doug Biviano… At 91 Montague is Jeffrey Stein Concept Salon, which opened in January 2011 in the former space of Dimples Kids Spa… And at 93 Montague is February 2012 new kid on the block, VIP Nails & Salon.

* Crumbs Bake Shop rescued the space that was sadly vacated by beloved Heights Books—which departed in July 2008—opening in August 2010.

* Le Pain Quotidien at 121 Montague opened in mid-April 2012, after previous Jennifer Convertibles closed in April 2010, leaving the space empty for two years. Despite some complaints that sit-down service prices are steep, the joint is an instant hit.

* Women’s apparel boutique Ruby and Jenna opened this week at 130 Montague, above beauty salon Dashing Diva and previously occupied by Migita Sushi (see post below).

* Starbucks opened May 12, 2012, at 134 Montague in the former location of Nine West Shoes, which closed in July 2010—moving up the street from 112 Montague. That leaves a primary retail space at its shuttered locale, which at one point last decade was a swanky Italian restaurant.

* Irish pub Custom House will soon be opening at 139 Montague in the former space of La Traviata, which closed in November 2011.

* In September 2011, Indian restaurant Ghandi Palace opened at 140 Montague, in the previous space of same-cuisine Amin, which shuttered a month before.

* Oh My Pasta! opened in September 2011 at 142 Montague, site of the former Taze Turkish restaurant (and Kapadokya before that). The 100% local eatery is owned and operated by Marco Lasala, a Brooklyn Heights resident. Despite a lot of cat-calling from BHB readers about the restaurant’s name, it is thriving.

* Last week, Area Yoga & Spa Center‘s second location (the original is in Carroll Gardens) opened on the second floor of 144 Montague, above Bentley’s shoes, in the former location of Spring Thyme spa.

* Eight months ago Vietnamese “Bubble Tea & Vietnamese Sandwich” shop Hanco’s opened at 147 Montague. Not only is it a runaway favorite on Yelp, but the destination finally made good out of a retail space that was dark for more than a decade.

If you made it this far, perhaps it’s a perfect time to take the Montague Street Business Improvement District’s survey on what folks think about programs & services in the neighborhood. Access the questionnaire here. Cheers, BHB compatriots!

(Photo: Lumierefl/Flickr)

Montague Street Revitalization Continues With Launch Of Ruby And Jenna

Chuck Taylor — Fri, 18 May 2012 04:07:00 +0000

As we reported a month ago, women’s apparel boutique Ruby and Jenna has opened at 130 Montague Street, above beauty salon Dashing Diva. The store made its soft opening Thursday. Both owners were present, offering an amiable, “Come back and see us, darling.” Two fun chicks.

According to the store’s website, it offers “trendy, contemporary clothing reasonably priced, without sacrificing style.” Other locations are in Manhattan (a pop-up at 1282 Broadway & 33rd) and in Brooklyn at 1308 Kings Highway, as well as Plainview, N.Y., Greenwich, Conn., Hoboken and Westfield, N.J., with another opening this summer in Southampton.

As we noted in April, the building between Henry & Clinton streets at 130 Montague is also on the market for sale, with a price tag of $5.75 million. It offers the two retail units and nine residential apartments over five stories—all of which are all rent stabilized, averaging $1,200/unit per month. More detail is available from broker Massey Knakal here.

(Photos: Chuck Taylor)

Brooklyn Heights Cinema At 70 Henry Street To Be Razed, After All

Chuck Taylor — Thu, 17 May 2012 19:16:08 +0000

After a push & pull tug of war throughout 2012, it appears the beloved Brooklyn Heights Cinema building at 70 Henry Street is about to meet the wrecking all, after all. But there’s hope: Plans call for a movie theater on the ground level.

BHB Top 10 2011 honoree and Cinema owner Ken Lowy—who wrote this guest post in January—said then that his lease runs until June 30. According to a Brownstoner post today, a new five-story rental will indeed replace the current building, which will result in shuttering of the theater in August.

SEE KEN LOWY’S COMMENT ON THIS POST AFTER THE JUMP…

On Wednesday, architects Gerner Kronick + Valcarcel presented plans to the CB2 Landuse Committee for a five-story, 17-unit building with a movie theater on the first floor and in a section of the basement. There will also be additional commercial space along Henry Street.

Brownstoner says that architect Randolph Gerner addressed preservationists’ concerns that the building is “an integral part of the Brooklyn Heights Landmark District and should not be demolished,” but refuted that the lot originally housed a five-story tenement with a one-story attached building for the proprietor of the site.

Gerner said a commissioned historical report of 70 Henry deemed that the one-story building—now the theater—underwent enough change so that it “no longer retains its historical significance,” according to Brownstoner. He added at the hearing, “We’re borrowing from historic materials in a modern fashion.”

The proposal involves a brick facade and massive steel windows reminiscent of the nearby new 20 Henry Street condo addition, sans balconies. The committee approved the design and, says Brownstoner, “seemed pleased that the movie theater would be retained.”

KEN LOWRY WEIGHED IN WITH THE FOLLOWING COMMENT BELOW:

We’ll find a temporary location close by and yes, we will be back. I will be signing a legal document guaranteeing I’ll be back. As long as we have a temporary location and keep it going, coming back will be easy. And we will still have music and silent films at the temporary space. Also, we’ll be at the current location until at least the end of August.

SAT Scores For 200 Students Nixed at Brooklyn Heights’ Packer Institute

Chuck Taylor — Thu, 17 May 2012 17:31:47 +0000

Nearly 200 students who took the SAT collegiate entrance exam at Packer Collegiate Institute in Brooklyn Heights on May 5 had their scores invalidated by the administrator of the test, according to an article in The New York Times. The reason: Some students were seated too closely together.

The decision outraged school administrators, students and parents, who say they are being “punished” for a technicality. Students that need results from the four-hour test for college applications will have to take it again (at no cost). Bruce Dennis, the head of Packer, told the Times, “To do this to 200 kids is unconscionable.”

Educational Testing Service, which administers the SAT on behalf of the College Board, confirmed that 199 scores from the exam were canceled after a “surprise” audit of the testing site. Dennis said the school’s ETS liaison was told by the company that some students were not seated the mandated 4 feet apart, although the Wall Street Journal says ETS’ “surprise audit revealed numerous infractions.”

Of the 199 students that took the SATs at Packer May 5, 63 who are enrolled at the school were impacted by the score cancellation. School officials learned of the issue when emails from parents started pouring in Tuesday, according to the WSJ story. Packer has retained a lawyer “to see that our students’ rights are protected.”

NYT notes that testing services have been on increased alert since a large cheating ring was uncovered on Long Island last year, involving test-takers impersonating other students.

Stabbing At Brooklyn Heights Library

weegee — Wed, 16 May 2012 00:48:38 +0000

EMS has transported a 52-year-old man to Bellevue Hospital after an apparent stabbing that occurred at the Brooklyn Heights branch of the Brooklyn Public Library on Cadman Plaza West Tuesday evening. The victim was reportedly stabbed in the neck and abdomen, but the injuries were not believed to be life-threatening. A suspect was taken into custody at the scene. The Daily News reports that the incident occurred during an argument in which a man confronted another over his choice of online viewing material.

June 14: Annual Montague Street District Mgmt Assn Meeting

Chuck Taylor — Tue, 15 May 2012 16:38:24 +0000

The 15th-annual meeting of the Montague Street District Management Assn., part of the Montague Street Business Improvement District, will convene Thursday June 14, 4-6 p.m., on the second floor of Eamonn Doran’s at 174 Montague Street.

Addressing the group will be keynoter Seth Pinsky, President of the NYC Economic Development Corp., and guest speaker Tucker Reed, President of the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership.

To vote and actively participate in BID-related matters, members must register here. The Montague Street District Management Assn. comprises commercial property owners, commercial tenants, residential renters and/or owners and all interested non-voting interested Board members and attendees.

At the meeting, members will vote to elect Directors and on revised by-laws and policies. Members may request electronic copies of information at info@MontagueBID.com or by calling 718-522-3649. For more information on the organization, contact Executive Director Brigit Pinnell at bpinnell@MontagueBID.com.

Quote Of The Day: 1966 Heights Was ‘Brought Back From Slum Death By Influx’ Of Gays

Chuck Taylor — Tue, 15 May 2012 16:35:59 +0000

Writer and theologian William R. Wineke, a columnist for the Wisconsin State Journal and an ordained clergyman of the United Church of Christ, expresses his views on same-sex marriage in an opinion piece for WISC-TV Madison, Wisconsin’s news website Channel3000.com.

We’re neither supporting or dissuading the author’s perspective here, but highlighting his reflections on Brooklyn Heights some 45 years ago. Wineke describes living here in 1966 as “a beautiful community of brownstones that had been brought back from slum death by an influx of gay and lesbian citizens.”

That’s long before I (your BHB scribe, not Wineke) moved to the nabe, although I’ve heard fascinating anecdotes about gay haunts and a robust shadow populace in decades past. Anybody care to add perspective about Wineke’s conjecture that the Heights was gentrified and/or aggregated by the gay community?

There’s more in the Channel3000 piece, relative to Winike’s time in Brooklyn Heights. He adds: “At that time, the question wasn’t whether gays should be allowed to marry—but whether they should be allowed to join our churches. Most of my neighbors were gay, I guess. The only difference between them and me is that they liked to watch football on television and I liked to read on Sunday afternoons. One thing was clear even then: My neighbors were no threat to western civilization or to Christian values. To the contrary, they upheld the civilization and values of our neighborhood.”

See the full opinion piece, “Give Up the Bigotry” hereand

‘Real Deal’ Profiles Heights’ Resident & Highbrow Broker Elizabeth Stribling

Chuck Taylor — Tue, 15 May 2012 14:31:40 +0000

Elizabeth Stribling, founder of Stribling & Associates real-estate brokerage, made headlines in 2008 when she relocated from the Upper East Side’s East 84th Street to Brooklyn Heights, in a record-setting $6.6 million 12th-floor 3,442SF pad at One Brooklyn Bridge Park. This month, she is profiled in The Real Deal in a story titled “Stribling: The Next Generation,” which focuses on her company’s “branding overhaul aimed at modernizing the 32-year-old firm’s somewhat stuffy” persona.

In the piece, Stribling reflects, “No one could believe I was moving to Brooklyn,” although she has certainly developed an affinity for the borough. In addition to selling out the residences at the storied Plaza Hotel and peddling Brooke Astor’s Park Avenue apartment for $21 million, the brokerage’s Stribling Marketing & Associates arm is also repping the 24-unit condo at 20 Henry Street in the Heights—which is 50% sold.

Steven Rutter, who heads Stribling’s Marketing division, tells the Real Deal that while Manhattan projects still make up 85% of the firm’s new development listings, it is “gaining a foothold in Brooklyn, with more of a downtown feel.”

Likewise, top-producing Stribling broker Alexa Lambert, notes, “Now, someone who lives on Park Avenue could much more easily want to [move to] Tribeca. Brooklyn has also become much more attached to Manhattan. People think of it the way they would have thought about moving to the Village or the West Side a few years ago.”

Elizabeth Stribling founded her firm on the Upper East Side in 1980, with eight brokers. Today, she has more than 250 agents and offices in Chelsea and Tribeca, in addition to a Madison Avenue flagship. See the full Real Deal profile here.

What Say You? Montague Street Biz Improvement District Survey

Chuck Taylor — Tue, 15 May 2012 13:02:40 +0000

The Montague Street Business Improvement District is calling on all Brooklyn Heights Blog readers and area residents to participate in a survey to collect info on what folks think about programs & services in the nabe’s primary retail destination, as it strategizes future goals.

Four survey respondents will be randomly selected by BID to receive a $50 gift certificate at the Montague Street business of their choice. Housing Works, here I come! What are you waiting for? Access the questionnaire here.

Among the 18 questions:
What business, or types of businesses, would you like to see on Montague Street?
What do you like most about Montague Street?
What is the single most important issue facing Montague Street?

SOLD! Historic Bossert: Plan In Place To Convert Back To Hotel

Chuck Taylor — Mon, 14 May 2012 16:31:55 +0000

After revealing last week that Brooklyn Heights’ historic Bossert Hotel was returning to its roots as a hotel, Brownstoner reports today that city filings offer a confirmed buyer for the Jehovah’s Witnesses property.

David Bistricer has plans to turn the structure into a 302-unit “Hotels, Dormitories,” in DOB-speak. Meanwhile, according to the filings, the architect of record on the job is Gene Kaufman, who has been in the news lately for his plans to renovate the Hotel Chelsea in Manhattan, a landmark in its own right.

Bistricer had this to say to us about the plans for the Bossert: “The facade is not going to be touched because it’s in impeccable condition. The present owners kept it in very good shape. The plans have not been finalized for the interior of the building but we are going to upgrade the plumbing and electrical.”

Well, now we know who some of the players are for a building that qualifies as a national treasure, since it is public record. What is not yet public record is how much the Jehovah’s Witnesses’ are in contract to sell the structure for, though some real estate insiders we have spoken to opine that it could be close to the $90 million price that the property almost sold for back in 2008.

(Photo: Brownstoner)

NYC Bike Share Program Includes Multiple Locations Across Heights, Brooklyn Bridge Park, Downtown

Chuck Taylor — Sun, 13 May 2012 06:51:33 +0000

New York City’s Bike Share Program has announced its citywide locations that include Brooklyn’s portion of 600 city bike share stations, with multiple locations around Brooklyn Heights, Brooklyn Bridge Park and nearby Downtown Brooklyn.

The initiative is sponsored by the city Department of Transportation with Alta Bicycle Share. DOT released a draft map of the first locations in this summer’s rollout of a portion of the Bike Share docking stations. Installation begins in late July. The solar-powered, wireless docking stations will be located on sidewalks, curbside road space and plazas, and accommodate between 15 and 60 bikes each.

For an interactive map that allows targeting of specific locations, see here.

Century 21 Department Store Commits To Fulton Mall: Opening In 2015

Chuck Taylor — Sat, 12 May 2012 04:14:04 +0000

Following Downtown Brooklyn’s gentrification with the recent arrival or soon-to-open Shake Shack, Gap, Panera Bread, H&M and T.J. Maxx along Fulton Mall, the latest retailer committing to the rapidly expanding shopping destination is Century 21 Department Store.

The Wall Street Journal reports that the high-end label discount retailer has signed a deal to open a 125,000 SF store in the City Point development: the first new department store in Downtown BK since the 1970s.

“By landing Century 21, developers said they would be able to break ground this summer on the bulk of the City Point development—675,000 square feet of retail and commercial space and 690 new market-rate and ‘affordable’ apartment units at Dekalb and Flatbush avenues,” WSJ says. Century 21′s store is scheduled to open when construction of the 1.3 million-square-foot City Point’s second phase is completed in fall 2015.

WSJ adds, “The transformation of Fulton Mall from a Downtown Brooklyn den of cheap cellphone outlet and fast-food joints into a more upscale shopping hub is set to take a significant step forward.” See the full story here.

Custom House Rises on Montague Street in Brooklyn Heights

Homer Fink — Fri, 11 May 2012 17:39:27 +0000

The Irish pub moving into the old La Traviata space at 139 Montague Street will be call the Custom House. BHB contributor Heather Quinlan snapped this shot of its new sign being raised there this morning.

We reported earlier this week about the “hidden history” of number 139 that was revealed in the sign changing process.

Intro To Brooklyn Heights… From The 1939 NYC ‘WPA Guide’

Chuck Taylor — Fri, 11 May 2012 16:20:16 +0000

As part of a government-sponsored project to put the nation’s talented writers back to work during the Great Depression, the “WPA Guide to New York City” was published in 1939 by Federal Writers Project. The travel triptych was deemed by the New York Times as “one of the best books ever published about New York.”

Its passage on Brooklyn Heights is a precious view into a bygone era. The full descriptor is below, but here are some choice passages:

* The seclusion of the Heights was destroyed in 1908 when the IRT subway opened the neighborhood to commuters. Many of the patrician inhabitants fled; the old Victorian mansions were partitioned into studios and apartments; and writers and artists were attracted to the region. Many hotels, the Touraine, the Towers, the Bossert, and the huge St. George were erected.
* Brooklyn Heights, bounded by the East River, Fulton Street, Atlantic Avenue and Court Street, is an old, distinctive residential quarter, famous in Victorian days for its churches and its clergymen.
* Late in the nineteenth century, Brooklyn Heights was an aristocratic neighborhood whose residents set the tone in manners and customs for the elite of the entire city.
* The view from the apartments, hotels, and rooming houses along Columbia Heights, the street that edges the bluff, is one of the most exciting in the world. A popular vantage point is the plaza at the foot of Montague Street.

And now the full Brooklyn Heights entry. Unfortunately, no author is attached to the piece.

Brooklyn Heights, bounded by the East River, Fulton Street, Atlantic Avenue and Court Street, is an old, distinctive residential quarter, famous in Victorian days for its churches and its clergymen. The Heights section occupies a bluff that rises sharply from the river’s edge and gradually recedes on the landward side. Before the Dutch settled on Long Island in the middle of the seventeenth century, this promontory was called Ihpetonga (“the high sandy bank”) by the Canarsie Indians. The natives lived there in community houses, some of which were a quarter of a mile long. Apartment dwellings were not brought back to the Heights until the twentieth century, and today there are but few.

The view from the apartments, hotels, and rooming houses along Columbia Heights, the street that edges the bluff, is one of the most exciting in the world; it includes Lower Manhattan, Brooklyn Bridge, Governors Island, the Statue of Liberty and the shipping factories and wharves along the East River. A popular vantage point is the plaza at the foot of Montague Street. The distinguished artist Joseph Pennell found the vistas from his studio atop the Margaret Hotel on the Heights more exciting than those from the London Embankment, and he made many etchings of the harbor. The locale was also made famous by Ernest Poole in his novel, The Harbor.

Late in the nineteenth century Brooklyn Heights was an aristocratic neighborhood whose residents set the tone in manners and customs for the elite of the entire city. Many of the brownstone mansions belonged to the merchants whose trading ships docked near by. The piers ran back to warehouses whose roofs were planted with real lawns and trees, forming backyard gardens for the houses above them.

The seclusion of the Heights was destroyed in 1908 when the IRT subway opened the neighborhood to commuters. Many of the patrician inhabitants fled; the old Victorian mansions were partitioned into studios and apartments; and writers and artists were attracted to the region. Many hotels, the Touraine, the Towers, the Bossert, and the huge St. George were erected.

Last Minute Weekend Suggestions

Claude Scales — Fri, 11 May 2012 15:18:55 +0000

The House Tour. The House Tour. The House Tour! More info at the Brooklyn Heights Association website.

There are several activities at Brooklyn Bridge Park this weekend. The Green Team meets tomorrow (Saturday, May 12) from 10:00 a.m. until noon. At the same time, there will be a MillionTreesNYC community tree giveaway on Pier 6, near the foot of Atlantic Avenue.

Also tomorrow, from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., Bike New York will host a free street skills ride for adults and teens (bikes and helmets will be provided for those who need them) at the Pier 1 uplands near the foot of Old Fulton Street. At the same location on Sunday, starting at 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m., Bike New York will give free learn to ride classes for adults and teens. You must pre-register for Bike New York classes through the linked website.

Don’t forget Theater 2020′s Comedy of Errors, tonight and tomorrow (Saturday) at 8:00 p.m., and Sunday at 3:00 p.m., at the Cranberry Street Theater Space, Assumption Church, 55 Cranberry Street.

Photo: Judith Angel for BHA.

Babs Returns To Brooklyn Roots With October Barclays Concert

Chuck Taylor — Thu, 10 May 2012 23:26:28 +0000

Barbra Streisand’s Brooklyn roots are certainly no secret. She was born & raised in the borough and graduated in 1959 from Erasmus Hall High School in Flatbush. However, she has not performed publicly in BK since then, some 53 years ago… until now. As the mainstream press has proclaimed, Babs, now 70, is returning home for a concert Thursday October 11, at the spanking new 19,000-seat Barclays Center.

Streisand said, “Brooklyn to me means the Loews Kings, Erasmus, the Yeshiva I went to, the Dodgers, Prospect Park, great Chinese food. I’m so glad I came from Brooklyn‚ down to earth. I guess you can come home again.”

Wonder if home will also mean a stop by the Brooklyn Heights Promenade, where she filmed scenes for 1974 film “For Pete’s Sake,” with Michael Sarrazin.

Tix for the Barclays concert range from $90 to $650, with $1,500 tickets available during pre-sale here. Barclays Center CEO Brett Yormark intimated that another night might be added, if tickets fly, as expected. The new Center opens September 28 with a concert by Brooklyn-born Jay-Z. Hmmm, somehow, I don’t think the venue will attract the same audience that night…

Read more about Streisand’s Brooklyn roots in The New York Times here. And scan the full press release announcing Streisand’s appearance below:

The Brooklyn-born and raised, world-acclaimed superstar will perform a concert on Thursday, October 11th, in Brooklyn at Barclays Center, the new 19,000-seat sports and entertainment venue.

Streisand will be making a triumphant return to her native borough. Raised in the Flatbush neighborhood and a graduate of Erasmus Hall High School, Streisand will perform publicly for the first time in Brooklyn.

Streisand stated, “Brooklyn to me means the Loews Kings, Erasmus, the Yeshiva I went to, the Dodgers, Prospect Park, great Chinese food. I’m so glad I came from Brooklyn‚ down to earth. I guess you CAN come home again.”

“When I first thought about building an arena in Brooklyn, I always envisioned Barbra Streisand coming home to take center-stage in her native borough,” said Barclays Center majority owner and developer Bruce Ratner. “It’s humbling and almost surreal to welcome arguably the greatest entertainer of all-time to Barclays Center. Barbra is Brooklyn and there’s nowhere more fitting for her to perform. This will be a night to remember.”

“I’m thrilled that all of America will be celebrating one of Brooklyn’s greatest contributions to the world of music, film, television and Broadway this fall when Barbra Streisand comes home to the exciting new Barclays Center,” said Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz. “They just don’t get any bigger than this daughter of Brooklyn and proud graduate of Erasmus Hall High School, and although she has entertained millions upon millions across the globe for the better part of 50 years, Ms. Streisand will always find a home here in Brooklyn. So, no more tears, music fans‚ Brooklyn’s very own funny girl, Barbra Streisand, will create new memories as the main event this October at Barclays Center!”

“Barbra Streisand in Brooklyn will be a huge moment and a defining experience for Barclays Center,” said Barclays Center CEO Brett Yormark. “We are truly honored to bring Barbra full circle, to the borough where it all started for her, just down Flatbush Avenue from her old neighborhood. We are continuing our goal to bring the best of everything to Barclays Center. Brooklyn, after all, deserves nothing less.”

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

Chuck Taylor — Thu, 10 May 2012 14:11:58 +0000

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.

“It is part of our office’s continuing efforts to weigh the needs and concerns of the community while supporting the jobs that come from film and television production in the city,” city film spokeswoman Marybeth Ihle said in the Brooklyn Paper.

Production companies have filmed few movies, TV shows or commercials since April 1, when the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment pulled the plug.

Mayor Bloomberg said on Tuesday that the film & TV industry has spent $60 billion in the city over the past decade, including $7.1 billion in 2011, while employing 130,000 people. But small businesses claim they’re not spending their money on local venues.

Read the full piece in Brooklyn Paper here.

Brooklyn Bridge Park Thursday: ‘Celebrate BK! Dance Party’

Chuck Taylor — Wed, 09 May 2012 22:37:21 +0000

A reminder: On Thursday, May 10 from 7-10 p.m., Brooklyn Bridge Park will host the “Celebrate Brooklyn!” Dance Party at Pier 1. Grammy-winning Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Booker T. Jones will perform material from his “The Road From Memphis,” while DJ Rich Medina Rich Medina will warm up the night with a sonic journey of hip-hop, house, Afrobeat, funk & soul.. The best part: This event is free.

BBP reminds us of its “sweeping views, great lawn, dance lessons, beer gardens and bike valet.” More info here.

Heights’ Author Jennifer Miller Profiled About Novel ‘Gadfly’

Chuck Taylor — Wed, 09 May 2012 15:20:34 +0000

Brooklyn Heights resident Jennifer Miller, author of just-published “The Year of the Gadfly,” is profiled on webbie Capital New York, which writer Yevgeniya Traps describes as “a buzzy debut novel set in a posh private school beleaguered by secrets and scandals.”

The piece opens: “At 4 p.m. on a recent Friday afternoon, the Tazza coffee shop in Brooklyn Heights looked like it had been filled by Central Casting. Toddlers gamboled at [sic] their patient, lovingly distracted mothers’ feet; school kids, just set free for the weekend, gorged on pastries; law students seemed lost in their melodramatically oversized tomes; men with varying degrees of facial hair idled with their iPads.”

On her own website, Miller quips: “Jen holds an MFA in fiction-writing and a MS in journalism from Columbia. She is a native of Washington, and currently lives in Brooklyn, with all the other writers.”

Read the full profile on Capital New York here.

(Photos: Capital New York)

Is The Bossert Being Converted Back To The ‘Waldorf Astoria of Brooklyn’?

Chuck Taylor — Tue, 08 May 2012 15:13:10 +0000

Consider this a potential game-changer for Brooklyn Heights: The magnificent Bossert at 98 Montague Street, owned & maintained by the Jehovah’s Witnesses, is apparently returning to its original domain as a hotel. Brownstoner reported Tuesday that according to a Public Hearing notice sent out by Community Board Two, a variance application has been filed to allow “reconversion of the existing community facility hotel back to its original, transient hotel use.”

What remains unclear is whether the flip is a maneuver on the part of Jehovah’s Witnesses to find an interested buyer for the building. It was first put on the market in 2008, just as the economy flatlined. A $90 million bid fell through, and the property has failed to draw serious interest since.

The religious group bought the Bossert in 1988 and meticulously returned the majestic 14-story building to world-class grandeur—restoring its one-time reputation as the “Waldorf Astoria of Brooklyn.” Currently, it is utilized as free lodging for Jehovah’s Witnesses visiting and studying at Brooklyn Heights’ Watchtower. The 200,000-square-foot building is configured into 224 apartments.

The Hotel Bossert was built in 1909 by Louis Bossert, a Brooklyn lumber magnate and opened as an “apartment hotel.” During the 1920s, it was known for its two-level rooftop restaurant that provided panoramic Manhattan views. In the 1950s, the Bossert was home to several Brooklyn Dodger players, and following the team’s win over the New York Yankees in the 1955 World Series, Dodgers fans and players notoriously gathered in the lobby.

A public hearing will be held Wednesday, May 16 at 6 p.m. at the Dibner Library at 5 Metrotech Center.

(Top photo: Josh Derr; Below: BHB)

Word To The Wise: Beats by Dre Headphone Heists Hamper Heights

Chuck Taylor — Tue, 08 May 2012 15:10:43 +0000

Apparently, swiping iPhones from unsuspecting New Yorkers is sooo yesterday. The New York Post reports that Beats by Dr. Dre Headphones have become the du jour choice of NYC muggers. The high-tech noise-canceling headphones cost a risible $300-$500.

The Post says heists have been focused in uptown Manhattan, while in Brooklyn North—which includes Williamsburg—”there have been dozens of Beats heists over the past four months.” Word to the wise: The Heights has not been spared. According to the newspaper, “The thefts are going on even in trendy Brooklyn Heights, where a goon demanded a pair from a teenager after barking, ‘Give me your Beats!’ April 17. After the victim turned them over, he was punched in the face.”

The rapper’s branded headphones have become a status symbol, according to a police source, and are being nabbed from kiddies at an alarming rate since the latest model hit the market at Christmas. They’re typically snatched aboard subways or as teens walk to and from school. “If you are wearing those headphones, you might as well wear a sign that says, ‘Come and rob me,’” an investigator said.

NYT Profiles Brooklyn Heights’ Packer Institute

Chuck Taylor — Mon, 07 May 2012 22:01:43 +0000

“As a Private School in Brooklyn Raises Its Profile, Questions of Identity Arise.” That’s the exploratory headline for a Sunday New York Times profile of Packer Collegiate Institute, the Brooklyn Heights K-12 prep school that’s been located at 170 Joralemon Street since its founding in 1845.

The 1,100-word NYT story explores the growing pains of the historic locale, as demand increases for private schools, combined with millions of dollars in program upgrades, raising the profile of Packer and making it competitive with some of the city’s best-known private schools.

“Think of Packer as having two personalities: intimate, cozy and warm, with its Brooklyn roots, and ever-expanding and state-of-the-art,” the NYT reports, with a quote from Bruce L. Dennis, Packer’s head of school: “We’re becoming more of a New York City school located in Brooklyn than a Brooklyn school.”

(Photo: Wikipedia; Below: Bruce Dennis by Chang W. Lee/New York Times)

Sign Of The (Past) Times: Hebrew National At 139 Montague Street

Chuck Taylor — Mon, 07 May 2012 21:06:16 +0000

The former La Traviata cafe, which is en route to becoming an Irish pub and restaurant, has revealed its roots, as the shuttered eatery’s signage came down today. Before La T took over 139 Montague Street (between Henry and Clinton) some 30 years ago, a full-frontal sign heralded “Hebrew National.”

Sure enough, our precious 1976 Montague Street Revitalization Proposal verifies that a restaurant by that name was based at the address some 35 years ago. Who remembers more?

La Traviata closed in November 2011. BHB first reported in February that RDR Bar & Restaurant Corp. plans to open a Tavern-Restaurant in the space.

(Photos: Chuck Taylor/Vintage: 1976 Montague Street Revitalization)

Image Of The Day: Ship Shape

Chuck Taylor — Mon, 07 May 2012 04:20:58 +0000

Post-dawn Friday, south of Governor’s Island, from the Brooklyn Heights Promenade. (Photo: Chuck Taylor/Nikon D5000)

75 Clinton Street Open For Biz: Rentals Up To $11K A Month

Chuck Taylor — Mon, 07 May 2012 03:51:19 +0000

The new nine-story 75 Clinton Street at the corner of Montague, which posted a short promotional video April 4, has begun leasing its 74 units. Nearly a dozen studio, 1, 2 and 3-bedroom apartments are listed on Streeteasy. Monthly rent: from $2,362 to $11,000(!). See interior shots here.

The building, marketed by Milestone Property Management, shifted from condos to rentals in late January.

(Photo: Chuck Taylor)