DUMBO-based developer Fortis Manor, which purchased the homely one-story Brooklyn Eagle Building at 30 Henry Street & Middagh in November 2011, paid $3.5 million for the property, according to a post today on Brownstoner. Broker Massey Knakal confirmed the figure, which is $500K over its asking price of $3 million.

That comes out to a cost of $209 per buildable square foot. Brownstoner notes that the site allows for a total of 16,740SF on the site. As previously reported, a six-story red brick building is slated to take its place.

The Brooklyn Eagle building was constructed in 1963 and was thus landmarked, but it has already been approved by the Landmarks Preservation Commission for its new incarnation. A rendering for the future building is below.

(30 Henry Street photo: Brownstoner)

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.

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)

Is the sloooowly buregoning Brooklyn Bridge Park designed to encourage the interaction of those who visit the waterfront oasis—or is it little more than a handsome front lawn for wealthy homeowners, alienated from the surrounding community and lacking those things that make urban public spaces dynamic? That’s the question posed in a Wall Street Journal story Monday, titled “Conflict In Park Plans.”

The piece leads a more or less academic discussion over aesthetic disagreements between developers of the half-completed park’s future. Portions of Pier 1 and Pier 6 opened in 2010, with a new pier and footbridge slated for the latter part of 2012—while a majority remains on the drawing board.

The WSJ explains, “On one side is Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates, the firm designing the park’s outdoor spaces, including man-made wetland areas, artificial hillsides and meadows and pathways lined with non-native vegetation that resembles beach grass.” He comments in the article: “We’ve created a calm foreground that allows you to appreciate the sublime beauty of the industrial urban setting.”

An opposing view comes from non-profit Project of Public Spaces (PPS), whose William H. Whyte believes that public spaces should “be designed to encourage the social interactions of the people who use them, rather than for their aesthetic appeal.” His view is that the design of BBP overrides the everyday needs of city dwellers.

The story goes on to describe the playground at Pier 6 as “better looking than for playing.” PPS President Fred Kent adds that “a better park” would allow for multiple uses woven together in a simple welcoming space. “Elderly people would be able to sit on a bench, eat a sandwich and watch the children play, while young couples stroll by on the Promenade, waiting for the sunset over the park’s breathtaking view of New York Harbor.” He calls BBP “one of the deadest waterfronts ever designed.”

The WSJ concludes that on some counts Kent is right, “but in other ways, Brooklyn Bridge Park succeeds magnificently at being a space people want to make their own. Pier 1 is an assemblage of placid meadows and grassy, sloping grades that make the perfect setting for picnicking and taking in the view.”

The full Wall Street Journal article is here. Note that it requires subscriber log-in.

The standout Gothic Revival three-story brick row house at 52 Livingston Street (between Court & Clinton streets) has changed precious little since this Brooklyn Public Library photograph was taken in 1953, nearly 60 years ago. (Then & Now pics below the jump.)

Among few changes following its construction in 1846 (despite conflicting reports of it being built in 1901), according to Clay Lancaster’s 1979 book “Old Brooklyn Heights: New York’s First Suburb,” are the addition of the structure’s humble third story and the signature Romantic-style lace-like ironwork, cornice, porch and fencing, likely added in 1854 to complement the Packer School, being built across the street at that time. The stucco facade was also removed post-1953.

Lancaster notes that the 1847 City Directory says it was home then to “widow Matilda Brown.” Another resident at the turn of the 20th Century was Dr. Mary DeBooij Ingram, a female physician who died in 1932, at the age of 81. She was born in Scotland, received her education in Edinburgh, London and Paris, and ended up in Brooklyn at the Brooklyn Training School for Nurses. Ingram earned a degree in medicine from the University of Michigan and practiced in Brooklyn for more than four decades.

Today, according to Trulia.com, the 4,500-square-foot building is a duplex, with two residential units, valued at $4.4 million. In 2006, a 1-bedroom unit with separate entrance and shared garden was listed for rent by Corcoran for $2,000 a month. The entire building changed hands in December 2010.

Livingston Street, meanwhile, was named for Philip Livingston, one of the four signers from New York of the Declaration Of Independence, says Leonrd Benardo & Jennifer Weiss in their 2006 book “Brooklyn By Name.” It was at Livingston’s 40-acre estate in Brooklyn Heights that George Washington and his officers agreed to retreat from Long Island. Livingston fled the estate when it was occupid by British forces, transforming it into a brewery and hospital. It was later acquired by Teunis Joralemon, among the neighborhood’s elite landowners.

(Photos: Brooklyn Public Library, Chuck Taylor/February 2009)

The Watchtower residential property at 161 Columbia Heights that closed March 20 after a $3 million sale to investment and management firm Sugar Hill Capital Partners, is back on the market less than two weeks later as a rental. According to Curbed, after a quick renovation, the newly named five-story walk-up “161 Heights” offers one bedrooms starting at $2,995 a month; one studio for $1,995 a month; and one 2BR, asking $4,100. Amenities include laundry and storage space. Occupancy begins 4/1.

The listing is managed by Massey Knakal Realty Services, which also sold a Johovah’s Witnesses-owned multi-residence at 50 Orange Street, to the same buyer in January for $7.1 million. At closing, Knakal told the Brooklyn Daily Eagle that 161 Columbia “has been immaculately maintained since the prior owner purchased the property in 1988.”

In all, the 6,273-square-foot building contains seven fair-market, one rent-stabilized and two rent-controlled units. See the property’s website here.
(Building photo: Brownstoner)

The former La Traviata cafe at 139 Montague Street, between Henry and Clinton, is going to be replaced by an Irish pub and restaurant. The 30-year-old Italian eatery along Brooklyn Heights’ primary retail enclave shuttered suddenly in November 2011, and BHB reported in February that a sign in the window alerted us then that “RDR Bar & Restaurant Corp. plans to open a Tavern-Restaurant” in the space.

Brownstoner now reports that last week Community Board 2 supported the business’ request for a liquor license for an Irish-style bar with a large menu. No word on an opening date.

The long-stalled Downtown City Point Towers retail and residential complex in Downtown Brooklyn is aiming for the clouds. The Brooklyn Paper got an exclusive look this week at new mock-ups presented to Community Board 2, showing two potential horizon-altering skyscrapers at the site of the former Albee Square Mall, on the Flatbush Avenue Extension between Willoughby Street and DeKalb Avenue.

One of the two towers could reach 65 stories or more, with a targeted completion of 2015, while the second would be wrapped in 2016, said Paul Travis of developer Washington Square Partners. That would make it Brooklyn’s tallest building, period. The project’s first building at Albee Square, City Point Mall, is slated to open this June with 50,000 square feet of retail, although no anchor tenant for the building has been announced.

Architect GreenbergFarrow, told The Brooklyn Paper that the 1.9 million square foot development on a 2.75 acre site would feature 500,000+ square feet of retail, around 280 hotel rooms and 800 residential units, and 250,000 square feet of office space.

The proposed 65-story tower would trump the 58-story Avalon Bay residential tower on Willoughby Street (between Bridge and Duffield streets), which is aiming to rise to 56 stories; while that building excels over the new Brooklyner 51-story rental tower. All three edge out the iconic Williamsburgh Savings Bank Tower at One Hanson Place: Brooklyner is a mere 2 feet taller.

The Downtown City Point Towers mixed-used plan has a long way to go before Brooklyn Heights residents might see it peaking over the horizon: It needs approval of the city before it can even begin to move forward.
Above, the proposed Downtown City Point Towers; Below, City Point Mall. (Photos: The Brooklyn Paper)

An intriguing comment comes from a BHB reader, remarking on the March 15 Blog post, “Is Sephora Coming To Brooklyn Heights?”

Amid frequent discussions that blanket the Brooklyn Heights Blog about chain retailers vs. local shops, AEB writes:

I sometimes feel we’re all in the grip of a mass delusion that BH will become the home of high-end specialty shops ‘curated’ by hip folks who have dernier cri taste, etc. Ain’t gonna happen, much as I wish it would. BH is too small, its real estate too pricey and its live-in ‘audience’ is too old/square. Sorry, I live here too, but…

Interesting thought, yes? And you? Feel free to add your thoughts to this ever-pertinent push-and-pull discussion…

(Photo: Chuck Taylor)

It wasn’t until I worked for the U.S. Census Bureau between February and August 2010 that I truly discovered Brooklyn. While I had lived in Brooklyn Heights for a decade, my compass always seemed to point toward Manhattan, where I worked and played. [See Photo gallery below the jump]

But with the Census gig, I had the opportunity to discover on a block-by-block (if not door-to-door) basis more than I ever realized was just east of the Heights: Sunset Park, Fort Greene, Park Slope, Red Hook, Carroll Gardens, Cobble Hill and—my favorite—Downtown Brooklyn.

Strolling through Fulton Mall every day on the way to the Census office on Flatbush Avenue as it was just beginning mass renewal, the sidewalks were widened, new bus stands and street lights installed, streets were repaved and repositioned for bus traffic only. The age-old Fulton Mall sign came down… Something big was happening here.

Of course, there are two sides to gentrification. In 2012, Shake Shack opened, while Gap launched a massive Factory Store there, with H&M and TJ Maxx on the way in the historic Offerman Building. While it’s nice to see the once-decaying area return to life, it’s also bittersweet to witness the typical fallout that comes in every neighborhood on the rise: the shuttering of local businesses, which can no longer afford escalating rents.

So before I bid a fond farewell to the fabulous array of wig stores, pawn shops, bodegas and discount vendors, I took another trip with camera in hand to capture what I suspect is going to look very different a year from now. With love to downtown BK.

Dive in—or, uh, at least wade—Brooklyn Heights: Officials overseeing the 85-acre Brooklyn Bridge Park are planning to install a temporary pool in the Pier 2 uplands section of the green space this summer. According to a story in today’s New York Post, the 30-by-50-foot pool will be above ground, 3½-feet deep across, fully decked and remain there for five glorious years. Park officials estimate the cost of building the temp structure at around $150,000.

Murmurs surfaced last June about a pool being added to Brooklyn Bridge Park, although it appears to be quite different than that original plan.

State Sen. Daniel Squadron (D-Brooklyn) told the Post, “I’ve long said the pool is a major priority for the park, and now the community can dive right in.” He spearheaded a deal last summer—that also includes the politically charged back-and-forth realization of high-rise housing located toward the DUMBO end of BBP.

This will not be a floating pool barge like the one that docked in the park in 2007, although Squadron says he is gunning to bring a permanent pool to BBP.

“A tipster” said the City’s Department of Buildings has approved the plans of Daten Group LLP, who purchased the former police building at 72 Poplar Street last May for $7.5 million, to convert the building for residential use.

Brownstoner: The LPC, which heard about the owner’s designs on the building, has also given its blessing to the plans. What’s in store: An extension of the existing fourth floor; construction of a new fifth-floor addition; a setback of the rear wall by five feet to achieve legal light and air requirements; the installation of a new rear façade; construction of a new accessible ramp at the Popular Street entrance; new window and door openings on the east and west facades; and a one-story rooftop addition on an adjacent garage.

Family-owned commercial, residential, industrial and retail real estate firm Muss Development has its eye on development outside of Manhattan these days. Principal Jason Muss spoke with GlobeSt.com about the company’s projects in Downtown Brooklyn and aligning them bordering neighborhoods, including Brooklyn Heights.

Regarding his long-term vision for Downtown Brooklyn, Muss said:

We believe this is the connecting neighborhood to other great neighborhoods in Brooklyn, like DUMBO, Brooklyn Heights, brownstone Brooklyn, Fort Greene, the Barclays Center (and) downtown Manhattan. With the New York Marriott at the Brooklyn Bridge, there is a tremendous amount of mobility, and we will continue to service Downtown Manhattan in addition to Brooklyn.

The idea of tourists coming to Brooklyn has become a real incredible thing over the last five to 10 years. We have the World Trade Center, the Statue of Liberty, Prospect Park and the amount of pedestrians that walk along the Brooklyn Bridge and pass our hotel is really incredible. Downtown Brooklyn will continue its strength.

Read Muss’ full interview here.

Brooklyn Heights residents may recall that Gap had a store at 125 Montague Street in the late 1990s—the current location of Ann Taylor. If you’re still pining for plaid shorts and plain t-shirts, you only need cross to Fulton Street Mall, where a Gap factory store is opening this week.

Racked reports that the new outlet is launching Friday, February 24, at 400 Fulton Street, between Smith and Hoyt streets (technically the corner of Gallatin Place). A lease was signed last June, joining the soon-to-be parade of new retailers, including H&M and TJ Maxx, as well as rumors of a Century 21.

The condo project at 20 Henry Street is at last hitting the marketplace after years of delays. Final polishes are taking place at the former Peaks Mason Mints building, known as the Candy Factory, with asking prices between $450,000 and $2.56 million for studios up to 4 bedrooms. The building includes 24 lofts (six of them penthouse units, at $2+ million), with an additional 14 units in an adjacent modern structure on Poplar Street scheduled to wrap by summer.

An article in today’s Wall Street Journal reminds us of the building’s history: The former industrial space was built in 1885 as the base of candy makers Mason Mints and Mason Dots. In the 1970s, it became housing for artists under the state’s Mitchell-Lama subsidized-housing program.

Artists lived in studios there until the program ended in 2004. Developers Urban Realty Partners bought the site in 2007, but weren’t able to finish a conversion to condos after the imminent financial crisis. Los Angeles-based Canyon-Johnson Urban Fund stepped in and took over the project in 2010, alongside plenty of legal drama.

When plans were first announced that the factory was slated to become a condo development, the Brooklyn Heights Assn. wanted 20 Henry’s garden to remain open space, the WSJ adds—which is now the site of the new 14-unit modern building. BHA executive director Judy Stanton says she still prefers the garden to the new building, but is glad the factory is finally ready for new homeowners: “I’m sure it will attract families.”

Brokerage firm Stribling & Associates is marketing the project, and says that 20 Henry St. already has an 800-applicant waiting list.

(Photos: Wall Street Journal)

The beautifully historic but long-suffering Romanesque revival Offerman Building along Fulton Street Mall is at last getting the facelift it so deserves. As H&M continues its new-construction two-story glass modernist build-out next door, TJ Maxx will open a downtown Brooklyn store at 505 Fulton Street, according to signage that appeared within the last week.

Imagine Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein and Giorgio Armani having presence on Fulton Street (albeit last season). This long-promised renaissance may well take hold, after all, as developer United American Land has its eye on fully developing the block at Fulton and Bridge Street, after demolishing the Offerman annex to build H&M.

Meanwhile, downtown Brooklyn’s City Point up the block continues to take shape, first comprising a four-story 50,000 sf retail building on Albee Square across from the landmarked Dime Savings Bank building. In all, that project intends to encompass 1.5 million square feet of retail and residential.

The Offerman Building’s upper floors are rumored to be going residential, so it appears a full reno is forthcoming. The handsome structure was built in 1890 by Henry Offerman, at the time one of the tallest buildings in Brooklyn. It is best known as the location of Martin’s department store, which ushered other major retailers to the area, including A.I. Namm & Son Department Store and Abraham & Straus (today, Macy’s).

Read a full history of the building on The Smoking Nun blog here.

The two narrow retail spaces at 214 and 216 Hicks Street—which housed the recently closed Overtures and Dara Ettinger—have been demolished inside to carve out a single larger space.

A manager at next door neighbor Heights Cafe at 84 Montague Street—which owns the retail building—tells BHB that no one has yet leased the space, but it is believed that the additional square footage will attract more potential vendors.

Dara Ettinger jewelry opened at the beginning of May 2011 and barely lasted eight months at 214 Hicks, while beloved stationery and gift boutique Overtures at 216 Hicks endured for 30 years. Still hanging on: high-end clothier J. McLaughlin at 218 Hicks.

In the BHB post a week ago about the new 80-unit building at 75 Clinton Street & Montague (on right) going rental, a healthy debate blossomed here between the architectural charms of its facade versus the new 40-unit residential building one block down at 101 Clinton Street & Joralemon (left). You guys took each building to task, with typical opinionated passion.

So let’s put up your dukes, BHB followers. We invite a full-on discussion about the merits—or not—of each property. The Corcoran link for 75 Clinton is here. 101 Clinton doesn’t appear to have a dedicated site yet, since it’s still under construction. You are welcome to add whatever you’ve seen, heard or linked to.

Please keep it clean, friends.

The gruesomely unattractive condo conversion at 75 Clinton and Montague streets (above Rite Aid) has scrubbed plans to sell the saltine box’s 74 units, instead vying to go rental. The building’s new owner, Dallas-based investment firm Invesco, will bring the project to market early next month, according to Crain’s.

Good luck: Prices range from $2,800 to $7,000 a month. Marketing Directors VP of Sales Angela Ferrara, the building’s marketing firm, says Invesco decided to take advantage of the “booming” rental market.

Before plans were approved in 2007 to go residential, 75 Clinton Street was a bankruptcy court. Is there a waft of irony there, perhaps?

And that makes three. Baluchi’s Indian restaurant is preparing to open its 10th NYC location, in Brooklyn Heights, at the north end of Henry Street near Cranberry Street.

McBrooklyn shares that it joins Gandhi Palace on Montague (which replaced Amin) and Curry Heights on Remsen.

There are nine Baluchi’s throughout New York City, including Soho, the Financial District, East Village and Park Avenue. This is its second Brooklyn location, joining 310 Fifth Avenue in Park Slope.

The discussion is already hopping on today’s Open Thread Wednesday here. (Photo: McBrooklyn)

Kate Briquelet’s Brooklyn Paper story quotes Brooklyn Heights Cinema owner Kenn Lowy as saying he has “received e-mails from people interested in buying the building.”

The Brooklyn Paper: “There are a lot of people who want to keep it around,” said Lowy, who hopes to find a new home for the theater if the building can’t be saved. “It makes it easier to move forward knowing we have all this support.”

The story also quotes landowner Tom Caruana’s architect (not named) as saying “plans for the site are not yet ready to be shared.” Architectural historian Francis Morrone, author of An Architectural Guidebook to Brooklyn, who the article says “is working with the [Brooklyn] Heights Association on an in-depth history of the building”, is quoted thus: “It’s an intact piece of history, …A major part of what makes Brooklyn Heights what it is is this historical physical fabric.”

The plans of the development company that bought 72 Poplar Street, the former NYPD building (see photo), will be considered at the meeting of the Executive Committee of Community Board 2 tomorrow (Monday, January 23) evening, starting at 6:00, at the Library Learning Center, room 515, of Long Island University, at DeKalb and Hudson Avenues.

According to the developer, as quoted by C.B.2:

Application is to extend the existing fourth floor, construct a new fifth floor addition, set back the rear wall by five feet to achieve legal light and air requirements, construct new rear façade, install new accessible ramp at Poplar Street entrance, create new window and door openings at east and west facades, and construct a one-story rooftop addition on adjacent garage.

Brooklyn Heights Cinema owner Kenn Lowy tells us he has heard that landlord Tom Caruana and his architect, who have withdrawn their appication for a hearing at the upcoming Landmarks Preservation Commission meeting, are evaluating options for the site. Mr. Lowy also said that the Brooklyn Heights Association has taken a strong stand against demolition of the building that houses the Cinema.

The Real Estate Board of New York is amping its drive to derail the still-tentative landmarking of 21 buildings in downtown Brooklyn, by sending out a mailing to thousands of area residents urging them to bend City Council’s ear against the newly proposed historic district. In addition, on Friday, REBNY sent a letter to City Council Speaker Christine Quinn urging the Council to rethink the decision.

All landmarked districts require final approval from the City Council and mayor within 120 days. The Council vote is slated for Feb. 1, with two hearings scheduled next week.

Preservationists had claimed victory last September when the Landmarks Preservation Commission unanimously approved the “Borough Hall Skyscraper Historic District,” a cluster of highrises built in the late 19th and early 20th centuries along Court Street and the corners of Joralemon, Remsen and Montague Streets around the already landmarked Borough Hall. Commission Chairman Robert B. Tierney noted then that “the buildings had a central role in Brooklyn’s development and illustrate an important chapter of New York City’s history.”

But a number of property owners, local landlords and developers were vehemently opposed, claiming it would drive up costs and impede retail redevelopment. Mike Slattery, SVP of the Real Estate Board of New York, sneered in September that the buildings “have little architectural and historic significance and distinction.”

In an article published in Crain’s Business New York January 18, Steve Spinola, president of REBNY, further belittled the district: “The city continues to landmark away its economic future. We want the people in the area to know landmarking will cause a lack of investment in buildings.”

Detractors argue that the designation puts a financial burden on landlords, who have to obtain additional permits and pay extra fees for any changes or upgrades on their properties. REBNY surveyed owners of roughly 750,000 square feet of space within the proposed historic district, and predicted property owners and retail tenants will incur $4.7 million in additional costs over the next several years as a result of landmark regulations and rules, according to the letter obtained by Crain’s.

“Some owners were prepared to make an investment in their buildings, but now they have a noose around their neck because it will cost them more money,” added Spinola.

Brooklyn Heights Assn. president Judy Stanton has stated that the landmark designation “is necessary to protect those buildings from being torn down—it does not prevent redevelopment. It has been a longstanding regret we did not get a district sooner.”

According to Brownstoner, the Landmarks Preservation Commission has approved a new design for the five story residential building to replace the Eagle at 30 Henry Street, at the corner of Middagh. NOTE: the picture on the linked Brownstoner post is of a bank building in Williamsburg, not a rendering of the new 30 Henry design. For an earlier version of the 30 Henry design, see here. There is, as yet, no rendering of the new design available. As we noted earlier, the revisions required by the LPC at its previous hearing were “minor”, so it’s safe to guess that the approved design will not differ greatly from the earlier one.

Linda Collins reports on the discussion at Monday’s Landmarks Preservation Commission hearing on the design of the building proposed to replace the old Eagle headquarters at 30 Henry Street, corner of Middagh, which is the first Brooklyn Heights building many people see after taking the exit from the Brooklyn Bridge (see a rendering of the proposed design here).

Brooklyn Daily Eagle: Following what one person described as “an exhilarating” discussion on the value of contextual vs. contemporary architecture in a historic district, the Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) yesterday asked the design team of a proposed new five-story, five-unit building at 30 Henry St. in Brooklyn Heights to consider making some additional changes.

The story notes that Brooklyn Heights preservationist Otis Pratt Pearsall and Brooklyn Heights Association President Jane McGroarty and Executive Director Judy Stanton all urged the Commission to reject the proposed design and require something contemporary and distinctive. BHA member and architect Jonathan Marvel is quoted as saying, ““We implore you to inspire, to delight, to raise the bar on originality.” But Park Slope resident and preservationist Clem Labine said the site doesn’t need a “starchitect” building that would be “dissonant and disruptive.”

The Commission’s legal counsel said it didn’t have the power to require “a particular style.”

According to Kate Briquelet’s story, the beloved Brooklyn Heights Cinema, recently rescued and revitalized by BHB Ten honoree Kenn Lowy, may be demolished to make way for (what else?) a five story residential building.

Brooklyn Paper: Next Wednesday, building owner Tom Caruana will present plans for a new structure at 70 Henry St. at Community Board 2’s Landmarks Committee — an early step in gaining city permission to demolish an edifice in the landmarked neighborhood, according to District Manager Rob Perris.

The article quotes Caruana as unwilling to reveal details of his plans, but saying he will “move forward” as soon as possible. Lowy is quoted as saying he will do whatever is necessary to keep the Cinema going, even if he has to move it to DUMBO.

Glass on the addition, under construction, to 20 Henry Street, reflects the facade of the building at the northwest corner of Henry and Poplar streets, as seen from the Brooklyn Bridge on January 7.

Ben Bankson, President of the Willowtown Association, attended this afternoon’s meeting of the Board of Directors of the Brooklyn Bridge Park Corporation, and gives us this report:

Construction of two more sections of Brooklyn Bridge Park on the East River waterfront–a bridge from Squibb Park on Columbia Heights over Furman Street to the park and three playing fields and an adjoining picnic peninsula on Pier 5–is expected to commence in January following authorization of construction contracts for the sections at a meeting of the board of directors of the BBP corporation at noon on Tuesday, December 5, at the park’s newly opened offices on Furman at Joralemon Street.

Both contracts were awarded to Kelco Landscaping and Construction of Commack, N.Y. The firm previously did the landscaping and built the playgrounds on Piers 1 and 6. Among its other projects is the 9/11 World Trade Center Memorial. The contract for the Squibb Park bridge is $6,223,864 and for the work on Pier 5, $19,245,180.

In her report to the board, BBP President Regina Myer discussed the future construction of a hotel and residential building at Pier 1. The proposals of five developers were unveiled at a meeting of the Brooklyn Bridge Park Community Advisory Council on November 22. The deadline for feedback on the proposals is December 22. Under the leadership of teams of architects, CAC members are giving their feedback at workshops at the park offices at 6:30 the evenings of December 5 and 6 and at 9 the morning of December 7. The feedback will go into a report to be submitted to those who select the winning proposal. The workshops are open to the public.

The Brooklyn Eagle reports today on plans by the Fortis Group for the paper’s former headquarters at 30 Henry Street. In its original piece about a proposed condo on there, the paper reported that the new building would be 65 feet high, 15 feet over what is allowed in our landmark district. However, the BHA’s Judy Stanton, who has seen the plans, told BHB last weekthat the proposal was a 50 foot structure. The Eagle’s report today includes a similar statement from Stanton. The proposal was approved by CB2′s Land Use Committee on 11/16 and will be presented to the full board on 12/14.

But what new info did we learn from today’s report? THERE’LL BE A WATERFALL.

Brooklyn Eagle: According to Perris, BKSK architect Stephen Burns made the presentation to the Land Use Committee. Citing the committee minutes, he said there will be accessible underground parking with the parking entrance slightly sloping down.

The layout of the building will consist of floors two to four with one layout — some units containing 10-inch balconies for flower boxes and casement windows — and a separate layout for the top floor penthouse.

Burns also told committee members that the entranceway into the building will be through a covered passageway that leads directly to a courtyard. The courtyard will have a waterfall that is visible from the entrance, according to the Land Use Committee minutes.