Yesterday Brooklyn beep Eric Adams and members of the Downtown Brooklyn business community gathered to celebrate free wifi coming to the Fulton Mall. What did they do to mark the occasion? Take selfies of course!

Posing for a selfie with @BPEricAdams to launch #downtownbrooklynwifi on Fulton St! pic.twitter.com/1P8GgTRQ9H

— Downtown Brooklyn (@DowntownBklyn) April 17, 2014

We're taking #selfies on the Fulton Mall with the @DowntownBklyn to celebrate the launch of #free #wifi! pic.twitter.com/1O2qstnVKl

— Eric Adams (@BPEricAdams) April 17, 2014

NYDN: WiFi along the eight-block Fulton Mall will eventually expand from Tillary Street to Schermerhorn Street and Cadman Plaza West to Flatbush Avenue in Downtown Brooklyn.
The service is expected to also hit open areas at the Ingersoll and Whitman Houses in the future, officials said.
The Downtown Brooklyn Partnership, a nonprofit business booster, spearheaded the project with a grant from the city Economic Development Corp.’s Wireless Corridor Challenge.

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/66769

When we think “spa day” we think Karl Junkersfeld. Okay we don’t, so it’s extra special that our man with a cam was courageous enough to visit the new Sephora in Downtown Brooklyn and file this video report.

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/63598

The Brooklyn Nets are preparing for the start of Season Two with impressive additions to their already competitive team. Joining stars like premiere point guard Deron Williams, sharp shooting Joe Johnson, and All Star Brook Lopez are “The Truth” Paul Pierce, “K.G.” Kevin Garnett, “AK47″ Andrei Kirilenko, “JET” Jason Terry and backup point, 6’7 Shaun Livingston. This is a tremendous arsenal that has been brought together thanks to the very deep pockets of Nets Owner Mikhail Prokhorov. In fact, the Nets are paying more in “over the cap” penalties than 95% of the other NBA teams total salaries. He is very serious about winning an NBA championship.

This video includes my personal analysis, as well as, video from Media Day during a question/answer period with Brook Lopez, Deron Williams and Joe Johnson. Part Two will follow shortly with the Nets other two starters, Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett, later followed by questions for the bench players who will be crucial if we are to challenge Miami and Indiana for basketball supremacy.

The exhibit runs from October 3-December 15, 2013. There’s an opening reception October 9 from 7-9 pm.

Admission is free. The gallery is open Tuesday-Sunday, 10 am-8 pm.
BRIC House is located at 647 Fulton Street at Rockwell Place.

According to the Daily News, Shake Shack will be moving into the spot previously occupied by Pete’s, One Old Fulton Street, at the corner of Old Fulton and Water streets, near the Pier 1 entrance to Brooklyn Bridge Park, in the Fulton Ferry Historic District. (The News piece quotes Shake Shack CEO Randy Garutti saying he’s moving into DUMBO; we have news for him.) This means Brooklyn Heights will now be bracketed by Shake Shacks: one in downtown Brooklyn and a new one near the foot of Squibb Hill, expected to open in mid-2014.

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/61763

Uniglo is looking for folks to staff their new stories, including Brooklyn.

Downtown Brooklyn will have a park to rival Manhattan’s Bryant Park and a high tech underground parking garage will help finance its construction. The New York Times reports that the city is planning to have Willoughby Square opened in 2016.

NYT: The square will span more than an acre on Willoughby Street, a half-block from the Fulton Street mall, with manicured lawns, walkways and gardens, as well as a site to commemorate the abolitionist movement. Below it, the garage will house about 700 cars at any given time, relying on a system of computers rather than garage attendants. It will be the largest automated parking facility in North America.

“This will be a marquee public space,” said Tucker Reed, the president of the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership, a nonprofit local development corporation that will oversee the park’s maintenance. “From the waterfront to the Barclays Center is the core of the 21st century downtown, and to have a public amenity like this right in the middle ties everything together.”

The square has been in the works for nearly a decade, one piece of the 2004 rezoning of downtown Brooklyn. In that time, the city has spent about $40 million on the project for land acquisition and design work and to relocate families and businesses. But Willoughby Square faltered during the economic downturn, with funding cuts and an inability to find a developer.

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/60779

The New York Post and Daily News report that a security guard was shot and robbed of a “large sum of cash” outside the Brooklyn DA’s office on Pearl Street around 5:50 pm yesterday. The unidentified man is being treated at Bellevue Hospital and is listed in stable condition. The assailant is currently at large.

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/60578

A BHB tipster told us last December about the arrival of Boneheads BBQ to 93 Court Street. While the opening has been delayed, the Brooklyn Eagle’s Lore Croghan writes a fascinating piece about how the Ditmas Park based landlords are choosing who gets to rent from them. Also in the article an update on Boneheads’ progress:

Brooklyn Eagle: In March the city Buildings Department disapproved a plan to replace 93 Court’s storefront, redo interiors with a new drop ceiling, partitions, finishes and equipment and make roof and stair repairs.

The franchisee is making “amendations” to their plan, Vendikos said.

Will it really cost $1 million to make the space that housed a deli fit for use as a restaurant, as a source suggested? “I wouldn’t know one way or another,” he said.

We called Boneheads’ Atlanta headquarters and one of the Brooklyn franchisee partners to ask for a revised timetable for their Court Street restaurant.

“I can tell you that Boneheads is still planning on going into the space,” said company publicist Kelly Ronna. “Unfortunately, the franchisees ran into structural problems, which has caused construction to be delayed.”

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/60522

Attendees were encouraged to wear “proper shoes to navigate this gritty alleyway” for Downtown Brooklyn’s Grove Alley Nite Market Friday night. The little known street nestled near Hanover Place between Fulton and Livingston Streets hosted an event featuring many trendy vendors including The Morris Truck, Rickshaw Dumplings, Thanatos Candles & Beauty and more.

Along with shopping and eating, Das Racist’s Heems (aka Himanshu Kumar Suri) performed a set. RozNYC has posted photos of the performance.

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/60502

According to Lois Weiss’s “Between the Bricks” column in the New York Post, cosmetics retailer Sephora will be the anchor tenant in the retail space being developed in the Brooklyn Municipal Building at the southeast corner of Court and Joralemon streets. Weiss quotes Albert Laboz of United American Land, the developer of the site, as saying, “It looks like we are turning this into a power center for women’s fashion tenants.” The only other tenant mentioned as having leased space at the location is YogaWorks, but Weiss reports that “discussions are also underway with other women’s fashion tenants.”

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/60450

Hill Country Barbecue is slated to open this fall at 345 Adams Street, alongside the Downtown Brooklyn border’s other recently opened eateries: Shake Shack, Potbelly and Panera Bread. Muss Development is converting the former government offices into new retail and condo space. According to developer Joshua L. Muss: “Adding a restaurant of this caliber to our retail tenants will elevate our property here and blend perfectly with the continued evolution of the entire neighborhood.”

The 10,000-square-foot Texas-themed BBQ restaurant will offer dry-rub style meats, an in-house meat-smoke room, beer-braised cowboy pinto beans and boneless prime rib, along with “American Roots” live country music most every night. It already has two locations in Manhattan and one in Washington, D.C.

The arrival of Hill Country is a change of course from BHB’s September 2012 report that the locale would house American BBQ and Beer Co., which was originally scheduled to open in April 2013.

In addition, we reported then of an alleged signed lease in the building for Sugar and Plumm, a combination restaurant, ice cream parlor & chocolate retailer.

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/56093

Downtown Brooklyn’s Shake Shake inarguably changed the face & fortunes of the once-sagging Fulton Mall, convincing many Heights residents to cross Court Street for the first time in years (decades?). Since its December 2011 opening, the burger joint has led to a renaissance, bringing the likes of Starbucks, Brooklyn Industries, H&M, Century 21, Gap, Seattle’s Best, TJ Maxx, Raymour & Flannigan… and on and on…

Union Square Hospitality Group has confirmed a second Shake Shack in Brooklyn this fall at 170 Flatbush Avenue, across from the 18,200-seat Barclays Center, which BHB first tipped in September.

Grub Street reports that the chain is expanding this year in London and Istanbul, and may be coming to the Upper West Side, in addition to Manhattan locations in Madison Square Park and Midtown.

In a press release, Shack Shack acclaims its “modern day roadside” burger stand known for all-natural burgers, flat-top dogs, frozen custard, beer, wine and more.” CEO Randy Garutti says, “Our second Brooklyn location will be directly across from the Barclays Center and plant us firmly within walking distance of several neighborhoods from Park Slope to Fort Greene. New York City is our hometown, and the Shack will be the place where New Yorkers can come together to celebrate the best of Brooklyn’s thriving culture, sports and entertainment.” (Photo: Brownstoner)

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/55254

The UA Court Street Stadium 12 movie theater in Brooklyn Heights is about to lose its lock on the cineplex monopoly around town. Plans are confirmed for the 900-seat, seven-screen Alamo Drafthouse Cinema to open in 2015 in Downtown Brooklyn’s City Point. The upscale Austin-based biz is known for serving food & booze to theatergoers in their seats, offering indie & mainstream first-run movies, alongside repertory programming. Alamo has a strict no talking, no texting policy.

The theater will be built during Phase II of Fulton Mall’s mixed-use City Point development, which was updated this month with a new rendering from architects CookFox. The second phase also comprises two highrise residential rental towers (a 19-story with affordable housing & a 30-story market rate rental) and a permanent Market Hall selling fresh food and showcasing Brooklyn vendors.

City Point will be built in three phases. Phase I at One Dekalb was completed last fall. The second phase is expected to wrap in 2015, with Alamo Drafthouse Cinema as a primary anchor. It joins coming retail neighbors Armani Exchange, Century 21, H&M, TJ Maxx and Raymoor & Flanigan.

The theater chain currently has theaters in 10+ cities, including San Francisco, Denver and Houston; with plans to open locations on NYC’s Upper West Side and in Yonkers. The Brooklyn lease was first tipped by the Wall Street Journal in December. Charter Realty & Development brokered the 43,842/sf deal.

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/54576

Response to Knicklyn on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and tumblr had been enthusiastic, so enthusiastic that Sorisi recently started selling a line of Knicklyn gear, an endeavor that is about to come to a screeching halt.

From Sorisi today:

“Knicklyn has been pressured by a popular sports league to temporarily restrict the online sale of all “Knicklyn” goods and apparel or face substantial legal action.  Despite meeting with and receiving clearance from several trademark lawyers prior to the launch of the site, this large sports association still feels the “Knicklyn” logo infringes upon their trademarks and intellectual properties.  We have attempted to reach an amicable agreement with said sports league but were left with only two options; either pay millions of dollars in licensing fees, or shut down all together.”

Reached by phone on Sunday, Sorisi sounded discouraged but undaunted.

“This isn’t a big deal,” he said. “It’s not going to slow me down.”

While unsurprised by the NBA’s action, he didn’t think it would come quite this quickly, and he pointed out that the objection is not with Knicklyn itself, but with the decision to sell goods that could represent copyright infringement.

He toyed with some design changes to his merchandise, but decided ultimately to suspend sales as he contemplates his next moves.

“This is only a temporary setback,”  he said.

And given the response to his announcement about ceasing sales, which Sorisi characterized as “great” and “positive,” along with an article in the NY Post about this recent development, he might be right when he says, “This isn’t a bad bump. It’s a good bump.”

Read Sorisi’s full letter here, and let us know what you think. Corporate behemoth strangling creative expression and fandom? Or legitimate copyright infringement?

Originally posted on January 27, updated January 28 with additional information.

The Landmarks Preservation Commission voted unanimously to deny an application to legalize changes made to the interior of the former Gage and Tollner Restaurant at 372 Fulton Street. The landmarked interior, which has housed a discount jewelry store since 2010 (formerly Arby’s and TGI Friday’s) has already faced mounting fines because it masked the interior decor without permission.

Curbed reports that the applicant insists its display and lighting system doesn’t penetrate the walls—but Landmarks sees it differently, saying that a majority of the historic detail is gone. Several gas lamp fixtures remain, while an arch was placed in storage.

According to an LPC spokesman, the building owner’s architect described these changes as “interior desecration” and actually apologized on behalf of the tenants. Commission Vice Chair Pablo E. Vengoechea noted that “hiding something behind something is not a preservation strategy. You need to expose what’s there.” The tenant must now submit a new plan and file a permit application for the interior. (Top Photo: Chuck Taylor/2010)

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/54502

Following the January 4 BHB post that a Hampton Inn is coming to 125 Flatbush Avenue Extension (near Tillary Street) in Downtown Brooklyn, we relished McBrooklyn’s take on the biz that once occupied the space: Pepper & Potter Nash car dealership.

McB notes, “While we remember the old car dealership as a rundown wreck of a building, from photos available, it seems Lester Potter and Frank Pepper had quite the life back in the day.” Its 1946 slogan was, uh, “Picky People Pick Pepper & Potter.”

Sigh, however, a decade later, Pepper & Potter’s relationship began to crumble. The biz lived on until 2003, albeit as Metech. The whole story is covered—with photos—in a lengthy 2006 NYTimes story.

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/53650

A Hampton Inn is coming to 125 Flatbush Avenue Extension, according to a sign posted on the construction fence there. A rendering from hotel developer LodgeWorksBrownstoner provides is offered from Brownstoner. The 13-story building will provide 116 guest rooms with scheduled completion in spring 2014. Work began at the site in December, with plans first announced in March 2012. The Hampton Inn joins the Aloft Hotel and Hotel 718 in Downtown Brooklyn.

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/53369

Judge for yourself:

How ironic that the primary flaw in “My Brooklyn” is the insistent presence of director Kelly Anderson. Anderson is a white, middle-class Brooklynite who has noticed the shifting socio-economic makeup of her brownstone neighborhoods, and wonders what price the borough is paying for gentrification.
It’s an excellent question, and when Anderson allows the experts — or simply those most deeply impacted by the changes — to speak, the film has a powerful urgency. Most interesting is the focus on the Fulton Mall, in which businesses primarily owned and patronized by African-Americans are increasingly being displaced by corporate interests.
But every time we start to learn something about the city’s political process or cultural divisions, Anderson relates it back to her own personal experience. At first, it’s simply an irritating distraction. As she continues to insert herself into this urban history, however, it begins to feel like an uncomfortable reflection of the kind of encroachment the film itself decries.

A BHB tipster shares that the space at 93 Court Street—formerly Evergreen Deli—is soon to be opening as Boneheads Restaurant. The chain originated with chefs from South Africa and Atlanta, and specializes in grilled seafood dishes “in a casual, but fast setting.” It currently has locations in Atlanta, Memphis, Charlotte and Lake Forest. This is its premiere NYC location.

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/53252

Police are looking for a man who, they say, robbed the Investors Bank at 81 Court St. around 6:00 Wednesday evening.

The suspect allegedly demanded money from two tellers who complied right away, but their “contributions” apparently weren’t enough to appease him. He demanded that they enter the vault and retrieve more cash. $20,000 later, the perp was on his way.

The robber is described as a black male, 25-to-35 years old, 5’6″ to 5’8″ in height, light complexion, thin build, and wearing a blue Yankees hat and a black leather jacket. Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477).  The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website at WWW.NYPDCRIMESTOPPERS.COM or by texting their tips to 274637 (CRIMES), then entering TIP577.

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/53248

As Downtown Brooklyn’s population continues to grow, a new report suggests that public transportation in the surrounding neighborhoods—including Brooklyn Heights—is falling behind as congestion mounts. On Tuesday, the Tri-State Transportation Campaign, Councilwoman Letitia James and three local civic groups released the “Brooklyn gateway transportation vision,” which argues for congestion pricing, residential parking permits, more bike lanes, bike-share stations and more rapid-bus service.

Website Capital quotes the report: “Existing traffic and parking congestion, demands on transit service and dangerous roads for cyclists and pedestrians already pose hurdles for residents, businesses and the environment. The opening of Barclays Center in September 2012 has further compounded these challenges. The lack of a comprehensive and satisfactory transportation demand management plan from the Department of Transportation and developer of Atlantic Yards” stands to further complicate the area’s potentially stifling congestion.

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/52846

A Who fanatic through high school, college, and early adulthood, I’d seen them once before, in 1989, when we were both a lot younger, they in their 40’s, I in my 20’s, when it was easier to pretend that they were a band in their prime.

So it was with some trepidation that I headed to the Barclays Center last Thursday night, and with satisfaction that I left it.

First impressions of the venue are that it’s gone overboard in an attempt for sleek, Brooklyn coolness. Its darkness—both in décor and in lighting—feels more foreboding than urban hip, and at least for this particular event, which did not pack the house, the arena itself felt like a vacuous barn.

The men on the stage were undeniably old, and someone tweeted to me during the show, “Enjoy the Two!”, referring to the absent Keith Moon, who died in 1978, and John Entwistle, who died in 2002.

But instead of avoiding the passing of their youth and bandmates, Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend invoked them, the screens behind the stage regularly displaying images of the very young Who, in their 30’s when Quadrophenia, the centerpiece of the show, was released in 1973.

At several points, the musicians on the screen replaced those on the stage, bass player Pino Palladino stepping aside during one number so that Entwistle’s performance, projected on the screen, is the one that the audience heard; Keith Moon reprised his role as the Bell Boy in the song of the same name and treated those in attendance to an extended drum solo, while current drummer Zak Starkey (son of Ringo Starr) looked on.

Quadrophenia is the story of a British mod in the 1960’s, and the band played it, uninterrupted, start to finish; while the quality and complexity of the music stand up nearly 40 years later, a sense of anachronism couldn’t help but pervade the performances of two men in their late 60s singing about youthful disaffection.

The largely middle-aged Barclays Center crowd received appreciatively the performance of Quadrophenia, but predictably, it was the “greatest hits” part of the show (“Who Are You?”, “Baba O’Riley,” “Behind Blue Eyes,” “Won’t Get Fooled Again”) that brought it to its feet.

Known for transcendent live performances in its heyday, this version of the Who set more modest goals and achieved them, successfully linking the band’s past and present. And if the performances relied a little too heavily on the band’s former selves, the audience was happy to indulge them.

Were you there? What did you think?

Photo: Alison Wright via Twitter

The Who at Barclays Center

Storified by Brooklyn Bugle · Tue, Nov 20 2012 18:40:09

The Brooklyn Friends School Winter Festival is coming up after Thanksgiving, Saturday, 12/1, from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. “Get a jump on holiday shopping and have a blast with your children at the Downtown Brooklyn school’s 33rd annual holiday fundraiser benefiting Horizons at Brooklyn Friends School.”

Festivities include a craft fair with 45 local artisans, holiday plant and wreath sale, book fair, children’s carnival with bouncy rides and games, a children’s craft activity center, and entertainment by musicians and a magician. Free admission for the craft fair. All-inclusive tickets for the carnival and other entertainment are $35 and may be purchased at the door. Horizons at Brooklyn Friends School is an academic summer enrichment program serving low-income children living in Downtown Brooklyn.

The event’s address: 375 Pearl Street in 11201, one block from Borough Hall and the Marriott Plaza. More info here.

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/51834

Their announcer of 18 years, Ian Eagle, had to wait a little longer to make his Brooklyn debut, calling his first game on Monday when the Nets lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Eagle became part of the Nets broadcast team in 1994 and joined the YES network, the Nets’ television home, 10 years ago. And though he grew up in Queens, coming to the Barclays Center is a sort of homecoming.

“My dad was from Brooklyn,” Eagle said last week, preparing to head out of town to cover the NFL.  “He went to Erasmus Hall for high school, and that was his life, growing up in Brooklyn.”

“After my father got divorced, his first wife lived in Brooklyn, and I spent weekends in Brooklyn with her for the first five years of my life. I remember going to Prospect Park, getting off at the Church Avenue station; she had an apartment on Caton Avenue, and Brooklyn made up a lot of my childhood memories. It definitely made an impression on me.”

Eagle also spent time in Mill Basin, as a teenager frequently visiting a sister who lived there. “I used to go out there about a once a month,” he said. “Growing up in Queens, the only frame of reference I had for an indoor mall was Kings Plaza.”

Eagle’s first impressions of his return to Brooklyn are equally favorable.

“I’m really impressed,” he said. “It’s very tastefully done, not over the top like a lot of the newer buildings. It feels intimate, and the lower bowl feels very close to the action. I went upstairs, too, and for a basketball game, I don’t think there’s a bad seat in the house.”

Of the move across two rivers, from New Jersey to Brooklyn, Eagle said that the first task was persuading the players that it was a good idea. “The biggest challenge initially was convincing players that Brooklyn is a legitimate destination,” he said. “That happened pretty quickly.”

“There’s automatically a fan base in Brooklyn,” he went on. “Knicks’ ans aren’t going to give up their allegiance, but Brooklyn is a proud area, and a number of fans have already accepted this team.

“That’s a byproduct of the pride within the borough. There’s a different vibe with this team.”

While Eagle is enthusiastic about the move, he has no plans to move from his New Jersey home to the Brooklyn.

“I have a 15-year-old and a 13-year-old, and the timing just doesn’t work. But I’ve already done the drive a couple of times and it really hasn’t been that bad at all,” he said.

“I’m Mr. Traffic,” he continued. “I listen to all the traffic reports.”

The Nets’ next home game is Sunday at 3 pm against the Orlando Magic.

The MTA and New York City Department of Transportation have established three routes for bus bridge service and bus priority lanes from three Brooklyn locations to Midtown Manhattan. Starting at 6 a.m., and operating 24 hours a day until further notice, shuttle buses will travel to and from subway stations at Atlantic Avenue, Jay Street and Hewes Street.

The Atlantic Avenue and Jay Street routes will operate via a new, two-way bus lane across the Manhattan Bridge and into Manhattan via bus-priority lanes on Bowery and 3rd Avenue, making stops at major cross streets up to 55th Street in the inbound direction, and via bus-priority lanes on Lexington Avenue, 23rd Street, and 3rd Avenue and Bowery in the outbound direction.

The shuttle bus from Hewes Street will operate over the Williamsburg Bridge and Delancey Street, then via Bowery and 3rd Avenue up to 55th Street before returning downtown via Lexington Avenue, 23rd Street, 3rd Avenue and Bowery.

Thursday’s limited service at the Barclays Center location was apparently a grand fiasco, according to Gothamist, as seen in the pic above and below. Read more here.

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/50978

New York City Marathon officials continue to check damage caused by Hurricane Sandy before deciding what impact the storm will have on the race, scheduled this Sunday, November 4. Mayor Bloomberg said Tuesday the race will “go on as normal, as of now,” although he will continue to discuss logistics with city & marathon officials before a final decision. According to the Marathon website, “We will keep all options open with regard to making adjustments necessary to race day & race weekend events,” with updates as info becomes available.

The 26.2-mile course begins in Fort Wadsworth, Staten Island and—while it does not enter Brooklyn Heights—it grazes the neighborhood past Atlantic Avenue and Flatbush close to Downtown Brooklyn, before heading down Lafayette toward Clinton Hill, Williamsburg and into Manhattan over the Queensboro Bridge, finishing in Central Park. See the route here.

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/50779

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/49730

The storied locale that housed Gage & Tollner restaurant from 1892 through the beginning of the millennium is both an endearing and bittersweet tale of Downtown Brooklyn’s history. New York City landmarked the eatery’s exterior in 1974 and a year later, its interior. It was the first landmarked dining room and the city’s third interior landmark of any kind. The first two were the New York Public Library and Grant’s Tomb.

In a lengthy piece in the Wall Street Journal, writer Barry Newman discusses the 120-year-old heritage of 374 Fulton Street, from the seafood restaurant owner’s purchase of the building in 1919 to its eventual demise. WSJ offers: In 1976, Fulton Street became a pedestrian mall, with no automobile traffic. The streets were scary, and the old crowd began eating elsewhere.” In 1985 then-owner Ed Dewey decided to sell the famous destination. In 1995, it filed for bankruptcy, before closing around 2004.

Since, it has held T.G.I. Friday’s, which lasted until 2007. Arby’s came next, in January 2010. It endured for just eight months. And in the summer of 2011, a discount costume jewelry store opened in the spot. WJS says, “The Landmarks commission says the landlord asked for a permit to make alterations after they were made. It denied the application for lack of detail and, this month, issued a violation. The commission, still lacking a satisfactory response, has issued another violation that can lead to a fine of $5,000 a day.”

Meanwhile, many of the original lighting fixtures from Gage & Tollner were stolen. Some mirrors and arches are said to survive behind bright pink panels. And what of the famous eatery that is no longer? Its last owners, Peter Aschkenasy and Joe Chirico still own the name. The latter says he’d like to reopen the restaurant “in a place where you can get to the front door.” And its Landmarked decor? In New York, he says, a crew can “replicate that in no time.” (Photo: Chuck Taylor/July 2010)

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/49602