Browsing Tag

Boerum Hill

State Assemblywoman Joan Millman: Bring Back B71 Bus; Sign the Petition

July 20, 2012

State Assemblywoman Joan Millman has started a petition drive on the website Change.org to restore service on the B71 bus along Union Street. She notes that this bus has been a valuable transportation resource for residents of the Columbia Street Waterfont District, Carroll Gardens, and Boerum Hill. She will be testifying at an MTA board meeting next week, and needs as many signatures as possible before next Tuesday, July 24. You can sign the petition here.


Source: Cobble Hill Blog
http://cobblehillblog.com/archives/7606

From the Web

Brooklyn’s First Pier 1 Imports Coming To Atlantic Avenue

July 17, 2012

Pier 1 Imports has signed a lease for a space just beyond Brooklyn Heights at 252 Atlantic Avenue and Boerum Place, a block past Court Street. The home furnishings chain will set up shop in a new two-story commercial building called Atlantic Galleria, along with gym chain Retro Fitness. It’s the retailer’s first location in Brooklyn. Read more on the Cobble Hill blog here.


Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/44331

From the Web

Pier 1 Imports Coming To Boerum Hill: 252 Atlantic Avenue & Boerum Place

July 17, 2012

Pier 1 Imports has signed a lease for a to-be-developed space at the corner of Atlantic Avenue and Boerum Place. The home furnishings chain will be setting up shop at 252 Atlantic Avenue, along with gym chain Retro Fitness, in a new two-story commercial building called Atlantic Galleria.

Brownstoner reports that an application for a building permit was filed last week and is awaiting review. Pier 1 currently has five stores in the other boroughs, but this will be its first in Brooklyn. Retro Fitness has one location in Williamsburg and one in Brownsville.


Source: Cobble Hill Blog
http://cobblehillblog.com/archives/7597

From the Web

Boerum Hill Speed Limits To Be Reduced

July 17, 2012

The Boerum Hill neighborhood is about to slow down. Last week, the Department of Transportation signed off on a measure to reduce the speed limit from 30 to 20 miles per hour in the largely residential area bounded by Smith Street, and Union, Third and Atlantic avenues. The “slow zone” approval—which, perhaps not ironically comes two months before the Barclays Center arena opens nearby—is meant to deter drivers from using the neighborhood as a short cut to and from the East River bridges.

According to The Brooklyn Paper, the Boerum Hill Association formed a task force to put the new law in place. “It’s an important safety issue. There’s been a significant amount of cut-through traffic here,” says BHA President Howard Kolins.

The zone will be marked with blue signs at all streets entering the area, while the city will paint the new speed limit across the roadway and use speed bumps to encourage motorists to lay off the gas, according to the city.


Source: Cobble Hill Blog
http://cobblehillblog.com/archives/7593

From the Web

History

Times Remembers Eagle’s Dennis Holt, Civil Rights Hero

July 9, 2012

In the Sunday New York Times Metropolitan section, Kevin Baker remembers his friend of many years, Dennis Holt, who died last month. Baker paints a colorful portrait of Holt as “a classic New York eccentric” who once chased an intruder from his Boerum Hill townhouse while brandishing a Civil War era dress sword.

Baker also discloses that, as a student government leader at the University of Alabama in 1956, Holt faced down thugs who rioted when an African American woman, Autherine Lucy, attempted to enroll there. He later sponsored a resolution “that mob violence be denounced at the University of Alabama and that means be found to protect the future personal safety of the students, white or Negro — and the faculty and the reputation of the university.” He was also a national collegiate debating champion. Who knew?


Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/43894

From the Web

History, Real Estate

Boerum Hill’s Episcopal Church of the Redeemer To Be Demolished

July 2, 2012

The 150-year-old Episcopal Church of the Redeemer, a gothic revival building in Boerum Hill at Fourth Avenue and Pacific Street in a severe state of disrepair, is slated to be demolished in the next year, according to Rev. Christopher Ballard of the Church of St. Luke and St. Matthew, who is in charge of the site.

Ballard shared the news at a Boerum Hill Association general meeting on Thursday evening, as reported by DNAInfo.com. The structure was partially damaged by rumblings from subways that run beside it and because there has been little effort to maintain it over the last five-plus decades years, Ballard said.

It would cost the Episcopal Diocese of Long Island, which owns the building, at least $8 million to repair the church enough for it to be inhabitable, and nearly $20 million to make it usable, Ballard said. The reverend admitted that the church has made no effort to raise money to make the repairs: “Our focus and attention has long been on keeping the walls up as opposed to serving humanity.”

In the face of declining membership and a crumbling building, the church closed down and the congregation has since begun worshipping at the Church of St. Luke and St. Matthew, at 520 Clinton Street. Meanwhile, the Church of the Redeemer building has suffered an overgrown lawn and a leaking roof.

The Diocese did not believe the church was worth repairing because the congregation has dwindled over several decades, from a congregation of about 1,500 to about 200, Ballard added. Over the next 20 months, the church will be demolished to make way for a mixed-use building, he said, with residential, commercial and religious purposes.

Read more here.


Source: Cobble Hill Blog
http://cobblehillblog.com/archives/7480

From the Web

Arts and Entertainment, Events, Food

Saturday: Atlantic Avenue Extravaganza For Shoppers, Foodies & Families

June 14, 2012

Coming this Saturday, June 16, is the Atlantic Avenue Extravaganza, 1-5 p.m., all the way from the BQE entrance to Fourth Avenue. The neighborhood event is designed to draw shoppers, foodies, families and art lovers to the sidewalks of the thoroughfare with a lineup of special events, performances, demonstrations, tastings, tours and games in the name of making all more aware of Atlantic Avenue’s burgeoning commerce, culture and community.

Festivities will include a ribbon cutting ceremony led by the Brooklyn Steppers Marching Band on the sidewalk in front of the Atlantic Avenue BID office in Cobble Hill at 340 Atlantic Avenue, between Smith and Hoyt Streets, a sidewalk parade and the “Sanitation Dance,” a choreographed piece by the Modern Dance Awareness Society.

Other performers include stilt walkers, acrobats, the Bindlestiff Cavalcade of Youth All-Stars, the Balkan sounds of Raya Bass Band, an all-female percussion band, and Underground Horns. Artists from Brooklyn Waterfront Artists Coalition (BWAC) will also participate.

Businesses along Atlantic Avenue will also host special events and tastings throughout the day. The Extravaganza is sponsored by the Atlantic Ave. Business Improvement District. See all the details here.


Source: Cobble Hill Blog
http://cobblehillblog.com/archives/7355

From the Web

Food

Celeb Chef Anthony Bourdain Tours Brooklyn, Including Stop At Chef’s Table

June 10, 2012

Celebrity chef and TV foodie Anthony Bourdain chomped his way through Brooklyn this month, stopping by eight restaurants, including the buzzy Chef’s Table at Brooklyn Fare, the three Michelin-starred restaurant on Atlantic Avenue in Boerum Hill. His triptych was featured in The New York Daily News Sunday, where Bourdain called Brooklyn “the nexus of world cuisine.”

The New Jersey native told The News that his Brooklyn excursion was prompted by cooks he’s met from across the globe raving about its eating scene: “Brooklyn is the nexus where everything is going on right now. Brooklyn is a melting pot. There are traditional Jewish delis. Caribbeans are a huge part of the culture.”

Among his other stops: Jay & Lloyds Kosher Delicatessen on Avenue U and Randazzo’s Clam Bar on Emmons Avenue in Sheepshead Bay; and Gloria’s West Indian Restaurant on Nostrand Avenue in Crown Heights.

Regarding Chef’s Table, Bourdain said that the restaurant’s serving syle is being copied in fine dining restaurants in Paris and Australia: “It is do-it-yourself. There is little overhead.” He called his Chef’s Table meal the “best that I’ve had in New York in a long time.”

His week-long borough excursion will be featured this fall on Bourdain’s Travel Channel series “No Reservations.”

Read the full NY Daily News story here.

(Photo: New York Daily News)


Source: Cobble Hill Blog
http://cobblehillblog.com/archives/7335

From the Web

Real Estate

Luxury 85-Unit Rental Coming To Boerum Hill @ 316 Bergen Street

May 5, 2012

A new 85-unit luxury rental development is coming to Brooklyn’s Boerum Hill, one block from the border of Park Slope. Partners the Naftali Group and AEW Capital Management recently closed on a 90,000-square-foot site at 316 Bergen Street, at the corner of Third Avenue for $6.7 million. The eight-story building—with 45 residential parking spaces on the ground level—will include an attended lobby, health club, resident lounge, courtyard, storage and a roof deck with cabanas, sunbeds, a grill and dining area, with 360-degree views of Brooklyn and Manhattan, according to building reps.

The development is also in the vicinity of a Whole Foods market recently approved at Third Street and Third Avenue, next to the Gowanus Canal; and within walking distance to the 585-acre Prospect Park, with access to numerous subway stations and a five-minute walk from Atlantic Terminal.

“We are delighted to invest in this high-quality, well-located site to develop a luxury rental property in Brooklyn,” said AEW Director Anthony Crooks. “We believe the property will attract young professionals and families looking for affordable, quality housing, good amenities and access to public transportation.”

Residential brokerage aptsandlofts.com is expected to begin marketing the units in Summer 2013.

Naftali Group is also building a 104-unit luxury residential property at 267 Sixth Street, at the corner of Fourth Avenue. That project is also expected to come online next year. The firm currently owns 100 apartments and 20,000 square feet of retail space in Brooklyn.


Source: Cobble Hill Blog
http://cobblehillblog.com/archives/7161

From the Web

Food, News

NU Hotel Opens New Café

May 2, 2012


Just as another season of alfresco dining and drinking in the neighborhood is getting underway, a new sidewalk café opened for business yesterday at the NU Hotel Brooklyn.

Encompassing 416 square feet, the outdoor space has seating capacity for 30 patrons. Current hours of operation are from 4 p.m. to 1 a.m., with food served until 11 p.m. Though it has yet to be officially named, the new establishment is already serving up a menu of tapas devised by Chef Jehangir Mehta, owner of Manhattan eateries Graffiti and Mehtaphor. Offerings include braised pineapple, lamb and pork belly buns and mustard seed shrimp with cucumber and yogurt sauce. A full lunch and dinner menu will be available later this month.

“We’re extremely thrilled to have one of the largest sidewalk cafés in Downtown Brooklyn opened for business and look forward to becoming a neighborhood destination spot,” NU Hotel General Manager Javier Egipciaco told us.

In addition to light fare, the sidewalk café also features an extensive selection of cocktails, thanks to the concurrent reopening of the hotel’s revamped bar space. The drink menu will vary by season, with original cocktail recipes concocted by Master Mixologist Milos Zica, principal bartender at Manhattan restaurant Employees Only.

A drink naming contest is currently being held to coincide with the opening of the café. A tequila-based signature cocktail is the focus of the competition, with a $100 bar tab to be awarded as the prize for the winning drink moniker. More details can be found on NU Hotel’s Facebook page.

NU Hotel Brooklyn is located at 85 Smith Street, on the corner of Atlantic Avenue.


Source: Cobble Hill Blog
http://cobblehillblog.com/archives/7109

From the Web