Your correspondent wished he could attend today’s real estate luncheon at the Brooklyn Historical Society, but a day job interfered. Fortunately, The Real Deal was on hand to give us the straight skinny. First off: very few changes are being made to the interior, “which w[as] meticulously maintained by the [Jehovah’s] Witnesses [the building’s previous owners].” Mostly, new owner David Bistricer said, what is going on is upgrading electricity and plumbing. What is being done is so unobtrusive that it doesn’t bother the four long-term residents of the building who predate the Witnesses’ acquisition of it and whose continued right to live there is guaranteed by law.

Bistricer also said that any rooftop lounge would be “private.” We’re not sure what this means. Will it be accessible to hotel guests only, or be a private club, like the Casino? In our view, this would be unfortunate. Many of us would like to have a neighborhood “Top of the Mark” where we and our guests, visitors to the neighborhood, and hotel guests, could enjoy drinks, low volume music, and amazing views.

Source: Brooklyn Heights Blog
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/45228