Clinton Hill Development [Archive] - Wired New York Forum

Derek2k3

February 3rd, 2005, 02:05 AM

I think it's a little ridiculous sticking all projects for an entire borough in one thread. Maybe it should be broken down by neighborhoods like the Sheepshead Bay and Williamsburg threads. Anyway, thought I'd start this Clinton Hill thread and see how it goes.

Recent article about Clinton Hill from the New York Times.

LIVING IN | CLINTON HILL
Into the Big Leagues, With Prices to Match

By SUZANNE HAMLIN

Published: January 9, 2005

SANDWICHED between Fort Greene and Bedford-Stuyvesant, Clinton Hill in Brooklyn might just be the quintessence of urban living in New York City. It is affluent and not so, seedy and grand, ethnically diverse, a magnet for artists, musicians and filmmakers, and so rich in architectural style that even now, with escalating property prices, a new group of buyers is prowling its landmarked blocks in hopes of finding an overlooked gem.

"Like the rest of brownstone Brooklyn, we've had a huge surge of buyers this past year, particularly from Manhattan," said Merele Williams-Adkins, a broker with the Corcoran Group who lives in Clinton Hill with her husband, Terry Adkins, a sculptor and a professor in the graduate school of design at the University of Pennsylvania, and their two children.

One-time Manhattan residents, the Adkins moved to Clinton Hill in 1995 from the East Village, and bought a Classic Six co-op for $155,000. They sold it in 2001 for $577,000, and bought, for $610,000, a 4,000-square-foot brownstone on Grand Avenue, a property that is probably worth well over $1 million today.

However, based on Corcoran's just-released year-end report, "well over a million" might be a low-ball figure for a substantial property in this part of Brooklyn. According to the report, the rise in the combined prices for condos, co-ops and town houses, from 2003 to 2004, in Fort Greene and Clinton Hill averaged 35 percent. For town houses alone, the increase was 59 percent.

Once considered "secondary neighborhoods," Fort Greene and Clinton Hill have traditionally been the fallback choice for buyers shut out by prices in Brooklyn Heights, Cobble Hill and Park Slope (and, more recently, Carroll Gardens and Boerum Hill). And while they may be lumped together by brokers, the neighborhoods can no longer be considered the housing equivalent of a brand-name warehouse sale.

Roslyn Huebener, the co-owner of Aguayo & Huebener, a Brooklyn real estate firm, just closed on her "retirement house," which cost $2.15 million and faces Fort Greene Park.

"But then in 1985, people thought I was crazy when I bought five houses in Clinton Hill for $225,000 each," she said.

Both neighborhoods can claim proximity to the Brooklyn Academy of Music and Fort Greene Park, which was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted and is midway through a restoration. But Clinton Hill is farther away from the commercial streets of downtown Brooklyn, making it, to many of its residents, the better choice. It is also farther removed from mass-transit hubs, although street parking, fiercely contested in Fort Greene, is somewhat easier in Clinton Hill.

Centered on the five square blocks of Pratt Institute, the venerable art and design school founded by Charles Pratt in 1887, Clinton Hill today seems very much like the thoughtfully planned community it was intended to be when it was conceived almost 170 years ago.

Originally a large parcel of land owned by the Dutch, Clinton Hill became a neighborhood in the 1800's, a rural retreat for some of New York's most prominent industrialists, who built their imposing mansions along Washington and Clinton Avenues. In 1875, Charles Pratt, an oil executive and philanthropist, built a mansion on Clinton Avenue, followed by one for each of his four sons as they married. Subsequent neighbors included the Bristols (of the Bristol-Myers company) and the Underwoods (of typewriter fame).

These grand properties, looking today much as they did then, rarely change hands, although one of the grandest, the 12,000-square-foot mansion built by the Pfizer family at 280 Washington Avenue, is expected to come onto the market in early February, priced at $3,595,000, according to Paula Hollins, the listing broker at Corcoran.

Row houses followed on the surrounding streets, built in an eccentric smorgasbord of styles, something for every fantasy and taste. Along with Victorian brownstones and limestones, there are block after block of Italianate town houses, imposing Romanesque properties, graceful antebellum frame houses and possibly the greatest collection of carriage houses in the city.

Apartment houses were built beginning in the early 1900's through the 1940's, many to house families connected to the nearby Brooklyn Navy Yard. In 1954, Robert Moses razed a five-block area for urban renewal, and in the 1950's and 1960's, many one-family houses became rooming houses.

By 1979, when Naida McSherry bought a "darling house on St. James Place for $43,000," Clinton Hill was considered well off the map.

"Almost every house was still full of original details but neglected," she said. "Not because the owners didn't care, but because they didn't have the money to fix them up."

Once a home furnishings designer who moved from Greenwich Village to Brooklyn seeking space, Ms. McSherry became so enamored of Clinton Hill that she became a real estate broker, retiring last year after 25 years in the business.

Ms. McSherry said the one thing she tried not to do as a broker was sell to investors.

"I wanted people who bought here to live here," she said, "and to get involved in the neighborhood."

Clinton Hill does not have a huge supply of housing on the market. Rentals, in two- and three-family houses, are filled almost immediately by Pratt students and faculty members.

In the last year, condos, co-ops and houses in the $900,000 to $1.5 million range have sold, often with full-price offers or above, within a couple of days of coming on the market.

In the early part of the 20th century, Italian-American families made up the largest part of Clinton Hill's population, which has expanded today into a polyglot community that includes Caribbean immigrants, blacks and Hispanics.

Hundreds of often vibrantly plumed Pratt students are also highly visible members of the community, as are artists, designers, architects, writers and photographers drawn by the physical beauty, quirkiness, rough edges and energy in the neighborhood, and the quality most residents cite as Clinton Hill's most precious - its diversity.

There is no problem with where to hang out in Clinton Hill anymore. Both Fulton Street and the once-seedy Myrtle Avenue are filling up fast with take-out places, casual restaurants and shops. In the middle of it all is the Pratt Institute, which in the last decade under its president, Thomas F. Schutte, has notably increased its community involvement, always a hallmark of the school.

Clinton Hill's weak spot has always been its underperforming elementary and high schools, and many parents send their children to private, alternative or parochial schools.

St. Joseph's College, headquartered on Clinton Avenue, houses the Dillon Child Study Center, which has highly sought-after preschool and kindergarten programs. And Public School 11, because of increased involvement by parents, is coming on strong.

"It is thrilling to watch," Ms. McSherry said. "It used to be that young people would move here, but then they would have children, and as soon as they were old enough for grade school, they'd pack up and leave."

Local preservationists are keeping an eye on other changes.

"All we fear now is the developers," said Sharon Barnes, a resident of Clinton Hill since 1986. She is co-chairwoman of the Landmarks Preservation Committee of the Society for Clinton Hill, a community group that monitors major condo conversions and new high-rises, many of which, she says, seem to go up overnight, in spite of opposition.

Not all of Clinton Hill is landmarked. Some blocks, identified by their brown street signs, are protected from high-rise development, while others, not yet designated, are open to change. Besides changing the landscape, many in the community feel that real estate prices will drive out many less-affluent residents.

"Clinton Hill has been one of the few communities in New York City to maintain its level of racial and economic diversity," said Ron Schiffman, a professor at the graduate center for planning and the environment at Pratt. For 42 years an expert on community development, Professor Schiffman was instrumental, with Robert F. Kennedy, in forming the Bedford-Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation, still considered a model for community development.

"Watchdogs are needed, though," he said. "What is Clinton Hill's greatest strength, its diversity, may now be its most vulnerable aspect."

Attatched is the map that came with the article and some of my photos. The neighborhood is bounded by Clinton, Flushing, Atlantic, and Classon Avenue (though I stretch it to Bedford Avenue)

Derek2k3

February 3rd, 2005, 02:41 AM

Project # 1

The Kent
970 Kent Avenue
9 stories 126 feet (Renovation + 2 story addition)
Elissa Winzelberg Architect
Dev-970 Kent Avenue Associates
Residential Condominium
103 units 146,342 Sq. Ft.
Under Construction 2004-2005

http://www.newyorkmetro.com/realestate/articles/04/041004/second.jpg

Fancy-pants real estate
Ex-undie factory goes condo

BY HUGH SON
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

Work is underway to turn a Clinton Hill building where workers once made underwear into a tony condominium with views of Manhattan.

Some observers believe the conversion of the former Kaiser Underwear factory at 970 Kent Ave. marks the arrival of the neighborhood as a coveted residential area.

Each of the loft-style apartments will boast a wall of large windows - some of which have city views - and will sell for between $350,000 and $500,000, said Highlyann Krasnow of the Developers Group, which is handling sales for the project.

"You'll have amazing windows that run throughout the full length of the room," Krasnow said.

"This building is interesting because there aren't very many condo conversions in Clinton Hill at all - because it's a landmarked district, there's not very much new construction," she added.

Ground-floor apartments in the Kent building will have private patios, and penthouse units will have terraces, said architect and developer Elissa Winzelberg.

"They're fabulous apartments with really high ceilings," said Winzelberg, who explained that she designed the apartments to be especially well-lit because she felt some loft apartments tended to have poor natural lighting. The developers added a duplex penthouse level to the seven-story building, which was built in 1915 and used by the underwear manufacturers until the 1970s, said Winzelberg.

She expects The Kent - which will have apartments ranging from 941 to 1,327 square feet - to be finished toward the end of the year, though apartments are for sale now.

Other amenities in the 103-unit building will include a private courtyard with a running track and a full-time doorman.

The Kent conversion comes amidst a boom in real estate values in Clinton Hill, said Suzanne DeBrango, a real estate agent at Brooklyn Properties' Fort Greene office.

"Prices are a bit lower compared to Park Slope, which is a long-established residential neighborhood," DeBrango said, "but they are coming up so fast that the difference is almost negligible."
The average brownstone in the neighborhood now costs about $1.1 million, and a one-bedroom costs between $220,000 and $350,000, DeBrango said.

Originally published on July 22, 2004

Marketers:
http://www.thedevelopersgroup.com/buildings/building.aspx?buildingid=1017&

Derek2k3

February 3rd, 2005, 01:32 PM

Projects #2 & 3

The Spencer I
209 Spencer Street
9 stories 85 feet
Bricolage Designs
16 units 186,400 Sq. Ft.
Under Construction 2003-Early 2005

The Spencer II
201 Spencer Street
9 stories 85 feet
Bricolage Designs
18 units 24,533 Sq. Ft
Under Construction 2003-Early 2005

http://thedevelopersgroup.com/images/building/bld_1005_dt.jpg

http://www.thedevelopersgroup.com/buildings/building.aspx?buildingid=1005

The Spencer
201 Spencer St Brooklyn, NY 11205
The Spencer is one of the first new residential buildings in the historically designated area of Clinton Hill, and is a benchmark in excellence for all that will follow. The dramatic pre-war façade invites you into luxuriously appointed loft-like one-bedroom and duplex units where construction and amenities are of the highest standard. Each unit comes complete with private outdoor space, a garden, balcony, terrace or private roof deck. All residences will also have use of the common roof deck with panoramic NYC skyline views.

Amenities
Keyed elevators to each unit
Oversized windows

Outdoor space for every unit
Common roof deck with amazing NYC skyline views

Central air & heat(HVAC)
Wide plank hardwood floors

Exposed brick
Stainless steel appliances

Granite kitchen countertops
Maple kitchen cabinets

Blue stone baths

There's also a thread here:
http://www.wirednewyork.com/forum/showthread.php?t=4580&highlight=11205

Gulcrapek

February 3rd, 2005, 03:16 PM

I didn't realize there was a second Spencer. The last time I was there the only facade on it was stone quoining, so I didn't know it was related.

Derek2k3

February 3rd, 2005, 08:05 PM

Project #4

383 Willoughby Avenue
3/4 stories 29 feet
Scarano & Associates
Commercial
5,000 Sq. Ft.
Completed 2003

http://www.scaranoarchitects.com/

383 Willoughby Avenue

This project is located in a commercial district at the intersection of Bedford and Willoughby Avenues in Williamsburg section of Brooklyn.

The location of the project next to a gas station made the building visible from the intersection, this allowed the design to emphasize cantilevered elements above the entrance and glass turning the corner. The elevations created in the Bauhaus style give a clean look in contrast to the existing masonry homes in the neighborhood.

The elevation, composed in relation to the existing setback of the neighboring building, continued the street wall context as a major element.
At three stories with a mezzanine and roof terrace at the mezzanine level. The buildings scale is not readily apparent.

The structure is of concrete masonry units for its perimeter walls and steel beams for the cantilevered portion on the street elevation. Floor assemblies of steel beams and concrete decks at the parking level and light gauge metal joists on the upper floors complete the structure.

The program included a full cellar for storage, parking for the owner's trucks and personal vehicles and offices.

Gulcrapek

February 3rd, 2005, 08:08 PM

Wow... that one didn't turn out too nice.

Derek2k3

February 3rd, 2005, 08:51 PM

Project #5

902-908 Bedford Avenue
9 stories 86 feet
Bricolage Designs
Dev-Zilberman Henry
Residential Rental
18 units 59,000 Sq. Ft.
Completed Fall 2004

http://www.rentclintonhill.com/buildingMini_n.jpg

http://www.rentclintonhill.com/

902-908 Bedford Avenue is a new 44-unit rental building located in the Clinton Hill neighborhood of Brooklyn.

The building is designed to meet the needs of students and faculty members who are looking for value in a comfortable living environment.

If you are interested in finding out more about availabilities,
Please contact us at: (718) - 596 - 8856 or
Email us at: rentclintonhill@hotmail.com

Archit_K

February 4th, 2005, 11:20 AM

Those are some incredible pictures Derek2k3.

Derek2k3

February 4th, 2005, 01:12 PM

^Thanks.

Project # 6

189-191 Franklin Avenue
Weiss Sandor
Dev-Kohn Sol
8 stories 80 feet
Residential Rental
16 units 26,650 Sq. Ft.
Completed Late 2004

Derek2k3

February 4th, 2005, 01:42 PM

Project # 7

Vincent A. Stabile Hall
203 Emerson Place
5/6 stories 55 feet
Pasanella+Klein, Stolzman+Berg Architects
Dev-Pratt Institute
Dormitory
128 units 57,041 Sq. Ft.
$13,000,000
Completed July 1997-late 1999

http://www.archidose.org/Nov01/pratt1.jpg
Paul Warchol

From Archidose
http://www.archidose.org/Nov01/111201.html

Open since late 1999, Pratt Institute's Stabile Hall in Brooklyn, New York, designed by Pasanella+Klein, Stolzman+Berg Architects of New York City, is an atypical university dormitory. Accommodating approximately 220 freshman art and architecture students, the hall contains studio and gallery spaces, in addition to the typical dorm rooms and common areas.

Utilizing brick and translucent panels to differentiate functions and volumes, the building's scale is thereby reduced and is less severe than a monolithic shell might have been. The irregular openings and regular rhythm of the brick volumes (at left) is reminiscent of Louis I. Kahn's work, while the light volume sheathed in translucent panels conveys an appreciation of contemporary European architecture.

The multi-level lobby uses generous glazing and an unobtrusive pedestrian bridge to allow sunlight to fill the space. This space, along with the single-loaded corridors of the dorm floors, give the circulation a more prominent role than is typically afforded with this building type.

Unlike Morphosis' Graduate House in Toronto, Canada, Stabile Hall does not need to relate to an urban context. Instead it is required to fit the surrounding campus of Pratt's Brooklyn campus, which it does admirably both in materials and massing. The red brick relates to existing buildings dating back over 100 years, while the smaller, yet mainly opaque, brick volumes help to reduce the scale of the dorm. Finally, it is the panels of the majority of the exterior surface that enable the building to look ahead while appreciating the past.

http://www.pksb.com/
Stabile Hall
Pratt Institute/Brooklyn, NY

PKSB won a design competition for its innovative program that integrates studio spaces and a gallery with residential areas. The primary circulation corridor is lined by transparent, semi-private lounges that offer opportunities for students to meet and collaborate. A large gallery above the main entrance enables students to curate exhibits or host artists-in-residence, fostering a sense of connection with the school and the professional world. On the outside, the building creates a transition between tree-filled yards and the surrounding urban environment. A series of five-story pavilions contain the dormitory rooms that look out over the courtyards that are created between them.

AIA New York Chapter Design Award
Architecture Magazine P/A Award Citation

Attatched photography below by Paul Warchol

Archit_K

February 5th, 2005, 12:38 PM

Hanrahan Meyers Architects
135 West 20th Street, #300
New York, NY 10011
Phone: 212.989.6026
Fax: 212.255.3776
http://hanrahanmeyers.com/

Project: Pratt Design Center
Location: Brooklyn, NY
Client Pratt Institute
Size 8,000 s.f. of new construction; 100,000s.f. of renovation

Hanrahan Meyers Architects are designing a new Pratt Design Center Entrance Pavilion to join the existing Pratt Studios and Steuben Hall together as a single entity on the main campus of Pratt Institute. The new Entrance Pavilion will bring the two buildings together as one and establish a single identity for the Design Center. The Entrance Pavilion will symbolize the forward thinking and creativity of design education at Pratt Institute, which has an international reputation for design.

Pratt Studios and Steuben Hall house the principal design programs for the School of Art and Design. Both buildings will also be renovated to house all design programs of Pratt Institute.

Archit_K

February 5th, 2005, 12:44 PM

Here are some sexy renderings off the AIANY website http://www.aiany.org/designawards/2...inners_proj.htm. Hanrahan Meyers Architects recieved an AIA 2004 Design Award.

Archit_K

February 5th, 2005, 12:47 PM

I hope this turn out better then the renderings. Please comment on my pictures.

Archit_K

February 5th, 2005, 04:25 PM

Caroline Ladd Pratt House
229 Clinton Avenue, Clinton Hill
Sat: tours at 1pm, 2pm, 3pm, max 15 at a time
Architect: Babb, Cook & Willard, 1898
Services: restrooms available
One of Brooklyn's finest private residences, this Georgian Revival mansion is now inhabited by the president of Pratt Institute.
subway: G to Clinton-Washington
bus: B38

Archit_K

February 5th, 2005, 06:35 PM

REGIONAL MARKET / BROOKLYN An Anchor Bookstore for a College and Its Neighborhood
Jonathan Fickies for The New York Times
Donald Condrey will manage PrattStore, which replaces a cramped bookstore situated in a basement.

By SUZANNE HAMLIN

Published: January 12, 2005

PrattStore is determined to be than just another college bookstore. Housed in a sleek contemporary building with large glass windows, the new art-and-design store, which will open this month on Myrtle Avenue in Brooklyn, has been purposely built to serve both town and gown.

The store, a 15,000-square-foot soaring space, is a warehouse of books, publications and tools for every category of the arts. It combines bits of art shops and bookstores like Barnes & Noble, Rizzoli, MoMA, Pearl Paint and the Harvard Coop, all together in a wide-open merchandise display.

"There is nothing else quite like it anywhere in the country," said Thomas F. Schutte, the president of Pratt Institute, the nation's oldest and largest art and design school. "Obviously, it will be a tremendous resource for our students but, because of its location, for the community as well."

Community in this case is a broad concept. Pratt, which has more than 5,000 undergraduate and graduate students and more than 800 faculty members, is on 25 acres in the middle of Clinton Hill. Founded in 1887 by Charles Pratt, an oil industrialist and philanthropist, who built his own home nearby, Pratt's 19th-century founding precepts - an ideal merging of art and commerce -seem much in evidence today.

The highly visible new PrattStore, built on a corner of the Pratt campus on part of a school parking lot, is at Emerson Place and Myrtle Avenue, a low-rise commercial thoroughfare for both traffic and pedestrians that wends through Brooklyn's multiethnic, mixed-economic residential neighborhoods of Fort Greene, Clinton Hill and Bedford-Stuyvesant. While no hard figures exist, these high-density areas have a relatively high share of artists, sculptors, photographers, filmmakers and architects as residents.

For them, PrattStore may become a regular shopping destination. Revenue for the store's first fiscal year, July 2005 through June 2006, is projected at $3 million. "Every penny of the net profits will flow directly back into Pratt operations," said Dr. Schutte, who has a doctorate in business administration.

Constructed for $2.2 million and designed by the architect Richard Scherr, director of facilities planning and design at Pratt, the pale gray all-steel store was created from prefabricated components supplied by Butler Manufacturing of Kansas City, Mo., a leading manufacturer of pre-engineered metal building systems.

The building's distinctive features include a striking red canopy on the exterior and poured concrete counters and wood seats inside. The interior space has been divided into a large, open ground-floor merchandise arena and a mezzanine overlooking the main floor, reached by open steps. The display cases are movable, so the space can be reconfigured at any time.

The display racks are filled with art supplies, dorm supplies, Pratt logo merchandise and a big selection of books (about a third are textbooks with the rest being trade books) on painting, sculpture, photography, architecture, interior design, digital media, furniture, woodworking, fashion, ceramics and jewelry.

The mezzanine has more books and design and fashion magazines as well as an open area that will be a performance space for readings and lectures by artists and writers. A 750-square-foot exhibition and retail space is evolving into "Pratt by Design" – featuring products and artwork created by Pratt alumni and faculty. Mezzanine seating encourages customers to stay as long as they want and an espresso bar is planned. Donald Condrey, general manager of the store, is a longtime retailer who ran the campus bookstore at the State University of New York at Stony Brook.

The previous Pratt bookstore was in a cramped space in the basement of an administration building. The new store is the latest of several changes during Dr.Schutte's tenure that have increased Pratt's visibility. PrattStore's official opening party is scheduled for Jan. 27. But last weekend, on a rainy late afternoon, PrattStore already appeared like a brightly lighted beacon on Myrtle Avenue, and passers-by continually stopped, knocked and mouthed through the glass doors, "Are you open yet?"

The supplicants were a diverse group, older women carrying shopping bags, parents with strollers, bearded men wearing berets and children. Nodding toward one wall of the store, Mr. Condrey noted, "We do have a large kids' art supply section, and we're working with local schools on a discount program for students."

Mr. Condrey said the store would welcome ideas from its customers. "At the front of the store, we're going to have a big bulletin board called Soap Box, where people can post their ideas about service, merchandise, even programs," he said. "We expect we'll get plenty of suggestions, and we plan to take them very seriously."

It’s the largest book store in Brooklyn. The architect: Richard Scherr. Located at 550 Myrtle Ave.

Derek2k3

February 5th, 2005, 07:32 PM

stealing my thread huh?...nice job though.
Check out some more Clinton Hill pictures here:
http://www.pbase.com/derek2k3/clinton_hill
http://www.pbase.com/warrenmark/clinton

Project # 8

11 Irving Place
4 stories 45 feet
Bricolage Designs
Dev-Merrick Homes
Residential
8 units 7,500 Sq. Ft
Completed 2003-Late 2004

Derek2k3

February 6th, 2005, 12:08 PM

Project #9

354 Franklin Avenue
4 stories 55 feet
Scarano & Associates Architects
Dev-Kanovsky Donny Partner
Residential
6 units 8,579 Sq. Ft
Proposed 2005-?

http://www.scaranoarchitects.com/

The intersection of two streets provides a pale context for this modernist icon. In an area that is home to a mix of residential and industrial buildings, the development seeks to provide a striking composition with austere and elegant design. The large expanses of glass are framed by a ribbon of stone that undulates around the main fa e like a snake through a garden. This stone feature provides both relief and tension as it moves up and around the facade.

With only six units the development is small but every unit is packed with amenities which include individual parking garages, cellar storage spaces and recreation rooms, outdoor terraces and balconies, and multi-height living and sleeping areas. The second and third floor apartments have mezzanine spaces which create an additional multipurpose space for the owner. Direct access to rooftop gardens for the third floor apartments provide a triplex feel to the units, while the second floor has direct access to both the first and cellar levels and outdoor space.

In today's competitive real estate market interesting facade designs and dynamic interior spaces are a sure way to sell apartments at premium prices per square foot.

Derek2k3

February 6th, 2005, 01:01 PM

Project #10

Clinton Court
523-535 Clinton Avenue
7 stories
Scarano & Associates Architects
Dev-David Weiss
Residential Condominiums
35 units
Under Construction 2004-2006

http://www.scaranoarchitects.com/

Utilizing existing buildings can be a daunting undertaking when the aesthetic character contradicts a modern vernacular. This existing structure presented such a challenge.
Built to house a population of 50 children, this modest 1930's two story brick building, represented an institutional style inherent in buildings of that period. By maintaining the original facade and enveloping it in the new addition, its historic nature could be preserved and a design was created that acts as a backdrop to this small jewel.

A simple palette of modern finishes, including brick and metal panels, provide a clean, minimalist backdrop to the remaining structure. Large expanses of glass and high ceilings give the new apartments a light and airy feeling. Other amenities include a full service parking garage, exercise and meeting rooms, outdoor recreation decks, Italian kitchen and bath cabinetry, European fixtures and marble and granite finishes.

A large medical office at the first floor makes this a mixed use development.
These new residential opportunities into the Clinton Hill Historic District will assist with the stability of the area.

Archit_K

February 6th, 2005, 05:05 PM

I love SCARANO & ASSOCIATES ARCHITECTS designs.

NewYorkYankee

February 6th, 2005, 07:15 PM

There seems to be a lot of new and interesting buildings going up in Clinton Hill.

Derek2k3

February 7th, 2005, 06:48 PM

Project # 11

800 Bedford Avenue
5 stories 70 feet
Karl Fischer Architects
Dev-Stern Esther
Residential
10 units 30,872 Sq. Ft.
Completed 2004

Formerly an auto dealership and it's built for the Hasidic Jewish community.

Derek2k3

February 7th, 2005, 07:11 PM

Project # 12

829-831 Bedford Avenue
5 stories 70 feet
Scarano Associates
Dev-Future Development & Construction
Residential/Mixed Use
4 units 17,383 Sq. Ft.
Under Construction 2004-2006

829-831 Bedford Avenue

http://www.scaranoarchitects.com/

Bedford Avenue is fast becoming a prime housing and commercial area for this burgeoning group. Long a major traffic artery, the avenue was modified to one- way northbound traffic several years ago in an attempt to relieve congestion and move vehicles to the downtown Brooklyn core.

A housing stock of older prewar apartment buildings, row houses and a mix of commercial and industrial buildings make the avenue an eclectic palette of facades, uses and materials.

It was paramount to create a mixed-use building, able to house large families and provide much needed commercial space. A building fa e integrating contextual detailing in a modern package allows new and old to co-exist together.

Traditional materials of masonry and stone blend together with metal paneling and synthetic stucco. Distinct facades create a look attractive to residential as well as commercial owners. Outdoor space, including large roof terraces and balconies, provide an amenity, which is more a necessity within this religious culture.

The success of the project is enhanced by its ability to be contextual with its neighbors, helping to make a transition between the heights of the adjacent buildings.

Derek2k3

February 7th, 2005, 07:34 PM

Project # 13

675 Myrtle Avenue
5 stories 55 feet
Bricolage Designs
Dev-Abe Lichtenstein
Resdiential
10 units 15,000 Sq. Ft.
Completed 2004

Gulcrapek posted a picture of this before. I don't think they're ever going to add the balconies.

Derek2k3

February 7th, 2005, 07:55 PM

Project #14

71 Lexington Avenue
4 stories 40 feet
Sandor Weiss
Dev-Kozlik Shlomo
Residential
5 units 5,600 Sq. Ft
Under Construction 2003-Early 2005

Gulcrapek

February 7th, 2005, 07:57 PM

Sandor Weiss loves to maker the chintzy concrete quoins... a block away from me is another of his wonderful works.

Archit_K

February 8th, 2005, 01:52 AM

Project #14

Hey Derek2k3 whats the deal with this building? What month of the year is this building going to be completed?

Derek2k3

February 8th, 2005, 04:13 AM

Not sure. Probably by the end of next month.

Derek2k3

February 9th, 2005, 02:16 AM

Project #15 & 16

Clinton Hill Village I
963 Kent Avenue
3/4 stories 35 feet
Bricolage Designs
Dev-Boinich Development LLC
Residential Condominiums
3 units 5,500 Sq. Ft.
Completed 2002-2004

Clinton Hill Village II
963 Kent Avenue
3/4 stories 35 feet
Bricolage Designs
Dev-Boinich Development LLC
Residential Condominiums
3 units 5,500 Sq. Ft.
Completed 2002-2004

http://www.bushburg.com/images/Clinton%20Hill%20Village123_image4

http://www.bushburg.com/details.php?bldgID=123

“Clinton Hill Village” is nestled in the vastly growing neighborhood of Clinton Hill, Brooklyn. In its long history, Clinton Hill has found itself at the height of social, artistic, and cultural awareness. Even today, one can expect to find a plethora of diverse culture, art, community resources, educational institutions, and recreational areas. "Clinton Hill Village" is within walking distance to the Pratt Insitute, Brooklyn Academy of Music, and Fort Greene Park. Clinton Hill Village lies at the heart of convenience for the commuter, the shopper, and anyone who needs close proximity to the necessities of everyday life, all within reach via public transportation (subway-G train @ Classon Ave. or bus- B38, B48, B54) or car. Call (718)417-1616

Gulcrapek

February 9th, 2005, 02:53 PM

Ugh... a gated community? And nasty design to go with that, though that's what Bricolage does.

Schadenfrau

February 9th, 2005, 03:12 PM

Yikes, that is truly heinous. It looks like one of the apartment complexes that make frequent appearances on COPS.

Those big iron gates to the outside world really exemplify Clinton Hill's "social and cultural awareness".

Archit_K

February 9th, 2005, 09:08 PM

Gulcrapek

February 9th, 2005, 09:19 PM

Would someone like to start a letter-writing campaign about it? I would but I have had serious block for a while now. The letters would aim at eliminating the gates and possibly improving the design, but in no way stopping the development.

Derek2k3

February 9th, 2005, 10:58 PM

Would have been a good idea but I feel it's already too late. This side of the neighborhood is still rather seedy and the developer probably attracted buyers with the sense of security the gates provide.

Derek2k3

February 9th, 2005, 11:05 PM

Project # 17

481 Park Avenue
6 stories 70 feet
Scarano & Associates Architects
Dev-Parkside Estates LLC
Residential
10 units 28,900 Sq. Ft.
Under Construction 2005-2006

http://www.scaranoarchitects.com/

Building in this community of Williamsburg, Brooklyn requires a knowledge of lifestyle that dictates the program and layout of the units within. Families numbering eight to twelve members typically reside in one apartment. Four to five bedrooms give the necessary space to these rapidly growing families. At 15 - 1900 sq. ft., they are larger than the majority of apartments being provided today and fill a niche that has been ignored by most builders.

All apartments have expansive kosher kitchens with separate Passover kitchens and dinette areas to accommodate the families. A separate dining room is the focus of the design layout. An oversized utility room containing a full size washer/dryer, water heater, furnace and air conditioning turns each apartment into a self-contained unit.

A variety of masonry colors and simple detailing and a stone base provide a contemporary look to this classically laid out building.

Derek2k3

February 9th, 2005, 11:30 PM

Project # 20 & 21

104 Spencer Street
5 stories 50 feet
Karl Fischer Architects
Dev-Esther Karpen
Residential
5 units 19,614 Sq. Ft.
Completed 2004

110 Spencer Street
5 stories 50 feet
Karl Fischer Architects
Dev-Esther Karpen
Residential
5 units 19,614 Sq. Ft.
Completed 2004

Archit_K

February 10th, 2005, 01:22 AM

Brooklyn Builds: Housing in Our Community is presented by Pratt Institute, in cooperation with Danny Simmons.

Moderator: Jeanne Lutfy, president, BAM Local Development Corporation
Ken Adams, president, Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce
Jon Benguiat, Planning and Development, Office of the Brooklyn Borough President
Deborah Howard, executive director, Pratt Area Community Council
Brad Lander, director, PICCED
Rhonda Lewis, executive director, Bridge Street Development Corporation
James Sanford, director, Community Development, Brooklyn Economic Development Corporation

Remember that vacant lot down the block? Chances are, a developer s building on it. The community garden? It may have gone the way of the dinosaur to make room for progress.

As pple flock to Brooklyn to work and put down roots, developers are building a new generation of housing and office buildings. Come meet some of the key players behind the building boom, as they engage in an open panel discussion on the pros and cons of Brooklyn’s evolution.

Tuesday, Feb 15, 05
6-8:00pm

Memorial Hall
Pratt Institute
200 Willoughby Ave.
Brooklyn

Admission is free, but seating is limited. For more info or to RSVP, call 718-636-3657 or email events@pratt.edu. For directions, go to www.pratt.edu/directions.

Derek2k3

February 10th, 2005, 05:51 PM

Project # 22

143-159 Classon Avenue
143-149 Classon Avenue/380 Park Avenue
5 stories 55 feet
Scarano & Associates Architects
Dev-Rosner Moses Partner
Residential
17 units 35,210 Sq. Ft.
Under Construction 2004-2007

http://www.scaranoarchitects.com/index.html

Development in Williamsburg has continued to grow and expand its boundaries. Dozens of projects have been approved with a variance or special permit, allowing manufacturing properties to be developed residentially. (This particular property was also subject to a rezoning to permit the development).

Classically designed buildings represent the prevalent style of these new structures. Introducing a modern design into this setting required a blending of styles to create a classically detailed modern icon. Masonry and cut stone clad the buildings body and base, while a standing seam creates a mansard, which covers the top floor, giving the building a lowered appearance.

Large family-style 3 -4 bedroom apartments with 1500 -1800 sq. ft. is the predominant unit, with amenities including both kosher and Passover kitchens and large laundry/mechanical rooms within the dining rooms and dinettes. Over 60% of the units have parking in an enclosed garage. Carriage and general bulk storage are also contained in the cellars of both buildings.

Efficiency of layout, a clean design and a generous amenity package helped the building sell out every unit within two weeks time.

Archit_K

February 16th, 2005, 01:22 PM

"Brooklyn BuildS: Housing in Our Community" was presented yesterday on Feb. 15 in the Memorial Hall @ Pratt Institute. I attended and it tackled some of the questions on how to effectively accomadate the need for housing and office space in the buregoining borough of Brooklyn.
This became a hand on discussing on the complex, and controversial, issues of housing and office development. The quess speakers were Adams, president, Brooklyn Chamber of Comerece; Jon Benquiat, director, Planning Development, Brooklyn Borough President's Office; Deborah Hoqard, executive director, Pratt Area Community Council; Rhonda Lewis, executive director, Bridge Street Development Corporation; and James Sanford, director, Community Development, Brooklyn Economic Development Coporation.
Brad Lander, director, Pratt Center for Community and Economic Development (PICCED), which released a report on inclusionary in New York City, who aslo joined the panel for this open discussing. Brad said "Neighborhoods throughout Brooklyn have seen remarkable real estate resurgence, with new commercial development downtown, and housing going up in every neighborhood. Much of the new housing is expensive, far out-of-reach of the average Broolynite, however, and rents are rising much faster than family incomes." He says forums like these are important becasue, "We must use every available tool to make sure that development leads to prosperity that is more broadly shared by the people of our borough."

Archit_K

February 18th, 2005, 12:37 AM

Clinton Hill Society
Community Landmarks People

Wednesday, Feb. 16, 2005
7:00PM to 9:00PM

St. Lukes Lutheran Church
259 Washington Ave.
Between Dekalb and Willoughby Aves

Feature Guest Speaker: Andrew S. Dolkart
Speaking on Nineteenth and Early Twentieth-Century Development of Clinton Hill

Andrew S. Dolkart holds the James Marston Fitch Professorship in Historic Preservation @ the Columbia University School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation. He is an architectural City, with a special interest in his native Brooklyn. Indeed, he wrote the designation reports for the Clinton Hill and Fort Greene Historic and is presently working with the Myrtle Avenue Revitalization Project on a survey of Wallabout. Andrew is the author of the award-winning Morningside Heights: A History of Its Architecture and Development and of the Landmarks Commission's Guide to New York City Landmarks.

Archit_K

February 18th, 2005, 04:14 AM

Higgins Hall Center Wing/Connection
61 St. James Place
4 stories
Steven Holl Architects in conjuction with Rogers Marvel Architects
Under Construction 2003-2005

For more information go to this already started thread:
http://www.wirednewyork.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5375&highlight=higgins+north+wing

Archit_K

February 18th, 2005, 04:27 AM

Pratt Institute Master Plan

http://www.poly.edu/polypress/campus_life.cfm

Pratt Institute is working on an ambitious expansion program that includes a new architecture school building that was designed by Steven Holl, one of the people chosen to draw up site plans for a new World Trade Center complex. Part of the Pratt work is retail development.

Artistic merit

The school is building a 15,000 square-foot art supply store on Myrtle Avenue, anticipating that artists from all over Broklyn will shop there, as well as its students. Borough Hall did a study and found that more artists, architects and designers live in Brooklyn than in any other borough of the city.

Pratt's role in redeveloping the Myrtle Avenue retail corridor just beyond the gates of its campus is unusually hands-on.

It formed a local development corporation with business leaders that has cleaned up graffiti, added streetlights and planted trees. It joins in the open houses held to romance prospective tenants for vacant storefronts, an effort that has filled dozens of spaces.

Pratt President Tom Schutte says that for the sake of his students, he had to get involved. They needed places to shop.

"Students felt landlocked," Mr. Schutte says. "They felt they had no place to go."

BY LORE CROGHAN

http://www.rogersmarvel.com/

Campus Planning at Pratt Institute
Campus Facilities Plan 1999

Rogers Marvel recently completed a President's Report for Pratt Institute to guide the development of the campus and to establish parameters for campus planning. Rogers Marvel worked with senior staff, deans and standing committees to gather and analyze programmatic data. The Pratt trustees, administration and faculty will be consulted for additional information and project review input.

Another project @ Pratt.
Hanger Design Group NY Juan C. Matiz AIA, Class of 1994 is designing a new security booth at Pratt. I tried to access their website but I got nothing. I'll try later.
www.hangerdesigngroup.com

Derek2k3

February 25th, 2005, 01:10 PM

Project #23

106 Clifton Place
104-106 Clifton Place
4 stories 40 feet
Simino Architects
Residential Rental
4 units 5,038 Sq. Ft. (x4)
Completed 2004

Gulcrapek

February 25th, 2005, 02:02 PM

Ew. Does Simino have a website? They're responsible for at least 4 new buildings on Guider Avenue also, only one is bad though.

Derek2k3

February 25th, 2005, 06:05 PM

No I couldn't find one. Actually this building is better than the photo leads you to believe. The interior layouts are also nice.

Archit_K

February 27th, 2005, 02:42 AM

Project #23

Oh wow that is so cool. I know ppl who live there. I agree interior is nice.

Gulcrapek

April 12th, 2005, 02:46 PM

Project #24
804 Bergen Street
4 floors, 55 ft
Scarano & Associates
Dev: MNH Equities
10 units
Approved 12/27/04

http://www.scaranoarchitects.com/ > multifamily

I don't particularly care for it... could use a little toning down.

"Long, narrow parcels are always a challenge when new construction is involved. Sculpting a building mass that floods the interiors with light and air and providing multiple elevation changes leads to a visual bridging between adjacent properties."

Project #25
30-32 Carlton Avenue
7 floors

Same link as above

Interesting design, if a little monolithic..

"Creating a solid surface by using aluminum louvers as screens achieves an effect through which the eye reads the building as a geometric shape; a stone box divided by a cross shape filled in by louvers. Subtle detail variances, such as the louvers wrapping around the building or the offset window in the dormers, give this otherwise symmetric building the much needed asymmetry it deserves."

Derek2k3

April 16th, 2005, 06:40 PM

Since Project #24 is really in Prospect Heights and #25 in Ft.Greene

Project #24

848 Fulton Street
4 stories 34 feet
4units 5,000 Sq. Ft.
Walter T. Gorman, P.E., P.C.
Dev-Fulvan Realty Corp.
Residential
Completed 2003-2004

http://www.pbase.com/archit_kderek2k3/image/42144413.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/archit_kderek2k3/image/42144397.jpg

Derek2k3

April 16th, 2005, 06:57 PM

Gulcrapek

April 16th, 2005, 08:54 PM

#25 - An example of a "fedders" development - only it's Friedrich.

Derek2k3

April 29th, 2005, 09:01 PM

lol yup, modern ornament.

Project #26

371 Classon Avenue
367-371 Classon Avenue
5 stories 55 feet
Bricolage Designs
Dev-KAI Construction
Residential
19 units 20,660 Sq. Ft.
Under Construction 2005-?

Map
http://www.mapquest.com/maps/map.adp?formtype=address&searchtype=address&country=US&addtohistory=&1ahXX=&address=371+Classon+Avenue&city=brooklyn&state=ny&zipcode=

Derek2k3

April 29th, 2005, 09:46 PM

Project #27

530-532 Classon Avenue
1073-1079 Fulton Street
7 stories 69 feet
Hugo S. Subotovsky A.I.A., Architects LLC
Dev-Fulton Classon Condo, LLC
Residential Condominiums
29 units 21,632 Sq. Ft.
Under Construction 2005

http://www.pbase.com/archit_kderek2k3/image/42733389.jpg

Brownstoner:
New Build at Classon and Fulton
April 26, 2005

http://brownstoner.com/brownstoner/archives/2005/04/new_build_at_cl_1.html

530-532
We passed this work-in-progress on Fulton and Classon on our Sunday drive. We believe the address is 530-532 Classon but were unable to find anything on Property Shark or DOB about it. This is the biggest project we're aware of this far east--we'd call it Bed Stuy but no doubt it will be marketed as Clinton Hill. Anyone got the 411?

Read thread posts at the site.

http://www.pbase.com/archit_kderek2k3/image/42733229.jpg
Picture taken in early March. Rose quickly.

http://www.mapquest.com/maps/map.adp?formtype=address&searchtype=address&country=US&addtohistory=&1ahXX=&address=530-532+Classon+Avenue&city=brooklyn&state=ny&zipcode=
Map

Derek2k3

April 30th, 2005, 12:01 PM

Project #28

103-107 Grand Avenue
4 stories 55 feet
Scarano & Associates Architects
Dev-103-107 Grand Ave Realty LLC
Residential
8 units 8,663 Sq. Ft.
Under Construction 2005-?

http://www.pbase.com/archit_kderek2k3/image/42752250.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/archit_kderek2k3/image/42752253.jpg

http://www.mapquest.com/maps/map.adp?formtype=address&searchtype=address&country=US&addtohistory=&1ahXX=&address=103-107+Grand+Avenue&city=brooklyn&state=ny&zipcode=
Map

Derek2k3

April 30th, 2005, 01:51 PM

Clinton Hill House Tour

Sunday May 1, 2005

12:00 pm to 5:00 pm

http://www.clintonhill.org/housetour.htm

The grandeur and beauty of Clinton Hill's architecture is unsurpassed making it one of the country's pride landmark communities. Take advantage of this rare opportunity to see the inside of some of Clinton Hill's magnificent homes.

The self guided walking tour takes about 2 to 3 hours, so please give yourself plenty of time.

The homes will only be open to 5:00 pm.

Pick up your maps/tickets at:

320 Washington Avenue

Brooklyn, NY 11205

Between Lafayette and Dekalb Avenues

Ticket Prices $25.00 Day of Tour

Go to site for more info:
http://www.clintonhill.org/housetour.htm

Some of the apartment buildings around Clinton Hill, didn't have many of the homes though.

http://www.pbase.com/archit_kderek2k3/image/42755897.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/archit_kderek2k3/image/42755863.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/archit_kderek2k3/image/42755895.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/archit_kderek2k3/image/42755896.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/archit_kderek2k3/image/42755899.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/archit_kderek2k3/image/42755902.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/archit_kderek2k3/image/42755909.jpg

Gulcrapek

April 30th, 2005, 05:02 PM

The third picture there... when I see those I know I'm close to Pratt, I call them brownstones on steroids...

Archit_K

April 30th, 2005, 05:22 PM

^ lol

Derek2k3

May 6th, 2005, 03:24 PM

From the top floor of Pratt's Willoughby dorm.

http://www.pbase.com/archit_kderek2k3/image/43031810/original.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/archit_kderek2k3/image/43031815.jpg
Looking over Ft.Greene

http://www.pbase.com/archit_kderek2k3/image/43031811.jpg
Verrazano off in the distance. Greene House Condos behind the green roofed church.

http://www.pbase.com/archit_kderek2k3/image/43031812.jpg
Looking toward the NavyYard

http://www.pbase.com/archit_kderek2k3/image/43031938.jpg
That's the taller Schaefer tower under construction.

http://www.pbase.com/archit_kderek2k3/image/43031816.jpg
Higgins Hall

http://www.pbase.com/archit_kderek2k3/image/43031817.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/archit_kderek2k3/image/43031818.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/archit_kderek2k3/image/43031819.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/archit_kderek2k3/image/43031820.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/archit_kderek2k3/image/43031821.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/archit_kderek2k3/image/43031823.jpg
Towards Prospect Heights

Derek2k3

May 7th, 2005, 12:23 PM

Project #29

The Chocolate Factory
689 Myrtle Avenue
5 stories(Conversion)
Bricolage Designs(Conversion Architect)
Dev-Chocolate Partners LLC
Residential Condominiums
43 units 64,650 Sq. Ft.
Completed 2003

http://corcoran.com/property/nd/photo/Chocolate_Plant_lg.jpg

Corcoran
689 Myrtle Avenue
Brooklyn,NY11205

http://corcoran.com/property/nd/index.asp?p=2&BDD=Y

Overview
SOLD OUT![/b]
The Chocolate Factory is what everybody has been asking for - real, affordable lofts for purchase in NYC. Well, here it is: NYC's best deal with spacious lofts from $234,000 to $445,000. And if that's not enough, The Chocolate Factory Lofts have gracious full stainless steel kitchens, jacuzzi baths, elevated mezzanines, and tons of storage for artists. If a building can have good karma, The Chocolate Factory's heavenly past is it. The charm and aroma of living in a former Chocolate Factory makes this chocolate loft conversion a buyer's dream. Genuine Premium Grade Sweet Lofts, made in Brooklyn, USA.

Amenities

13ft. ceiling heights, huge wharehouse windows, stainless steel kitchens, elevated mezzanines, large columns, jacuzzi baths, oversized doors, and lots of storage.

Neighborhood Info

The Chocolate Factory is located near the famous Pratt Institute, one of New York's finest art and architecture schools in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn. Nearby G subway line and easy access to weekends and airports by the nearby Brooklyn-Queens Expressway.
All information furnished regarding property for sale, rental or financing is from sources deemed reliable, but no warranty or representation is made as to the accuracy thereof and same is submitted subject to errors, omissions, change of price, rental or other conditions, prior sale, lease or financing or withdrawal without notice. All dimensions are approximate. For exact dimensions, you must hire your own architect or engineer.

http://www.pbase.com/archit_kderek2k3/image/43060662.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/archit_kderek2k3/image/43060663.jpg

http://www.mapquest.com/maps/map.adp?formtype=address&searchtype=address&country=US&addtohistory=&1ahXX=&address=%0D%0A689+Myrtle+Avenue&city=brooklyn&state=ny&zipcode=
Map

Derek2k3

May 8th, 2005, 08:30 PM

Project #9

354 Franklin Avenue
4 stories 55 feet
Scarano & Associates Architects
Dev-Kanovsky Donny Partner
Residential
6 units 8,579 Sq. Ft
Under Construction 2005-2006

http://www.pbase.com/archit_kderek2k3/image/43129435.jpg http://www.pbase.com/archit_kderek2k3/image/43129441.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/archit_kderek2k3/image/43129572.jpg

Project # 12

829-831 Bedford Avenue
5 stories 70 feet
Scarano Associates
Dev-Future Development & Construction
Residential/Mixed Use
4 units 17,383 Sq. Ft.
Under Construction 2004-2006

http://www.pbase.com/archit_kderek2k3/image/43129870.jpg http://www.pbase.com/archit_kderek2k3/image/43129871.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/archit_kderek2k3/image/43129856.jpg http://www.pbase.com/archit_kderek2k3/image/43129855.jpg

Gulcrapek

May 8th, 2005, 11:05 PM

354 Franklin is outstanding, except for the side along the townhouses. It literally puts a massive wall between itself and its neighbors.

Gulcrapek

May 24th, 2005, 05:59 PM

651 Washington Avenue
6 floors, 9 units
Architect: Thomas Lang

http://img201.echo.cx/img201/2840/65somethingwash1av.th.jpg (http://img201.echo.cx/my.php?image=65somethingwash1av.jpg)

655 Washington Avenue
5 floors, 10
60 ft
Architect: Scarano & Associates

http://img201.echo.cx/img201/6113/vacant5wg.th.jpg (http://img201.echo.cx/my.php?image=vacant5wg.jpg)

Archit_K

May 30th, 2005, 12:55 AM

Gulcrapek

May 30th, 2005, 02:29 AM

It's bland/ugly. When I was there I was wondering what the fuss was about.

Fabrizio

May 30th, 2005, 08:47 AM

If it were built a little better it would look like a small supermarket you might find in any new European suburb.

Derek2k3

June 3rd, 2005, 10:45 PM

Project #25

525 Vanderbilt Avenue
525-527 Vanderbilt Avenue
4 stories 40 feet
Gerald J. Caliendo, RA
Dev-Whitestone Properties
7 units 8,263 Sq. Ft.
Residential
Under Construction 2004-2005

http://brownstoner.com/brownstoner/archives/IMG_4759.JPG
June 01, 2005
Another Case of the Blahs Near Atlantic Yards
From Brownstoner

Discussion here:
http://brownstoner.com/brownstoner/archives/2005/06/another_case_of.html#comments

Derek2k3

June 3rd, 2005, 11:08 PM

Project #30

307 Grand Avenue
4 stories 41 feet (1 story addition)
Aston Associates
Dev-Issa Momeer
Residential Condominium
3 units 5,047 Sq. Ft.
Completed 2003

http://www.pbase.com/archit_kderek2k3/image/44276697.jpg

Corcoran
307 GRAND AVENUE
Brooklyn, NY11238

http://www.corcoran.com/

Overview
SOLD OUT!
Prime conversion. Three gorgeous duplex units. All low monthly common charges. Each have their own outdoor amenities. Located in Historic Clinton Hill. Close to Pratt Institute, St. Josephs College BAM, Manhattan, Park Slope and Brooklyn Heights. All units feature central air/heat, state of the art kitchen renovations, very high ceilings. All are duplexes. Recessed lighting throughout and well appointed baths and closets. Building is a massive 25’ wide so all three units are huge and distinguished with great family style layouts. Each have 1.5 to 3.5 baths

Prime conversion. Three gorgeous duplex units. All ow monthly common charges. Each have their own outdoor amenities. Located in Historic Clinton Hill. Close to Pratt Institute, St. Josephs College BAM, Manhattan, Park Slope and Brooklyn Heights. All units feature central air/heat, state of the art kitchen renovations, very high ceilings. All are duplexes. Recessed lighting throughout and well appointed baths and closets. Building is a massive 25’ wide so all three units are huge and distinguished with great family style layouts. Each have 1.5 to 3.5 baths.

http://www.mapquest.com/maps/map.adp?formtype=address&searchtype=address&country=US&addtohistory=&1ahXX=&address=307+Grand+Avenue&city=brooklyn&state=NY&zipcode=
Map

Derek2k3

June 4th, 2005, 12:44 AM

Project #31

309-311 Grand Avenue
5 stories 55 feet
Karl Fischer Architect
Dev-Abe Lemmer
Residential
16 units 21,610 Sq. Ft
Under Construction 2005-?

http://www.pbase.com/archit_kderek2k3/image/44279322.jpg
Lot just to the right of 307 Grand in this photo.

http://www.mapquest.com/maps/map.adp?formtype=address&searchtype=address&country=US&addtohistory=&1ahXX=&address=309-311+Grand+Avenue&city=brooklyn&state=ny&zipcode=
Map

Derek2k3

June 4th, 2005, 12:51 AM

Contradicting information between what the WT Construction website says and the DOB.

Project #32

333 Greene Avenue
12 stories
Bricolage Designs
Dev-WT Construction LLC
Residential Condominium
58 units
Under Construction 2004-2005

or

335-345 Greene Avenue
10 stories 110 feet
Walter C. Maffei, Architect
Dev-333-345 Greene LLC
Residential
53 units 77,520 Sq. Ft.
Under Construction 2004-?

http://wtconstruction.com/images/project10.jpg

WT Construction
http://wtconstruction.com/projects.html

Luxury Condo Development
PROJECT: Condo Development ADDRESS: 333- Greene Ave Bklyn NY OWNER: WT Construction LLC JOB: General Contractor and New Construction Architect: Bricolage Design Corp. Status: 10% Complete / 8-1-04 Completion: June 2005

This new construction project consisting of 12 story multi family structure — for a total of 58 units located in the Fort Greene neighborhood of Brooklyn NY is 10% complete with work to be done by WTC. The total project is over $35,000,000.

http://www.mapquest.com/maps/map.adp?formtype=address&searchtype=address&country=US&addtohistory=&1ahXX=&address=333+Greene+Ave&city=Brooklyn&state=ny&zipcode=
Map

Derek2k3

October 24th, 2005, 12:21 AM

Project #33

Juliana Curran Terian Design Center/Pratt Design Center Entrance Pavilion
369 Dekalb Avenue
3 story infill
Hanrahan Meyers Architects
Dev-Pratt Institute
Academic
8,000 s.f. of new construction; 100,000s.f. of renovation
Under Construction 2005-2006

http://www.pbase.com/archit_kderek2k3/image/51192172.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/archit_kderek2k3/image/51192290.jpg http://www.pbase.com/archit_kderek2k3/image/51192175.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/archit_kderek2k3/image/51192164.jpg http://www.pbase.com/archit_kderek2k3/image/51192162.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/archit_kderek2k3/image/51192168.jpg http://www.pbase.com/archit_kderek2k3/image/51192166.jpg
Hanrahan Meyers Architects

Hanrahan Meyers Architects
http://www.hanrahanmeyers.com/

Project: Pratt Design Center
Location: Brooklyn, NY
Client Pratt Institute
Size 8,000 s.f. of new construction; 100,000s.f. of renovation

Hanrahan Meyers Architects are designing a new Pratt Design Center Entrance Pavilion to join the existing Pratt Studios and Steuben Hall together as a single entity on the main campus of Pratt Institute. The new Entrance Pavilion will bring the two buildings together as one and establish a single identity for the Design Center. The Entrance Pavilion will symbolize the forward thinking and creativity of design education at Pratt Institute, which has an international reputation for design.

Pratt Studios and Steuben Hall house the principal design programs for the School of Art and Design. Both buildings will also be renovated to house all design programs of Pratt Institute.

http://www.pbase.com/archit_kderek2k3/image/51192173.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/archit_kderek2k3/image/51192169.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/archit_kderek2k3/image/51192177.jpg

http://www.pratt.edu/news/prmain04.php?story=11.16.04_Pratt_to_Break_Ground_ for_Juliana_Curran_Terian_Design_Center.html
PRATT INSTITUTE TO BREAK GROUND FOR THE
JULIANA CURRAN TERIAN DESIGN CENTER

http://www.brooklyneagle.com/archive/brooklyn_space.php?id=3218
Pratt To Break Ground For Design Center
by Brooklyn Eagle (edit@brooklyneagle.net), published online 11-24-2004

http://www.helpern.com/news_more.html
Helpern Completes Master Plan for Pratt Design Center

http://www.aiany.org/designawards/2004/projects/193.htm
AIANY 2004 Project Design Award Winner

Derek2k3

November 2nd, 2005, 10:38 PM

Derek2k3

November 11th, 2005, 07:34 PM

elb25

December 15th, 2005, 04:20 PM

541 Washington Avenue
8 stories 70 feet
THE STEPHEN B JACOBS GROUP
Dev-WASHINGTON LLC (KOUROS TORKAN)
Residential
66 units 119,634 Sq. Ft
Under Construction 2006-?

BklynNayber

December 28th, 2005, 08:15 PM

I hear there's a luxury residential building going up on the parking lot space that's next door to the Cathedral Condos on Washington Avenue near Atlantic Ave. Does anyone know if this is true and if there is a website for the project? Thanks!

Strattonport

December 28th, 2005, 08:24 PM

Ha, are those brick contraptions what pass for condo construction these days? I see those monoliths being erected all the time here in Queens.

Derek2k3

December 29th, 2005, 11:29 AM

yea, unfortunately.

541 Washington Avenue
8 stories 70 feet
THE STEPHEN B JACOBS GROUP
Dev-WASHINGTON LLC (KOUROS TORKAN)
Residential
66 units 119,634 Sq. Ft
Under Construction 2006-?
Thanks, I got to check that out soon.

Project # 34

260-262 Skillman Street
8 stories 80 feet
Scarano & Associates Architects
Dev-Delux Development
Residential Condominium
16 units 26,948 Sq. Ft. (x2)
Completed Late 2005

http://www.pbase.com/archit_kderek2k3/image/54110841.jpg http://www.pbase.com/archit_kderek2k3/image/54110839.jpg

Map (http://maps.google.com/maps?q=262+Skillman+Street,+Brooklyn,+NY&spn=0.014343,0.051166&iwloc=A&hl=en)

Derek2k3

December 29th, 2005, 11:38 AM

Project #31

309-311 Grand Avenue
5 stories 55 feet
Karl Fischer Architect
Dev-Abe Lemmer
Residential
16 units 21,610 Sq. Ft
Under Construction 2005-2006

http://www.mapquest.com/maps/map.adp?formtype=address&searchtype=address&country=US&addtohistory=&1ahXX=&address=309-311+Grand+Avenue&city=brooklyn&state=ny&zipcode=
Map[/i]
http://www.pbase.com/archit_kderek2k3/image/54111419.jg

http://www.pbase.com/archit_kderek2k3/image/54111420.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/archit_kderek2k3/image/54111421.jpg

sfenn1117

December 30th, 2005, 10:16 PM

There are dozens of the same new 6 story buildings, covered in balconies and light pinkish brick in Clinton Hill. Derek, you photograph one, you've photographed them all. It makes the Spencer and the latest one by Scarano stand out, when in reality, they aren't anything special either.

Would have been nice to see some modern construction. Practically a whole new neighborhood has been built just south/east of the BQE. (A neighborhoodless area between Clinton Hill and Williamsburg)

BklynNayber

March 23rd, 2006, 11:02 PM

I took this photo of the new construction that began about a month ago at 541 Washington Ave (on the site of the parking lot next door to Cathedral Condos). Still don't know what the structure being built will look like, but I have heard that the original design was changed to reflect a "more modern, all glass, loft style". Supposedly, the powers that be think that's what people who want to buy in the area are looking for. Unfortunately, they're way off, since the area is mostly brownstones and churches. Go figya. Maybe someone should tell them to take a stroll around (better yet, take a hike - HA HA).

Anyway, here's the photo. There goes the neighborhood...

Derek2k3

March 24th, 2006, 11:22 AM

541 Washington Avenue
8 stories 70 feet
The Stephen B. Jacobs Group
Dev-Washington LLC
Residential
66 units 119,634 Sq. Ft.
Under Construction 2006-
PropertyShark listing (http://www.propertyshark.com/mason/Reports/showsection.html?propkey=953889)
Permit (http://a810-bisweb.nyc.gov/bisweb/JobDetailsServlet?requestid=4&allisn=0001068570&allboroughname=&allnumbhous=&allstrt=&s=DCB051D04D4345256F48D12433631AE6)

483 Washington Avenue
7 stories 68 feet
Curtis & Ginsberg Architects LLP
Dev-Neighborhood Restore Housing Dev.
Residential
16 units 25,454 Sq. Ft.
Under Construction 2006-
PropertyShark listing (http://www.propertyshark.com/mason/Reports/showsection.html?propkey=178920)
Permit (http://a810-bisweb.nyc.gov/bisweb/JobDetailsServlet?requestid=2&allisn=0001170055&allboroughname=&allnumbhous=&allstrt=&s=44C7A034E318560DF046344337C7312E)

http://www.cplusga.com/PROJECT/0322_483%20WASHINGTON/elevation.gif
Curtis & Ginsberg Architects LLP
http://www.cplusga.com/cgahome.htm

A mixed-income 16-unit apartment building located in the Clinton Hill section of Brooklyn, sited on a deep and designed to fit into an eclectic context of five-story apartment buildings and smaller structures on the block.

506 Washington Avenue
7 stories 70 feet
Bricolage Designs
Dev-506 Washngton Ave. Owners Corp.
Residential
14 units 21,754 Sq. Ft.
Under Construction 2006-
PropertyShark listing (http://www.propertyshark.com/mason/Reports/showsection.html?propkey=178912)
Permit (http://a810-bisweb.nyc.gov/bisweb/JobDetailsServlet?requestid=2&allisn=0001110901&allboroughname=&allnumbhous=&allstrt=&s=44C7A034E318560DF046344337C7312E
)

NewYorkDoc

July 18th, 2007, 05:05 PM

Is Spencer St and Dekalb Ave in this neighborhood? or is that more Bed Stuy?

antinimby

July 21st, 2007, 12:30 AM

^ Well according to Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bedford-Stuyvesant), Classon Ave. is the dividing line between Clinton Hill and Bed-Stuy, so the answer to your question would be that Spencer and Dekalb is within Bed-Stuy's territory.

Anyway, some development news from Clinton Hill:

A new mansion on the ‘Hill’?

http://www.brooklynpaper.com/assets/photos/30/28/30_28_vanderbiltrendering_z.jpg

Meltzer/Mandl Architects
A rendering of a proposed apartment building on Vanderbilt Avenue near Myrtle Avenue.

By Dana Rubinstein
The Brooklyn Paper
July 21, 2007 (http://www.brooklynpaper.com/stories/30/28/30_28newmansion.html)

A modernist riff on the courtyard-centric style of Mediterranean architecture is rising in Clinton Hill.

Two curved-glass, six-story buildings will mirror each-other across a green divide, complete with a central reflecting pool and lawn furniture, on two conjoined lots stretching from Vanderbilt to Clermont avenues.

“It’s a unique building in Clinton Hill,” said David Stuart, an associate at the architecture firm, Meltzer/Mandl Architects, which designed the project. “This center court, which we sometimes like to think of as an oasis, with these cascading balconies, it’s not really a New York kind of model. It’s almost kind of Mediterranean or southern.”

The prices for entry into this modern-day oasis are, surprisingly, somewhat manageable, considering the development’s location between Willoughby and Myrtle avenues in prime Fort Greene.

The 73 condos should range in price from $250,000 for a studio to $1.1 million for a three-bedroom. The buildings, which replaced two commercial warehouses, are slated for completion in the summer of 2008.

©2007 The Brooklyn Paper

antinimby

July 21st, 2007, 12:35 AM

^ They better get started because this bad news is on the way:

FG-CH downzone movin’ on up

By Dana Rubinstein
The Brooklyn Paper
July 21, 2007 (http://www.brooklynpaper.com/stories/30/28/30_28fgchdownzone.html)

The city is only one step away from making it more difficult to build towering, out-of-scale buildings in Fort Greene and Clinton Hill, like the 18-story building threatening to rise on a residential block of Washington Avenue.

On July 11, the City Planning Commission unanimously OK’d the rezoning of 99 blocks in Fort Greene and Clinton Hill, tightening the height restrictions on residential blocks, and allowing for more growth on commercial Fulton Street and Myrtle Avenue.

The City Council will hold a hearing on the plan on Monday and vote on it on Wednesday. If approved as expected, the plan will become law on July 26.

The issue gained greater attention thanks to the controversial tower planned for 163 Washington Ave., between Myrtle and Park avenues, but has been on the Brooklyn radar screen for some time now. Bay Ridge, Dyker Heights and parts of Park Slope have all been downzoned recently, and residents of Carroll Gardens are pushing for a similar measure.

If the developers of the building get their foundation in the ground by the final vote, the Buildings Department will mostly likely “grandfather” the project in and allow it to rise.

“It will be down to the wire,” said Jane Zusi, a Clinton Hill neighbor who has been fighting the developers.

Some builders complain that downzoning leads to less construction of much-needed housing.

©2007 The Brooklyn Paper

brianac

October 24th, 2008, 11:50 AM

Updated On 10/24/08 at 09:00AM

Glass tower rising in Clinton Hill

http://s3.amazonaws.com/trd_three/images/54278/525_clinton_articlebox.jpg (http://beta.therealdeal.com/assets/54278)
525 Clinton Avenue

Construction is underway for Karnusa Equities' all-glass exterior condo tower at 525 Clinton Avenue. The 13-story, 30-unit building, named 525 The Collection, is designed by architect Simon Fouladian. It will have one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments ranging from 780 to 2,100 square feet in size, with prices starting at $650,000.
More at: [Brooklyn Eagle] (http://www.brooklyneagle.com/categories/category.php?category_id=5&id=24007)

http://beta.therealdeal.com/articles/glass-tower-rising-in-clinton-hill

© 2008 The Real Deal

Derek2k3

May 23rd, 2009, 09:24 AM

163 Washington Street

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3411/3555903499_81c40bdfca_o.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3393/3555903501_ea25cb4c43_o.jpg

Topped out now.

BrooklynLove

May 23rd, 2009, 07:16 PM

Views must be nice from the high floors here - builing is way out of place however.

How is the lo mein at that Kum Kau joint?

zinka

May 25th, 2009, 11:01 PM

I'm going to call this Kum Kau Tower.

Tectonic

June 7th, 2009, 09:25 AM

The Collection at 525 Clinton Avenue, still empty:

https://community.emporis.com/nwimages/6/2009/06/708619.jpg

ASchwarz

June 7th, 2009, 11:56 PM

It looks pretty nifty, though. I really like it.

zinka

June 9th, 2009, 11:57 AM

The Collection at 525 Clinton Avenue, still empty:

Any word on what's happening to it? I haven't seen any ads for it lately.

BrooklynLove

June 9th, 2009, 09:51 PM

bad karma at this building - i'd steer clear.

Merry

November 26th, 2009, 05:45 AM

525 Clinton: From Construction Fatality to Stalled Development

By Matthew Schuerman and Cindy Rodriguez

In November 2008, WNYC aired a two-part report called "The Cost of Doing Business." (http://www.wnyc.org/news/articles/115736) It was an in-depth look at a construction accident that took the life of Mexican immigrant Jose Palacios. Palacios fell off of a poorly secured scaffold at a new luxury condominium tower in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn. Now, a year later, reporters Matthew Schuerman and Cindy Rodriguez revisit the story. None of the condos have sold, the building is facing foreclosure, and Palacios’ family continues to grieve his death.

REPORTER: On a windy fall day, the front of 525 Clinton Avenue is desolate, disturbed only by the rustle of fallen leaves. The 13-story glass tower is empty, the ground floor windows blacked out, except for the room where security guards sit watching television.

GREER: I just think of it as developer-driven blight.

REPORTER: That’s Amy Greer. She lives in a large rent-stabilized building next door and watched as 525 Clinton went up.

GREER: There’s fewer people around. It’s just kind of empty.

REPORTER: The street’s got a mixture of worn-out brownstones, a stone church, a funeral home and other pre-war buildings. An old brick mansion that served as a group home for mentally disabled adults once stood here. But four years ago Karnusa Equities, a small family-owned real estate company, bought the property, and tore it down.

GREER: They came in and built something -- it’s not wanted by the community, it’s not wanted by anyone obviously because I think it’s going into foreclosure.

REPORTER: Karnusa replaced the old mansion with luxury condominiums. In January 2008, an immigrant worker, Jose Palacios, died when the flimsy scaffold he was standing on collapsed.

GREER: It almost seems to me that after that happened there was a curse on the building.

REPORTER: Greer says construction stopped about a year ago. It looks almost finished, but according to online records, not one of the condos has sold. Court documents show that TD Bank began foreclosure proceedings in May. Greer calls 525 Clinton Avenue a poster child of New York's recent real estate history: First it became the site of a construction death. Now it’s fallen victim to the bursting of the real estate bubble.

GREER: But then you have to think there are lots of these buildings everywhere so I think the curse has to be the greed of the developers that didn’t see there was going to be an oversaturation of luxury apartments.

REPORTER: Hakeem Jeffries, the state assemblyman who represents the neighborhood, has proposed a bill that would encourage developers to convert financially troubled luxury buildings into affordable housing. And he says he’s been talking with TD Bank about doing that with 525 Clinton.

JEFFRIES: 525 Clinton presents one of the best opportunities to create affordable housing.

REPORTER: To do so, Jeffries admits the bank would need to take a big loss. 525 Clinton was built with high earners in mind: The condos were priced between $650,000 and almost $1 million. Its windows are made out of triple-plated glass, and its water supply is filtered, even for toilets and washing machines.

JEFFRIES: The reality is a significant amount of principal will have to be shaved off of the loan and the interest rate is going to have to change.

REPORTER: Jeffries says the bank’s reacted positively. A spokesman for TD Bank wouldn’t comment. No one from the developer, Karnusa Equities, would return calls for this story. Real estate experts say banks still aren’t ready to take the type of big losses that would be needed for Jeffries’ program.

While banks wait for the real estate market to rebound, Jose Palacios’ family continues to mourn. Before the construction worker died, he lived in Queens with his niece, Yasmine Solis, and her family. His picture continues to sit in her living room, and her small daughter still cries when reminded of her uncle. In Mexico last January, the family marked the anniversary of his death.

SOLIS: My uncles, his brothers, his parents celebrated a mass for him, they went to the cemetery and they went to put flowers and to eat with him at his grave site and, well, just continue to remember and talk about how he was with all the family when he was living.

REPORTER: Palacios left behind a wife and daughter in Mexico. His wife was reluctant to be interviewed. Solis says his family is receiving death benefits from a worker’s compensation claim, though she isn’t sure how much.

According to the New York State Workers Compensation Board, payments are typically two-thirds of the employee’s average weekly income. Solis says the family wanted to file a lawsuit -- but isn’t sure if that’s happened.

SOLIS: If there was someone to blame, I want that person to pay for it. My uncle did not deserve to die that way. He was too good of a person to have ended his life that way.

REPORTER: A federal investigation found the contractor, Bell Tower Enterprises, was most responsible for Palacios’ death. The company has been dissolved, its phone disconnected, and federal officials say they never received payment on more than $30,000 in fines. The developer, Karnusa Equities, did pay the fines it incurred from the accident. But this past year, through a series of legal maneuvers, it successfully knocked off about $15,000 in default penalties from previous violations at 525 Clinton. But according to the city’s Environmental Control Board, Karnusa still hasn’t paid the balance on its account, which amounts to $7,500.

Solis says when her uncle died, each family member got to keep something small of his, like a hat or t-shirt. As for her, she says “I got the last years of his life.”

In June, an external report said city buildings department inspectors are inconsistent in applying safety standards from one building to the next. And in October, six former inspectors were arrested on bribery charges. The charges refer to other construction sites, but online records indicate that one of the accused, Exel Plass, responded to a complaint at 525 Clinton Avenue back in 2006. He dismissed the complaint as being unfounded. Plass pled not guilty on the bribery charges. City officials say they don’t believe inspector wrongdoing had anything to do with Jose Palacios’s death.

For more information about the building, and to listen to the original report from last year, visit the WNYC News Blog (http://blogs.wnyc.org/news/2009/11/23/update-the-cost-of-doing-business/).

http://www.wnyc.org/news/articles/144965

Merry

March 2nd, 2010, 06:01 AM

Very unusual and a treasure.

Building of the Day: 20-30 Gates Avenue

http://www.brownstoner.com/brownstoner/archives/RoyalCastle.jpg
Royal Castle Apartments. Corner of Gates and Clinton. Clinton Hill. Wortmann and Braun, architects. 1912.

http://www.brownstoner.com/brownstoner/archives/RC%202.jpg

http://www.brownstoner.com/brownstoner/archives/RC5.jpg

http://www.brownstoner.com/brownstoner/archives/RC3.jpg

http://www.brownstoner.com/brownstoner/archives/RC4.jpg

Address: 20-30 Gates Avenue, at Clinton Ave.
Name: The Royal Castle Apartments
Neighborhood: Clinton Hill (Clinton Hill Historic District, individual landmark 1981)
Year Built: 1911-1912
Architectural Style: Beaux Arts
Architects: Wortmann and Braun

Why chosen: Built when “the Hill” was synonymous with fine living, this over the top, ornate building is a rare example of both Beaux Arts style and Austrian Sezessionist-style ornament. The stylized figures of stone masons holding up the ledges, the grotesques adorning the top floors, and the shape of the roofline would be at home in Vienna, and in many ways are real-life inspirations for moody set designs like those in movies Batman and The Dark Knight. A wonderful, unique, and eclectic Brooklyn building. GMAP (http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=20+Gates+Ave,+Brooklyn,+NY&sll=40.706407,-73.904817&sspn=0.007271,0.020363&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=20+Gates+Ave,+Brooklyn,+Kings,+New+York+1123 8&z=16)

http://www.brownstoner.com/brownstoner/archives/2010/03/building_of_the_1.php

Merry

March 12th, 2010, 06:23 AM

Lots of variety in CH :).

Building of the Day: 284 Clinton Avenue

http://www.brownstoner.com/brownstoner/archives/ClintonGothic.jpg

Address: 284 Clinton Avenue, between DeKalb and Willoughby
Name: Former William W. Crane House
Neighborhood: Clinton Hill (Clinton Hill Historic District)
Year Built: 1854
Architectural Style: Gothic Revival, with façade re-shingled around 1884.
Architect: Unknown
Landmarked: Yes

Why chosen: Built when Clinton Hill was a suburban retreat, this classic Gothic Revival villa is a rare gem, both for its style, and for its remarkable good condition. Note the Gothic details on the fence, porch, and in the bargeboard over the entryway. The house was built for fancy goods dealer William W. Crane, and was probably modernized by new owner, oilman Richard J. Chard, in 1884. By this time, Clinton Hill was a very posh neighborhood, and the new shingles echo the upscale Shingle Style houses being built at this time. Originally, the grounds for the house extended to DeKalb Avenue. GMAP (http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=284+Clinton+Avenue,+Brooklyn,+NY&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=31.150864,83.847656&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=284+Clinton+Ave,+Brooklyn,+Kings,+New+York+1 1205&z=16)

http://www.brownstoner.com/brownstoner/archives/2010/03/building_of_the_9.php

Merry

May 26th, 2010, 06:21 AM

Walkabout: William B. Tubby, architect

by Montrose Morris

http://www.brownstoner.com/brownstoner/archives/Tubby1.jpg
Charles Millard Pratt Mansion, 241 Clinton Avenue, Clinton Hill, 1893

http://www.brownstoner.com/brownstoner/archives/Tubby4StJ.jpg
179 - 183 St. James Place, Clinton Hill, 1892

http://www.brownstoner.com/brownstoner/archives/TubbyShieren.jpg
Charles Adolf Scheiren Mansion, 405 Clinton Ave, Clinton Hill, 1889

http://www.brownstoner.com/brownstoner/archives/Tubby2Library_restrict_width_72.jpg (http://www.brownstoner.com/brownstoner/archives/2010/05/walkabout_willi_2.php?gallery2597Pic=2#gallery-2597) http://www.brownstoner.com/brownstoner/archives/Tubby6NYPL_restrict_width_72.jpg (http://www.brownstoner.com/brownstoner/archives/2010/05/walkabout_willi_2.php?gallery2597Pic=4#gallery-2597) http://www.brownstoner.com/brownstoner/archives/Tubby7NYPL_restrict_height_72.jpg (http://www.brownstoner.com/brownstoner/archives/2010/05/walkabout_willi_2.php?gallery2597Pic=5#gallery-2597)
(click to enlarge)

Article at Brownstoner (http://www.brownstoner.com/brownstoner/archives/2010/05/walkabout_willi_2.php#more)

Merry

June 2nd, 2010, 06:48 AM

Building of the Day: 67 Putnam Avenue

http://www.brownstoner.com/brownstoner/archives/LincolnClub1.jpg
Lincoln Club, now Independent Mechanics Headquarters. Putnam St, between Irving Place and Classon. Rudolph Daus, architect. 1889.

http://www.brownstoner.com/brownstoner/archives/LincolnClub4.jpg

http://www.brownstoner.com/brownstoner/archives/LincolnClub6.jpg
Lincoln Club insignia once again, this time as a band of terra-cotta trim running across the third story, under the dormers.

http://www.brownstoner.com/brownstoner/archives/LincolnClub5.jpg
Heavy French Renaissance inspired terra-cotta trim on turret.

http://www.brownstoner.com/brownstoner/archives/LincolnClub2.jpg

Address: 67 Putnam Avenue, between Irving Place and Classon Avenue
Name: Originally the Lincoln Club, now Independent Order of Mechanics of the Western Hemisphere
Neighborhood: Clinton Hill
Year Built: 1889
Architectural Style: Queen Anne
Architect: Rudolph Daus
Landmarked: Yes (Individual landmark, 1981)

Why chosen: The Lincoln Club was founded in 1878 by prominant Clinton Hill residents for the purposing of having a social club, and to promote Republican causes. By the time this building was built, they had ceased to be a political club, and were, like other clubs such as the Montauk, a social outlet for upscale men in the neighborhood. It originally had bowling alleys in the basement, and other club rooms for meetings, meals and activities. Daus was a well respected architect, having designed, among other builldings, the 13th Regiment Armory on Sumner Avenue in nearby Bedford Stuyvesant. This is regarded as one of his finest buildings, and is an exemplary example of urban Queen Anne architecture, with multiple materials used; brownstone, terra cotta, brick, and stained glass, along with the multitude of features; turrets and tower, gables, oriels, columns, parapets, fanciful windows and a multitude of wonderful terra-cotta ornament, including dragons, floral bands, and the organization's crest and date of the building. The Club disbanded in 1931, and the building passed to the Independent Order of Mechanics, a Masonic organization, in the 1940's. A paint job has obscured the colors in the original materials, and there have been some other minor alterations, but the building remains pretty much intact, and is a visual treat on Putnam Avenue.

http://www.brownstoner.com/brownstoner/archives/2010/06/building_of_the_65.php

Merry

June 5th, 2010, 10:49 PM

Looks like a very unconvincing cardboard movie set (not unlike this (http://wirednewyork.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5991&p=325300&viewfull=1#post325300), too) IMO.

Waverly Associated Build-Out Revealed
http://www.brownstoner.com/brownstoner/archives/367-WAVERLY-ave-060110.jpg
http://www.brownstoner.com/brownstoner/archives/associated-waverly-current-0610.jpg

A few years ago we wrote about the development planned above the Waverly Ave. Associated Supermarket, and this is the rendering that was submitted to the Landmarks Preservation Committee for apartment additions. Looks like the Associated will stay completely in tact, and that the development above blends pretty nicely into the neighboring brownstone. Early May was the fourth hearing the development group had with the Landmarks Committee since 2008, but it looks like the design still hasn't been approved. What do you think?

Development Planned Above Waverly Associated (http://www.brownstoner.com/brownstoner/archives/2008/05/development_pla.php) [Brownstoner] GMAP (http://maps.google.com/maps?q=365+waverly+avenue&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-a&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=365+Waverly+Ave,+Brooklyn,+Kings,+New+York+1 1238&gl=us&ei=WEEFTKj0JsKC8gaxwInpDQ&ved=0CBQQ8gEwAA&z=16)

http://www.brownstoner.com/brownstoner/archives/2010/06/development_ren.php

lofter1

June 6th, 2010, 12:27 AM

That won't pass muster at LPC. The windows will have to be re-done, particularly in the two segments at the far left. And they'll no doubt try to get a contrasting cornice.

Merry

June 8th, 2010, 08:36 AM

Building of the Day: 278 Clinton Avenue

http://www.brownstoner.com/brownstoner/archives/278%20Clinton1.jpg
278 Clinton Ave, between DeKalb and Willoughby Ave. Clinton Hill. 1884.
Architect unknown.

http://www.brownstoner.com/brownstoner/archives/278%20Clinton4_restrict_width_72.jpg (http://www.brownstoner.com/brownstoner/archives/2010/06/building_of_the_69.php?gallery2718Pic=2#gallery-2718) http://www.brownstoner.com/brownstoner/archives/278%20Clinton3_restrict_width_72.jpg (http://www.brownstoner.com/brownstoner/archives/2010/06/building_of_the_69.php?gallery2718Pic=3#gallery-2718) http://www.brownstoner.com/brownstoner/archives/278%20Clinton2_restrict_width_72.jpg (http://www.brownstoner.com/brownstoner/archives/2010/06/building_of_the_69.php?gallery2718Pic=4#gallery-2718) http://www.brownstoner.com/brownstoner/archives/278%20Clinton5_restrict_height_72.jpg (http://www.brownstoner.com/brownstoner/archives/2010/06/building_of_the_69.php?gallery2718Pic=5#gallery-2718)

Address: 278 Clinton Avenue, between DeKalb and Willoughby
Name: Private House
Neighborhood: Clinton Hill (Clinton Hill Historic District)
Year Built: 1884, approximately
Architectural Style: Queen Anne, with Neo-Grec elements
Architects: Unknown
Landmarked: Yes

Why chosen: The 1981 LPC designation report for Clinton Hill calls this house “surely the most eccentric house in the historic district and is, unfortunately, one of the major houses for which historical information is unavailable.” It really is some house. It's next door to the grounds of the wood frame Queen Anne at 284, which affords even more curb appeal, and the expansive foliage softens the edges of this large mansion, surrounded by an ornate wrought iron fence. Then there's that unusual corner bay, which juts out like a castle turret, with a sturdy balcony held up with carved stone brackets. The whole house, which is quite large, projects a massive sturdiness, from the use of the contrasting red brick and white limestone, to the large porch and upper balcony on the front of the building. A photo of the beveled glass side window, shot in winter without foliage, shows the delicacy of form amidst the massive columns, brackets and cornice, as does the intricate brickwork.

http://www.brownstoner.com/brownstoner/archives/2010/06/building_of_the_69.php

Merry

February 7th, 2011, 08:15 PM

Building of the Day: 184-194 Lefferts Place

http://www.brownstoner.com/brownstoner/archives/184%20leff%204.jpg

Address: 194-194 Lefferts Place
Name: Row Houses
Neighborhood: Clinton Hill
Year Built: 1886
Architectural Style: Queen Anne
Architect: Mercein Thomas
Landmarked: No, but part of the proposed CH South extension, and on the National Register for Historic Places.

Why chosen: Like the identical rows of Italianates on streets like South Oxford or Vanderbilt, this row of Queen Anne’s with identical second floor oriel bays, has a pleasing symmetry that draws the eye down the block. Subtly ironic, as Queen Anne architecture is the quintessential individualistic style. The adjoining group, 174-182, much less ornate, was designed by Thomas as well, and was built a year later, in 1887. Despite the loss of some of the detail, and benign neglect, these are still extremely attractive houses.

This part of Clinton Hill has long been the neglected stepchild, but is slowly getting the recognition and gradual tender loving care it deserves. There is some fantastic architecture here. Mercein Thomas was a hard working architect whose name pops up in much of brownstone Brooklyn. A lot of his work is in Clinton Hill, with houses on Cambridge Place, Clinton Avenue, Washington Avenue, and St. James Place. Most of it dates between 1884 and 1893. He designed the Carlton Club on 6th Avenue and St. Marks, in Park Slope. He was a more than able practitioner of the Romanesque Revival/Queen Anne style, although two of his best, 463-465 Clinton, on the corner of gates, are Beaux-Arts style limestones.

Thomas and his wife lived on Cumberland Street, in Fort Greene, and were very active in charity work. He designed orphanages and hospitals, and sat on their boards. In 1889, he was asked to design a large building to house aging senior men of the Methodist Church. The result was the large complex called the Methodist Home, on New York Avenue, between Prospect and Park Places. He designed the central tower part of the building first, and over the years, more wings and a chapel were added. This complex is one of the only remaining charitable institutions that still remain in the neighborhood. Mercein Thomas donated his design and plans, and took no financial remuneration. Sounds like a good guy.

Speaking of good guys, thanks to a reader,” New Guy”, who commented on my Lefferts Place piece last week, and sent me a copy of the National Register of Historic Places report for this neighborhood, called Clinton Hill South. It was a fascinating report, complete with many familiar architects’ names and dates. I now have a wealth of information on a part of town I’ve always loved. Thank you, so much, New Guy!

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http://www.brownstoner.com/brownstoner/archives/2011/02/building_of_the_232.php

Merry

April 16th, 2011, 11:25 PM

:mad:

Past and Present: Clinton Ave. at Lafayette

http://www.brownstoner.com/brownstoner/archives/ClintLaf%202.jpg

The latter quarter of the 19th century saw Clinton Hill grow to be one of the most exclusive and expensive communities in Brooklyn. Clinton Avenue was the premiere street to be on, and large free-standing and rowhouse mansions lined both sides of the street.

In the photograph on the left, there is a large house on the corner with a generous side yard. To the left of it, the house next door, #321, the James Lounsbery House(1874), still stands, as does # 315 Clinton, the 1888 Arbuckle House, the one with the fourth floor dormer.

In 1940, when this photograph was taken, the city was getting ready to tear down the corner house to make way for one of the five apartment towers that make up this portion of the housing built for the Navy personnel working at the nearby Navy Yard during World War II. These houses, on the south side of the complex, were for officers and their families. The enlisted men lived in the buildings further north on Willoughby. The complex was built in 1942, and was turned into affordable co-ops after the war. Today, these are the Clinton Hill Co-ops, still known for their comfortable sized apartments, and well-maintained buildings.

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http://www.brownstoner.com/brownstoner/archives/2011/04/past_and_presen_4.php

Merry

September 2nd, 2011, 11:40 PM

Building of the Day: 463 Clinton Avenue

http://cdn.brownstoner.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/463-Clinton-ave-1.jpg (http://www.brownstoner.com/blog/2011/09/building-of-the-day-463-clinton-avenue/?stream=true#)

Name: former Morgan Bogart house
Address: 463 Clinton Avenue
Cross Streets: Greene and Gates Avenue
Neighborhood: Clinton Hill
Year Built: 1902
Architectural Style: Beaux-Arts
Architect: Mercein Thomas
Other Buildings by Architect: in Clinton Hill: 407-409 Washington Avenue, 400-404 Washington Avenue, Methodist Home for the Aged, Park Place, Crown Heights North.
Landmarked: Yes, part of Clinton Hill HD (1981)

The story: This beautiful limestone house puts the Beaux in Beaux-Arts. It’s considered to be the finest example of Beaux –Arts residential architecture in Brooklyn. Yep, beats out any contenders in Park Slope or the Heights. The house and its very different next door neighbor were designed by Brooklyn architect Mercein Thomas, who designed quite a few houses of very varying styles here in Clinton Hill and elsewhere in Brooklyn. The house is highly reminiscent of the mansions on the Upper East Side, near 5th Avenue. It’s a classic, with wide sweeping stairs, leading to an elegant entryway. The door is a replacement, but doesn’t mar the general grandeur of the house. This leads the eye upward to the second floor oriel, almost the width of the house, supported by an elaborate bracket system of Corinthian columns, and decorative carved cartouches.

The bowed oriel has three curved windows, all surrounded by pilasters, columns, dentil and egg and dart moulding, and topped by stained glass transoms. The oriel has a decorative balcony, and above that, twin windows with the same trim and stained glass. Elegant two story pilasters flank the windows, leading the eye up to the final piece of elegance: the handsome dentil detail of the cornice.

The house was built for Morgan L. Bogart, a Civil War veteran and Adjutant General of the Union Veteran League of the United States. He was also a proofreader at the Brooklyn Daily Eagle.

Oddly enough, he never lived here. When the house was completed, his son, a doctor named J. Bion Bogart moved in, and lived here until 1926. Dr. Bogart was a surgeon at Methodist Hospital and at Kings County Hospital. The Bogart’s were active in the social and charitable scene in Brooklyn, and Dr. Bogart was noted in the papers as an eminent surgeon.

But even eminent surgeons can have accidents. The New York Times reported in 1912 that Dr. Bogart was suffering from a critical case of septic poisoning, contracted through a small cut on his finger the week before while performing surgery. The infection spread to his shoulder, neck and then chest muscles. Doctors, including his brother, Arthur H. Bogart, were uncertain of his recovery, but upon further investigation, he seems he pulled through. He is listed in medical entries in 1918, and in the census of 1930, a 70 year old man living now in Brooklyn Heights.

Mercein Thomas, the architect of this, and the adjoining corner house, is well known in this part of Brooklyn. His buildings include 407-409 Washington Avenue, as well as 400-404 Washington Avenue, a former BOTD. These, and his iconic Methodist Home for the Aged, on Park Place in Crown Heights North, are all brick and brownstone Queen Anne buildings. These two Beaux-Arts limestones show his mastery of this new and quite different style, proving the man really knew his stuff.

http://cdn.brownstoner.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/463-Clinton-ave-2.jpg (http://cdn.brownstoner.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/463-Clinton-ave-2.jpg)

http://www.brownstoner.com/blog/2011/09/building-of-the-day-463-clinton-avenue/?stream=true