77TH YEAR, NO. 3,948
THURSDAY, MAY 25, 2017
TWO SECTIONS
50 CENTS
B’klyn Heights Library Comes Down, Section by Section SEE PAGE 4
Squibb Park Bridge Brings Visitors Close to Pierhouse Now that Squibb Park Bridge has reopened, pedestrians are getting an up-close view of Pierhouse. See EYE ON REAL ESTATE, pages 7-10INB.
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Heights Press photo by Lore Croghan
Arab-American Marines from Cobble Hill Nominated for NYS Senate Veterans Hall of Fame From Military to NYPD By Mary Frost
Photo courtesy of Sen. Daniel Squadron’s office
Brooklyn Heights Press
State Sen. Daniel Squadron (center) with Hariton Marachilian and his father at the state Senate last week.
Between these three former Marines you’ll find roughly a dozen medals and an unwavering patriotism. Last Tuesday, state Sen. Daniel Squadron announced his nomination of Abraham Althaibani, Ismile Althaibani and Hariton Marachilian, who grew up in Cobble Hill’s ArabAmerican community, to the New York State Senate Veterans Hall of Fame. The three are currently New York City police officers. Squadron pointed out that his announcement came on the same day that Muslim American combat veteran Syed Ali, also currently a police officer, was detained and allegedly harassed by U.S. Customs and Border Patrol agents at John F. Kennedy Airport. “I chose to nominate Abraham Althaibani, Ismile Althaibani and Hariton Marachilian … for their service in the Marine Corps during Operation Iraqi Freedom, and their continued service with the NYPD,” Squadron said in a statement. “It’s critical that we remember to honor veterans from all backgrounds, following reports of harassment of Syed Ali by Customs and Border Patrol. I am deeply grateful for their service.” Brothers Ismile and Abraham, along with Marachilian, grew up together in Cobble Hill. All three deployed with the Marine Corps during Operation Iraqi Freedom. Ismile, who earned a Purple Heart for injuries sustained during the battle of Falluja, and Hariton also served in the same Marines Battalion. More about the nominees below:
Hariton Marachilian
Marachilian enlisted in the Marines in 1998 with the 6th Communications Battalion, based in Brooklyn. He deployed to Iraq in 2003 with the 1st Marine Division as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom, rising to the rank of sergeant. For his service, Hariton was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Selected Marine Corps Reserve Medal, Iraq Campaign medal with two bronze campaign stars, Sea Service Deployment Ribbon, Armed Forces Reserve Medal with bronze “M” device, and National Defense Service Medal. Following his service in the Marines, Hariton joined the NYPD, where he currently serves as a lieutenant in Brooklyn's 84th Precinct. Hariton has a bachelor's degree in criminal justice from John Jay College. He is married and has two sons.
Ismile Althaibani
Ismile Althaibani served with Marachilan in the 6th Communications Battalion. He deployed to Iraq in 2004 as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom and was awarded the Purple Heart for injuries sustained during the battle of Falluja in the fall of 2004. He was also awarded a Combat Action Ribbon for his service and rose to the rank of lance corporal. Ismile currently serves in the NYPD with the Manhattan Transit Task Force.
Abraham Althaibani
Like his brother Ismile, Abraham deployed to Iraq in 2003 as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom. An Arabic speaker, Abraham served on multiple counterintelligence teams affiliated with the 1st and 2nd Marine Divisions. Abraham left the Marines with the rank of corporal, having earned a Combat Action Ribbon and a Navy and Marine Corps Service Medal for his service. He currently serves in the 88th Precinct of the NYPD in Crown Heights-Fort Greene.
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2 • Brooklyn Heights Press • Thursday, May 25, 2017
BHS Opens First Offsite Gallery in DUMBO ‘Shifting Perspectives: Photographs of Brooklyn’s Waterfront’ Premieres in Empire Stores By Andy Katz
Special to Brooklyn Heights Press
The Brooklyn Historical Society (BHS) celebrated the formal opening of its first off-site location in the Empire Stores building at 55 Water St. in DUMBO with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and inaugural exhibition “Shifting Perspectives: Photographs of Brooklyn’s Waterfront. “This is such an important exhibit,” said state Assemblymember Jo Anne Simon, (D-Brooklyn Heights-DUMBO-Vinegar Hill.) “People don’t realize how important the waterfront has been to the history of Brooklyn.” Planned in collaboration with Brooklyn Bridge Park Corporation and Midtown Equities, BHS at DUMBO will be the sole cultural institution in the 360,000-square-foot building, which will also include restaurant, retail and office spaces. “Three years ago, we realized we couldn’t just be a single location, not in such a large and diverse borough as Brooklyn,” BHS board Chairman Jim Rossman explained. “We needed to project ourselves into the community … We had the opportunity to be here by the water where tens of thousands of people are.” “This is an amazing opportunity to see how we became this great place,” Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams said. “That we are able to co-exist — that is what makes this borough so special.” Guest curator for Shifting Perspectives was Marilyn Symmes. Formerly director of the Morse Research Center for The Graphic Arts at Rutgers University, Symmes’ published work includes “Impressions of New York: Prints from the New-York Historical Society” (2005). Symmes drew on an impressive collection of 65 images from 25 photographers, including Berenice Abbott, Rudy Burckhardt, Bruce Davidson and Chester Higgins. The earliest images include stereograph shots of Manhattan Beach from 1889 and sepia-toned views of Brooklyn ferry slips with a fin de siècle Manhattan in the background.
Symmes devoted one gallery room to Coney Island, where Robin Michals’ somber view of a post-Superstorm Sandy landscape — the Parachute Jump standing forlorn amid storm-strewn wreckage and against a still-threatening sky — commands the viewer’s immediate attention, while the arrangement of Jeff Chien-Hsing Liao’s “Coney Island Fog” — done just the year before — puts it at a right angle to Michals’ print, offering visual relief to the devastation with soft light and colors muted in night and fog. On the wall farther left are small, monochrome prints of playful beach scenes by Lucille Fornasieri Gold and Anders Goldfarb. The entire gallery is set within a warehouse and factory space that once formed the core of the Arbuckle Brothers Coffee empire. A giant winch divides the space in two. One of its buttresses served to anchor the red ribbon, which Adams and BHS President Deborah Schwartz finally parted after several tries with a pair of scissors that were plainly more massive than sharp. Also on hand for the opening were City Councilmember Stephen Levin; State Sen. Daniel Squadron; NYC Commissioner of Cultural Affairs Tom Finkelpearl; President of Brooklyn Bridge Park Corporation Eric Landau; Principal of Midtown Equities Jack Cayre; Vice Chair of the Brooklyn Bridge Park Corporation JoAnn Witty; Senior Vice President of Bank of America Connie Verducci; Michael Crane of the Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy; and entrepreneur Peter Aschkenasy. Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy board member Michael Crane recounted growing up in nearby Brooklyn Heights before becoming a DUMBO pioneer: “This whole area used to be completely deserted after dark,” he said, “You couldn’t even get a pizza delivered. We’d call and offer the guy 10 bucks extra. But they’d always say, ‘No way!’” “Shifting Perspectives: Photographs of the Brooklyn Waterfront” will be on view until Sept. 10.
Brooklyn Historical Society President Deborah Schwartz (left) with guest curator Marilyn Symmes.
Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams applies maximum force to cut the red ribbon.
State Assemblymember Jo Anne Simon examines Coney Island beach scenes.
Heights Press photos by Andy Katz
Thursday, May 25, 2017 • Brooklyn Heights Press • 3
The library is down to one floor at the southern end.
Heights Press photos by Mary Frost
B’klyn Heights Library Comes Down, Section By Section By Mary Frost
Brooklyn Heights Press
The much-contested demolition of the Brooklyn Heights Library building at 280 Cadman Plaza West is well underway. Much of the second floor is down already, and another section disappears with each passing day. Demolition must be completed before Hudson Companies can pull a new building permit, which will allow it to begin construction of a 36-story luxury residential tower on the site. The new tower will house a modernized 26,620-squarefoot library, 133 condominium units, two retail spaces on Clinton Street and a STEM lab to be operated by the NYC Department of Education. While the new library will be smaller than the current one, the city says its functional area will be increased. In December, DOB approved Marvel Architects’ plans for 34 floors of apartments, including two penthouse floors. Completion of the project is anticipated for spring 2020, according to Hudson. Hudson’s spokesperson told the Brooklyn Heights Press in December that the company will carefully remove the reliefs and store them for the duration of the construction period. The spokesperson added that BPL is committed to making sure the reliefs are preserved either at the new branch or another location, though the ultimate decision for the reuse will be made by BPL.
AT LEFT: The former children's area of the library, on the second floor, is about to disappear. 4 • Brooklyn Heights Press • Thursday, May 25, 2017
A Special Section of BROOKLYN EAGLE Publications
May 25-31, 2017
Pierhouse And Other Eye-Catching Sights in B’klyn Bridge Park
NOW THAT SQUIBB PARK BRIDGE HAS REopened, pedestrians on the aerial pathway pass thisclose to Pierhouse, Brooklyn Bridge Park’s pricey new condo development (inset). This time of year, Brooklyn Bridge Park is full of interesting sights, such as a whirlpool designed by artist Anish Kapoor (above). See EYE ON REAL ESTATE, pages 7-10INB. INBrooklyn photos by Lore Croghan
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MYBROOKLYNCALENDAR.COM Week of May 25-31, 2017
Calendar Events May 25-31 Arts Triad: Yevgueniya Baras, Mike Cloud and Zachary Wollard “Triad” brings together the work of Yevgueniya Baras, Mike Cloud and Zachary Wollard, all 2015-16 residents of the SharpeWalentas Studio Program. In the painting practices of each, notions of iconography, history, language and material coalesce in startlingly personal ways, offering a refreshing take on discourses surrounding contemporary painting, community and inner worlds. When: Thursday through Saturday, through May 28, 1-6 p.m. Where: Fort Greene/Five Myles (558 St. Johns Place) The Battle Days/Alex Sewell The exploration and representation of cultural identities, the attachment to childhood totems and the use of semiotics are at the core of some of Sewell’s recent works, exhibited in the PlusSpace. When: Thursday through Sunday, through May 29, 1-6 p.m. Where: Crown Heights/Five Myles (558 St. Johns Place) Sounds Unseen Between December 2015 and May 2016, Sarah Hickson photographed “The Calais Sessions,” a live music project among musicians living in the UK, the “Jungle” camp in Calais and La Grande Synthe in Dunkirk. For the refugees she met, “The Calais Sessions” provided a welcome opportunity to tell their stories, to play and share the music from their homelands, or to pick up an instrument and join with other musicians. “Sounds Unseen” chronicles the evolution of this remarkable collaboration and celebrates a vital human connection forged through the common voice of music. When: Tuesday through Sunday, through May 28; Tuesday through Friday, 1-6 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 11 a.m. - 2
“Doubled” will be on exhibit at Studio 10 through June 11. Image courtesy of Studio 10 p.m. and 5-7 p.m. Where: DUMBO/St. Ann’s Warehouse (29 Jay St.) 27 Years in the Alps A series of new paintings by Peter Gergely in a solo exhibition. The landscapes of “27 Years in the Alps” are the result of 27 years of a love affair with the Alps of northern Italy. When: Thursday through Saturday, through June 2, 6-8:30 p.m. Where: Sunset Park/Tabla Rosa Gallery (224 48th St.) Doubled A sculpture exhibition of work by Jennie Nichols and Daniel Wiener. Both artists use mold-making as their medium. Nichols’ works are more or less precise and true to the cast object, while Wiener uses molds as tools to create disparate forms in an improvised intuitive process. When: Thursday through Sunday, through June 11, 1-6 p.m. Where: Bushwick/Studio 10 (56 Bogart St.) Afterglow A solo exhibition of paintings by Emily Roz. When: Thursday through Sunday, through June 11, 1-6 p.m. Where: Williamsburg/Front Room Gallery (147 Roebling St.) Sights in the City During the summer of 1980, under the direction of his photographer father, Jamel Shabazz armed himself with a Canon AE1 SLR camera and began to photograph the landscape of his native New York City. Composed of color and black-and-white photographs taken between 1980 and 2016, many of which have never been published, “Sights in the City” is the testament of Shabazz’s visual journey. When: Tuesday through Saturday, through June 17, 11 a.m. - 6 p.m. Where: DUMBO/United Photo Industries Gallery (111 Front St.) Continued on page 11INB
2INB • INBROOKLYN — A Special Section of Brooklyn Daily Eagle/Brooklyn Eagle/Heights Press/Brooklyn Record/Bay Ridge Eagle/Greenpoint Gazette • Week of May 25-31, 2017
A LOOK INSIDE ... ESSBAR
265 METROPOLITAN AVE. | WWW.ESSBAR.COM
Week of May 25-31, 2017 • INBROOKLYN — A Special Section of Brooklyn Daily Eagle/Brooklyn Eagle/Heights Press/Brooklyn Record/Bay Ridge Eagle/Greenpoint Gazette • 3INB
A LOOK INSIDE ... BORNHOLM
138 SMITH ST. | WWW.BORNHOLM.NYC
4INB • INBROOKLYN — A Special Section of Brooklyn Daily Eagle/Brooklyn Eagle/Heights Press/Brooklyn Record/Bay Ridge Eagle/Greenpoint Gazette • Week of May 25-31, 2017
Great Photos from Around the City — And Around the World — Appear Every Business Day in the Brooklyn Daily Eagle.
Jojo Restaurant assistant chef Gedeon Jean prepares fish in spiced broth in Petionville, Haiti in this recent photo. A new generation of Haitian chefs here and abroad have begun reimagining the country’s cuisine, using haute cuisine techniques in a growing number of restauAP Photo/Dieu Nalio Chery rants serving foreigners and Haiti’s small middle- and upper-class.
Week of May 25-31, 2017 • INBROOKLYN — A Special Section of Brooklyn Daily Eagle/Brooklyn Eagle/Heights Press/Brooklyn Record/Bay Ridge Eagle/Greenpoint Gazette • 5INB
--- CROSSWORD ---
(See answers on page 14.)
HOW TO PLAY: Fill in the grid so that every row, every colmn, and every 3x3 box contains the numbers 1 through 9 only once. Each 3x3 box is outlined with a darker line. You already have a few numbers to get you started. Remember: You must not repeat the numbers 1 through 9 in the same line, column, or 3x3 box.
See answers on page 14. 6INB • INBROOKLYN — A Special Section of Brooklyn Daily Eagle/Heights Press/Brooklyn Record/Bay Ridge Eagle/Greenpoint Gazette • Week of May 25-31, 2017
The Latest Condo Closings at Pierhouse in Brooklyn Bridge Park
Here is Pierhouse seen from Brooklyn Bridge Park’s Pier 2. By Lore Croghan INBrooklyn
Wanna know who the newest Pierhouse condo owners are? Of course you do. The priciest apartment that was recently purchased at Toll Brothers and Starwood Capital Group’s condo and hotel complex in Brooklyn Bridge Park belongs to Amy Weinfeld Schulman. She paid $7,789,612 for the apartment, city Finance Department records indicate. She’s a Yale-educated lawyer who served as the general counsel of Pfizer and headed its $4 billion consumer healthcare business, whose brands include Advil, Centrum and Chapstick. She left the pharmaceutical giant in December 2013. Schulman is currently a partner at venture-capital firm
INBrooklyn photos by Lore Croghan
Polaris. And she is the co-founder and CEO of Lyndra Inc., a company that has developed formulations for ultra-long-acting, sustained-release oral medicines. She is also the executive chair of SQZ Biotech and Olivo Labs. All three businesses are located in the Boston area. Also, she is a senior lecturer at Harvard Business School.
Priciest Purchase to Date Was Made By Timothy and Stephanie Ingrassia Pierhouse’s condos are located in two buildings at 90 Furman St. and 130 Furman St. Glass-faced 60 Furman St. is where 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge can be found. Continued on page 9INB
Spring foliage in Brooklyn Bridge Park frames Pierhouse and the former Watchtower headquarters. Park visitors check out an art installation by Anish Kapoor.
Week of May 25-31, 2017 • INBROOKLYN — A Special Section of Brooklyn Daily Eagle/Brooklyn Eagle/Heights Press/Brooklyn Record/Bay Ridge Eagle/Greenpoint Gazette • 7INB
Squibb Park Bridge Brings Visitors ThisClose to Pierhouse
ABOVE: As Squibb Park Bridge emerges from between two Pierhouse buildings, it affords a stellar view of Lower Manhattan. AT RIGHT: Now that Squibb Park Bridge has reopened, it takes pedestrians thisclose to Pierhouse. INBrooklyn photos by Lore Croghan By Lore Croghan INBrooklyn
Well, hello there. We really like your striped bedspread. Squibb Park Bridge — the picturesque wooden footbridge that connects Brooklyn Heights to Brooklyn Bridge Park — recently reopened after being out of commission for 32 months. A roughly $2.5 million repair job made the so-called “bouncy bridge” less bouncy. It sure looks different up here now. The last time the 450-foot-long pedestrian pathway was open, the construction of Brooklyn Bridge Park’s Pierhouse condo and hotel complex was in its early stages. Now it’s kind of like the situation with the High Line, the popular landscaped railroad trestle in the Meatpacking District, where apartment windows are so close at hand that visitors could hit them with tossed pebbles. When the black-locust timber and galvanized-steel-cable Squibb Park Bridge initially opened, people who walked down the zig-zagging aerial pathway had wide-open views of Lower Manhattan skyscrapers and Brooklyn Bridge Park’s shoreline. Now the work at Pierhouse is nearing completion. And the bridge threads between two condo buildings, 90 and 130 Furman St., as it descends from its point of origin at the edge of Squibb Park and passes over Furman Street. Some Pierhouse windows are thisclose to all those folks walking on the bridge. So a word to Pierhouse residents: If you think the dark glass on your shoreline-facing windows renders your condo interiors invisible, you are mistaken. During a stroll down the bridge the other day, we could see the stripes on a bedspread in one of your apartments. Also, as those of you with patios probably realize, folks strolling on Squibb Park Bridge have a bird’s eye view of these outdoor spaces.
Visitors to Squibb Park Bridge pose for pix alongside Pierhouse.
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8INB • INBROOKLYN — A Special Section of Brooklyn Daily Eagle/Brooklyn Eagle/Heights Press/Brooklyn Record/Bay Ridge Eagle/Greenpoint Gazette • Week of May 25-31, 2017
Here is Pierhouse, seen from Brooklyn Heights' Promenade.
When you are ready to move out of NYC, or a vacation home close to NYC, here are 10 Top Reasons you should talk to me: 9) Enjoy strolling, jogging, horseback riding, birdwatching and fishing at Rockefeller State Park Preserve within minutes from town.
INBrooklyn photo by Lore Croghan
(Look for Another Reason Next Week!)
The Latest Condo Closings at Pierhouse Continued from page 7INB The development, which has 106 residential condo units, has been a magnet for well-heeled real-estate purchasers, who are paying prices of $2,000-plus per square foot for the apartments. Pierhouse has caused legal controversy over the issue of whether the building partly blocks the protected view plane between Brooklyn Heights’ Promenade and the Brooklyn Bridge. Sales of dozens of the apartments have closed since Eye on Real Estate started writing about the transactions in February. At this point, the highest-priced Pierhouse purchase remains that of Timothy and Stephanie Ingrassia, who also own an 1840s Greek Revival-style house at 140 Columbia Heights in the Brooklyn Heights Historic District. As we previously reported, the couple paid $10,669,579 for their Pierhouse condo, Finance Department records indicate. Timothy Ingrassia is a banker at Goldman Sachs.
Other Big-Ticket Deals in the Offing Another Pierhouse condo is in contract that could turn out to be more expensive than theirs, if its closing price is close to its $11.179 million asking price, which is posted on StreetEasy.com. According to the real-estate website, this three-bedroom, 5,586-square-foot apartment has 3,407 square feet of outdoor space. As of press time, either the closing had not occurred or the
deed had not yet appeared in online Finance Department records. A second Pierhouse condo that’s in contract is going to be on a top rung of the price ladder if it closes near its $10.4 million asking price. StreetEasy.com describes it as a five-bedroom, 4,264-squarefoot apartment with 1,594 square feet of outdoor space.
Other Pierhouse Condo Purchasers But back to Pierhouse’s done deals. The new owners of two recently purchased Pierhouse condos recently sold apartments in Williamsburg or DUMBO, Finance Department records indicate. • Wai Lui Fung paid $3,093,799 for a Pierhouse apartment. In January 2017, Fung and two co-owners sold a condo at 1 Northside Piers in Williamsburg for $1.45 million. Fung had held a 90 percent interest in that apartment. • Sain Sain Lu and Michael Chua bought a Pierhouse condo for $2,854,511. In October 2016, they sold a condo at the Sweeney Building at 30 Main St. in DUMBO for $2.7 million. Lu and Chua had purchased the condo at 30 Main St. for $1,201,535 in 2003. Finance Department records also reveal these names and prices paid for recently closed Pierhouse condos: • Jordan T. Woods and Jillian S. Woods, $6,112,911 • David Epstein and Bonnie Epstein, $3,898,217 • Ian Ross, $3,047,978 • Jiong John Wang, $2,803,598
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Brooklyn Bridge Park Eye Candy
It's an ideal time of year to take in the sights in Brooklyn Bridge Park. The views of Manhattan Bridge are always stellar. See brooklyneagle.com for additional pix of the park and DUMBO. INBrooklyn photo by Lore Croghan Week of May 25-31, 2017 • INBROOKLYN — A Special Section of Brooklyn Daily Eagle/Brooklyn Eagle/Heights Press/Brooklyn Record/Bay Ridge Eagle/Greenpoint Gazette • 9INB
‘Affordable New York’ Pours Fuel on Already Fiery Flatbush Development Market By Alexander McGee, Director of Investment Sales & Brett Campbell, Senior Analyst Special to INBrooklyn
The Brooklyn development market slowed considerably in the first quarter, a continuation of 2016’s trend, as the expiration of the popular 421a tax incentive program kept investors sidelined. Now that the program has been reinstated in the form of “Affordable New York,” neighborhoods that saw a lull in activity, such as Flatbush, are now primed for a significant pickup in demand. It is no secret that the expiration of the 421a tax exemption a year-and-a-half ago severely dampened new development projects throughout New York City, with the downturn in Brooklyn particularly pronounced. New York City’s biggest borough saw total development dollar volume in the first quarter at just over $331 million, an astonishing 45 percent drop from the $619 million tallied during the period in 2016, according to Ariel Property Advisors research. Only 54 transactions were recorded in the first quarter, a remarkable 40 percent and 32 percent below the same quarters in 2015 and 2016, respectively. In 2016, the Brooklyn development market saw $3.136 billion in dollar volume for the year, down from $3.56 billion the year prior. Despite the drop, prices edged higher in Brooklyn year-over-year, with the average buildable square foot rising by 6 percent to $262, according to Ariel Property Advisors’ “Brooklyn 2016 Year-End Sales Report.” The 421-a tax exemption was highly enticing before it expired, offering developers of residential properties in certain areas a 25-year tax break in exchange for the creation of low- to middle-income housing. As developers, affordable housing activists, trade unions and politicians, including New York’s Gov. Andrew Cuomo, debated the program’s destiny for well over a year, new development throughout most
Alexander McGee, director of investment sales for Ariel Property Advisors of New York City dramatically slowed. However, in April, New York state lawmakers revived 421-a as part of the state’s $163 billion budget. The new program, called “Affordable New York,” offers full property-tax exemption for as long as 35 years. The new program comes with some cost to developers as it implements new standards for construction wages, but most contend the tax advantage far outweighs this added expense.
Flatbush: The Next Development Frontier From a development perspective, the up-andcoming Brooklyn neighborhoods of Flatbush and East Flatbush have fared significantly better than
Brett Campbell, senior analyst for Ariel Property Advisors
Photos courtesy of Ariel Property Advisors
Brooklyn as whole. While there was a slight downturn in dollar volume in 2016, at $50 million versus 2015’s $56 million, transactions in the area held steady. Moreover, if the dollar volume of $18 million in the first quarter keeps pace for the remainder of the year, 2017 will surpass 2016’s tally of $50 million for those areas. Flatbush’s popularity amongst investors is a relatively new phenomenon, which is starkly evident when looking at pricing, with the average price per buildable square foot at $119 in the first quarter, an astounding 43 percent higher than 2014’s average of $74. There is currently substantial value in developing rental buildings in Central Brooklyn, due largely to the “affordable” component of the Affordable New York legislation. In Manhattan, the affordable rental rate is considerably lower than the market rental rate. Therefore, the owner
will see a steep difference in rent between the required “affordable portion” of the building and the free market dwellings. Meanwhile, in the outer boroughs, namely Central Brooklyn, the affordable rents are extremely close to the market rents. In Flatbush, the “affordable” two-bedroom at 130 percent of area median income is $2,652, while the free market rent for the same unit in the same location is $2,600. The law, therefore, provides a clear path for developers to capture the whole rental market and fair market rents across the board in budgeting rental communities. Flatbush’s extreme value and substantial upside likely has developers experiencing a bout of déjà vu. That is because the neighborhood looks a lot like Bedford-Stuyvesant did just a few years ago before rampant development activity sent prices sharply higher, with the price per buildable square foot reaching $252 in the first quarter, more than double 2014’s average of $127. With pricing more than half that of BedfordStuyvesant, Flatbush offers developers the opportunity to build in a solid neighborhood with much less capital. Unlike Flatbush’s modest decline in 2016, dollar volume for development sites in Bedford-Stuyvesant decreased to $95 million in 2016, down a remarkable 55 percent from 2015. Flatbush’s relative affordability has not fallen on deaf ears and in the northern part of Flatbush, institutional investors who have long focused on core markets are now planting their flags in the neighborhood. For example, Hudson Companies is developing a 170-unit market-rate building at 310 Clackson Ave. The company is in the second phase of a large development at 350 Clarkson Ave. that will have 248 residential units and 6,000 square feet of retail space. Looking ahead, interest rates are positioned to move higher, but they remain historically low, which should bode well for the financing of development projects throughout New York City. While Affordable New York is undoubtedly positive for Brooklyn development, it will be a significant boon for Flatbush, where the tax incentive will fan the flames of an already sizzling development market.
Here’s a Fresh Look at Everyone’s Favorite Street for Photos in DUMBO
If you’re a tourist in DUMBO — or a bride-to- be, or a marketer who needs a good photo — this is where you go. INBrooklyn photo by Lore Croghan By Lore Croghan INBrooklyn
The corner of Washington and Water streets is Selfie Central. So many people stand in the middle of the cobblestones on Washington Street to snap photos that you’d think it’s a pedestrian-only street. It’s not. The historic red-brick DUMBO buildings on either side of the block make a corridor that frames the Manhattan Bridge.
And the blue-green supports on the bridge make a frame for the Empire State Building. Take a careful look the next time you’re standing in the middle of the street with all the other selfie-takers, and you’ll see that iconic skyscraper off in the distance. Of course we’ve previously published pix of this visitors’ hot spot. But we were in the neighborhood the other day and just couldn’t resist taking new photos. See brooklyneagle.com for additional shots we took.
10INB • INBROOKLYN — A Special Section of Brooklyn Daily Eagle/Brooklyn Eagle/Heights Press/Brooklyn Record/Bay Ridge Eagle/Greenpoint Gazette • Week of May 25-31, 2017
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MYBROOKLYNCALENDAR.COM Continued from page 2INB This Land Is ... This show features work by 800 Brooklyn students and offers youthful artistic commentary on modern socio-economic and political issues, from immigration and health care to gun violence. When: Tuesday through Sunday, through June 18 (Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m., Sunday, 12-6 p.m.) Where: Fort Greene/BRIC Arts (647 Fulton St.) Kajahl: Obscure Origins This exhibition presents a focused survey of Kajahl’s portraits, which combine iconography from African, Asian, European and PreColumbian traditions. The fusion of these symbols results in the creation of enigmatic artworks that bring the forgotten past into the foreground and reanimate minor artifacts of history into transformative assemblages. When: Thursday through Saturday, through June 18, 12-5 p.m. Where: Clinton Hill/Tillou Fine Art (59 Cambridge Place) S.B. Walker: Walden Walker’s photographs illustrate the way this once pristine landscape is now viewed and used. Using a large format camera, Walker captures both the grandeur and the cotidian 100 years after Thoreau. When: Tuesday through Saturday, through June 23, 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. Where: DUMBO/Janet Borden, Inc (91 Water St.) Multilocational See multilocational artworks by Natalia Nakazawa and Cecile Chong. Multilocational is defined as “of, pertaining to, or being present in more than one location.” It subtly plays on the words multicultural or multinational, or “of mixed ancestry or residence.” When: Fridays, through June 25, 3-6 p.m. Where: Park Slope/Old Stone House (336 Third St.) Georgia O’Keeffe: Living Modern This exhibit takes a new look at how the renowned modernist artist proclaimed her progressive, independent lifestyle through a self-crafted public persona, including her clothing and the way she posed for the camera. The exhibition expands our understanding of O’Keeffe by focusing on her wardrobe, shown for the first time alongside key paintings and photographs. It confirms and explores her determination to be in charge of how the world understood her identity and artistic values. When: Wednesday through Sunday, through July 23, 11 a.m. - 6 p.m. (Thursdays, 11 a.m. - 10 p.m.) Where: Prospect Heights/Brooklyn Museum (200 Eastern Parkway)
“This Land Is...” will be on exhibit through June 18 at BRIC Arts. Image courtesy of BRIC Arts Where: Brooklyn Heights/Brooklyn Historical Society (128 Pierrepont St.) Next Stop: Second Avenue Subway Tracing nearly 100 years of history, the New York Transit Museum’s newest exhibit explores how the Second Avenue line fits into New York’s past, present and future transportation landscapes. When: Tuesday through Sunday, through Sept. 3, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. (Saturday and Sunday hours, 11 a.m. - 5 p.m.) Where: Downtown Brooklyn/New York Transit Museum (Corner of Boerum Place and Schermerhorn Street) Infinite Blue The works of art in “Infinite Blue” feature blue in all its variety — a fascinating strand of visual poetry running from ancient times to the present day. In cultures dating back thousands of years, blue — the color of the skies — has often been associated with the spiritual, but also signifies power, status and beauty. The spiritual and material aspects of blue combine to tell us stories about global history, cultural values, technological innovation and international commerce. When: Wednesday through Sunday, through Nov. 5, 11 a.m. - 6 p.m.; Thursdays, 11 a.m. - 10 p.m. Where: Prospect Heights/Brooklyn Museum (200 Eastern Parkway)
Books & Readings
Forged Worlds This outdoor photography exhibition showcases work by seven artists whose photographic practices revolve around the physical construction of fictional landscapes. Installed on a fence beneath the Manhattan Bridge, this photo installation invites viewers to take a closer look and perhaps allow themselves to be carried away — if even for a moment — in thoughts and lands so strange, yet so familiar, so close to home. When: Daily, through July 31, 2017 Where: DUMBO/Manhattan Bridge (Adams Street, Plymouth Street and Anchorage Place)
A Republic, If You Can Keep It: Masha Gessen Talks Autocracy with Timothy Snyder Government by the people is a powerful and beautiful system, but one that is not impervious to threats. Two political thought leaders — Russian-American journalist and author of the forthcoming “The Future is History: How Totalitarianism Retook Russia” Masha Gessen and esteemed academic and author of “On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century” Timothy Snyder — sit down to discuss the global rise of nationalism and America’s political future. When: Thursday, May 25, 6:30-8 p.m. Where: Brooklyn Heights/Brooklyn Historical Society (128 Pierrepont St.)
Truman Capote’s Brooklyn: The Lost Photographs of David Attie In the spring of 1958, a young photographer named David Attie was led through the streets of Brooklyn Heights and to the Brooklyn waterfront by an unexpected guide: 33-year-old Truman Capote. The images Attie took that day were to illustrate Capote’s essay for Holiday magazine about his life in Brooklyn. Decades later, these largely unseen photographs are being exhibited for the first time. When: Wednesday through Sunday, through July 31, 12-5 p.m.
U.S. Book Launch: Theft by Finding Diaries 1977-2002 by David Sedaris These pages are the closest thing to a memoir David Sedaris has written, giving us a glimpse into his early life, his family, his struggles with money and his search for an artistic point of view. Along the way we watch the development of his unique voice, timbre and cadence. When: Tuesday, May 30, 6 p.m. Where: Dumbo/PowerHouse Arena (28 Adams St.) Continued on page 12INB
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MYBROOKLYNCALENDAR.COM Continued from page 11INB Eat, Drink & Be Literary Featuring Elif Batuman, author of the new novel “The Idiot” and the essay collection “The Possessed.” Moderated by Deborah Treisman. When: Wednesday, May 31, 6:30 p.m. Where: Fort Greene/BAMcafé Live (30 Lafayette Ave.)
Image courtesy of Green-Wood Cemetery
Educational An Evening with Alice Walker for “We Wanted a Revolution: Black Radical Women, 1965-85” Join acclaimed author and activist Alice Walker in an intimate lecture inspired by her life’s work and the exhibition “We Wanted a Revolution: Black Radical Women, 1965-85.” When: Thursday, May 25, 7:30 p.m. Where: Prospect Heights/Brooklyn Museum (200 Eastern Parkway) Manana from Heaven Cooking Class Learn specialty cooking skills in the Bay Ridge Jewish Center’s brand new kitchen. This month’s specialty is creating blintzes. When: Thursday, May 25, 7 p.m. Where: Bay Ridge/Bay Ridge Jewish Center (405 81st St.) NYTM Train Operators Workshop Drop by the computer lab to take control of a New York City subway car and operate it over virtual miles of track, using some incredibly realistic software. Limited capacity.
Tillou Fine Arts presents “Kajahl: Obscure Origins,” on exhibit through June 18. Image courtesy of Tillou Fine Art When: Saturday and Sunday, May 27-28, 3:30-4:30 p.m. Where: Brooklyn Heights/New York Transit Museum (99 Schermerhorn St.)
Family Fun Kids Drawing and Poetry Workshop Kids can join artist Jesse Chun for a workshop on drawing, poetry and combining the two. When: Saturday, May 27, 11 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. Where: Brooklyn Bridge Park/99 Plymouth St. Family Bowl Bring the whole family and get your bowl on. When: Saturday, May 27, 11 a.m. - 5 p.m., and Sunday, May 28, 11 a.m. - 6 p.m. Where: Williamsburg/Brooklyn Bowl (61 Wythe Ave.) Memorial Day Concert It’s a New York City favorite, now in its 19th year. Bring a blanket and enjoy this free early summer performance. The concert features the ISO Symphonic Band, founded in 1995 to sponsor talented students throughout New York City and led by the band’s inimitable founder and conductor Brian P. Worsdale. Each year it features the works of Green-Wood Cemetery’s permanent residents, including Fred Ebb, Louis Moreau Gottschalk, Leonard Bernstein and many others. Enjoy the beautiful landscape with your fellow New Yorkers, as well local vendors selling food and drink throughout the day. When: Monday, May 29, 2:30-5 p.m. Where: Greenwood Heights/Green-Wood Cemetery (500 25th St.) School Lunchtime Concert Series Showcasing middle and high school students from throughout
Green-Wood Cemetery presents its annual Memorial Day Concert on Monday, May 29. the borough, offering live music and performances in Columbus Park at the steps of Brooklyn Borough Hall. When: Wednesday, May 31, 10 a.m. Where: Downtown Brooklyn/Brooklyn Borough Hall
Film Rooftop Films: The New American Paradise A grandfather attempts to pull his two grandsons out their collective boredom with a twisted fairytale right out of Trump’s America. Based on a true story, “American Paradise” is a story of desperation and disguise. When: Thursday, May 25, 8 p.m. (doors open) Where: Downtown Brooklyn/Metrotech Commons (1 Metrotech Center) Best of BAMKids Film Festival 2017 A selection of the most popular films from this year’s BAMkids Film Festival, including the “BAMmie” award winner for best short film as selected by the 2017 festival attendees. When: Saturday, May 27 Where: Fort Greene/BAM Rose Cinemas (30 Lafayette Ave.) Rooftop Films: Love is Short (Romantic Short Films) “Love is so short, forgetting is so long.” Neruda wrote it, but these protagonists live it. When: Tuesday, May 30, 7 p.m. (doors open) Where: Williamsburg/The William Vale (55 Wythe Ave.) Varda in California A six-film series commemorating Agnes Varda’s brief relocations in the late-1960s and ’80s to California. When: Daily, May 31 through June 13 Where: Fort Greene/BAM Rose Cinemas (30 Lafayette Ave.) The Sunset Screenings: Killing of a Chinese Bookie, 1976 Complementing the skyline, the series will be city-themed, representing the world’s most iconic cities from New York to Tokyo with a carefully curated list of films. When: Wednesday, May 24, 8:15 p.m. Where: Greenpoint/Good Roof at Dobbin Street (64 Dobbin St.)
Tours Lovecraft In Brooklyn Lovecraft’s time in Brooklyn, although difficult, proved transformative. This tour will trace a path from Lovecraft’s high hopes at the beginning of his Brooklyn sojourn in Flatbush, to tough times in the area now known as Brooklyn Heights, and artistic renewal beyond. When: Saturday, May 27, 10:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. Where: Brooklyn Heights/Northwest corner of Pacific and Court streets
Brooklyn Museum presents “An Evening with Alice Walker for ‘We Wanted a Revolution: Black Radical Women, 196585’” on Thursday, May 25. Image courtesy of Brooklyn Museum
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