Fort Greene

It's official, developers Michael Stern and Joe Chetrit have closed on the Dime Savings Bank building at 9 DeKalb Avenue in Downtown Brooklyn for $90 million, providing them with the air rights needed to build the borough's tallest tower. According to Crain's, who first broke the news, Stern and Chetrit will be able to transfer the bank building's 300,000 square feet of unused development rights to the new structure's site at 340 Flatbush Avenue Extension. As 6sqft previously reported, the new tower will soar more than 1,000 feet and is being designed by SHoP Architects. It will also be the city's tallest building outside of Manhattan when complete.
on the deal here

New Developments

December 16, 2015

Beautiful Brownstone Rental in Fort Greene Sports Historic Details and a Spacious Kitchen

If you're going to inhabit a couple of floors of a brownstone, the top choice is definitely a parlor-garden combo; you get the grandeur of high ceilings, huge rooms and lots of light on the parlor floor, and then–ideally–you get a lower level that opens out to a pretty backyard. If you're extra lucky, the parlor floor has access down to the yard as well. This beautifully-restored duplex at 75 Willoughby Avenue in Fort Greene is just that perfect combination–hence the $7K a month rent. But what you get–three bedrooms, two baths, a gorgeous private backyard accessible from both floors in a mint-condition historic townhouse with all the trimmings–is about as good as it gets.
Have a look

Distinctive Homes

November 5, 2015

Check Out the Retro Kitchen in This Otherwise Historic Italianate Brooklyn Brownstone

When it comes to historic Brooklyn brownstones, most of them look pretty similar: a beautiful, high-ceilinged parlor floor, moldings, fireplaces, some woodwork and backyards. Over the years, owners have obviously updated the kitchens, but usually it's a run-of-the-mill open kitchen located in the back of the parlor floor. Not so at this brownstone in Fort Greene, at 30 South Portland Avenue. This property is pretty much the creme de la creme of Brooklyn real estate: a well-preserved, spacious brownstone on one of the prettiest blocks of one of the most in-demand neighborhoods. (That is why it's on the market for a whopping $5.25 million.) It also comes with a surprise: a retro kitchen that looks like it's straight out of a 1950s diner!
See it here

Distinctive Homes

October 21, 2015

Jennifer Morris Infuses Bold Design Accents Into This Vibrant Fort Greene Brownstone Interior

By Rebecca Paul

Most Brooklyn brownstones have been around for decades, if not centuries, making renovations on these types of properties standard procedure when purchased by a new owner. However for this family, their lack of experience almost led them to disaster. Excited about making their house a home, they charged full speed ahead with updates on their four-story, 18-foot-wide brownstone in Fort Greene, and were well into demolition before realizing they had no layout or design. They initially called interior designer Jennifer Morris to help them select finishes, but when the she questioned the couple about their plans, it was obvious they needed much more. Regardless of the misstep, Morris, who has extensive experience in the hospitality business, was able to expeditiously execute on this stunning interior. Plus according to Morris, unlike many new home owners, these clients were excited and fearless when it came to making bold design decisions, creating the perfect recipe for a beautiful and refreshing interior.
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October 6, 2015

$1.6M Fort Greene Floor-Through Designed by The Brooklyn Home Company Is Quite Photogenic

Though they're charming and often in great neighborhoods, condos created from historic townhouses often disappoint. Railroad-style layouts get circumvented by oddly-configured hallways (left resembling a linear "ant farm" accessed by tunnels), kitchens are across the apartment from living rooms, bedrooms get subdivided into virtual closets, and so on. This lovely two-bedroom parlor-floor home at 122 Fort Greene Place in prime Fort Greene escapes most of those fates, and interiors by popular brownstone Brooklyn design firm The Brooklyn Home Company elevate it even further into the charm circle. The $1.6 million ask may seem high, but a sizable 1,384 square feet, tons of restored original details within a superb renovation, stellar location, and designer showcase status (it was featured in the coffee-table-favorite "Design Brooklyn," and a slew of interiors mags) rack up plenty of selling points.
Check out more of the interior this way...

Distinctive Homes

September 15, 2015

Fort Greene Townhouse, Up for Rent at $8,500 a Month, Has Its Very Own Treehouse

If a New York townhouse is only as good as its outdoor space, this place in Fort Greene is one of the best. Located at 283 Adelphi Street, the historic brick house boasts a beautiful interior with both modern and historic touches, and then a downright awesome exterior. A fire pit, an outdoor dining area, and yes, there's a treehouse. (It looks just large enough to fit a grownup, too!) Simply put: this house has us sold, inside and out. It's up for rent during a six-month period–January 2016 to June 2016–asking $8,500 a month.
See it all

Leaks and Alignment Issues Plaguing Atlantic Yards’ B2 Tower Were More Severe Than Reported

Image via Field Condition

September 3, 2015

Leaks and Alignment Issues Plaguing Atlantic Yards’ B2 Tower Were More Severe Than Reported

When it was announced that Brooklyn would be host to the world's tallest prefab tower, many believed that a new era of construction was upon us. Called the B2 Tower, the building would rise as stacked 32-story structure, affording all the perks of a conventional edifice, but be quick and inexpensive to build. But as it has been well-documented, the project, announced way back in 2012, has been a major flop. Stricken with delays and countless lawsuits flying left and right, the building today has only reached about half of its height. So where did things go so wrong? A fascinating piece by the Atlantic Yards/Pacific Park Report's Norman Oder on City Limits provides some incredible insight into the project that has failed to deliver on just about every promise put forward.
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September 3, 2015

Four-Floor Stunner with a ‘Secret Garden’ Asks $11,000 a Month in Fort Greene

Here is Brooklyn brownstone living at its finest. The historic 1880s townhouse at 139 South Oxford Street, located in the very brownstone-heavy neighborhood of Fort Greene, is a good blend of historic details and modern conveniences. It's got a very special landscaped backyard, a renovated kitchen, and a staircase to die for. It's split up as a two-family home, and the upper four floors are now on the rental market asking $11,000 a month. That's nearly 3,000 square feet of living space, with four bedrooms, two full bathrooms, two half bathrooms and even additional basement storage! That's a lot of brownstone goodness right there.
See it all

August 18, 2015

Revel in Greenery at the Front and Back of This Fort Greene Townhouse Rental

When it's summertime, New Yorkers all make the decision to spend as much time outside as possible. In parks, on roofs, in backyards, wherever—and it's especially nice if you have your own private outdoor space to enjoy. Even better than that? When there's also a park within walking distance of your house. This apartment rental, at 150 Dekalb Avenue in Fort Greene, has all the outdoor bases covered. It's got a big private porch and backyard, and it faces Fort Greene Park. For all that greenery, it's going to cost you $5,000 a month.
See inside

Distinctive Homes

July 23, 2015

Construction Begins on John Catsimatidis’ Curvy Rental Tower at 86 Fleet Place in Fort Greene

By Ondel Hylton

Construction has begun on the final building of the four-tower development on the western edge of Fort Greene. The 32-story tower at 86 Fleet Place will house 440 rental units and will be the culmination of a 15-year redevelopment of a low-slung, Robert Moses-era retail strip along Myrtle Avenue. The developer of 86 Fleet, and three other sibling buildings to the east, is Red Apple Group's CEO and owner John Catsimatidis, who we might better remember as the billionaire Republican candidate in the last mayoral election and the owner of the oft-maligned Gristedes grocery store chain. According to the Wall Street Journal, Red Apple picked up the 2.5-acre, four-block site for $500,000 from Long Island University in 1982. The site spans 900 feet along the southern frontage of Myrtle Avenue, between Flatbush Avenue Extension and Ashland Place, and shares its blocks with the Toren condominium to the west and the Fred Trump-built University Towers complex to the south.
More details on the development

July 10, 2015

This Wrecked, Landmarked Townhouse in Fort Greene Is Asking $2 Million

How much would you pay for a completely rundown townhouse in the heart of the Fort Greene Historic District? This home, at 183 Lafayette Avenue, is a three-story wood frame that is likely one of the older buildings in the neighborhood. Its age is apparent from the facade, with its peeling yellow paint. Inside, the story is even worse, with an interior that demands a pretty significant renovation. And yet, the asking price comes in at a hefty $1.995 million. Is the Brooklyn market so hot that this crumbling home could actually fetch this price?
See the rest of the interior to decide

Distinctive Homes

The High and Low: Architecturally Distinct Modern Townhouse in Brownstone Brooklyn

81 Hanson Place (L); 21 State Street (R)

June 22, 2015

The High and Low: Architecturally Distinct Modern Townhouse in Brownstone Brooklyn

Townhouses are having a moment. Manhattan’s most lavish single-family homes are top-ticket trophies for the superwealthy. And families who've outgrown their apartments, investors banking on rising rents, and a celebrity or two, are snapping up brownstones on leafy Brooklyn blocks. But a handful of more adventurous buyers -- seeking space and privacy and possessed of some architectural vision -- chose the less-traveled road of creating modern-design homes on the decidedly un-trendy historic blocks of brownstone Brooklyn many decades ago. On the market now is the rare pair below. The first, more of a compound than merely a house, has a creative pedigree and architectural icon status (and a $13 million price tag). This combination of a 1892 school building and the townhouse next door sits among the impressively ornate 19th-century mansions of Fort Greene and boasts an un-missable modern extension and peerless minimalist interior, not to mention sheer size. The second is a more modest home–for a relatively more modest $3.5 million–but is also a unique modern dwelling with a laid-back and livable interior on a coveted tree-lined block of historic Brooklyn Heights.
See more of these unique modern homes this way

June 2, 2015

Elizabeth Roberts Brings Light Back into This 163-Year-Old Fort Greene Townhouse

By Shiloh Frederick

When Allison Freedman Weisberg and Peter Barker-Huelster bought this Fort Greene townhouse, it was the opposite of the home they envisioned. The couple wanted a house that was bright and uncluttered. Instead, the 163 year-old house was dark and decaying with its roof and back wall about to cave in. The family enlisted Elizabeth Roberts Design/Ensemble Architecture to put air and light back into the house, resulting in this indoor/outdoor blend thanks to a two-story addition, which features a wall of windows on the second floor and an operable glass door on the ground floor.
Look around the house here

Move It Whole Foods, Brooklyn Is Getting a Wegmans!

Rendering: Beyer Blinder Belle

May 13, 2015

Move It Whole Foods, Brooklyn Is Getting a Wegmans!

Everyone rejoice! East Coast foodie favorite Wegmans is finally coming our way, inking a deal to open its first ever NYC location in the Brooklyn Navy Yard. The New York Times reports that the supermarket giant will take up a whopping 74,000 square feet, anchoring the new shopping complex slated to replace Admiral's Row. Wegmans beat out three other proposals vying to enter the scene but was ultimately chosen because of the lack of affordable grocers in the area, and the store's commitment to bring 600 jobs to the area, 200 of which will be full-time—double what other proposals promised to deliver.
More on Wegmans coming to Brooklyn here

Real Estate Trends

May 13, 2015

Historic Fort Greene Carriage House in Need of Some TLC Gets over Asking Price

By Dana Schulz

When we think of million dollar listings, visions of super modern or impeccably restored residences come to mind, but this Fort Greene carriage house fits into neither of those categories. In fact, it could easily serve as the backdrop for a ruin porn Instagram photo. But despite its fixer-upper status, two lucky ladies just picked up the 19th century home at 327 Vanderbilt Avenue for $2.6 million, $500k over the asking price, according to city records released today. When the listing first hit the market this past December, Curbed noted that it wasn't "exactly habitable at the moment," but fortunately for the new owners, the sale came with renderings for potential overhauls. It also comes with some surprising historic remnants from its days as a horse stable.
More details, plus find out the interesting history of this carriage house

April 30, 2015

Actress Christina Ricci Nabs a $2M Fort Greene Townhouse Neighboring the BQE

By Annie Doge

Some people find the sound of moving traffic soothing, which must be the camp actress Christina Ricci falls into. According to the Post, Ricci has just scooped up a $2 million townhouse located at 67 Adelphi Street, right next door to the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway. Although not sited within the lovely and leafy quarters Fort Greene is best known for, the 2,205-square-foot home does have its charms: there are four sunny bedrooms, three bathrooms and a deck off the kitchen that leads to a large garden.
Have a peek inside here

April 29, 2015

This Cozy Brooklyn ‘Slot House’ Fits a Bed in the Kitchen

Who says small spaces can't be designed luxuriously? In fact, this compact home in the Fort Greene neighborhood of Brooklyn looks downright gorgeous—even if there is a bed lofted above a refrigerator. Noroof Architects designed the home in the early 2000s, and nicknamed the project "Slot House." The exterior "slot" was inspired by the existing maple tree on site, which the owners did not want to remove. The slot allows the tree to be seen from the inside, and this clever slotted design gesture was carried to the interior.
See the impressive result here

March 27, 2015

This Fort Greene Townhouse Looks All Grown Up, but Quirky Details Just for Kids Abound

We know New Yorkers love to spoil their kids, but this incredible renovation of a Fort Greene townhouse by Leone Design Studio takes things to a whole new level. As stunning and sophisticated a space as you'd expect when walking into a historic Brooklyn townhouse, this home also boasts tons of details dedicated to its pint-sized residents.
Have a peek inside here

Distinctive Homes

February 18, 2015

Get Transcendent in This Fort Greene Studio for $3K/Month

By Aisha Carter

They say “cleanliness is next to godliness.” Well, if that’s the case, living in this sparkling former place of worship is probably sitting in godliness’s lap. That’s what this cool Gothic Revival studio offers for $2,995 per month. And as a bonus, you’ll be able to walk the paths of former Fort Greene resident, Walt Whitman.
More pics inside

Distinctive Homes

February 8, 2015

MADE IN BROOKLYN: A Rep for Authenticity and Excellence That’s Well-Earned–and Far from New