Williamsburg

Summer in the city can be a slog, but neighborhoods like Williamsburg turn the dog days into a wealth of seasonal perfection with peerless places, rare and unique tastes, and unbeatable views around every corner. From pools and parks and ice cream parlors for family fun to chic rooftop boîtes overlooking the Manhattan skyline, Brooklyn’s trendiest neighborhood offers endless urban opportunities to beat the heat. Below are just a few ways to keep cool and carry on.
The Williamsburg summer survival guide

Events & Things To Do

Demolition of debated vacant oil tanks in Williamsburg begins

Photo by James and Karla Murray exclusively for 6sqft

August 2, 2019

Demolition of debated vacant oil tanks in Williamsburg begins

Ten decommissioned tanks located along the Williamsburg waterfront will get demolished by the city this week, quashing plans from organizers to transform the silos into public space. Over the last four years, a team of designers and park advocates, led by Karen Zabarsky and Stacey Anderson, has pushed for adaptive reuse of the vacant 50-foot tanks into possible performance space, greenhouses, and art galleries. But without enough support from public officials, the team's project, The Tanks at Bushwick Inlet Park, now comes to an end as the city begins razing the oil tanks.
More here

Architecture And Design

Ahead of city demo plans, petition launches to save Williamsburg’s Bayside Oil Depot

Photo by James and Karla Murray exclusively for 6sqft.

July 29, 2019

Ahead of city demo plans, petition launches to save Williamsburg’s Bayside Oil Depot

For the past four years, a team of designers and environmentalists led by co-founders Karen Zabarsky and Stacey Anderson has been rallying to save a series of ten 50-foot, decommissioned silos on the Williamsburg waterfront and transform them into a unique, 21st-century park. The project, known as THE TANKS at Bushwick Inlet Park, would be a small part of the larger 28-acre park planned for the waterfront, an area known for it’s “toxin-soaked soil,” as described in a recent New York Magazine article. Zabarsky and Anderson believe in adaptive reuse over demolition, so as the city’s bulldozers draw near, The Tanks team has started a petition on Change.org to save these pieces of Brooklyn’s industrial history.
More details

Architecture And Design

July 29, 2019

$5.3M former Williamsburg firehouse is a live-work find with a garage, basement, and bamboo garden

Williamsburg isn't exactly the first place you'd think to find a historic townhouse, so the former firehouse at 411 Kent Avenue on the Williamsburg waterfront is unique from the start. Built around 1920, this cool commercial property was last listed in 2014 for $6.4 million. The 3,300-square-foot, two-story building features massive open spaces, high ceilings, huge windows, multiple skylights, original wood floors, exposed brick, and exposed wood ceiling joists–an ideal live/work loft in a neighborhood where they're in short supply. It's back on the market for $5.3 million.
Tour this classic loft

Distinctive Homes

A weed dispensary is opening in Williamsburg

Via Google Street View

July 26, 2019

A weed dispensary is opening in Williamsburg

Williamsburg is getting its first weed dispensary. According to the Commercial Observer, Remedy will open its first New York City location at the ground floor of the Pod Hotel on North 4th Street. Valley Agriceuticals, which manages the dispensary, is one of 10 companies licensed by the state to grow and sell marijuana.
More here

Policy

July 19, 2019

Where I Work: Inside Monarch Theater, Williamsburg’s new modern Asian restaurant

By 6sqft

"Asian fusion" is undoubtedly one of the most popular categories on Seamless, but for restauranteurs Lawrence and Ayako Elliott, it wasn't about following the trends. "When we went out to dinner, we ate mostly [East] Asian food... so we wanted to create a menu that we would find interesting," Lawrence told 6sqft. And this is exactly what they did at their Metropolitan Avenue restaurant Monarch Theater, which opened in February. Not only is the food influenced by traditional East Asian cuisine, but the design of the two-story restaurant--which the Elliots worked on themselves--was inspired by the former theater that occupied the site. Ahead, take a look around and learn more about this new Williamsburg gem.
Look around!

July 17, 2019

$3.65M Williamsburg townhouse with an in-ground pool is a summer retreat in the city

Having a private, in-ground pool is a luxury of which most New Yorkers can only dream. If you have the budget to scoop up this $3.65 million townhouse at 35 Devoe Street, your summer days would receive a major upgrade. In addition to the large pool and backyard oasis, the Williamsburg pad is pretty impressive on the inside too. A recent renovation transformed the 3,822-square-foot home with a crisp, minimal aesthetic that’ll be easy to transition into, regardless of your style.
More details

Distinctive Homes

For $6K/month, a trendy loft studio with a piano in Williamsburg’s popular Mill Building

Listing images courtesy of Compass

July 15, 2019

For $6K/month, a trendy loft studio with a piano in Williamsburg’s popular Mill Building

A loft in Williamsburg’s popular Mill Building at 85 North 3rd Street—just a few blocks from the waterfront—is now available to rent for $6,000 a month. The trendy abode has all the details loft lovers look for: soaring 15-foot ceilings, exposed brick, wood columns and beams, and large windows. The open layout is currently set up as a studio, but with over 1,000 square feet there's plenty of space to play around with. The apartment can come fully furnished or vacant—the only permanent fixture is the Yamaha upright piano next to the kitchen, making this pad extra sweet for musicians.
Look inside

Distinctive Homes

Lottery opens for a handful of middle-income units in East Williamsburg, from $1,689/month

Rendering courtesy of Reside New York

July 12, 2019

Lottery opens for a handful of middle-income units in East Williamsburg, from $1,689/month

If you don't mind waiting out the L train "slowdown," this opportunity might be for you. The lottery is now open for eight newly constructed, middle-income units at 150 Meserole Street in Williamsburg, just two blocks from the Montrose Avenue station. The apartments in the brand-new building are available to households earning 130 percent of the area median income and range from $1,689/month for a studio to $2,189/month for two-bedrooms.
More details

Affordable Housing

Two Trees exploring a new Williamsburg waterfront park and development next to Domino Park

Image via Google Street View

July 8, 2019

Two Trees exploring a new Williamsburg waterfront park and development next to Domino Park

Developer Two Trees has begun convening meetings with Williamsburg residents in the early stages of planning a future waterfront park and development in the neighborhood. As Brownstoner reported, the site under consideration is comprised of three lots owned by Con Edison on River Street between Grand Street and North 3rd Street, right between Grand Ferry Park and Two Trees’ popular Domino Park. The new park would thus connect the existing parks “and take a giant step towards creating a contiguous waterfront park that extends from the Navy Yard to Newtown Creek,” Two Trees notes.
More details

Architecture And Design

New renderings reveal amenities at Eliot Spitzer’s Williamsburg-waterfront development

Renderings courtesy of Citi Habitats New Developments

June 25, 2019

New renderings reveal amenities at Eliot Spitzer’s Williamsburg-waterfront development

New renderings of 420 Kent Avenue, the Williamsburg waterfront development located just south of the Williamsburg Bridge, offer a first peek at the building’s amenity package as the project enters its final phase of construction. Set to open for leasing in August, residents will have access to more than 25,000 square feet of indoor amenities, in addition to 80,000 square feet of outdoor space—including an outdoor pool and a 400-foot-long waterfront esplanade—and 20,000 square feet of retail space. The development’s public esplanade will link the entire Brooklyn waterfront and is set to officially open on July 4th—just in time to give Williamsburg residents a front-row seat to the Macy’s Fireworks Show on the East River.
More details

Williamsburg duplex filled with light, storage, and sweet details lists for only $895K

Listing images by Rise Media

June 24, 2019

Williamsburg duplex filled with light, storage, and sweet details lists for only $895K

It’s not easy to find anything under $1 million in Williamsburg these days, but this $895,000 condo at 37 Powers Street comes in comfortably under the mark. Built in 2008, the unit comes with a rare combination of high-end features—central AC, a built-in sound system, a central vacuum system—and charming details, like exposed brick and beams. A loft space on the second floor provides a flexible home office, second bedroom, or guest room, while large closets throughout cover all your storage needs.
Take a look inside

Distinctive Homes

June 21, 2019

Remarkable Williamsburg shipping container townhouse is for sale asking $5.5M

Two years ago 6sqft reported on the rise of a singular single-family residence on a Williamsburg corner lot; the amazing townhouse was built from 21 steel shipping containers, tamed and transformed into a sleek and surprisingly livable home by the architecture and design firm LOT-EK for the Brooklyn couple behind neighborhood barbecue favorite Fette Sau. If you've always wanted to live in the 25-by-100-foot, 5,000-square-foot home at 2 Monitor Street, now's your chance; the house just hit the market for $5.5 million.
Tour this industry-inspired wonder

The world’s largest street art exhibition arrives in Williamsburg

Photos by Nicole Mondrus for 6sqft

June 20, 2019

The world’s largest street art exhibition arrives in Williamsburg

By Nicole Mondrus

From June 21 to sometime in August, LA’s premier street art and graffiti exhibit will call Brooklyn home. “BEYOND THE STREETS” is a multimedia art exhibition that takes up two floors of 25 Kent Avenue in Williamsburg and is the biggest showcase of street art to date. With art by the likes of Fab 5 Freddy, The Beastie Boys, and the late Keith Haring, the exhibition celebrates the history of graffiti and street art and also examines public art as a means of protest and self-expression.
Find out more

Events & Things To Do

June 6, 2019

For $5.2M, this Williamsburg townhouse comes with a charming carriage house and lots of outdoor space

Sparing no attention to detail, this Williamsburg townhouse at 74 Devoe Street is perfect for lovers of modern design and fine craftsmanship. Streetside, the Petersen brick facade enchants with a playful composition of differently-shaped windows. Inside, a palette of warm oak, concrete, and metal come together to create a space that is at once modern and warm. Currently set up as a two-family residence with a two-bedroom apartment on the garden level and a five-bedroom residence on the upper floors, the property also has a separate carriage house in the back of the garden and a large roof deck. This unique residence is now on the market for $5.2 million.
Take the tour

Distinctive Homes

Williamsburg shuttle bus route to shrink as L train slowdown goes mostly unnoticed

Image courtesy of MTA.

June 4, 2019

Williamsburg shuttle bus route to shrink as L train slowdown goes mostly unnoticed

The MTA's long-dreaded Canarsie Tunnel repairs are finally underway, and we're all still here. And, as AMNew York reports, we've even discovered other subway lines that function similarly enough to the beloved L train to meet our transportation needs. The result of the current transit non-apocalypse is that at least one of the backup solutions–the "Williamsburg Link" shuttle bus service intended to mitigate an anticipated crush of stranded riders–is being nixed and replaced by a shorter route after experiencing "extremely low" ridership.
Find out more

Transit

Williamsburg’s tallest tower tops out at Domino Sugar Factory development

Photo by Max Touhey

May 21, 2019

Williamsburg’s tallest tower tops out at Domino Sugar Factory development

Williamsburg officially has a new tallest tower. One South First, formerly 260 Kent Avenue, topped out this week at the Domino Sugar Factory redevelopment along the waterfront. Designed by COOKFOX Architects, the 435-foot-tall tower features two interlocking buildings with white precast concrete facades inspired by the molecular pattern and forms of sugar crystals, a reference to the former factory site.
Domino details here

May 17, 2019

A gut renovation turned this Williamsburg condo into a hip $3M loft

By Dana Schulz

When the current owners of this condo at 119 North 11th Street in Williamsburg bought the two-bedroom pad five years ago, it was in need of some major TLC. Its historic bones--brick walls, beamed ceilings, and exposed piping--got lost in drab white walls and yellowed parquet floors. But after an extensive gut renovation, the apartment displays both its loft features and hip, modern additions. Now, the owners have enlisted the same broker team to sell their home for $2,985,000.
Take a look around

Distinctive Homes

Lena Dunham, still eager to part ways with Brooklyn, relists her Williamsburg pad for $2.65M

Listing images by DDreps, courtesy of Compass; Photo of Lena Dunham via Wiki Commons

May 1, 2019

Lena Dunham, still eager to part ways with Brooklyn, relists her Williamsburg pad for $2.65M

By Annie Doge

Lena Dunham was over her Williamsburg pad almost as soon as she bought it, but selling it has taken quite a bit longer. Dunham bought the three-bedroom condo at 60 Broadway for $2.9 million in April 2018, several months after she broke up with Jack Antonoff—who kept the Brooklyn Heights apartment they had shared—and first listed it just three months later for a marginal profit, at $3,000,000. It disappeared from the market shortly after 6sqft first reported the listing, and now it’s back under a new brokerage and with new, fully-furnished listing images. Dunham’s latest real estate moves include buying homes in Los Angeles, an apartment in the West Village, and working on building a small house on her parents’ Connecticut compound. With all that in the works, the actress seems more motivated than ever to officially part ways with Brooklyn, and she’s willing to settle for a deeply discounted $2,650,000 (h/t Observer).
Have a look around

New rendering shows 277-foot tower rising next to Williamsburgh Savings Bank

Rendering courtesy of Stonehill Taylor. Bank image via Wikimedia cc.

April 22, 2019

New rendering shows 277-foot tower rising next to Williamsburgh Savings Bank

The 26-story tower rising at 159 Broadway next to South Williamsburg's landmarked, domed Williamsburgh Savings Bank is making progress on its way to becoming 21 condos and a hotel. A new rendering courtesy of architectural firm Stonehill Taylor depicts the 277-foot-tall tower on the rise thanks to air rights above the bank, purchased by developer Cornell Realty Management along with the lot adjacent the bank hall.
More this way

New Developments

April 5, 2019

$1.25M Williamsburg triplex comes with two terraces and dramatic curved glass walls

A curved wall of floor-to-ceiling windows is the centerpiece of this two-bedroom triplex at 117 Kingsland Avenue. The 1,127-square-foot Williamsburg pad offers some cool custom built-ins, two terraces, and a convertible mezzanine level. Located in a boutique condo built in 2007, the apartment is equidistant from both the L and G trains and within walking distance of McCarren and McGolrick Parks. Last sold in 2017 for $995,000, the unit just hit the market seeking $1,250,000.
Take a look inside

Distinctive Homes

Sample the wares and see what’s new at NYC’s top flea and food markets

Image courtesy of Brooklyn Flea; photo credit: Scott Lynch

April 5, 2019

Sample the wares and see what’s new at NYC’s top flea and food markets

The city's local flea and food markets set up shop in springtime, bringing irresistible edibles and covetable goods to a neighborhood near you. Though dates and locations vary and favorite vendors come and go, the mighty market phenomenon keeps growing. The shop-and-nosh mecca Brooklyn Flea again changes locations (hello, WTC!), a favorite night market returns in Queens, and the Manhattan classics are back to offer more of what you didn't know you couldn't live without. Some of the best fairs are the most fleeting, and one-offs like the annual Renegade Arts and Crafts Fair are always worth the trip. The list below rounds up the city's top food and flea picks. Let the hunting and gathering begin!
Plan your market strategy

Events & Things To Do

Eliot Spitzer’s Williamsburg-waterfront development opens lottery for 121 low-income units

Renderings courtesy of Citi Habitats New Developments

March 28, 2019

Eliot Spitzer’s Williamsburg-waterfront development opens lottery for 121 low-income units

By Dana Schulz

Back in June, an affordable housing lottery launched for 65 apartments at one of Spitzer Enterprises’ trio of rental buildings along the South Williamsburg waterfront known as 420 Kent. These apartments were located in the northernmost of the ODA-designed glassy towers. Now, a second lottery has come online (20 percent of the development's 857 units are affordable) for 121 low-income apartments at the southern piece of the complex. These residences are reserved for households earning 60 percent of the area median income and range from $867/month studios to $1,123/month two-bedrooms.
Find out if you qualify

Live one block from the G and L trains in Williamsburg, from $1,058/month

Via Wikimedia

March 13, 2019

Live one block from the G and L trains in Williamsburg, from $1,058/month

An affordable housing lottery launched this week for six apartments in a 10-story Williamsburg building. Located at 467 Keap Street, the rental is a short one-block walk to the G and L trains at Metropolitan Avenue. In addition to being close to the subway, the building, known as the Ainslie Tower, also sits near Brooklyn haunts like Union Pool, Rocka Rolla, and Pete's Candy Store. Qualifying New Yorkers earning 60 percent of the area median income can apply for three $1,058/month one-bedrooms and three $1,280/month two-bedrooms.
Find out if you qualify

Affordable Housing

Lottery opens for 41 middle-income apartments in the cultural hub of Williamsburg, from $1,231/month

Via Korye Logan on Flickr

March 7, 2019

Lottery opens for 41 middle-income apartments in the cultural hub of Williamsburg, from $1,231/month