New Fifth Avenue Restuarant Planned for South Slope?

568 Fifth Avenue on the corner of 16th Street, former home to the 4 Stars Food Corporation, has been leased through Ripco Real Estate. Ripco specializes in retail leasing.

The 2,024 sf corner building with full basement was listed for $90,000 per year. Real estate taxes are $7,600.

Permits have been approved to "CONSTRUCT NEW BAR RESTAURANT IN EXISTING COMMERCIAL STORE SPACE" and also for the sidewalk shed/scaffolding in order to make repairs to the parapet wall.

Always loved what's left of that old "Berkley COATS SUITS DRESSES" neon sign and turquoise paneled store front most likely dating back to those days when Fifth Avenue was a glorious upscale shopping destination on a Sunday afternoon.

Restaurant wish list? Anything but Brick Oven Japanese/Thai Sushi Pizza Fusion, please!

292 15th Street: Beds, Ritual Baths, and Beyond.

Pile driving/underpinning/shoring/ foundation work has begun on the Mikvah ritual bath being built at 292 15th Street between 6th and 7th Avenues. The lot is being developed by the Rabbinical Community of Brownstone Brooklyn. According to The Brooklyn Record, there was some question as to whether the "apartments" were to be allowed under NYC R6B zoning rules and regulations. It looks as if the DoB's questions have been answered and work has been allowed to continue.

Daniel O'Conner Architects


IMBY backlink: "292 15th Street Mikvah"

"Brooklyn Record"

Mary Christmas Park Slope Women's Shelter

18-20 Jackson Place Rising.

December 2008

After a very rough start back in August of 2007, this new Zelden /BK Developers LLC building on the diminutive R5B zoned 18-20 Jackson Place is taking a predictable shape. Same brick, same pointed "dunce hat" facade as their 14th Street building. Neighborhood reaction? I heard there is some kind of ongoing lawsuit?

*IMBY BACK POSTS*

Tree Sweater on 16th Street

What a feeling.
This street tree somehow makes me think about this one legged dancer I dated back in the 80's- Maybe it reminds me of the way on frigid days just like today, she would hop up and down like a pogo stick in our tiny cold water flat, screaming in her best Ed McMahon sounding voice, "Hoooooow cold is it... Kimosabie!".... coaxing a smile from my face in the same way this spirited tree cozy does now. Or heck, maybe it's just that specific orange colored yarn.

Anyway, when I saw this the other day I thought it was funny, you know funny weird. But then you know what's really so special about crocheting and the Internet? It's the way they bring completely isolated strangers together who share similar, yet very rare niche obsessions or unusual interests. Suddenly that misunderstood psychopathic tree hugging teenage knitter-bomber in Rapid City can connect with a kindred spirit in Seattle, or Cleveland, or Brooklyn for that matter. The world gets a little smaller, don't you know. Isn't that what the High Holidays are all about?


























































































Meanwhile, across this great country...
Treesweater Pattern

155-161 15th Street losing its religion.

Fourth Avenue and 15th Street: The Norwegian Evangelical (Free) Church in this 1930 photograph is in the foreground. Directly next door and up 15th St., you can just make out the peaked roof line and two of the three round roman arches that composed the front facade of the Polish National Catholic Church of the Holy Cross or P.N.C.C.H.C. for you faithful regulars.

"THE PEWS ON FIFTEENTH"

In February of 2007, the then vacated Polish National Catholic Church of the Holy Cross was sold to a Queens developer (155 15th Street, LLC) for $3.85 million. The sale also included an adjacent rectory and parking lot. In all the project's site contained some 22,532 buildable square feet. That's $170.87 per square foot. Demolition followed soon after.

Michael Gadaleta of M/G Architects has the permits to build a brand new five story, 21 unit building with accessory off street parking for 14 cars in the cellar. Total Ordained Floor Area=37,036

Anyone interested in their progress? Here's a brief photographic history for you foundation freaks who just love the hole. The last two pics are recent.

Here's another IMBY link:

"A look forward at The Norwegian Evangelical (Free) Church, Fourth Avenue and 15th Street, Brooklyn"

534 17th Street Has Passed On

The most quiet house on the most quiet block. Windsor Terrace sleeper sells.

Property for sale April 2008. Deed transfer recorded on September 17th, 2008.
The seller: Ffg, LLC. The Buyer: Ellen Baxt.
The price, $600,000.

Ellen Baxt the Brooklyn Poet? Welcome to the neighborhood.































Raising the trees...
Plans have yet to be filed to demolish this incredibly tiny shell of a house with its enormous plantation style front yard. A thousand freeze / thaw cycles could not have been kind to this old guy. A gentle shove might be all it takes to knock him to the ground.

He looks naked without his protective leafy overcoat. Don't worry. We are expecting a heavy blanket of snow today.

349 16th Street Condo Conversion

349 16th Street: An extensive alteration (vertical enlargement) to an existing four family brick building. You can see the transformation above. What remains of the 1924 built apartment house can be seen if you look down the side alleyway. There you will find the original old brick structure. This is a 20' wide building on a 25' wide lot with a small rear yard.

Interested in seeing what the building looked like before the facade was removed and replaced with an Exterior Insulation Finishing System? Look right next door. The "twin sister" to 349, still remains mezzanine free.































































Floor plans from the Corcoran web site. They have the 1st floor/cellar duplex listed at $469,000. Open house this Sunday December 21st, from Noon to 1:30pm.

396 15th Street: Collateral Damage

Over the years this little two story garage has been used for various commercial enterprises including the custom fabrication of lowrider hot rods. The kind with those pneumatic lifts operated by eight car batteries in the trunk. Today it stands vacant. 396 15th Street currently has a DoB Stop Work Order in place from January 2007 having to do with the way the building's roof and interior floors were shored up during it's top to bottom reconstruction. Looks like they used iron beams instead of wood as per plans. Some before, during, and after shots with the new facade minus the decorative cornice. June 2006- The building shifted drastically towards the neighboring excavation at 400 15th street, cracking the floor slabs, rear, side and front facades.



















































The new building. December 2008

1638 8th Avenue: Going, and going, and going...

1638 8th Avenue: Our Survey of the South continues. Today another Karl Fischer, pre-filed back in 2001. Yes, Prospect Terrace is actively breaking ground. Yes, assorted foundation work is still in progress. Someday, it will look just like this...



















But for now, we can only dream. As is this week, December 2008
(Pictured Above and Below)

















(Below) Two shots from last year. Shoring in place. March of 2007







Imby's 2008 State of the Slope Address

400 15th Street

400 15th Street: What's in your wallet?

Imby's State of the Slope Address begins today.

Our Survey of the South, so to speak. Thought I would shoot the load, photographically speaking, and let you take in my entire collection of neighborhood buildings jpg's before the end of this wonderful year. Because every thing doesn't always have to have a biblical beginning and an end, especially in Brooklyn.

400 15th Street: All we can really do is live in the present. Sad to say nothing has happened at this site since August. Not a creature is stirring for months now. Has the river of money dried up? This still born baby condo has been plagued with health problems from the start. There's actually been a lot of work done over the years, unfortunately it's mostly been on the neighboring buildings... to repair their damaged walls and foundations.













(Ab0ve) June 2006
































(Above) The "double blumpkin" back in March of 2007.




















(Above) November of 2007


















(Above) Iron in February 2008


Presently, back and front pictured below, December 2008




















Click on the pic to enlarge... Of course you can always type in "400 15th Street" in the "SEARCH BLOG" window above to see more on this building.