Category: Articles
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Patriot Names
George Wythe was mayor of Williamsburg, VIRGINIA in 1768-69. That he has street named for him in Williamsburg, Brooklyn is a complete coincidence.
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17 Years
Via North Brooklyn Neighbors, the cover of the New York Times, 17 years ago today. Marking the finalization of the deal to rezone the Williamsburg/Greenpoint waterfront. The rezoning itself was enacted 8 days later. As I noted in an earlier linked post, 17 years on only a third of the promised Bushwick Inlet Park has…
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Airing of Grievances
For those that missed it, a week ago Tuesday (14 September) Community Board #1 voted to approve the Two Trees’ River Ring with a host of conditions. The discussion at the Board meeting was entirely about the merits of voting “no with conditions” (as the Land Use Committee recommended) or “yes with conditions”. There was…
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Thoughts on River Ring
River Ring – the proposed rezoning by Two Trees of the former Con Ed site at Metropolitan and River Street – kicks off its ULURP review with a Community Board 1 Land Use committee meeting on Wednesday. Hopefully the CB recommends for changes but does not follow the lead of those who want to kill…
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Is Rockefeller Center Trying to Become the New Williamsburg?
First Rough Trade moves to Rockefeller Center, now Samesa? Is Rockefeller Center trying to become the new Williamsburg?
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District 33 and 34 Candidates’ Forum
The North Brooklyn Open Space Coalition* held as excellent forum with the candidates for the District 33 and 34 City Council seats on Thursday. Some very good questions on parks, open space, development and the waterfront. Diana Reyna and Ron Shiffman did a great job moderating too. Watch the forum via video link here (via…
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Slavery in North Brooklyn
July 4 is the 193rd anniversary of the end of slavery in New York. Prior to 1827 Kings County – then a collection of 6 towns (Brooklyn, Bushwick, Flatbush, Flatlands, New Utrecht and Gravesend) – had the largest number of enslaved persons in the state. In 1698, Kings County had a population of 2,015, 293…
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Holy Tabernacle Church – Before and After
(very) Former Bushwick Avenue Holy Tabernacle Church [Google] Courtesy of Google street views – the fate of Bushwick Avenue. This was the Holy Tabernacle Church Grace English Evangelical Lutheran Church. Now it is just an unholy mess.
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Peter Luger Sputters
Pete Wells, restaurant critic for the Times does the unthinkable and gives Peter Luger’s zero stars. I said a few weeks ago that Luger was probably the second best steakhouse in Williamsburg – maybe it isn’t even in second place? Still, quite a takedown. Last time it was reviewed in the Times (by Frank Bruni)…
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Sales Trouble at 184 Kent?
Interesting tidbit (I assume about 184 Kent) in a piece on the sale of Paul Manafort’s Soho condo: “I think there are buyers who wouldn’t buy it or would be less interested because of it,” Harkov says, citing difficulties with selling off a Williamsburg, Brooklyn, property owned by Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner. Several prospective buyers…