The Crown Heightser: November 2006

Thursday, November 30, 2006

The Lost Crown Heights

Lefferts and Kingston

Eastern Parkway and Kingston
(Notice the crowns on top of the brownstones that have since been removed, if anybody can shed some light as to why?)

Brooklyn and Union

Brooklyn Pictures

After a cash payoff to the next door neighbor, the developer’s finally got their way and will be building condos on this lot. No word yet on the estimated completion date, however, given that the demolition hasn’t started, they are more then a year away from completion. Any word on the size or number of units?

Wednesday, November 29, 2006

Eastern Parkway 1920

Tuesday, November 28, 2006

Majestic (and under priced?) in Crown Heights North!

Crown Heights North
Prudential Douglas Elliman
$745,000

OLD EASTERN PARKWAY MEMORIES

Eastern Parkway- Grand Army Plaza,
(Notice the horse and buggy on the bottom right.)

www.citynoise.org

By: Ed Gruber

In 1905 my maternal grandparents, Fannie Schwager and Edward Wolff, were married in the then famous red room of the Willoughby Mansion at 667 Willoughby Avenue, Brooklyn. That same year they moved from Hall Street into a newly purchased brown-stone house at 347 Eastern Parkway, near Franklin Avenue.
Eastern Parkway, before it was broken up to make way for the IRT subway, was undoubtedly the loveliest street in Brooklyn. Tall stately trees formed a great natural arch over the Parkway. Benches instead of being securely cemented down, were portable so that one might move them into the shade. Drinking fountains were located every few blocks so that bike riders could refresh themselves.
Both side roads of the Parkway were used for horse drawn delivery wagons, while the center drive was reserved for carriages. Sundays brought the horse drawn pleasure carriages and occasional automobiles out in force. A favorite stopping-off spot on the trip to Prospect Park or Grand Army Plaza was the Bedford Rest, a large wooden roadstand at the corner of Bedford Avenue and Eastern Parkway, where beer and soft drinks were enjoyed at outdoor tables.
An outdoor movie was located just next to the Rest, where silent motion pictures could be observed in a large tent.
On warm evenings one could sit on the stoop and enjoy cool ocean breezes from Coney Island as crickets chattered. There were no apartment houses to be seen at the time and from the stoop on the north side of Eastern Parkway, on a clear evening one had an uninterrupted view of the revolving light at Sandy Hook, NJ.
Squatters populated the hilly area south of the Parkway and their goats would occasionally wander up and nibble at the hedges and wild daises. At a dairy farm located at the corner of Washington Avenue and Eastern Parkway, water was pumped from a well for the chickens and cows.
As the years passed, the subway was installed. Ebbets Field and the Brooklyn Museum were built. Electric street cars and then busses traveled across the Parkway at Franklin Avenue, and elsewhere. United Cigar stores, news stands, and all sorts of shops were built along Franklin Avenue. Union Temple was constructed near Grand Army Plaza and P.S. 241 was built two blocks south on President Street.
During my occasional visits back to the neighborhood, I think of Eastern Parkway of almost a century ago.

Monday, November 27, 2006

House Of The Day: President Street Mc-Mansion

Quick Facts: The two blocks of President Street between Kingston and New York Avnues were once known as "Doctors Row". Only people that lived on that block were allowed to drive through.

Looking Forward To Affordable On Crown Street

Does anybody know the number, size, and type of condos that will be built?

Sunday, November 26, 2006

What's Up With The Building On Corner President And Albany?

This building is perhaps the best example of wasted precious space in Crown Heights. The Building is approximately 12,000 square feet and it has been sitting vacant for years. Last year, there was a title transfer to someone by the name of Weinbaum; other then, that the owner refuses any comment about the future of the building.

Over Inflated On Carroll Street

Crown Heights
1259 Carroll Street
Fillmore
$899,000

This house had been sitting on the market for months. At $900,000, this is a perfect example of the 2006 over inflated prices. It obviously has not occurred to the owner that the frenzy over houses, in Crown Heights, has calmed down and the people won’t pay the crazy prices any more.
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Thursday, November 23, 2006

Empty Lot On Corner Union And Albany

(Please excuse the picture it was raining)

The official address for this lot is 1510 Union Street -343 Albany Ave

I hope to bring you the history and future plans for this parcel of land and how it will develop as another brick in the building of the neighborhood.

In 1979 an organization called Center For The Jewish Culture purchased this lot with the plan to build a center for Judaism which would include a museum; however this plan never materialized and the organization then planned to sell the lot to Zalmen G. as he had in mind to to build homes. When this did not materialize either, Center For The Jewish Culture decided to sell the lot to Chassidic Discovery Center located at 305 Kingston Avenue.

Chassidic Discovery Center plans on building a meeting hall for the various tourist groups that come to Crown Heights.

A number of years ago, the sale was made and a price was agreed upon at the market value of that time; however there were issues with the deed that had to be worked out. Finally on 8-5-05 the deal was closed and the lot was sold for a mere $150,000.
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