The Fun Has Begun at 200 Franklin Street!

Earlier today I announced the fugTABULOUS Karl Fischer slated for 200 Franklin Street has borne the chrysalis of creation: scaffolding and permits. This evening (at 6:50 p.m., to be precise) I got a taste of the hilarity to come.

Mister Heather: They’re going to try to park that earthmover in that garage.
Miss Heather: No way.

YES WAY!



Here’s a nice snippet of these chaps trying to defy one of Newton’s Laws, e.g.; no two objects can occupy the same space at the same time. In this case it is the entrance to this garage and the top of an earthmover. Don’t worry, they didn’t fuck up the building. They scratched up the street instead.


Undeterred, they then tried to get it in this way.

When I walked by later (8:30 p.m.) they had clearly given up…

and now we have an earthmover obstructing Franklin Street!

Miss Heather

Good News For All You Karl Fischer Fans Out There!

Just in time for spring 421a tax abatements, a new Karl Fischer masterpiece is poised to blossom on Franklin Street. It’s going to be a real beauty too. (Caveat: Do not click on the previous link if you have eaten recently.)

Miss Heather

Greenpoint Photo du Jour: 110 Green Street

Looks like someone at Magic’s new digs decided to enjoy last Saturday’s lovely weather with a little al fresco television watching.

Miss Heather

THIS WEEK: Mets By Numbers

This Thursday, April 17  at 7:30 p.m. Word Books will be hosting a must-do event for Mets lovers. Jon Springer, the author of Mets By Numbers and Spike Vrusho, the author of Benchclearing: Baseball’s Greatest Fights and Riots will be giving a presentation moderated by none other than metsgrrl. Beer and snacks are in the offering. Check it out!

Word Books
126 Franklin Street
Brooklyn, New York 11222
(718) 383-0096

Let’s give these guys a big ol’ Greenpoint welcome. As it would happen, I know one of the previous authors hails from the Garden Spot of the Universe. Which one, you ask? That’s for me to know and you to find out Thursday night!

Miss Heather

Crosstown Local Chicanery: Who Moved My Cheese?

Yesterday the Heathers took a day trip to south Brooklyn. Mr. Heather took the usual precaution and looked up the MTA service advisories for the almighty G before we left. All was clear, he said. The Mister is fanatical about such things. He loves structure and order.

This is unfortunate given the Crosstown Local is our subway line. The capricious nature of the G has taught me to take a certain Zen approach to rapid transit. Does a bunch of people berating the crappy service on said line at City Hall make a sound? No, not really. Does a subway entrance for the Crosstown Local unencumbered by tape mean there is service? Not necessarily. Anything goes on the G. It is a joy ride of the absurd, as you will see.

We ducked into the Smith and 9th entrance for the G at India Street. It was open for all to enter. This would lead a reasonable person to believe said platform was in service. But the Crosstown Local does not toe the line of reason; it was closed. So we schlepped to the Queens-bound platform. That’s where we were met with the following piece of transit-related hilarity.

Let’s think about this for a moment. If one is standing on the Queens-bound platform waiting for the Smith-9 St bound train on a Saturday afternoon at 2:30 p.m. what good does this annotated sign do— other than to confuse?

Miss Heather

Green Street: Then And Now

One of the things which has amazed me about some of the old photos of Greenpoint I acquired lately is how little some places have changed. Case in point: the Green Oaks Citizens Club.

Located at 179 Green Street, it looks little different now than it did thirty years ago. Those of you who are curious to know what the Green Oaks Citizen’s Club is all about, here’s an excerpt from their web site:

The Green Oaks Citizens Club officially recorded it’s charter on June 29, 1966. The club is a non-profit organization serving the community of Greenpoint for over 35 years by donating to worthy causes, holding fund raisers, serving as a conduit to local politicians, providing the clubroom to local block associations, and other civic meetings, sponsoring summer youth programs, assisting the children’s lunch program, providing monthly bus trip to Atlantic City for senior citizens, and sponsoring local softball, football and little league teams.

Here’s a couple of other fun facts I learned about this establishment:

1. The club’s name hails from its original location at Green and Oakland Street. (Oakland Street is now known McGuinness Boulevard.)
2. The more eagle-eyed among you might have noticed Green Street is also known as George Apen Street. This street was renamed to honor a former president of the Green Oaks Club.

Miss Heather

Mordred Gets A New Sun Dress!

Miss Mordred the Greenpoint chihuahua is always on the cutting edge of fashion. Needless to say, yesterday’s lovely weather moved her to show off her new sun dress.

She apologized for the sad shape of her nails, she needed to make an appointment with her manicurist.

Nonetheless, she was quite ladylike.

Inasmuch is that is possible for a dog, that is.

Miss Heather

A Rooftop Garden At Studio B?

This is the spectacle that awaited Mr. Heather and I as we strolled down Banker Street last Saturday afternoon. If my memory serves me correctly the time was 3:30 or 4:00 p.m. One tends to muddy such matters when she sees a bunch of skinheads in a fistfight. And that is exactly what I saw. A fistfight. In the middle of the street. At 3:30 or 4:00 in the afternoon.

Wishing to get the 411 about this incident I asked my fabulous colleague, neighbor and former proprietress of 11222 about this incident. She has the dubious honor of having this establishment as a neighbor.

Miss H: Last weekend Mr. H and I walked by there (Studio B) when Grand Theft Auto had their party last weekend. We had the pleasure of watching a bunch of skinheads get into a fight.

11222: I got to watch all of that from my window. The police were called. The trash generated on the street when it was done was unprecedented.

Lest any of you are wondering, the previous is not an isolated incident. Here’s a post from 11222 dating from September 9, 2007.

Here’s another one from July 9, 2007.

I myself have seen the aftermath of Studio B’s revelry. It’s disgusting. Even by Greenpoint standards. Needless to say I was less than pleased when she alerted me to this post on Brooklyn Vegan.

Curious to know what was up with this “rooftop garden” I checked out the good ol’ Department of Buildings online database. Here’s what I found.

Plans were filed March 31 of this year. They were disapproved.

Plans to change second floor occupancy and join its new “eating and drinking establishment” with the first floor establishment. Are you following me so far? Good. The timing of this application is very curious given…

they were cited three weeks earlier for having over 650 people in a space sanctioned to hold 461. That’s almost 50% over capacity folks.

Perhaps someone can explain to me how this…

is going to sport a rooftop terrace in less than one month? There is no D.O.B. permit sanctioning it. I have no doubt there are other permits required to do such a thing. What’s more, an establishment that treats both its patrons and the community at large with as much disregard as Studio B should not be allowed to have it. Upping the occupancy is only going to exponentially increase the noise, litter and discord this place already produces.

But don’t take my word for it. Here’s a testimonial from 11222:

Studio B is the only nightlife establishment in the area that does not have any kind of “please respect our neighbors” signage or any attempt to enforce it. Yes, it’s on an industrial block, but it’s surrounded on two other sides by residential, plus you have to walk through residential to get to transportation. The club makes no effort to be good neighbors in terms of cleaning up trash. People stand out front drinking (judging by the empty liquor bottles in the tree pits), smoking, handing out club fliers… all of which end up on the street up and down the block from Calyer to Meserole – because on one side is commercial and the other side is not in use.

The worst is the fact that the club goers think it’s okay to stand on the corner and talk loudly, yell at each other across the street – there’s zero recognition that people live in this area. There’s stories on 11222 about how people have stood outside our building playing guitar, and when asked to move, cross the street. Or, when asked to be quiet, the response is “you don’t have to work tomorrow.” I realize the people who own and book the club aren’t individually responsible for the behavior of the audience, but they don’t even try to request decorum.

The thought of a roof garden is intolerable, except for the fact that it will now impact the very small, quiet, residential street behind the club, and maybe they will start calling 311 with regularity with noise complaints… I still need to call 311 to find out if you need a special permit to have a roof garden, because I am pretty sure you do.

So there have you. Perhaps I am being an old coot (a chap on Graham Avenue was kind enough to call me that, more or less, recently and I saw fit not to argue with him— primarily because he was an asshole), but my decision to move to Greenpoint was largely based on the fact it is a nice (if a bit rough around the edges) neighborhood. Don’t get me wrong— I LOVE those rough edges. A little drunken hooliganism now and then never hurt anybody, but this is a quality of life issue. OUR quality of life.

Miss Heather

Credits/Props: 11222 and “Fire Marshal Bill” a commenter on Brooklyn Vegan. They did most of the work, not me.

A New Restaurant In Greenpoint?

If an email received from a reader is true, this storefront at Meserole Avenue and Leonard Street is going to be just that! Kate writes:

i live on meserole ave and they’re putting in a new restaurant at the corner of meserole and leonard, across the street from eat records. would you happen to know what it is going to be? it’s awfully sweet looking at the moment, with large glass windows and some copper on the little awning/overhang. i understand you must be busy, but if you have a moment and happen to know what i’m talking about, i’d love to know what’s the haps.

I had noticed that this storefront was (finally) getting a much-needed makeover. I did not know it was going to be a restaurant. Anyone have an idea what it is going to be? The next time I swing by this intersection I’ll be sure to ask around.

Miss Heather