Brooklyn Heights Blog - Latest Comments

Re: Open Thread Wednesday

MaggieO — Mon, 15 Jun 2026 15:30:08 -0000

at least that current shed and scaffolding at St. Ann's are around an active construction site!
until someone comes up with another way to protect pedestrians from falling building debris the sidewalk sheds will remain. if anything, given the overall age of buildings in the neighborhood generally, there will probably be more.

Re: Open Thread Wednesday

Andrew Porter — Mon, 15 Jun 2026 15:21:24 -0000

My (silly, isn't it?) dream is a BH with no sidewalk sheds! The one around St. Ann and the Holy Trinity used to have a sign crediting Gov. Pataki for the funding, but they took that down. The scaffolding, sigh, remains.

What the place looked like in 1940 (they removed the steeple in 1904, when the subway was built underneath):
https://uploads.disquscdn.c...

Re: Open Thread Wednesday

MaggieO — Mon, 15 Jun 2026 13:12:43 -0000

in case anyone's keeping track, the sidewalk shed around 150 Joralemon is finally coming down today!

Re: Open Thread Wednesday

Nosey Neighbor — Sat, 13 Jun 2026 18:43:12 -0000

There are cracks running up the corners of the building that are going to be fixed.

The hotel renovations were really botched. There were multiple leaks and the basement flooded. And remember the fire alarm was on the fritz for months.

Re: Open Thread Wednesday

Arch Stanton — Sat, 13 Jun 2026 14:39:22 -0000

The JoHos used the Bossert for dorms, so I think it was well used, though probably not abused.
There were, and perhaps still are, some rent controlled residents living in there the entire time the JoHos owned it and at least some of the time the last developer had it. But I don't know whatever happened to them?
The JoHos did an excellent exterior rehabilitation on the Bossert and all their older buildings. However, 40 years is a long time and it's probably due for another remediation.

Re: Open Thread Wednesday

Effective Presenter — Sat, 13 Jun 2026 14:18:14 -0000

The space will stay vacant a grocery store needs at least 5000 steady weekly customers plus foot traffic to be successful $$$ the location, etc., NOT going to work

Re: Open Thread Wednesday

Effective Presenter — Sat, 13 Jun 2026 14:01:28 -0000

After the first renovation back in the 1980s the Bossert Hotel was in pristine condition. For decades the Bossert has sat in pristine condition, year after year, with minimal if any use.

Re: Open Thread Wednesday

Effective Presenter — Sat, 13 Jun 2026 13:56:06 -0000

The owners of Lassen & Hennings, the Calfa family have been excellent community partners, corporate citizens for decades doing good things for Brooklyn Heights.

We suspect the concerns expressed by Al, Chris and Thomas Calfa are valid.

Re: Open Thread Wednesday

Banet — Fri, 12 Jun 2026 20:53:51 -0000

I assume they’re complaining about the difficulty in getting delivieries? Especially since the Bossert along Hicks being blocked off now.

Re: Open Thread Wednesday

Streetwalker — Fri, 12 Jun 2026 17:44:44 -0000

I was just watching an instagram reel where the owners of Key Food and Lassen & Hennigs were complaining about the traffic changes to Montague St. I understand issues with loading and unloading, and I would be happy to support designated loading zones for our businesses, but these owners were saying they are “second-class citizens and acting like martyrs. I thought the street. benches were silly, but I see so many elderly people using them daily, and the tables next to Lassen & Hennigs are always packed (maybe with customers from l’Apt 4F). Also, Key Food is still busy despite getting close to Gristedes prices. What are they complaining about?

Re: Open Thread Wednesday

Arch Stanton — Fri, 12 Jun 2026 10:24:38 -0000

I walked by the Bossert today. Looks like a lot of interior demolition is going on, with a steady stream of mini dumpsters rolling out of the building. Also looks like they're doing a first class job!

Re: Open Thread Wednesday

Andrew Porter — Thu, 11 Jun 2026 14:33:43 -0000

Apartment at 15 Clark Street listing from Brownstoner includes link to history of the property and fascinating BH history:

https://www.brownstoner.com/real-estate-market/condo-co-op-of-the-day/brooklyn-heights-apartment-for-sale-15-clark-street-three-bedrooms/

Re: Open Thread Wednesday

Andrew Porter — Thu, 11 Jun 2026 14:22:25 -0000

If it's too hot for you this week, cool off with this wintry GIF:
https://uploads.disquscdn.c...

Re: Open Thread Wednesday

BH Mike — Thu, 11 Jun 2026 14:09:37 -0000

Unions are a license to be lazy and settle at the lowest common denominator.

Re: Open Thread Wednesday

Banet — Wed, 10 Jun 2026 22:59:33 -0000

It will pair very nicely on her mantle with the Pulitzer she won for the same play just a month or so ago.

Re: Open Thread Wednesday

Arch Stanton — Wed, 10 Jun 2026 22:07:28 -0000

Yep, the city inspectors are a joke, very few of them are actually qualified to do a proper job. Partially because they simply don't pay enough to attract competent people. Especially When one with half a brain can earn 2X-3X or more, working in the private sector. It becomes obvious who's gonna be left.

Spot on about the unions. I was in the Ironworkers union, for about a year. I couldn't stand it, the pace of the work was at times, painfully slow making the days drag on. I was actually told by a supervisor, a job that I estimated could easily be finished in 3-4 days should be stretched out to 2 weeks! And all anyone ever wanted to talk about was the f'n union. I could go on...

Re: Open Thread Wednesday

A Neighbor — Wed, 10 Jun 2026 17:05:21 -0000

It is the job of city agencies to monitor the work of the outside contractors they engage - that means safety, work quality, delays, the whole thing. Not high on their agendas.

It reminds me of a conversation I had with a cab driver the other day. A friend of his, he said, was a member of a union who worked on city construction projects. His friend’s boss always tells him and his co-workers to ‘work slowly’.

Re: Open Thread Wednesday

Andrew Porter — Wed, 10 Jun 2026 16:16:21 -0000

Morris Dancers on the Promenade! I've seen them several times over the years. Always entertaining!

Re: Open Thread Wednesday

Arch Stanton — Wed, 10 Jun 2026 15:39:37 -0000

City contractors, ugh! Well that's what you get with the low bids... Honestly, things may have been better back in the days of bid-rigging. At least then, contractors would try to avoid accidents if only to keep a low profile and not draw attention to their other shenanigans.
Anyway, on a modern construction site there is no excuse for lack of safety. I have over 40 years in the business and never had a serious injury on one of my projects.

Re: Open Thread Wednesday

MaggieO — Wed, 10 Jun 2026 14:35:26 -0000

in other news, how much more placard parking will streets in the heights see when this plan is put into place?
https://nyc.streetsblog.org/2026/06/09/dot-will-install-protected-bike-lane-on-key-bklyn-bridge-connection-boerum-adams

Re: Open Thread Wednesday

MaggieO — Wed, 10 Jun 2026 10:44:57 -0000

whatever you think of the design of the building and criminal justice practices generally, i think we can all agree stuff falling off construction sites is not great. https://www.thecityreporter.nyc/2026/06/08/brooklyn-jail-debris-workers-injuries-rikers-osha/

Re: Open Thread Wednesday

Cranberry Beret — Wed, 10 Jun 2026 10:29:48 -0000

Congrats to our neighbor Bess Wohl, who just won a Tony award (Best Play for 'Liberation')

https://www.brooklynpaper.com/bess-wohl-tony-award-best-play/

Re: Open Thread Wednesday

Jorale-man — Tue, 09 Jun 2026 18:32:51 -0000

Well, look, I don't work in the grocery retail business - and perhaps you do - but it seems to me that there's typically a supermarket every few blocks in this part of Brooklyn. By eyeballing the landscape (west of Hicks St., let's say), they could easily support one down there if it's well-run and the prices are reasonable.

In terms of rental income, as a co-op board member myself, I can vouch that having retailers in your ground floor can be a big source of income. But beyond that, I don't know about the finances of that building or what its residents desire for that empty space.

Re: Partial Closure of Columbia Heights Friday

gc — Tue, 09 Jun 2026 12:58:57 -0000

Still closed as of this AM (Tuesday June 9).

Re: Open Thread Wednesday

MaggieO — Tue, 09 Jun 2026 09:51:45 -0000

NYTimes style guide renders all acronyms longer than 4 letters using only an initial capital (e.g., Dumbo, Unicef, NASA). To be honest though, it irritates me to see Nycha in an article rather than NYCHA.
Can we do oxford commas next?