The now famous $23.5million penthouse apartment at 1 Main Street has been chosen as Esquire magazine’s Ultimate Bachelor Pad. The 7,000 square foot three story penthouse plus 400 sq. ft. private interior and exterior roof deck will be featured at exclusive celebrity and charity events throughout the fall season. This year’s opening gala, which benefits the Fresh Air Fund, is set to take place on Thursday, October 13th.

Related:
{Esquire to Fill Brooklyn’s Priciest Pad With Sexy Ghost, 26Sep2011, Curbed}
{Dumbo Clock Tower penthouse to become Esquire magazine bachelor pad, 26Sep2011, The Real Deal}
{1 Main Street Penthouse Back on the Market for $23.5M, 15Apr2011}
{New Co-Exclusive Listing for 1 Main Street PH, 01Feb2010}

Press Release after the jump.
Read the rest of this entry »

There was an article in the NY Times about the Jehovah’s Witnesses listing eight of their prime properties in Brooklyn Heights in the past month. As part of the Witnesses plans to move their operations to upstate New York, they have started listing more of their buildings in Brooklyn. They sold several large buildings in the past 6-7 years. A few key properties sold or being sold (aside from the buildings sold on the Brooklyn Bridge Park property):

• 360 Furman Street, sold in 2004 for $205 million, was converted to the luxury condo, One Brooklyn Bride Park.
• 169 Columbia Heights, a former 12 story hotel known as Standish Arms in 2007 for $50 million.
• 161 and 183 Columbia Heights were sold as a package.
• 165 Columbia Heights
• 105 Willow Street
• 34 Orange Street
• The Bossert, a former 14-story hotel at 98 Montague St has been on the market since 2008.
• 89 Hicks Streeet, built in 1940, has 48 units and was purchased by Brooklyn Law School in 2006 for $14 million.
• 67 Livingston Street sold to NYU in 2006 for $18.6 million

The most recent listings include the following:

• 165 Columbia Heights $4,500,000
• 76 Willow Street $3,600,000
• 67 Remsen Street $3,600,000
• 105 Willow Street $3,600,000
• 34 Orange Street $3,500,000

These are all in Brooklyn Heights. But what about the properties in Dumbo? Why aren’t they on the market yet, writes a reader who emailed us:

“I am wondering if you know anything about the Watchtower properties located here in Dumbo. According to a NY Times article from this past weekend, there are several prime properties in Brooklyn Heights that will be sold by the society.”

“However, as long as I have lived in Dumbo I have never heard of any mention of their properties in Dumbo. For example, the tennis court building on Front Street, the huge empty lot near the F train subway station, the big building behind the Bagel shop on Front St, and the loft warehouses on Prospect Street. Do you know if the society has any future plans to sell these now that they are moving upstate? Just curious. If yes, this could spur yet another wave of huge transformation for Dumbo.”

We understand that several of the former printing press buildings on Sands Street are empty and the lot on 85 Jay Street is used as a parking lot. Our guess is a combination of economics and logistics – moving that many buildings and people to divest their Brooklyn properties will not happen overnight. The Dumbo properties could also continue to rise in value as more residents move in and infrastructure is fixed, so it makes sense to wait it out. What do you think?

Related:
{Holy Moly: Watchtower Continues to Divest in the Heights, 19Aug2011, Brownstoner}
{A Century of Jehovah’s Witnesses, 28Apr2010, BK Eagle}
{The Watchtower Moving Some Operations from Brooklyn, 26Mar2009}
{Where’s the Tennis Court in Dumbo?, 10May2007}
{Jehovah’s Witness Buildings Could Offset Brooklyn Bridge Park Costs, 08Oct2010}
{Watchtower Plans on Moving Out of Brooklyn, 24Feb2010}
{‘Mysterious’ 85 Jay Street Activity?, 30Jan2008}
{Glimpse Inside Jehovah’s Witness Headquarters, 16Nov2006}

Dumbo Area

Dumbo is a neighborhood north of Downtown Brooklyn under the Manhattan and Brooklyn bridges. The area is right at the waterfront of Pier 1 which is now the site of the amazing Brooklyn Bridge Park that features the Brooklyn Ice Cream factory, River Cafe restaurant, a merry go round and tons of out grass to layout on and relax.

Dumbo vs. Manhattan

Dumbo is the home of more than 88 digital and design companies with lots of other industries represented. Dumbo looks and feels just like the city with it being only a walk across the bridge away or one stop on the subway. The difference with Dumbo, Brooklyn from Manhattan is, in Manhattan a small company can easily get lost in the clutter. There are thousands and thousands of firms in the city and everyone is too busy to stop and talk, let alone notice what the next guy is doing. In Manhattan a small company is just another straw in the hay stack.

No Strangers

Dumbo is not the kind of city neighborhood where you see strangers everyday. We know the companies by the names of it’s owners and employees. We mingle more than once a month at Digital Dumbo and Dumbo Tech Breakfast. We offer each other advice and assistance without consideration of competition. The companies here in Dumbo work collaboratively toward the benefit of all stationed here.

Set for Success

In Dumbo just as a “Tree grows in Brooklyn” a “Young firm goes strong in Dumbo”. It is a NYC neighborhood filled with Entrepreneurs and Intrapreneurs who are motivated to make their companies a success as well as others around them. These individuals love their work and thus love their lives. Any new or small company that decides to set up shop should consider Dumbo, Brooklyn first.

In the words of Mr. Rogers, “Would you be mine, could you be mine, won’t you be my neighbor?”

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Post written by Danii Oliver, Interactive designer and developer. CDO of DAMN Digital Studio, an Interactive Agency.

Kirkman Lofts, a new re-development project at 37 Bridge Street in Dumbo is 55% sold, according to building spokesperson. Sales launched in April 2011 and construction is expected to be complete this fall. Occuapncy is anticipated to begin at the end of 2011. “To date, every unit at Kirkman Lofts been sold for its full asking price and prices have increased three times since sales launched, making Kirkman Lofts one of Brooklyn’s most desirable places to live. Still offering competitive prices for real estate values in DUMBO, buyers are drawn to this one-of-a-kind building for its industrial-chic design and trendy location,” said Stephen G. Kliegerman, president of Halstead Property Development Marketing.

The building is comprised of 45 condominium residences in a mix of studios, one- two-, three, and four-bedroom homes. Remaining units range in size from approximately 861 to 2,803 square feet and in price from $625,000 to $2.4 million. According to Streeteasy, there are 7 active listings and 25 listings in contract:

Price per square foot range between $956 to $675 per sqft.

Previously:
{37 Bridge Street Nearly Complete, Now Known As Kirkman Lofts, 22Apr2011}
{Lightning Strikes 37 Bridge in Dumbo, 24Mar2011}
{37 Bridge St Gets Quiet, 17Dec2009}
{37 Bridge Street Update, 14Aug2009}
{Soundproofing Windows in Dumbo, 03Dec2007}

(Photo by Josh Derr)

Ditch Plains Drop-In, the concession at Brooklyn Bridge Park’s Pier 1 by Marc Murphy just started offering delivery to the Dumbo area from 11am. Now you can get one of their hot dogs (ditch dog, chili dog, sloppy dog), sloppy joes, lobster rolls, or one of their tasty wraps delivered to your home or office. Check out their menu online.

They are offering 15% off your first order (just mention you saw this on DumboNYC). Delivery zone includes, north to Plymouth Street, south to Cranberry Street, east to Washington Street.

Ditch Plains delivery menu (PDF)
Brooklyn Complex’s review of Ditch Plains

The following are selected links from this past week on blogs and websites with discussion about Dumbo (and its neighboring areas):

• Missed Connection at The Gallery Cafe, 25Sep11, Craigslist
• DUMBO Arts Festival Slips The Manhattan Bridge Some Acid, 25Sep11, Gothamist
• Wild Rise: Bar Pizza Made by Neapolitan-Inspired Science Geeks, 23Sep11, Slice
• Depeche Mode Founder Vince Clarke Buys $2.8M Dumbo Loft, 20Sep11, NYMag
• Esquire’s Ultimate Bachelor Pad 2011 at 1 Main St in Dumbo?, 20Sep11, Curbed
• New Dumbo Pizzeria “Wild Rise”, 20Sep11, Gothamist
• Restoring a Carousel for Brooklyn Park, 18Sep11, Youtube
• Dumpster Project at Dumbo Arts Fest, 22Sep11, NYT
• “It’s Like a Magic Lantern” (Jane’s Carousel), 19Sep11, ArtInfo
• A Vintage Carousel Spins in Brooklyn : Slideshow, 15Sep11, WNYC
• NYC Most Carousels of any City?, 21Sep11, NYO
• The DUMBO Arts Festival’s Five Coolest Spectacles, 23Sep11, NYU Local
• A Spin on Jane’s Carousel, 20Sep11, NYO
• Jane’s Carousel is a sight to behold, 19Sep11, world architecture news
• Evening Light of Jane’s Carousel, 20Sep11, BK Eagle
• New Section of Brooklyn Bridge Park Opens, 19Sep11, Brownstoner

Welcome to the Dumbo Arts Festival! If you haven’t been here before, directions are below, courtesy of Dumbo Arts Fesetival. Full schedule of events are listed on dumboartsfestival.com.

If you’re looking for some food and drink choices, here are some suggestions:

Dining:

• Almar (v.good Italian dinner and brunch), 111 Front Street
• Bubby’s (American dining), 1 Main Street
• Miso Sushi, 40 Main Street
• Pedro’s Spanish American Restaurant, (neighborhood Mexican bar/restaurant) 73 Jay Street
• Pub One (Pub dining and bar food), 5 Front Street
• Rice (pan-Asian), 81 Washington Street
• Water Street Restaurant, (Southern American), 66 Water Street
• The Gallery Cafe (Mediterranean cuisine), 108 Jay Street
• Superfine, (Local/organic American restaurant/bar), 126 Front Street

Pizza:

• Front Street Pizza (NY-style pizza), 80 Front Street (at Washington St)
• Wild Rise (Neapolitan pizza), at 68 Jay Street Bar

Coffee/Dessert:

• Almondine Bakery (French bakery and cafe), 85 Water Street
• Archway Cafe (coffee and sandwiches), 57 Pearl Street
• Baco Cafe (coffee and sandwiches), 71 Jay Street
• Brooklyn Roasting Company (best coffee in Dumbo), 25 Jay Street
• Jacques Torres Chocolates (66 Water Street) and Jacques Torres Ice Cream (62 Water Street)
• Starbucks (coffee, duh), 67 Front Street
• The Best Chocolate Cake (really is the best), 68 Jay Street

Deli/Grocery:

• Bridge Fresh Market, 68 Jay Street
• Foragers Market, 56 Adams Street
• Peas N Pickles grocery, 55 Washington Street (at Front St)
• 7 Stars Deli, 59 Front Street

Bars:

• 68 Jay Street Bar, 68 Jay Street (at Water St)
• Almar, 111 Front Street
• Pedro’s Spanish American Restaurant, 73 Jay Street
• ReBar, 147 Front Street
• Superfine, 126 Front Street

The Dumbo Arts Festival spans the neighborhood of DUMBO, Brooklyn between the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges, including the Waterfront. Parking is scarce and public transportation is encouraged, though if driving, use 45 Main Street as a GPS terminus. Biking or walking over either bridge is also a great way to arrive from the West.

BY SUBWAY
F to York Street
Make a right when exiting the train station. Make a left onto York Street, walk 3 blocks to Washington Street and turn left on Front Street or Water Street

A/C to High Street

Walk downhill toward the Brooklyn Bridge on Cadman Plaza West to Old Fulton Street. Bear left on Old Fulton Street and follow it until it ends at the pier or make a right on Front Street

2/3 to Clark Street
Exit the station and make a left onto Henry Street. Turn left on Old Fulton Street and follow it until it ends at the pier, or make a right on Water Street.

BY BUS
Take the B25 to the corner of Water Street and Main Street.

BY FERRY
NEW YORK WATERWAY’S EAST RIVER FERRY operates to and from the Fulton Ferry Landing from several locations along the Manhattan and Brooklyn waterfronts and Hoboken, NJ. Also, the New York Water Taxi operates from South Street Seaport. Exit the Ferry Landing onto Water Street and walk north

This weekend, Dumbo Brooklyn is host for the 2011 Dumbo Arts Festival and will feature open artists studios, exhibitions, and outdoor projects throughout the neighborhood. This year’s festival will feature more than 500 artists, 120 open art studios, 40 live performances, family programming and more — all free of charge.

(Immersive Surfaces)

Friday’s performance art highlights include:

• 8:30 PM – 9:00 PM: Janet Biggs’ premier of Wet Exit, a multi-media performance that combines projected video images and musicians with choreographed kayakers performing in the East River.
• 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM: Carl Skelton and Luke DuBois’ Sweet Stream Love’s River gives guests the chance to text short love notes from their smart phones to be projected glowing in the rippling surface of the water at Empire Stores. Visitors to the festival are invited to send short love notes via SMS from their smartphones to 646-389-1766 to be displayed on the Main Street façade of the Empire Stores.
• 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM: Immersive Surfaces projects video onto the Manhattan Bridge anchorage and surrounding cityscape to blur boundaries between perception, art and technology. (Locations: The Triangle at Pearl & Front St., Jay & Water St., Front & Adams St.

There’s also The DUMBO Underground, a benefit party for Free Arts NYC: “Help us kick-off the DUMBO Arts Festival on with a night of burlesque, music and raffles to help raise funds for Free Arts NYC, a wonderful organization that provides arts and mentorship programs to under-served children in NYC.” (on Friday, 9/23 10pm-3am. 1 Front Street, Corner of Front St & Old Fulton, Brooklyn, 11201) *Use code: DUMBONYC to receive $5 off when purchasing tickets online*

Below are some additional preview items you don’t want to miss.

1) Smack Mellon Gallery – Isidro Blasco

Isidro Blasco
Tilted

Madrid-born New York-based artist Isidro Blasco creates photographic sculptures and multimedia installations composed of images of places where he has lived, worked and visited. In Tilted, Blasco creates perspectival fragmentations of Smack Mellon’s gallery space alongside a prismatic recreation of a Dumbo streetscape. Photographs taken from multiple perspective points are combined to create mosaic-like patterns and are then mounted onto three dimensional ramshackle constructions built from repurposed wood. More info.

Exhibition Dates: September 24 – October 30, 2011
Artists’ Reception: Saturday, September 24, 5-8pm
Location: Smack Mellon, 92 Plymouth Street, upper level

2) Smack Mellon Gallery – Rachel Beach

Rachel Beach
Distance Trance

Re-imagining the basics of structure and image, Rachel Beach’s skillfully constructed architectonic objects curiously hover between sign and real, visible and invisible. Highlighting the tension between artificial and natural, Beach’s new series of sculptures methodically combine contrasting surfaces of trompe l’oeil veneers with salvaged construction beams left in their aged condition. Brightly painted edges carve out illusions of space from the chunky cuts of wood. In dialogue with the sculptures are new series of silkscreens in which monochromatic patterns of formal geometric abstraction become symbols of space. More info.

Exhibition Dates: September 24 – October 30, 2011
Artists’ Reception: Saturday, September 24, 5-8pm
Location: Smack Mellon, 92 Plymouth Street, upper level

3) Dumbo Arts Center’s video_dumbo

Dumbo Arts Center’s video_dumbo is a festival for contemporary video art curated by Caspar Stracke and Gabriela Monroy. The festival provides local emerging artists with an exhibition platform and is augmented by a number of established, international selections.

Location: 112 Water Street, Brooklyn, NY

4) Dan Wonderly’s PORTALS at 30 Washington St

From Dan Wonderly: “The inspiration for this body of work stems from years of looking at my surroundings, imagining how things might appear if I could shrink down to an inch tall and go exploring. For the series, I scoured the DUMBO neighborhood and photographed different PORTALS—defined as a doorway, gate, or other entrance—to create 16 macro or near-macro vignettes of drains, cracks, holes or miniature environments I envision as entrances into another world.”

Location: 30 Washington Street (dumboartsfestival.com/events/portals-dumbo)

Loosecubes is a community that connects members with an empty desk, studio, or sofa with other members who need a productive and inspiring place to work. They have been hugely successful in getting individual freelancers, remote workers, and travelling staff to connect with like-minded people online to co-work offline (or “in real life”). Loosecubes makes it easy to find the right people to share your workday with. They are based in Dumbo so we caught up with founder Campbell McKellar, Anna Thomas (Chief Happiness Officer), and Anthony Marinos (Captain Awesome) at their cool looking 20 Jay Street office.

Q: Congratulations! Loosecubes is now in 454 cities and 58 countries in only 14+ months. When you first started Loosecubes, did you imagine that the coworking community would be this open to sharing their space with others?

Thank you! We’re so thrilled that our members can work around the world. When our Founder and CEO, Campbell McKellar, first had the idea for Loosecubes, she wasn’t entirely familiar with the coworking movement. It wasn’t long before she became a member of New Work City (NWC), a collaborative coworking space in Lower Manhattan, and experienced the magic of coworking first hand. At NWC, Campbell was afforded the opportunity to make incredibly valuable connections with professionals and resources in the local community that she may never have been able to make otherwise. Moreover, the more people she met in the coworking community, the more their value of openness became apparent. Members of the coworking community are open to learning from each other and sharing ideas, and being inclusive rather than exclusive. As Loosecubes, we’re excited to be the platform that helps coworking spaces around the world connect with independents and entrepreneurs in their communities and beyond.

Q: In today’s world, knowledge can be accessed anywhere and everywhere it lives. The cost of bringing in expertise and people have dropped. This globalization, with cloud computing (sharing of computing resources online), and virtualizing people and office locations have changed how business is done. How has your view of coworking changed business? And how will Loosecubes shape this change?

At Loosecubes, we want to bring the act of coworking everywhere. Empty desks in company offices, sofas in people’s homes, spare easels in shared art studios, even commercial kitchens with one too many stoves! We really believe that opening up one’s office to the local freelance community, fellow entrepreneurs, and business travelers is a great way to build a stronger business and can ultimately lead to new jobs, partnerships, referrals, and friendships. We want to help facilitate valuable connections through shared workspaces that would otherwise be left up to serendipity, and help boost our economy by doing it.

Q: The Loosecubes culture reads like being at an ideal company. Based on other Loosecubes featured around the globe, there seems to be a similar vibe. Is this self selection or a shift in how traditional organizations need to be to succeed?

We’re trying to change the way people work, so we figure it makes sense to start with our own company. Because of this, we do our best to convey our values throughout our site, in our email communications, and in person. Many of the companies who are sharing space on our site embrace a similar work ethos, and understand the implications that a forward-thinking set of company values can have on their employees and business health. We’ve seen that even traditionally conservative organizations are beginning to consider the productivity and happiness effects of a more open, flexible work culture. It’s really exciting to play a role in this work lifestyle shift.

Q: Loosecubes is located in DUMBO Brooklyn, a neighborhood with many startups and entrepreneurs. With Loosecubes in DUMBO, how has it affected your culture?

Loosecubes is proud to be a DUMBO-based business. The culture of the neighborhood and the people in it has had a tremendously positive influence on our company and our brand. The community in DUMBO is very tight knit, and everyone is always up for helping a fellow neighbor. Our employees enjoy walking to work, eating lunch in the triangle, and being able to meet other creative professionals without having to leave the neighborhood. We wouldn’t want to be based anywhere else!

Q: What are your top 3 recommendations on how to be an awesome Loosecuber?

To be an awesome Loosecubes, check out our three Community Guidelines:

1. What happens in Loosecubes stays in Loosecubes. Loosecubes is a community based on trust. When you’re coworking, it’s extra important to take confidentiality seriously. If you have to share, tweet about how cute the dogs are or how nice the Aeron chair is you’re sitting in.
2. No one likes a chatterbox. We’re all here to work, so be respectful of others in your environment who are hard at work. There are always awesome opportunities to connect later while grabbing a cup of coffee or even a beer after work.
3. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Treat your work environment as you would treat your own home. Pitch in to clean the dishes, don’t take things from the fridge that aren’t yours without asking, and try not to overuse the printer. Leave your space exactly the way you found it.

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Thanks guys for your service on behalf of Dumbo, those looking for co-working space, and those offering co-working space! If you’re interested in a few Dumbo based listings, check out some of the following (for example):

• Red Antler, Main Street
• Jay Street
• Flushing Avenue (near Navy Yards)
• 68 Jay Street
• The Digital Zone, Main Street
• Jay Street

Of course you can search in any of the 454+ cities around the globe.

Loosecubes HQ: loosecubes.com/listings/369
20 Jay Street, Brooklyn NY 11201

This weekend is the annual Dumbo Arts Festival. Each year, the Dumbo Arts Festival highlights the arts community by presenting the best in local, national, and international art between the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges. The festival will take place between Friday, September 23 and Sunday, September 25 and attracts 200,000 visitors and participation of over 500 artists from a variety of disciplines, 100 studios, 50 galleries and stages. The neighborhood becomes one big event of experimental art and music in unexpected places.

Festival hours are Friday 6pm to 9pm, Saturday 12pm to 8pm, and Sunday 12pm to 6pm, and 6pm – midnight for all outdoor art projections.

Go to Dumbo Arts Festival for the full program guide. The Dumbo Arts Festival is produced by Dalzell Productions and Two Trees Management.