Here’s a new listing for a 2100 sqft triplex co-op at the Eagle Warehouse building in Fulton Ferry Landing. It’s listed as a 1 bedroom, 2 bath but says that it can be “easily converted to a 3-4 bed, 3 bath”. The upper level features a 14 ft ceiling and the lower level is open/flexible but no windows. Price is $1,495,000 ($711 per sqft), $1,569/month maintenance. This seems reasonable given the building and location, but there’s another listing for a triplex in the same building for a 1,675sqft, 1 bed, 2 bath, but is lower cost at $699,000 ($417 per sqft), $1,558/month maintenance. Big difference in price per square feet.

Also, here is a general market snapshot of the real estate in Dumbo (from Streeteasy.com):

Previously:
{Dumbo Is One of the Most Expensive NYC Neighborhoods (Q2 2011)}

Just a quick reminder if you haven’t seen already. Broken City is being filmed on almost every street in Dumbo today until 5am Friday.

All filming posts are tagged here: DumboNYC.com/tag/filming

The O’Crepes location at 147 Front Street in Dumbo closed earlier this week. According to their Facebook page, they are expanding and will reopen near Brooklyn Bridge Park in December. Their message to lunch regulars: “Our lunch people – we miss you but most of you know about these changes. In December we will distribute fliers to all of you. Positive farewell to Green Desk. They were good to us (;”

With the surge in visitors to Brooklyn Bridge Park, the move for O’Crepes should be good for business.

Previously:
{O’Crepes Open in Dumbo, 01Apr2010}
{SHOP @ Green Desk Opening, 25Jan2010}

Dewey’s Candy in Dumbo is featured as the set in GAP’s new “I Want Candy” holiday video. They filmed there three weeks ago.

GAP’s “I Want Candy” collection
GAP’s “I Want Candy” on YouTube
(Thanks @colinmurphy for the tip)

As Above – So Below is a video mapping projection installation during the Dumbo Arts Festival in September 2011. This video from one of the artists, John Ensor Parker, is the only one that shows the full installation as it happened. It was conceived and created by a group of six artists, John Ensor Parker, Simon Anaya, Farkas Fulop, Johnny Moreno, Richard Jochum, & Ryan Uzilevsky. With significant sponsorship from visual production company Senovva, the artists developed a multi-perspective 3D installation that spans a nearly 30,000 square feet canvas on the Manhattan Bridge Anchorage in Brooklyn.

The Dumbo Business Improvement District announced last week a $20 million commitment of funds for Dumbo streets by the city for a second phase of reconstruction of DUMBO’s historic Belgian block streets and the centuries-old pipes below them. According to the BID, “The funds will also be used to permanently build out the Pearl Street Triangle to create a world-class plaza space between the Pearl Street Triangle and the adjacent Archway under the Manhattan Bridge. The first phase of work, covering Water and Washington Streets, will be completed this month.”

We have seen some great programming at the Pearl Street Triangle, and it’s good to finally see funding for a more permanent plaza area. The BID held an ideas competition for the triangle last year, which spurred some interesting (and some far fetched) ideas. The BID told DumboNYC that while we may not see any of these ideas become reality, they will continue to solicit ideas from the community to work with the city on a design that’s best suited for the space.

As for the Belgian block restoration, almost everyone we’ve talked to likes the street fixes. However, in a Brooklyn Paper article on Friday titled DUMBO — historyland or Disneyland?, Doreen Gallo of the DUMBO Neighborhood Alliance says that the reconstruction is “historically inaccurate” and too expensive. So we asked her about it. What do most people not know about the restoration? She feels that most people are unaware of what is being sacrificed and what the difference is between restoring the Belgian block in an historic, authentic way and the recent execution on Washington and Water Streets:

“The original Belgian block was replaced with old looking uniform stone and a granite middle car wide bike path and this patterning of crosswalk destroys the original uniformity of the Belgian block with the iconic view of the Manhattan Bridge. It is not a mall, not a renovation but should be a restoration.”

Ms. Gallo reminds us that every street in Dumbo has Belgian blocks.

“[Historically] there was no asphalt. DOT never followed their own HIQA rules and never enforced subcontractors to put the Belgian block back in kind. Gradually, DOT completely paved over Front St, Jay St, Adams St. On Wednesday, at 12:30 pm, Time Warner was cutting through Pearl St parallel with the triangle. When I arrived they’d cut through 20 feet. By 1pm was told that we had a stop work order. Councilmember Levin called the Brooklyn Borough Commissioner and HIQA DOT inspectors showed up assuring that they were there to make sure it was put back exactly how it was under the asphalt. But how can that be if they were cutting through the block? By 2:30 pm 125 feet were cut through. John Weiss, helpful with the permit said that he did not realize that the Belgian block was under 2″ of asphalt. Yesterday Time Warner continued down Pearl toward Plymouth.”

Photos from Friday of the work referenced by Ms. Gallo below:

Clearly there are some differences by preservation groups and the city on how the “restoration” of the Belgian block streets need to be done. There’s no question that Dumbo’s streets need fixing up and more are pleased with it, but according to the DNA, landmark issues must be considered.

More specifics on what the funding will go towards is on the Dumbo BID website.

(Photo by epc)

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

• Dumbo Belgian Block Reconstruction a Disneyfication?, 04Nov11, Brownstoner
• Plans Outlined for Future Downtown Greenway, 03Nov11, Brownstoner
• Building of the Day: 20 Henry Street, 02Nov11, Brownstoner
• Strong 3Q Results for Real Estate, 01Nov11, BK Eagle
• Jehovah’s Witness Bossert Hotel, 05Nov11, NYT
• Council Committee OK’s Residents-Only Parking, 02Nov11, BK Eagle
• Etsy CEO and HUGE President Join Dumbo BID Board, 02Nov11, DumboBID
• Punto Bianco in Dumbo, 04Nov11, NYMag
• From steel wool to ‘gold’ in Dumbo, 01Nov11, TRD

Olga Guanabara, a fine furniture studio and art gallery based in Dumbo, will be hosting an intimate, private fund-raiser for Beyond Capital Fund on November 4th, 2011. Beyond Capital Fund is a public foundation that helps improve the lives of people living under the poverty line in India and East Africa by investing in socially minded businesses. The event will showcase artwork by renowned Staten Island-based wood sculptor Steve Foust whose work has been exhibited at Gracie Mansion, the Staten Island Zoo, and elsewhere. Foust and Olga Guanabara will donate a portion of the proceeds from the event’s sales.

Olga Guanabara occasionally rents out its 2000-plus square foot space, that features vaulted brick ceilings, expansive windows, and owner/furniture designer Richard Velloso’s on-site workshop, which is enclosed in antique glass for select private events, but the company decided to waive fees for this event. Velloso notes, “Beyond Capital Fund is a global organization that addresses very serious problems at their core—and we at Olga Guanabara share that sense of social responsibility.”

Where: 63 Pearl St., Brooklyn, NY 11201 (Cross street: Front St.)
When: Friday, November 4, 2011, 7-11pm
Event price: Invite only, Please contact Alexandra alexandra@olgaguanabara.com
Telephone number: (718) 522-7100

Permit #: O-1299: Saturday, November 5, 2011 between 7am-midnight

Filming (or photo shoot) for Harper’s will occur on Saturday, Nov 5, 2011 on Water Street between Main and Dock Streets. If you have further questions you can contact their Locations Department at 212-742-1744.

(Note on NYC permit numbers, FF = Feature Film, TV = TV Series or show, C = Commercial, I = Industrial, and O = Other)
All filming posts are tagged here: DumboNYC.com/tag/filming

As proposed in July 2011 by the NYC DOT, the sidewalk along Front Street near York Street is being widened and landscaped neckdown on the corner of York and Front are being worked on according to workers on site. A neckdown is a curb extension at intersections that reduces the roadway width and tightens the curb radii at the corner. This provides a shorter distance for pedestrians to cross and reduces the speed of turning vehicles.

The cross walk at York Street and Front Street will be reduced from 71 feet to 25 feet. This will also improve sight lines for drivers on York Street turning onto Front Street. However, as one of our readers pointed out, semi trucks use York Street to make a right turn onto Front either because they can’t make the turn at York and Washington Streets.