J’s Wine & Spirits has opened at 102 Jay Street in Dumbo. The store looks like it’s more of a liquor store (with wine), than the neighborhood wine store Blanc & Rouge (brwine.com). Anyone had a chance to check out J’s?

{Liquor Store Planned at 102 Jay Street, 18Dec2007}

There was a reported fire last night at 11:30pm at J Condo in the building next to J Condo. Trash caught on fire with flames billowing up. Four fire trucks with firefighters quickly responded and extinguished the flames. Thanks to those who sent in the report and photos.

Today’s listings show one higher priced and one of the less pricey condos in Dumbo.

1) 79 Bridge Street, Apt 3C

• $699,000
• Maintenance: $365/month (no RE tax until 2014: J-51 Tax Abatement)
• 1 bedroom, 1 bath + sleeping loft
• 917 sq.ft. ($762/sq.ft)

This condo unit at 79 Bridge Street (Scarano-designed conversion in 2003 called The Bridges Condominium) was listed last week. This 1 bedroom plus sleeping loft has 11 foot ceilings and seems like a good deal at $762 per sqft. It’s located in Vinegar Hill. It is listed by Corcoran and there is an open house on Sunday (April 13) from noon to 2:00pm. [3C Floorplan]

2) 100 Jay Street, Apt PH31D

• $2,750,000
• tax: $54/month; cc: $2037/month
• 3 bedroom and 2.5 baths
• 1961 sq.ft. ($1402/sq.ft)

This penthouse condo unit at 100 Jay Street was listed last month. The price per sqft is high, but doesn’t include the 1700 sqft of terrace with its views of both bridges and the Manhattan skyline. Will it sell at this price? It is listed by Prudential Douglas Elliman and there is an open house on Sunday ‘by appointment only’. [PH31D Floorplan]

Dumbo Pet Care is holding a cat and dog adoption event with Animal Care & Control of NYC on Sat, March 22 from 12noon-4pm. They will be bringing a variety of rescued dogs and cats in need of homes and everything in the store will be on sale. Dumbo Pet Care will be collecting donations for the shelter and offering discounts on services for anyone who adopts.

DUMBO Pet Care
25 Jay Street, Brooklyn NY 11201
(718) 855-1363
Info@dumbopetcare.com
www.DUMBOPetCare.com

Previously:
{DUMBO Pet Care Expands Into Retail and Grooming, 9Jan2008}

 1938 [+ enlarge]

 March, 2008 [+ enlarge]

In this series of “Dumbo Streetscapes Then and Now”, a 1938 photograph by Percy Loomis Sperr of the corner of Front and Jay Street looks southwest from the west side of Jay Street. A previous Then and Now post is also on the corner but facing northeast.

Both the old and new photos have some common elements: the Manhattan Bridge approach and the 110 York Street building on the left and the small sliver of the existing building at 126 Front Street (the building where Superfine and Spring are located) on the right. The 70 year old photo shows three 2-3 story structures replaced by a 33 story residential building, J Condo (100 Jay Street), built in 2006. In both photos, the fire hydrant stays where it is. The 110 York building is the Scarano Architect headquarters, which added the Jetsons-like structure on top.

On the back of the NY Public Library photo:
“Jay Street, west side, south from Front Street, showing in the background the approach to the Manhattan Bridge”, April 4, 1938

{New York Public Library photo of Front and Jay Street, 1938}
{Google Street View, corner of Jay and Front St.}
{Dumbo Then and Now, series, DumboNYC}

Our friends at both Brownstoner and Gowanus Lounge have great summaries of The Department of City Planning’s preliminary proposal for the rezoning of Dumbo. According to a Brooklyn Daily Eagle article, in attendance were representatives of Councilman David Yassky, representatives of Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez, Community Board 2, the Dumbo Neighborhood Association, the Dumbo Business Improvement District and property owners. City planning presented proposed boundaries to allow buildings to be built up to 12 stories tall along Jay Street, with street level fronts rising to 6-8 stories. Buildings along Bridge Street could rise to 8 stories, with 4-6 stories at street level. [Google Maps] The land use review process should begin in the fall and will have a plan ready for approval by Spring or Summer of 2009.

This could mean that some of the two/three story buildings along the east side of Jay Street between Front and John Street could be built up to 12 stories tall (provided that the Landmark Commission approves the designs). It’s not as likely that the west side of Jay Street will be rebuilt higher anytime soon since those buildings already rise over 7 stories. The west side of Jay Street include:

• 68 Jay at 10 stories,
• 42-44 Jay at 7 stories (Phoenix House),
• 20 Jay at 11 stories, and
• 10 Jay Street at 9 stories (plus a possible 5.)

{Brooklyn Planning Director Explains Dumbo Rezoning, 04Mar2008, Gowanus Lounge}
{Planning Reveals More Deets About Dumbo Rezoning Plan, 04Mar2008, Brownstoner}
{City Pushing Dumbo Rezone for 2009, 04Mar2008, Curbed}

An email tip came in with the above photo of the parking lot at 85 Jay Street owned by the Watchtower Society in Dumbo. The email says:

“Mysterious doings this morning on the northwest corner of the huge lot bordered by Jay, Front, Bridge, and York, said to be the largest undeveloped city lot in all five boroughs. Are the JW’s prepping to build? Survey? Sell?”

Past Curbed posts indicate that this 3 acre plot of land is the largest plot of undeveloped land in the city. There are no jobs/filings for 85 Jay on the NYC Department of Buildings website. Does anyone have any information on this “mysterious activity”?

 85 Jay Street block

Previously:
{No Truth to Rumor that Witnesses Will Not Develop 85 Jay, 03May2007, Brooklyn Daily Eagle}
{Jehovah’s Abandon Dumbo, 24Apr2007, Curbed}
{85 Jay Watchtower Complex, skyscraperpage.com}
{Jehovah’s Witnesses On Track to Colonize Dumbo, 04Dec2004, Curbed}

This is old news, but as a commenter pointed out from yesterday’s post on 10 Jay Street, the floor extensions have been in the works for a while. A Wired NY thread from 2004 shows two proposed 10 Jay Street building renderings. The top photo was proposed by EE&K Architects. The bottom one by Karl Fischer Architect. I don’t have information on the approved extension design, but if you do, please email us.

According to the NYC DOB records, a stop work order has been placed on 10 Jay Street on Tuesday, January 22, 2008 for “failure to safe guard/no protection at glass window in penthouse / area has glass windows below.” There was a job filing, and a subsequent permit issued on January 14, 2008 for a five story addition to the 9 story building, but there was a complaint of “falling debris” from the roof. The building is currently an office building with studio/work space and a rumored conversion to residential property as long as the manufacturing zoning is changed to allow for residential use. Previously, Brownstoner reported that cabanas may be built on top of 10 Jay Street, but according to recent filings, the developer was preparing for the floor extensions.

The 1897 landmarked building was built on landfill and was originally an Arbuckle Brothers coffee building and later became a sugar refinery factory. Between 2001 and 2004, Lunatarium held parties and raves on the top floor of this warehouse venue in the 18,000 sq ft space with 30 ft. high ceilings. (Photo below).

 (Photo from Lunatarium Party photos by Kirk Peterkin)

Because the land surrounding 10 Jay is so close to the water, the area surrounding the building is prone to flooding.

(Thanks to Fred for this photo from his studio at 10 Jay – Jan 11, 2008). Anyone know what the top floor space is used for now?

{NYC BIS: 10 Jay Street}
{Wikipedia: Lunatarium}

 View from the 29th floor of J Condo (Photo courtesy of dlalande)

This weekend’s NY Times The Hunt featured a widow, Eleanor Alper, who lived on a Fifth Avenue co-op for two decades before her husband’s death. Ms. Alper wanted to find “a big, bright, high-ceilinged place that could include an art studio for Ms. Alper’s painting and sculpture” between $2 million and $3 million. After searching in SoHo and Tribeca, she turned to Dumbo for the views, loft spaces, and the art community. She visited 70 Washington Street, a full service loft building with high ceilings and large windows. “But she would have had to combine two condos for enough space. Besides, some of the rooms were interior rooms without windows.” So she looked into J Condo and purchased a unit on the 32nd floor:

“Ms. Alper decided to buy the J Condo duplex. It cost $2.65 million, with monthly maintenance and taxes of around $1,650. She was glad it was just below the penthouse level, “because it is kind of pretentious on your address to have the penthouse,” she said.”

“She especially enjoys watching the air traffic at Newark Liberty International Airport and, closer at hand, the Downtown Manhattan Heliport. Below her lie the Manhattan Bridge and the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, where motor traffic “is all very miniature and very cute.”

Ms. Alper is known for riding her bicycle and her scooter around the local streets. “I am making friends with Brooklyn,” she said. “It is really fun. It is a different Brooklyn than I remember. The neighborhood is full of surprises. That’s what I think my life should be. Lots of surprises.”"

With the budget she had, I’m surprised the artist did not find anything she liked in SoHo, where the original artists’ lofts are or in Tribeca, the home of many high end art galleries. Maybe she found the community in Brooklyn more suited for her. After all, she’s an artist at heart.

{Starting a New Life in Brooklyn, 20Jan2008, NY Times}