The former O’Crepes store has relocated and opened in Fulton Ferry Landing. Now called Old Fulton Creperie (facebook.com/ocrepes), they are located at 17 Old Fulton Street (formerly occupied by the tourist trap store called Julians and Julius).

Viktoriya, the founder of the store tells us, “We miss our locals, and wanted to give everyone another food option that’s not a pizza place or a tourist trap. We serve gluten free and buckwheat crepes, Vietnamese sandwiches, soups, coffee, tea. For locals [who mention], get two large savory or sweet crepes for $17.”

Congrats Viktoriya and good luck!

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Old Fulton Creperie
17 Old Fulton Street
Brooklyn, NY 11201

Hours: 7 days a week, 10am-8pm

Previously:
{O’Crepes in Dumbo to Relocate Near Brooklyn Bridge Park, 09Nov2011}
{O’Crepes Open in Dumbo, 01Apr2010}

Brooklyn Bridge park has requested proposals for the creation and operation of Park concessions, including restaurant, food carts, and a marina at Pier 6 and for the Smokestack building. From the Brooklyn Bridge Park:

The Smokestack Building is prominently located at the intersection of Water Street and Old Fulton Street, adjacent to the Brooklyn Bridge. Situated between Pier 1 and the Empire Fulton Ferry sections of the Park, the site has great visibility from Old Fulton Street and sits in a highly trafficked pedestrian thoroughfare. Empire Fulton Ferry features spectacular views of the harbor and is the location of the historic Tobacco Warehouse and Jane’s Carousel. Located at the foot of Old Fulton Street, Fulton Ferry Landing is one of Brooklyn’s most historic sites and a popular tourist destination. Pier 1 to the south is the largest of the park’s piers and the location of many of the park’s special events and programming. In the future, BBP plans to reconstruct the area beneath the Brooklyn Bridge and offer additional amenities to the public which will further increase pedestrian traffic to the area.

The smokestack could be a great place for something like Shake Shack or a seafood shack, no? What else would you want to see there?

Information Session & Site Tour November 7, 2012
Submissions Due December 3, 2012

(via Brownstoner)

The following three condos are new to the Dumbo Brooklyn market for the week of September 24-30, 2012:

• 9/25/2012: 28 Old Fulton Street #4B – Fulton Ferry Landing (Dalazar), $1,550,000 ($861/sf), $1,477/mo cc, 1800sf, 2 bed, 2 bath
• 9/26/2012: 133 Water Street #10B (Brown Harris Stevens), $959,000 ($902/sf), $914/mo cc, $31/mo tax, 1063sf, 2 bed, 2 bath
• 9/26/2012: 133 Water Street #6C (Brown Harris Stevens), $595,000 ($817/sf), $642/mo cc, $22/mo tax, 728sf, 1 bed, 1 bath
• 9/28/2012: 70 Washington Street #7F (Douglas Ellian), $725,000 ($1,021/sf), $262/mo cc, $15/mo tax, 710sf, 1 bed, 1 bath

(28 Old Fulton Street, #4B)

This spacious coop unit in the 1894 Eagle Warehouse building has corner exposures with Manhattan, the East River and the Brooklyn Bridge views. The landmarked building has 85 units and is across the street from Grimaldi’s pizza. Per the listing, this unit is “fully renovated, this beautiful home boasts a state-of-the art open kitchen, a 16′x34′ living/dining replete with custom designed and hand crafted wood cabinet around a built-in stereo system, an amazing home office and a custom designed library/guest room.”

(133 Water Street, #10B)

“Enjoy amazing water views from this high floor two bedroom/two bath apartment with private terrace in prime DUMBO…The master bedroom has two closets and an extremely large ensuite bathroom, complete with two Scarabeo sinks, a rich wood vanity and both a stall shower and separate Vitabath Venetian soaking tub. A second bedroom is a generously sized with a double-doored closet. Both bedrooms enjoy partial East River views.”

(133 Water Street, #6C)

Unit #7C (same layout) sold on August 13, 2012 for $605,000. Since 133 Water Street converted from rentals to condos in April, 5 have sold, 7 are on the market, and one in contract.

(70 Washington Street, #7F)

According to Streeteasy, in the past few months, other units with the same layout rented for $3400, $3450, and $3500 per month. According to city records, F line have sold between $600-690k in the past. 7F has views of Cadman Park, city-quiet windows, and 25+feet of dining/living room.

See all ‘new to market’ posts

(68 Jay Street storefront rendering)

The NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission lists the following two items in Dumbo and one in Fulton Ferry Historic District (via Community Board No. 2):

• 1 Old Fulton Street — Fulton Ferry Historic District — A Greek Revival style saloon and hotel building built in 1835, and altered in the Italianate style in the 1860s. Application is to modify the storefront with French doors, retaining the existing residential entrance, columns, bay window, and cornice, with the last element extended around the building.
• 68 Jay Street — DUMBO Historic District — A Daylight Factory style building with transitional American Round Arch style elements designed by William Higginson and built in 1915. Application is for a master plan for the storefronts, including a standardized signage scheme, and removal of the existing awnings, flat panel signs, bracket signs, lighting and conduit that are current LPC violations.
• 117 Front Street — DUMBO Historic District — Application is to modify the storefront, including new wall signage, canvas blade sign, louver venting for HVAC, and window graphics. This is the new Pinkberry store location.

Image courtesy of Community Board No. 2.

The following two condos are new to the Dumbo Brooklyn market for the week of July 16-22, 2012:

• 7/19/2012: 28 Old Fulton Street #3K – Fulton Ferry Landing (Corcoran), $875,000 ($729/sf), $1,347/mo cc, 1200sf, 2 bed, 2 bath
• 7/19/2012: 1 Main Street #9C (Sotheby’s), $1,695,000 ($1,423/sf), $656/mo cc, $468 tax, 1191sf, 1 bed, 1.5 bath

(28 Old Fulton Street, #3K)

This coop unit in the 1894 Eagle Warehouse building has a corner exposure bedroom (NW corner of the building) with Brooklyn Bridge and water views. The landmarked building has 85 units and is across the street from Grimaldi’s pizza.

(1 Main Street, #9C)

A high floor with a direct view of Manhattan in 1 Main has a premium price, as this unit does. Recent sales in the building averaged $1,084 per square feet, according to Streeteasy.com.

See all ‘new to market’ posts

Pete’s Downtown restaurant at 2 Water Street (next to Ignazio’s Pizza and across The River Cafe) has closed, according to a worker who has emailed us. Brooklyn Eagle first reported that the restaurant is not only closed, but it has cleared its space, after being open since the 1980s. It’s too bad for a restaurant that has been a fixture in the neighborhood for a long time. Pete’s served Italian food with popular dishes like penne vodka, baked ravioli, veal parmigiana, and shrimp scampi, according to online review websites.

Calls were not returned, and there are no updates on its Twitter (@petesdowntown) or Facebook pages, and their website, petesdowntown.com is offline.

According to a Fulton Ferry resident, Pete Thristino the owner has told patrons that the lease was not renewed, and the landlord is seeking a high end restaurant to take over the space. The location is a prime space, given the view of the Brooklyn Bridge and the Manhattan skyline, and would attract a higher lease. A restaurant there would make a lot of ‘friends’ from residents in the area if the food quality is high, but is also a destination location for outer borough visitors.

The Brooklyn Eagle writes: “Pete’s was one of the first businesses to move into the area after it began to be redeveloped. The first signs of this redevelopment came in 1977, when BargeMusic and the River Café opened. Pete Thristino, owner of the restaurant, told this reporter in a 2008 interview that even in the early 1980s, “This was known as an area that when it snowed, there were no footprints…The building, on the corner of Water Street, was known as the Franklin House Hotel in the mid-1800s. It was an important hotel and restaurant in the days before the construction of the Brooklyn Bridge, when the ferry area was the gateway to Manhattan and visiting merchants, clerks, seamen and farmers needed someplace to stay.”

Pete’s Downtown (Closed as of Dec 29, 2011)
2 Water Street (at Old Fulton Street), Brooklyn, NY 11201

[UPDATE Sat Dec 17: Grimaldi's has opened at 1 Front Street.]

We saw yesterday that Grimaldi’s Pizza is now closed. But there seems to be a lot of activity on 1 Front Street (now that the stop work order has been resolved) to prepare for the opening of the new Grimaldi’s location. Meanwhile, a Juliana’s Pizza sign is in the window of 19 Old Fulton Street. A placeholder for Juliana’s website is live at julianaspizza.com.

(Thanks to reader Kathleen for the photo.)

[UPDATE Sat Dec 17: Grimaldi's has opened at 1 Front Street.]

The Grimaldi’s location at 19 Old Fulton Street closed yesterday. The new location will be opening next door (1 Front Street), but there’s no opening date at this time. The move to 1 Front Street was originally scheduled for November 29, but was delayed due to a stop work order for an illegal coal oven install. @FultonFerry posted the above photo on Twitter with the caption “Priceless: The look on tourists’ faces when they see what remains of Grimaldi’s”.

Meanwhile, we have not heard back from Patsy Grimaldi, the original owner of Grimaldi’s before he sold the restaurant, and owner of Juliana’s Pizza, the incoming pizza place taking over the coal oven location on a new open date for his new restaurant. Before the delayed Grimaldi closing, the original open date was scheduled for March 2012.

Related:
{Grimaldi Pizza Move Delayed, 29Nov2011}
{Patsy Grimaldi’s Coming out of Retirement to Take Over Original Pizza Location}

Grimaldi’s move to 1 Front Street is delayed due to an untimely death in the family and the Department of Buildings has issued a stop-work order at the 1 Front Street location. According to the BOD website, the stop work order issued on 11/28/2011 is for “illegally installed coal burning oven @ 1st floor done w/o propper approvals & presents a potential danger to patrons”.

Russell Ciolli, son of Frank Ciolli, both owners of Grimaldi’s Pizza, died last Wednesday at 39. Our condolences go out to the Ciolli family.

Related:
{Patsy Grimaldi’s Coming out of Retirement to Take Over Original Pizza Location}
{Grimaldi’s Move POSTPONED Due To Death In The Family, Gothamist}
{Grimaldi’s Coal-Oven Troubles At New Location, HuffPo}
{Tragic News for Grimaldi’s, Grub Street}
{City blocks new Grimaldi’s from opening over illegal oven, Brooklyn Daily}

Less than a week after news broke about Grimaldi’s moving next door to 1 Front Street, the NY Post published an article that Patsy Grimaldi will come out of retirement to open, or rather re-open, a pizza restaurant next to the newly moved Grimaldi’s Pizza. Patsy Grimaldi, the founder of Grimaldi’s sold his restaurant to current owner, Frank Ciolli in 1998. This is not the first time Patsy has come out of retirement. In 2006, he temporarily opened a pizza location at Aviator Sports & Recreation complex at Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn. The 80 year old Patsy told the NY Times in 2006 that “I’ve been retired — it was a big mistake.” In today’s NY Post article, Patsy tells them “A year after I sold Grimaldi’s, I was very sorry,” Grimaldi told The Post. “So when Mr. Waxman called me and asked if I wanted to come back, I thought I was dreaming. I couldn’t say ‘yes’ fast enough.” Mark (and Dorothy) Waxman, the landlord at 19 Old Fulton Street decided not to renew Ciolli’s lease. Last year, Ciolli and the Waxmans had a falling out over back taxes and lost his right to renew his lease.

The new Patsy Grimaldi restaurant will be called Juliana’s, after his late mother and plans to open in March 2012. Patsy plans to be at the restaurant daily. More importantly, Patsy will take over the coal-fired brick oven, which is said to give pizza a unique smokey flavor and a crisp crust that is just not possible with gas, convection, or wood ovens. Ciolli on Monday told the Post “he welcomed “competition” and would apply for city permission to acquire another coal-fired brick oven”. However, “environmental regulations also make it hard to build new coal ovens. Nowadays in New York City, coal ovens can only be rebuilt or replaced under an environmental grandfather clause — not installed from scratch. Pizza makers have become architectural historians, seeking out spaces that once housed a coal-burning oven, like old bakeries or restaurants.” (ref. NY Times, 10 June 1998) A list of coal oven pizzerias on the Slice list include Grimaldi’s and Totonno’s in Brooklyn.

While the Grimaldi’s and Juliana’s pizzerias will be neighbors in Fulton Ferry Landing, both Frank Ciolli and Patsy Grimaldi seem to welcome a friendly competition. Patsy says “There’s enough business in that area for three Grimaldi’s to do well,” and Frank tells the Post that “he welcomed competition”. With Wild Rise Pizza (68 Jay Street), Ignazio’s (4 Water Street), and Front Street Pizza (80 Front Street) in Dumbo, the pizza game will be on!

Patsy Grimaldi (left) and Frank Ciolli (right) (Photo by Brigitte Stelzer, The Brooklyn Paper)