Dumbo NYC

Final Presidential Debate LIVE!
Wednesday, October 15, 8pm
Galapagos Art Space presents the final Presidential Debate, projected live on the big 12′X12′ screen. With 20 days left before Election Day, watch the debate with your neighbors to decide who would make a better Commander-in-Chief.

Previously:
{Second Presidential Debate Party}
{VP Debate Watching}
{Dumbo and Politics}

1 Main Street #12K: 1414 sqft, 1 bed, 1.5 baths, $806 maintenance, $209 taxes.

• 07/22/2008 Listed with Sotheby’s at $1,899,000
• 08/19/2008 Sotheby’s listing entered contract
• 09/29/2008 Sale closed for $1,890,000
• -0.47% of asking (27 days on the market)

70 Washington Street #6S: 1262 sqft, 1 bed (+ 1 home office), 1.5 bath, $393 maintenance, $37 taxes

• 05/16/2008 Listed with Sotheby’s at $1,200,000
• 06/09/2008 Price decreased to $1,190,000
• 06/18/2008 Price decreased to $1,100,000
• 08/23/2008 Sotheby’s listing entered contract
• 09/26/2008 Sale closed for $1,015,000
• -15.42% of asking (98 days on the market)

100 Jay Street #28E: 800 sqft, 1 bed, 1 bath, $595 maintenance, $16 taxes.

• 05/18/2008 Listed with Citi-Habitats at $749,000
• 08/04/2008 Citi-Habitats listing entered contract
• 09/15/2008 Sale closed for $730,000
• -2.5% of asking (77 days on the market)

Julia Vitullo-Martin, of the Gotham Gazette, has an article out today on Brooklyn’s booming retail market. She points to Dumbo being a model of integrating commerce and residences for neighborhoods that are transforming to attract businesses and retail markets. Dumbo has attracted small, independent businesses which has attracted visitors to the small neighborhood. The article mentions David Walentas and his real estate company, Two Trees Management, has improved the neighborhood while keeping the industrial feel of the neighborhood in tact. They offered the owners or entrepreneurs bargain rent to make the streets attractive for the condo market (which is now considered Brooklyn’s most expensive neighborhood). Walentas is quoted:

“There wasn’t anything in this neighborhood when we bought in but a little tertiary manufacturing that was going out of business. We needed to make the streets attractive for condos. My wife went to a gym in the Heights, where she spotted Peas & Pickles Grocery, an excellent market. We offered them two years free rent to open here and a very low rent after that. We made them money and they made my neighborhood.”

Walentas relates a series of anecdotes about daring, young entrepreneurs with a vision - Jacques Torres Chocolates, Mikey’s Hookup - and his willingness to subsidize them, at least in the short run. (”It’s not forever,” he adds, just in case there’s any misunderstanding.)

Even with the softening of the residential market and the credit crisis in progress, Dumbo continues to attract commercial tenants in many industries. When we posted a call for Dumbo-based IT and tech related businesses, we didn’t expect so many entrepreneurs and IT/media companies. (Thank you for all who emailed us! We may post a directory for other businesses to connect at some point.) We were able to fill some work for local businesses.

Related: {Brooklyn’s Retail Boom, 14Oct2008, Gotham Gazette}
{Good News for Commercial Real Estate in Dumbo, 08Oct2008, Brownstoner}
{Dumbo Based Waterfront Media Merge with Revolution Health, 03Oct2008}
{Dumbo Retail, 26Sept2008}

On July 7th, 2007 at 7:07pm, Japan’s musical innovators The Boredoms orchestrated a performance by 77 drummers in Dumbo Brooklyn. This momentous event was documented by artist Jun Kawaguchi, showing the raw musical force of the instrument and the unique vision of The Boredoms as they brought their experiment to fruition. 77 BOADRUM is the result, and a captivating one at that.

This is Kawaguchi’s first feature film (official film site).

77BOADRUM at NYTFGP (New York - Tokyo Film Grand Prix) 2008 Festival with special appearance by Director Jun Kawaguchi (Japan | 2008 | 77 min. 777 seconds | Japanese with English Subtitles)

Mon. Oct. 13 - Double Screening Event
One: Doors open 6:00 - Film starts 7:00pm
Two: Doors open 8:15 - Film starts 9:15pm
Anthology Film Archives, 32 Second Ave, NYC
For more information, go to newyork-tokyo.com

Previously: {Thousands Come See Boredoms’ 77BoaDrum, 09Jul2008}

 Seen on Plymouth and Jay: “Welcome to Dumbo - Home of the most pretentious snobs this side of Wall St.” (Photo by Brian of Heeb Magazine)

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

• Fight to Save Belgian Block Streets in Dumbo, July08, Brooklyn Rail
• Dumbo Architect Goes Green, 09Oct08, Brooklyn Eagle
• amNY Goes to Brooklyn Heights, 09Oct08, amNY
• Vendy Award Finalist, 10Oct08, seriouseats
• “Herring Bone” (DUMBO Session), 10Oct08, pitchforkmedia.com
• Hot Dogs at The Landing, 07Oct08, Brooklyn Paper
• Last Week’s Biggest Sales: Dominant Dumbo, 07Oct08, Brownstoner
• Gossip Girls Filming in DUMBO, 08Oct08, 20somethingirl
• Spike Lee DDB Moves To Dumbo, 08Oct08, Brooklyn Paper
• Recyle-A-Bicycle Empowers Riders, 08Oct08, CS Monitor
• DUMBO festival, 08Oct08, Pace Press
• Good News for Commercial Real Estate in Dumbo, 08Oct08, Brownstoner
• The White Gown Opening on Jay St, 10Oct08, Brownstoner
• Fight Night Review, 05Oct08, NY Press
• Students Touch Down in Thriving DUMBO, 06Oct08, CCA

Spotted: Kelly Rutherford and Connor Paolo (Lily van der Woodsen and Eric van der Woodsen) filming an indoor dining scene in Bubby’s in Dumbo. Eric was all suited up. Now what are the upper East siders doing in Dumbo and suited up no less? We sense trouble brewing for the Humphrey household…

xoxo

Also seen were Penn Badgley (Dan Humphrey), Matthew Settle (Rufus Humphrey), and Ed Westwick (Chuck Bass) filming in and around Dumbo. (Thanks Winnie for the guest blurb and to Sabrina for the photos.)

{Gossip Girl Filming notice, 06Oct2008}

What: Seining Workshop for Kids
When: Saturday, Oct 11, 11:30pm - 1:00pm
Where: Beach in Brooklyn Bridge Park, Dumbo

Find out what lives in the waters under the Manhattan Bridge! Join experts from the Coastal Marine Resource Center and the Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy as we use a 30-foot seining net to catch fish and other remarkable East River creatures. Families and kids can take a good look at the fish before we release them back to their homes and keep a tally of our catch. We provide field guides, identification keys, and plenty of fun to go around. Space is available for 30 kids plus their parents/guardians. To reserve a place, e-mail Kara Gilmour, Education and Stewardship Coordinator.

For more info, go to www.brooklynbridgepark.org.

Tivoli Home, a Scandinavian kitchen, houseware, and home furnishings celebrates their 2 year anniversary at 111 Front Street with their biggest sale ever. If you’re looking for some items to furnish your home with, many of their items are on sale through October 31. Congratulations Tivoli!

Tivoli Home Shop, (located in the DUMBO General Store Cafe & Bar)
111 Front Street, DUMBO Brooklyn, NY 11201

Previously:{2007 Summer Sale at Tivoli Home, 18Jul2008}
{The Scandanavians Are Coming To Dumbo, 13Sept2006}

(Photo by Josh Derr)

Community Board 2, which serves Dumbo, (as well as Bridge Plaza, Brooklyn Heights, Clinton Hill, Fort Greene, Fulton Ferry, the Downtown Business District, Metrotech, Atlantic Center, Renaissance Plaza (the Marriott Hotel) and the Brooklyn Navy Yard), voted last night to change alternate side street parking in the entire CB2 area by a vote of 4-1 in favor. An attendee emailed us the general changes as follows:

1. Where there is currently “No Parking 8am to 9am”and metered parking thereafter, the revision would have one-half hour window (instead of one hour) between 7am to 9am. This will reduce the time of no parking to one half hour and will begin the no parking at the earlier hour.
2. On commercial streets (in the core of the business district) sweeping occurs three times a week on each side during the hours of midnight to 3am. The proposal is to break this into two sessions: midnight to 3am and 3am to 6am.
3. A major change will be on residential streets where the frequency would be reduced from two days of sweeping (per side) to one of sweeping per side. Further, in Brooklyn Heights, the sweeping (per side) would take place on one day per week with No Parking in three different sessions: 8:30am to 10am, 9:30am to 11am and 11:30am to 1pm.

This looks like good news for residents who park on the streets. On the other hand, will the reduced number street cleanings be a problem? For residents who park their cars on the street, how do you feel about these proposed changes?

{Community Boards, NYC.gov}
{CB2 website}

We previously reported that Dumbo is Brooklyn’s priciest neighborhood, according to the Real Estate Board of New York report. The report, the 2nd Quarter 2008 residential sales report was released yesterday on their ResidentialNYC.com site. The average Brooklyn apartment sale price was up 3% from 2007 Q2 ($484k) to 2008 Q2 ($500k), and median went from $440k to $448 for a 1% increase. While the average and median prices went up during this period, the recent stock market and financial turmoil will likely have a negative effect in NYC in the next few quarters.

According to the report, in Brooklyn, Vinegar Hill/Dumbo condo average prices increased 33% to $1,342,000 compared to last year, due in part to the larger impact of high-priced sales on the reduced number of sales in this quarter.

{ResidentialNYC.com}