What’s on your mind? Comment away!

The photo, taken in 2014 by our late founder John “Homer Fink” Loscalzo, shows One Monroe Place, sometimes known as 100 Clark Street, as it was, missing two stories, a mansard roof, and a stoop. Now, as reported by Mary Frost in the Eagle, the Brooklyn Heights Association has made One Monroe, now restored following reconstruction that took ten years (see details here), the 2026 Brooklyn Heights Designer Showhouse. The Eagle story notes that the architect in charge of the restoration was former BHA president Tom van den Bout who, along with his wife and fellow architect Brenda Nelson, is a founding member of the firm NV/design.architecture and of its affiliate, NV/Mx in Oaxaca, Mexico, where they now live.  As noted on the Designer Showhouse web page (linked above): “This biennial event offers a rare opportunity to visit a historic home in Brooklyn Heights while discovering the work of cutting-edge designers who are selected to add their unique touch to their rooms, blending old with new Brooklyn chic.”

According to the Eagle story the house will be open to the public starting October 2 and going through November 2. As in past years, tickets will have to be purchased to tour the Showhouse. We contacted the BHA today and were told that rates for and on line access to purchase tickets have not been established, but should be in a few weeks. We will give you the details when they are available.

This weekend – late night tomorrow (Friday, August 14) to early morning Monday, August 17 – there will be no service at Clark Street or at the 2/3 platform at Borough Hall as 2 train service will be suspended between 34th Street-Penn Station and Flatbush Avenue and 3 train service will be suspended completely, but for those traveling to or from stations in Brooklyn 4 and 5 trains, which should be running normally, will serve Brooklyn stations normally served by the 2 or 3 from Borough Hall onward. For those traveling to or from the West Side of Manhattan, A, N, and R trains should be running normally and transfer can be made between A and 2 trains at Penn Station. The same situation will continue on late nights to early mornings all of the following work week – late Monday evening August 17 to early Tuesday Morning August 18 through late Thursday evening, August 20 to early Friday morning, August 21.

These are the PLANNED changes affecting local service for this weekend and for the following week. Always check MTA Info for unplanned service changes that may affect local service or service on other parts of your trip, or for planned service changes that affect stations to or from which you may be traveling. You can also get real time service alerts: register here.

What’s on your mind? Comment away!

I recall years ago reading that someone had predcted that the designation in 1965 of the Brooklyn Heights Historic District meant that we would evetually be surrounded by skyscrapers. We partly were so surrounded before the designation, as was recognized in 2011 by the designation of the Borough Hall Skyscraper Historic District, which includes buildings along Court Street and some along Montague, Remsen, and Joralemon streets between Court and Clinton, most of them of early 20th century and a few of 19th century vintage. Since then a few tall buildings have been built bordering the Heights. They include Robert Moses’s Cadman Plaza apartment buildings, One Pierrepont Plaza, and several new buildings on Montague; this history was well told here by our late founder, John “Homer Fink” Loscalzo. Since then, another addition has been made with One Clinton, which houses the Brooklyn Heights Library.

Now we are about to get three new skyscraper neighbors. One of these is within the recognized boundaries of Brooklyn Heights but not within the Historic District, a “massive mixed use project” by Rockrose at the former St. Francis College site bounded by Remsen and Joralemon streets between Clinton and Court. The site at the northwest corner of Atlantic Avenue and Court Street, occupied for some time by a Duane Reade and later Walgreens drug store, is now slated to be a fourteen story mixed use building.

The biggie, though, is at the northhwest corner of Montague and Cadman Plaza West (construction site photo above) where, as Mary Frost in the Eagle reports (see rendering of the new building in her article), Landau Properties is developing a 51 story mixed use skyscraper (we initially reported that it would be a 47 story building; Mary Frost’s investigation shows that the building hasn’t grown taller but the way stories are counted has) to stand on Cadman Plaza West between Montague and Pierrepont streets. This is the site previously held by a six story building primarily occupied by a TD Bank branch that has moved to the space at 181 Montague previously occupied by Citibank, which moved to 195 Montague in a game of bank hopscotch. The new building will be named “One Montague Place.”

What’s to say about this new skyscraper? On the downside, it will cast morning shadows over large parts of Brooklyn Heights, and will add population, leading to more crowded subways and schools (OK, many of the residents may be affluent enough to take limousines – more traffic – and to send their kids to private schools – more competition for admission to Packer and St. Ann’s). On the upside, the Eagle story reports that the new building will host a jazz club, and a Brooklyn branch of the “[h]igh end Japanese restaurant BondST.

This weekend – late night tomorrow (Friday, August 7) to early morning Monday, August 10 – there will be no service at Clark Street or at the 2/3 platform at Borough Hall as 2 train service will be suspended between 34th Street-Penn Station and Flatbush Avenue and 3 train service will be suspended completely, but for those traveling to or from stations in Brooklyn 4 and 5 trains, which should be running normally, will serve Brooklyn stations normally served by the 2 or 3 from Borough Hall (4 and 5 platforms) onward. For those traveling to or from the West Side of Manhattan, A, N, and R trains should be running normally and transfer can be made between A and 2 trains at Penn Station.

The following work week – Monday morning, August 10 through Friday evening, August 14 – late nights to early mornings Monday to Tuesday through Thursday to Friday there will be no Brooklyn bound service at High Street as Brooklyn bound A trains will be re-routed to the F line between West 4th Street-Washington Square and Jay Street-MetroTech. This means extra Brooklyn bound service at York Street in DUMBO. These same late nights all week there will be limited service at Clark Street and at the 2/3 platforms at Borough Hall as 2 trains in both directions will run only every 24 minutes between Flatbush Avenue-Brooklyn College and Chambers Street, and 3 trains do not serve Brooklyn late on weeknights.

These are the PLANNED changes affecting local service for this weekend and for the following week. Always check MTA Info for unplanned service changes that may affect local service or service on other parts of your trip, or for planned service changes that affect stations to or from which you may be traveling. You can also get real time service alerts: register here.

As reported by Mary Frost in the Eagle (scroll down), the Brooklyn Botanic Garden has given its 2026 “Greenest Commercial Block” award to Montague Street between Hicks and Henry. As we noted here, the block received the same award in 2019. As then, most of the credit for making and keeping the block green goes, along with the Montague Street BID, to Estela Johannesen, proprietor of James Weir Floral. The Eagle story quotes her: “We are blessed on Montague Street as a commercial block to have a line of beautiful, majestic trees, and our main goal is to protect them and to get even more trees.” The photo above, which I took earlier this year, shows a tree pit with Estela’s lovely floral planting but without a tree. Perhaps Lincoln Restler can help.

What’s on your mind? Comment away!

We just learned that a “National Night Out” event, sponsored by the 84th Precinct Community Council, will take place tomorrow (Tuesday, August 4) at the Pier 5 Picnic Peninsula of Brooklyn Bridge Park starting at 5 PM. It will feature “free food and beverages, awards, music and performances by a special guest DJ and the Gowanus Wildcats. There’s more information here.

This weekend – late night tomorrow (Friday, July 31) to early morning Monday, August 3 – there will be no service at Clark Street or at the 2/3 platform at Borough Hall as 2 train service will be suspended between 34th Street-Penn Station and Flatbush Avenue and 3 train service will be suspended completely, but for those traveling to or from stations in Brooklyn 4 and 5 trains, which should be running normally, will serve Brooklyn stations normally served by the 2 or 3 from Borough Hall (4 and 5 platforms) onward. For those traveling to or from the West Side of Manhattan, A, N, and R trains should be running normally and transfer can be made between A and 2 trains at Penn Station. Daytimes on Saturday and Sunday there will be extra service in both directions at Court Street and at the N/R platforms at Borough Hall and at Jay Street-MetroTech, as N trains, which during the day normally run over the Manhattan Bridge between Fulton Street in Manhattan and DeKalb Avenue, will be re-routed to the R line. There will be no G train service between Hoyt-Schermerhorn Streets and Church Avenue, and trains between Hoyt-Schermerhorn and Bedford-Nostrand Avenues will run every 20 minutes.

The following work week – Monday, August 3 through Friday, August 7 – late nights Monday to Tuesday through Thursday to Friday  the only service at Court Street and at the N/R platforms at Borough Hall and at Jay Street-MetroTech will be N trains to and from Brooklyn, as N train service in Manhattan will be suspended, with N trains originating and terminating at Court Street, and overnight R train service suspended. These same late nights 2 trains in both directions will be running every 24 minutes at Clark Street and at the 2/3 platforms at Borough Hall.

These are the PLANNED changes affecting local service for this weekend and for the following week. Always check MTA Info for unplanned service changes that may affect local service or service on other parts of your trip, or for planned service changes that affect stations to or from which you may be traveling. You can also get real time service alerts: register here.

As a bonus this week, here’s a link to Mary Frost’s Eagle story about how the Borough Hall (2, 3, 4, 5 trains) recently became fully ADA accessible.

What’s on your mind? Comment away!

pointed to the rising cost of goods which affected sales, plus higher property tax and rent after COVID-19, as making the business ‘unsustainable’ for the past few years.

The Eagle story also quotes former employees of the store, whom the Lees are trying to help find new jobs, and former customers, all of whom regret the store’s closing. Among those quoted are BHB contributor Mary Kim and frequent commenter Andrew Porter. According to Lara Birnback, Executive Director of the Brooklyn Heights Association, as quoted by the Eagle, “It’s always really upsetting to lose a long-standing neighborhood small business, and I know many people in the neighborhood will miss them.”

This weekend – late night tomorrow (Friday, July 24) to early morning Monday, July 27 – there will be no service at Clark Street or at the 2/3 platform at Borough Hall as 2 train service will be suspended between 34th Street-Penn Station and Flatbush Avenue and 3 train service will be suspended completely, but for those traveling to or from stations in Brooklyn 4 and 5 trains, which should be running normally, will serve Brooklyn stations normally served by the 2 or 3 from Borough Hall onward. For those traveling to or from the West Side of Manhattan, A, N, and R trains should be running normally and transfer can be made between A and 2 trains at Penn Station.

The same situation will continue the following week – Monday, July 27 through Friday, July 31 – with 2 and 3 train service suspended late nights to early mornings Monday to Tuesday through Thursday to Friday. The same alternatives should be available.

Word is that 2/3 train disruptions may continue for another five to six weeks as switches are repaired. We’ll keep you updated.

These are the PLANNED changes affecting local service for this weekend and for the following week. Always check MTA Info for unplanned service changes that may affect local service or service on other parts of your trip, or for planned service changes that affect stations to or from which you may be traveling. You can also get real time service alerts: register here.

 What’s on your mind? Comment away!

Eighteen years ago we posted about an attempt by Pinnacle Group, owners of the historic Riverside Apartments, located on Columbia Place between Joralemon and State streets on the east side and by the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway on the west, to build a parking garage on the space occupied by a garden with shade trees that protected apartments from BQE fumes and noise. A year later we posted that Pinnacle had lost an appeal of a decision denying it the right to build the garage. Shortly after that we posted about a group of Riverside tenants who were cleared by a federal district judge to begin a class action against Pinnacle and its CEO, Joel Weiner. That action led to a settlement agreement largely favorable to the plaintiff tenants.

Now, as reported by Mary Frost in the Eagle, Riverside tenants are again up in arms against the now bankrupt Pinnacle Group, saying “they have endured rats, a mite infestation, mold, leakng ceilings, heat failures, water shutoffs and other unsafe living conditions for years.” They also “oppose a steep rent incease affecting 20 tenants.” They have received support from local elected officials, Assemblymember Jo Anne Simon and City Councilmember Lincoln Restler.

Flickr photo by dphetteix

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, this weekend (late tomorrow evening, Friday, July 17 through early Monday morning, July 20) should be a “green light weekend,” as there are no planned cancellations, route changes, or station skips directly and negatively affecting service at any local stations.

The following work week (Monday morning, July 20 through Friday evening, July 24) late nights to early mornings Monday to Tuesday through Thursday to Friday there will be no service at Clark Street or at the 2/3 platform at Borough Hall, but 4 and 5 trains will serve Brooklyn stations normally served by the 2 or 3. A, N, and R trains should be running normally.

These are the PLANNED changes affecting local service for this weekend and for the following week. Always check MTA Info for unplanned service changes that may affect local service or service on other parts of your trip, or for planned service changes that affect stations to or from which you may be traveling. You can also get real time service alerts: register here.

What’s on your mind? Comment away!

On my way home late Sunday morning I was surprised to see a police car blocking the entrance to Montague Street from Hicks. When I reached the corner I saw why. A huge tractor-trailer rig had gotten stuck trying to turn from Montague onto Pierrepont Place. Approaching home I took the photo above. This is something I’d seen many times before, but this time it seemed more problematic than usual, probably because the rig had an unusually long trailer. As told by Mary Frost in the Eagle, it took one and one half hours “and counting” to dislodge it, quoting Timmy Daniels, whose dramatic photos accompany her story. The story notes that “according to the New York City Department of Transportation 53-foot semi-trailers are not allowed to make pick ups or deliveries in any borough of New York City.” It also quotes Lara Birnback, Executive Director of the Brooklyn Heights Association, as noting that trucks with oversize trailers are “totally illegal” on our streets and that, “[t]he problem is, there’s no enforcement.”

Longtime BHB reader Jonathan Stinnett has given us this:

The non-profit Brooklyn Bridge Park Boathouse is seeking more Volunteers for the FREE Public Kayaking program on Pier 2 in Brooklyn Bridge Park. No prior kayaking experience is necessary — we have Volunteers from Students to Seniors helping people with life jackets, helping them get in and out of kayaks and helping to set up for each shift Wednesday & Thursday nights and Saturdays and Sundays during the day. It is a great community service option to meet a range of people, enjoy skyline views and enable Brooklynites to enjoy the water. As a thank you benefit, Volunteers get access to FREE Kayak Training sessions and FREE guided Kayak trips to destinations like Red Hook, Greenpoint and Governor’s Island. Please check out https://www.bbpboathouse.org/ for more info!

Photo courtesy of Brooklyn Bridge Park Boathouse

While Open Streets Montague will not officially resume until September, Mary Frost in the Eagle reports that there will be a “special edition” this Sunday, July 19 to celebrate Bastille Day, the national holiday of France (the official Bastille Day is tomorrow, July 14) and to allow free viewing, on screens set up between Clinton and Henry streets (byo chair or blanket), of the FIFA World Cup final. Game time for the final is 3 to 6 pm; there will be a halftime show featuring Madonna, Shakira, and BTS. There will also be lots of “soccer related activities.” You can also view the game while enjoying food and drinks at Cafe Brume, The Custom House, or Grand Canyon. The Bastille Day celebration is provided by L’Appartement 4F; unfortunately, resrvations are sold out for what looks to be a sumptuous repast.

The event is sponsored by the Brooklyn Heights Association, the Montague Street BID, and the New York City Department of Transportation. Montague Street between Clinton and Henry and between Henry and Hicks will be closed to traffic from 10:00 am until 7:00 pm; all parked vehicles must be moved from these blocks by 10:00 am Sunday.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, this weekend (late tomorrow evening, Friday, July 10 through early Monday morning, July 13) should be a “green light weekend,” as there are no planned cancellations, route changes, or station skips directly and negatively affecting service at any local stations.

The following work week — Monday morning, July 13 through Friday evening, July 17 — late nights to early mornings all week there will be no 3 train service at Clark Street or at the 2/3 platforms at Borough Hall/Court Street. 2 trains should be running normally and will serve all 3 train stops between here and Franklin Avenue-Medgar Evers College. 4 trains, which should also be running normally, will servae all 3 train stops between Atlantic Avenue-Barclays Center and New Lots Avenue. These same late nights to early mornings all week there will be no Manhattan bound service at High Street, as Manhattan bound A trains will be re-routed to the F line between Jay Street-MetroTech and 4th Street-Washington Square, and C trains do not serve Brooklyn overnight. This means there will be extra Manhattan bound service at York Street in DUMBO.

These are the PLANNED changes affecting local service for this weekend and for the following week. Always check MTA Info for unplanned service changes that may affect local service or service on other parts of your trip, or for planned service changes that affect stations to or from which you may be traveling. You can also get real time service alerts: register here.

What’s on your mind? Comment away!

Brooklyn Bridge Park’s annual summer “Movies With A View” series, held on Pier One’s Harbor View Lawn and presented by Persol, will have a delayed opening this Thursday, July 9, with a screening of Hamilton, the 2025 filmed version of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s long running Broadway hit about one of our nation’s founders. Details are here. The show was originally scheduled for last Thursday, July 2, but was postponed for a week because of extreme heat. This caused the late Rob Reiner’s When Harry Met Sally (1989) to be bounced from the schedule. If you’re longing to hear Reiner’s mom, in a cameo, say to a Katz’s waiter, “I’ll have what she’s having”; sorry, you’ll have to go to Netflix.

The complete schedule of Movies With A View for this summer is here.

The first fleet of tall ships for Sail4th 250 will arrive tomorrow (Friday, July 3) from 1:00 to 3:00 pm. They will be coming by way of Long Island Sound and the East River, so will first be seen from Brooklyn Heights as they pass under the Brooklyn Bridge. They can be viewed from the Promenade and from Brooklyn Bridge Park, both of which will be open all day. On the Fourth (Saturday) a larger fleet will arrive,  from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm. They will come in under the Verrazano Bridge, sail past the far side of Governors Island, then head up the Hudson River. They will be clearly visible from Brooklyn Heights only between Governors Island and the southern tip of Manhattan. The can be viewed from the Promenade, which will be open to all until 3:00 pm, but not from Brooklyn Bridge Park, which will be closed until 6:30 pm, when only fireworks ticket holders will be allowed in.

The photo is of Elissa, a tall ship of 1877 vintage, that beat the rush and arrived here two days ago from her home port of Galveston, Texas.

What’s on your mind? Comment away!

Updated: Unfortunately, we were notified that all available tickets to view the fireworks from the Promenade have been claimed. Only ticket holders will be allowed onto the Promenade, which will be closed to all others from 3:00 pm on Saturday, July 4. Ticket holders will be allowed to enter starting at 6:30.

Streets shown in red on the map, the “frozen zones,” which prominently include Joralemon and Montague from Court Street to their eastern ends and the entire length of Columbia Heights/Pierrepont Place, will be subject to parking and traffic restrictions beginning on Friday, July 3. No parking will be allowed on these streets on July 3 or 4, and parked cars will be towed beginning the evening of July 3. Car traffic (but no parking) will be allowed in the frozen zones until 1:00 pm on the Fourth. After 1:00 on the Fourth pedestrians or cyclists entering frozen zones will need to show proof of residency. Guests will need to have guest passes, which can be obtained by emailing City Councilmember Lincoln Restler’s office – district33@council.nyc.gov – stating your (the resident’s) name and address, and the number of guest passes you need. Montague street will be open to pedestrian and cycle traffic all day on the Fourth from Court to Hicks streets. Those (like me) living on Montague between Hicks and the Promenade will need proof of residency, and our guests will need guest passes (or, if they were lucky enough to get them, tickets for the Promenade).

Montague Street between Clinton and Henry and between Henry and Hicks will be closed to traffic from 10:00 am until 7:00 pm; all parked vehicles must be moved from these blocks by 10:00 am Sunday.      .

Barring unforseen circumstances it’s a green light for local stations this coming weekend (late Friday evening, June 26 through early Monday morning, June 29) and through the following work week (Monday morning, June 29 through Friday evening, July 3), as there are no planned cancellations, route changes, or station skips directly and negatively affecting service at any local stations.

Altough there are no PLANNED changes affecting local service for this weekend and for the following week, always check MTA Info for unplanned service changes that may affect local service or service on other parts of your trip, or for planned service changes that affect stations to or from which you may be traveling. You can also get real time service alerts: register here.

What’s on your mind? Comment away! (Sorry; late posting this.)