Resnick: NY Prices Not Economical (Real Deal)
BBP Releases Tobacco Warehouse RFP (BHB)
Foreclosures Down In All Five Boroughs (BStoner)
Obama Mortgage Modification Plan (HousingWire)
Potential Opportunities
Link Love
Goodbye McMansions, Hello Brooklyn
Flickr/Dean Terry
Most folks looking for a condo or co-op in Brooklyn don’t crave a McMansion–we’re used to living in spaces smaller than the size of the average American home, even if some of us do dream of a bit more room.
The homes we partner with you to create range from family-sized–1,700 sf three-bedrooms–to incredibly livable one-bedrooms, up to 920 square feet. We were heartened to read that many more folks are interested in houses of this size, one of the interesting effects of the recession: the average American home is shrinking.
In 2009, the average home was 2,135 square feet, the first time the size has decreased after peaking at 2,300 square feet earlier in the decade. Part of this comes from an emphasis on frugality and a cultural shift toward economic modesty, but it also seems to reflect the desire for more communal experiences–less of the suburban isolation and more of the urban integration. “Consumers don’t ask for as much for spaces devoted to single purposes, such as media rooms for watching videos and game rooms for shooting pool,” they write. “Instead, the requests are for rooms with shared uses.”
We’re looking forward to working with a new crop of buyers and partners, taking advantage of this moment when city-sized dwellings are becoming all the rage.
LPC’s Rowhouse Manual Gets a Makeover
Flickr/lumierefl
Some news from the Landmarks Preservation Commission: they, too, have renovated, updating their “Rowhouse Manual,” which they describe as “a guide designed to help the owners of rowhouses in New York City’s historic districts preserve and maintain their remarkable homes and work successfully with the agency when exterior alterations are needed.” (Click here for the pdf).
The manual helps you care for all of your home–both legally and aesthetically–including doors and doorways; windows; walls and facades; cornices and stoops, sidewalks and yards, among other categories.
Should you find the level of detail overwhelming, we’d like to point out that this is one of our areas of expertise. We help home owners, home buyers and home sellers navigate the regulations within historic districts, and have experience both preserving and modernizing historic properties. So feel free to drop us a line if you’d like to talk about the updated manual (or any other topics). This is also something we can discuss at our monthly, free, real estate seminars.
A History of Preservation, Chapter One
Architectural writer Montrose Morris has written for us a history of the preservation movement in the United States, and a primer on landmarking here in Brooklyn. You can download the entire first installment here, or browse below. Check back soon for the next chapter.
A Preservation Primer
by Montrose Morris
Flickr/DumboNYC
Chapter One: A Movement Begins
There’s only one thing that stays the same in New York City: the fact that it’s always changing. The skyline shifts sometimes weekly, with new skyscrapers puncturing the clouds, or old buildings razed to make way for another wave of development.
And yet amid this fast paced and continual reinvention we do have constants, neighborhoods and buildings that beat a steady drum along the streetscape, protected from the wrecking ball, real estate speculation, and the whims of markets. And even those New Yorkers who love the city for its ability to renew itself often know the words Historic Preservation, Landmarks Preservation Commission, historic districts and landmarking… and to appreciate what they mean. They’re integrated both into our vocabulary and into our hearts. Read More
Link Love
Mauldin Exits Montague BID (BHB)
Double Dip a Concern (Real Deal)
Rightsizing a City (CEOs for Cities)
Coney Bank Building Going Down (Brownstoner)
Barney’s Co-Op Open in October (Cobble Hill Blog)
Healthy Living in Brooklyn
Bob Jagendorf/Flickr
Most of us chose brownstone Brooklyn because we like the lifestyle here: we almost never get into a car to do our errands or visit friends. We walk, take the bus or train, ride our bikes. And thus we are healthier for it.
Might be old news to Brooklynites, but the rest of America is still learning about the health benefits of urban density, and a new report details them for all to see. “…people who live in communities with high-quality public transportation drive less, exercise more, live longer, and are generally healthier than residents of communities that lack quality public transit,” the American Public Transportation Association concludes.
As the folks at Urban Planning Blog point out, there’s a certain “duh” factor to this: of course your heart and muscles prefer if you walk to work than drive. But it shouldn’t be dismissed, as it’s incredibly relevant information both for people in search of housing and those who provide it.
One of the things we can celebrate about the housing we rehabilitate and partner with you to create is its proximity to public transit. We are interested in healthy living in other ways, too, especially with respect to green building: high indoor air quality, renewable materials, outdoor space. All of this, we feel, is related to the intersection of architecture, urban planning and health…and we’re glad to be a part of making Brooklyn healthier.
Architecture, Brooklyn Style: Part One
A revitalized Park Slope townhouse
Today, we begin a series of interviews with Brooklyn architects, investigating the elusive Brooklyn Look: is there an architecture that captures the spirit and aesthetic of Brooklyn, its history and its future?
We begin with Brendan Coburn, a veteran Brooklyn architect who is known for his ability to make spaces both modern and warm, meticulous and serene, and with whom we are working on potential opportunities, including 183 Columbia Heights. He is as at home in a brownstone as he is a loft, a beach bungalow or commercial showroom, always bringing his love of drawing, and his family history of design, to his work.
Tell us what drove you to become an architect.
I love to draw–I have always loved to draw. And I love the smell of a construction site, demolition dirt and sawdust. I also firmly believe that well designed homes (or any structure or environment for that matter) make for much better living. My father and my grandfather were also architects and my mom is an interior designer, so it is a bit of a family business.
How long have you been practicing architecture in Brooklyn and/or NYC?
I have lived in Brooklyn since I was 6 years old. I started doing drafting work for for rowhouse renovations for my dad at the age of 15. I went away to the University of Virginia and received a BS in architecture 1989 from there, and then I went to Yale where I received my Master of Architecture in 1994. I became a licensed architect in 1995.
How would you describe your aesthetic?
Modern, simple, clean. Every attempt is made to make our work seem effortless and serene. That said, we do love the occasional restoration. We recently completed an incredibly satisfying restoration of a Greek Revival townhouse, and it was a real pleasure to engage in that sort of rigorous exercise.
Read More
A History of Preservation, Chapter Two
Our first installment in the history of preservation series, written by Suzanne Spellen (aka “Montrose Morris” in the blogosphere) for MyHome, Brooklyn, looked at the birth of the movement in the United States. In Chapter Two: Brooklyn gets busy! To download the pdf, click here, or read more below.
Preservation Primer, Part 2: The Fight for Brooklyn Heights
By Suzanne Spellen
Flickr/Crown Heights North
America’s First Suburb
Brooklyn Heights is, and has always been, one of the finest neighborhoods in Brooklyn. Coined “America’s first suburb,” it was, from the beginning, a refuge for the wealthy, with fine row house and apartment blocks. Later it became a tourist destination for those seeking the stellar views from the Promenade and roaming its streets in search of the dwellings of the many famous folks who have called the Heights home. You would think such a marvel would have always been protected and prized, but in truth, Brooklyn Heights was almost destroyed, caught between urban blight and urban renewal, Robert Moses and the inexorable march of “progress.” The story of its preservation is today’s chapter in our series on preservation history.
Read More »
Posted in blog | Tagged BHA, historic preservation, history of brooklyn heights, history of preservation movement, montrose morris, willowtown