Weird New Building

While walking around on a recent weekend, I ran into this building on Fulton at Classon:

Seems odd, as it looks new and yet the doors are boarded up from the inside. Looks like it might be affordable condos?

A 1-br with marble baths for 250k? AND central air? What's the catch?

Ooo...looks like Brownstoner did a post on this place back in January 2006!  And again in August for an open house! (I should know by now to check him first for info on all things new construction in the hood.  Do check out the ridiculous placement of the stove hood in the photos.  WTF?)

So, what ended up happening here?  No one moved in?  Info, anyone?

Big Fine

On Emerson, this building is threatening either a $3,000 fine, or a $3,000,000 fine, depending on which typo was made. (Or else the sign was made by a European company). Run-on sentence... ~shudder~

Either way, don't dump here. "For security reasons."

Kum Kau Gossip

Received this note from a reader: Had dinner at Kum Kau tonight and heard some interesting gossip from my favorite waitress there. It seems that KK bought the burnt out building across the street (on the corner of Wash and Myrtle, next to Japanese place). They are currently thinking health food store or another restaurant (not Chinese) although according to here they really haven't decided on anything.

Intriguing...

new store on grand

the old karrot space on grand between lafayette and clifton, which has sat so maddeningly empty for so long, is finally getting a new life! sometime this summer it will become the permanent home of still hip, the kids' resale shop that we've mentioned a couple of times here on chb. they hope to have things up and running this month, so keep your eyes peeled. ps - i know that we got scooped by brownstoner on this! grrr.

Community Gardens

Summer's more or less upon us, and many of us do not have our own yards or gardens. What to do? Find a community garden! Before I lived in CH, I spent two years in Hell's Kitchen. One of my favorite things in the neighborhood was the Clinton Community Garden. Residents just needed to show up on the appointed day with a utility bill and a small deposit and would get a key to the garden to enter at any time. Individual plots were also available for those looking to grow veggies or flowers.

It's taken me awhile to seek out the community gardens in our area, mainly because there are so many and because a lot of the info I found online is incorrect. I recently spent a sweaty Sunday hoofing around the hood to see what was available. I checked much of Fort Greene and Clinton Hill to just past Classon. I've coordinated with BedStuy Blog, who will be posting the Bed-Stuy gardens today as well.

(Most of my specific info on garden offerings was culled from OasisNYC.) Name: Brooklyn Bears Carlton Ave. Garden Address: 397-401 Carlton Avenue Cross Streets: Btwn. Greene and Fulton

Garden Description: Part of this garden is a productive farm, with giant boxes divided for multiple members and a huge planting oval for community vegetables. There's also beautifully landscaped flower beds all watched over by a colorful mural featuring a winged mantis. (The group gets its name from an abandoned teddy bear found on the site at an early clean-up day.)

Name: Greene Garden Address: 2 S. Portland Ave. Cross Streets: De Kalb Ave. and S. Elliot Hours: Tuesdays and Saturday

Waiting List: No Dues: no Host Volunteers: yes Membership Procedure: work a certain amount of hours Year Founded: 12/1/1985

Types of Events: music, bbqs Structures: tool shed, gazebo, picnic tables, seats Herbs: mint Donate Produce: no Ornamental Plantings: flowers

Garden Description: Mrs. Murry’s 2nd grade class from P.S. 287 has been working very hard to save their garden. Their efforts have not gone unrecognized- the class was featured in a Daily News article in March. The children have learned about community gardening through a cross- disciplinary approach. They have used math skills to measure and record the temperature in the garden, they have learned about city government through their campaign to save the garden, they have used their writing skills to write letters to their elected officials, and they have planned many science experiments to start this growing season. The garden was started in 1992. Name: Hollenback Garden Address: 460 Washington Ave. Cross Streets: Gates & Greene Hours: T,Th, Sat, Sun 4:00-7:00pm

Waiting List: yes Dues: yes Host Volunteers: yes Membership Procedure: Call Contact, Come to workday, Meet Contact at Garden, Year Founded: 4/1/1980 Types of Events: arts, culture, education and recreation Garden Description: Situated in the Clinton Hill section of Brooklyn, Hollenback is the only public green space in the neighborhood. The majority of the gardeners at this garden are senior citizens, three of which were involved with starting the garden 19 years ago. The garden is also used by children from P.S. 11 and P.S. 287. After the news about the May auction, the children from both schools wrote letters to City Council member Mary Pinkett and the mayor on behalf of their garden, attended the public hearings, and decorated the garden’s fence with ribbons and signs. Three classes from P.S. 11 are planning and designing their garden plot for this season. A second grade class from P.S. 287 have planned an experiment to study the effects of the sun on plant growth. For their experiment the class plans to grow the same plants at two different community gardens one with full sun and one with shade. The gardens they plan to use for the experiment are the Hollenback garden and the Children’s Garden (2099/43). The garden was started in 1980.

Name: Classon/Fulgate Block Association Address: 474 Classon Avenue Cross Streets: Putnam & Gates Ave. Hours: Thurs & Sat: 12-5PM

Waiting List: no Dues: yes Host Volunteers: yes Membership Procedure: attend a meeting and speak to contact person Year Founded: 7/1/1983 Types of Events: barbeques,Art/Music Activities, Community Activities, Block Parties, Religious Activities Structures: brick bbq pit, mural wall, archway, brick walkway/path

Amenities: mural, meeting area, artwork (paintings) Vegetables Grown: squash, tomatoes, red peppers, collards, string beans, watermelon, potato Donate Produce: yes Ornamental Plantings: yes Shade Trees: yes Composting: container Garden Description: Brick walkways divides garden into 2 parcels that yield numerous vegetation. Large wall mural across back wall depicts block resident history. Recreation area through archway with tables, benches, BBQ pit, tool shed and shelter.

Name: Greene Ave Cedar Tree Address: Classon and Greene Virtually no info on this garden online, but it looks both large and nice!

Name: Pratt Garden Address: DeKalb at Hall This garden was open on the CH house tour, but I've never seen it open or occupied otherwise, except for a few black cats. A shame, since there are some gorgeous flowers inside! Name: Clifton Place Block Association Address: 289 Grand Avenue

Cross Streets: Clifton Place & Greene Hours: Sat: 9-1PM Organization Member: TPL Waiting List: no Dues: yes Host Volunteers: yes Membership Procedure: Ask at Garden, Volunteer, Other Languages: Spanish, Chinese Year Founded: 8/1/1991 Types of Events: Youth Activities, Art/Music Activities, Community Activities Structures: seating area, tool shed Vegetables Grown: tomatoes, lettuce, peas, turnips, eggplant Herbs: basil, chives, parsley, sage, thyme Donate Produce: no Ornamental Plantings: violets, roses, lilies, peonies Shade Trees: apple, Southern Magnolia, evergreens, dogwood Composting: general yard waste, household waste Garden Description: A small garden behind the school boasts a mural and hopes the garden becomes a means for the community to work with the school.

Greene Room Lefferts bt St. James and Grand (I had a difficult time finding this one, so not sure if the photos are correct. They might be the wrong garden, further down Lefferts. Also, the web did not have info!)

For garden contact info, call the city at 212-788-8070. The people at Green Thumb are extremely friendly, and can look up the info right away!

Steuben Playground

Check out this great green space:

It's in that really weird corner of the neighborhood, near the BQE exit, on Flushing. Looks like there are picnic tables there. Is this a cool hangout?

Friday Photo

(Pratt Sculpture Garden)

Community Garden Fundraiser

I'm planning a large post on community gardens for Monday. In the meantime, the Clifton Place Community Garden is having a fundraising bake sale this weekend:

I'll have more info on this and other gardens next week!

ZIPCAR!

This morning, I noticed some bright green Zipcar flags outside the Clinton-Washington G station. Two jovial guys stood by the entrance in front of the church handing out postcards, and told me they now have cars in the Armory on Vanderbilt and at DMK on Waverly! They said they were highly motivated by the Fort Greene Zipcar site. Nice.

Garages for Rent on Vanderbilt

Awhile back when I posted about parking, someone commented and asked me for the contact info on the individual garages for rent on Vanderbilt. Here you go:

Local Firehouse

I've often wondered where our local firehouse was located. Is this it?

This firehouse is on Carlton just south of Myrtle.  I tried searching nyc.gov to find a list of firehouses and the areas they serve, but no dice.  Are there any other firehouses in the area?  Hopefully none of us will need their services, but it would be nice to interview whoever fights fires in Clinton Hill.

Cool Nabe Stuff This Friday, 6/1

First Friday @ RePop: FIRST FRIDAY JUNE 1ST: Hook-Ups & Meanderings by Ellie Balk

Join us this Friday, June 1st at RePOP 95% Recycled for Hook-ups & Meanderings featuring fine art by Ellie Balk.

The series of work on exhibition is an expression of both tension and beauty, and the balance of the space that lives between the extremes. Urban, raw nature, tone, color, line, expression, documentation, fantasy....these things find harmony on found objects and canvases.

Complimentary wine reception is from 7:30pm - 11pm so come on down the the Navy Yard, mingle with the art and get your vintage groove on!

Instead of our usual 10% promotion, this First Friday we will be donating 10% of all proceeds to a very dear 8 year old Huskie named Otto. Recently, Otto moved to Pennsylvania with his mommie, Amy, and a few days ago collapsed while on a walk in the park. Otto is suffering from paralysis in all four of his legs and in need of surgery to remedy the situation. This surprising attack on Otto's otherwise healthy nervous system has been quite frightening for both Otto and Amy. Please send them your utmost positive thoughts and help us to help them have a successful breakthrough surgery.

Pink Elephant Projects

Pink Elephant Projects (PEP) is excited to present Women et Homme, a new photographic body of work by Evan Schwartz. This is Mr. Schwartz's first show of new work in two years and the follow-up to his critically acclaimed body of work, Reclaiming Puberty.

In his new work, Women et Homme, Schwartz turns his camera outward in his search for truth in identity. The idea of self is layered in personal and societal constructions of gender. The women in Schwartz's photographs have found expressions of their individual selves within these outward constructions of gender to define their personal experiences.

Schwartz writes, "from dinners within the confines of this small Midtown garden apartment to events in restaurants and excursions to their favorite tavern, the seemingly average lifestyle of these women is what most interests me. What the general public fails to recognize is that a cross-dresser does not necessarily dress for entertainment or shock value: they dress to live as another gender for a series of moments. These women's stories are littered with wives and partners, children and professions. Some come from supportive backgrounds and some remain secretive. One can only honestly document what they understand; this series is the continuation of my responsibility as an artist: the pursuit of truth."

The photographs capture the women in all their vibrancy. The intimacy of a shared laugh in the company of friends, the gesture of applying lipstick or fixing an earring - all distinctively personal, feminine gestures captured by Schwartz in an engaging immediacy is Women et Homme.

Evan Schwartz was born in Lake Forest, IL in 1982. After a brief stay in Israel, Mr. Schwartz attended Pratt Institute where he received a BFA in photography. While still a student, Schwartz was given his first solo show, Reclaiming Puberty, at Schroeder Romero in Williamsburg in 2005. It was for this work that he received a review in the New York Times by Holland Cotter who, "look[ed] forward to more intense and startling work in the future," from Mr. Schwartz. "Reclaiming Puberty" traveled to Italy earlier this year to be included in "Other Families" curated by Peter Weiermair. Works by Mr. Schwartz can also be seen in L.A. Ruocco's Xero and in the permanent collection of Yeshiva University. Evan currently lives and works in Brooklyn, New York.

Crossdressers International (CDI) is a nonprofit, non-sexual group based in New York City whose focus is primarily on closeted male-to-female cross-dressers, offering a safe, informative, and welcoming means for CDs to overcome their fears of being discovered and to happily and constructively express their transgendered selves. Our experience suggests that a CD's female side is born inside each individual, and therefore cannot be denied. For those who want to escape the closet, CDI can help.

June Events @ Tillie's

June Events at Tillie’s Music

Saturday, June 9th Yonat Avi Fox-Rosen and friends 8 p.m. Two accomplished young New York-based singer/songwriters present an intimate evening of music, with intelligent lyrics, widespread musical influences, and riveting hooks. For a sample, click here and here. Cover: $5

Friday, June 15th Those Pesky Starlings 8 p.m. Indie folk from three singer/songwriters based in Easthampton, Massachusetts Matthew Larsen, piano and vocals Steve Biegner, vocals, guitar and banjo, drums Aric Bieganek, bass, vocals, guitar, glockenspiel, drums Their music features distinct melodies as well as quiet percussion, lush vocal harmonies, and a hushed, forthright approach to songwriting. Click here for more into. Cover: $5

Friday, June 22nd Elasticity Festival Check out accomplished, unexpected and exploratory music by some of New York’s brightest young talents

7 p.m. Jeremiah Cymerman’s Exploitation Project Jeremiah Cymerman, clarinet Matthew Welch, saxophone Tom Blancarte, bass Gil Selinger, cello

8 p.m. The New York Sound Painting Orchestra, directed by Evan Mazinuk

9:30 p.m. Rest/Unrest Lily Maase, guitar Matt Aranoff, bass Brian Adler, drums Cover: $5

Friday, June 29th Elasticity Festival

8:00 p.m. Jeremy Udden

9:30 p.m. Owen Stuart-Robertson, from Montreal Cover: $5 For more information about Brooklyn’s only ongoing new music festival, curated by Lily Maase, click here.

Art

Paintings by Taylor Fox June 18th – July 21st 2007 Newly arrived in Fort Greene, Brooklyn, Taylor Fox grew up on Cape Cod, a place famous for its unique light and those who try to capture it. He graduated from Pitzer College in Los Angeles with a fine arts degree and a different perspective from which to paint. He began, along with many others no doubt, to question the importance of painting in the midst of a camera-dominated era, with its endless array of technological devices that translate our world for us.

Statement

"I am a painter who creates context within existing framed borders. I borrow and take my own photos. I collect ordinary images that seem to come together accidentally and from these I create. It is this process of transforming that is the important thing in the practice of art, the place from which meaning emerges. I choose art as a response to being in the world."

Taylor Fox has shown his work at Jo Mama’s NY Bagels and El Dia Cafe in Orleans, MA and is currently exhibited in The Nicholas Harrison Gallery in Wellfleet, MA, Etherington Fine Art in Martha’s Vineyard, MA, and Clinton Hill Gallery in Fort Greene, Brooklyn. His work has also been featured in TKO online and Nylon Magazine. His next show will be at Snow Library in Orleans, MA this July.

For more information see www.taylorfoxart.com Reception: Thursday, June 21st 7 – 9 p.m.

Reminder to all garden lovers: Tillie’s is selling tickets for the annual Garden Tour

Sunday, June 3rd from 11a.m. – 5 p.m. $15 in advance, $20 on 6/3/07

A self-guided tour showcasing gardens in Fort Greene, Clinton Hill, and Prospect Heights

Come to Tillie’s to hand in your ticket and receive a map on the day of the tour. For more information about the garden tour, call 718 707-1277.

For more information about any of these events, call Patricia Mulcahy at 718 783-6140.

Friday Photo

(Myrtle Ave.  And btw, what the hell is this building?)

Lost Cat

Just received this note: I live on Clinton Avenue between Myrtle & Park. I noticed that on your blog you have a section for pets. Is it possible to list a missing cat? We've been scouring the neighborhood all day and I thought that your blog might bring her home sooner, in case one of our neighbors has seen her.

This took us by surprise because we live on the second floor and we have a porch and we think that she must've jumped down somehow because there's no other way she could've gone out of the building. We've been in this house for about a year and half now, but this is a first.

Here is her description:

Sadie is 3 years old, she has black fur and yellow eyes. She's small to medium size, but her legs are rather short. She has been declawed (she's been a house cat until now). She isn't wearing her tags. She has been vaccinated and spayed. She isn't very friendly towards people she isn't used to. She was last seen on Clinton Avenue between Myrtle and Park. She may have traveled over to Vanderbilt via backyard spaces. If you have any information, please call my cell phone: 917-822-7231. Thank you so much, Sinclaire I'd be beside myself if I lost my cat or dog, so if you've seen Sadie, please call her owner:

Clinton Hill: Personal Profile

Name: Karen Schwartz Clinton Hill Resident For: 3.5 years

(Thanks to the Polish Bar of Brooklyn for providing their space for the interview, as well as Essie pedicures, and to the Greene Grape for providing a bottle of Arregi Txacoli Getariako Txakolina 2006) On May 15, I met up with Karen Schwartz at the Polish Bar of Brooklyn for Essie pedicures, a bottle of Arregi Txacoli courtesy of the Greene Grape and mini cupcakes (it was Karen’s birthday!).

Karen, a yoga therapist, has lived in Clinton Hill for three and a half years, but spent the previous seventeen years in the same Upper East Side studio rental. Why did she move? “Because the ceiling fell. Literally!” she exclaims. After an unfixed long-term leak, her studio’s ceiling came crashing down. Two days later, she bid on her current Clinton Hill co-op. At the time, she didn’t know much about the area but its special differences became apparent very early on. None of Karen’s Manhattan neighbors had checked up on her despite hearing her ceiling fall in, but her current Clinton Hill neighbors call her out of concern if they don’t see her for a day or two. “There’s so much beauty here,” she says. “It’s great to walk around, and you can just say ‘hi’ to people.”

A native of the “Boogie-Down Bronx,” Karen and her family moved to Queens when she was in 6th grade, and she attended junior high and high school in Manhattan. The diversity of her neighborhoods and attendance at public schools strongly influenced her decision to become professionally involved in community life, though she didn’t end up there immediately. After a college journalism tenure focusing on social activism, her first professional experience working for a jewelry trade magazine left her less than inspired. Schwartz returned to school and obtained a Masters Degree in Social Work.

Focusing on clinical social work, Schwartz worked first with teenagers in foster care, and then on the Lower East Side focusing on dropout prevention. She also began teaching fitness classes and studying dance, which led her to her first yoga class. “I thought, ‘This is so hard!’” she explains. “But I couldn’t wait to go back.”

Schwartz says it took two years of yoga classes before she felt like she “got it,” and began to realize how many levels the practice operates on. “The physical is only a small part of yoga,” Schwartz says. “You can’t quantify everything about yoga. That is its essence.”

Schwartz began making some connections of her own, realizing how greatly yoga practice would benefit many of the people she encountered day-to-day as a social worker. “The current popularity of yoga is wonderful, but it’s often designed for people who are already in shape,” she says. Recognizing an evident gap, Schwartz has turned her career towards yoga therapy. “It’s not a replacement for other kinds of therapy, but rather a supplement.” Schwartz’s work has not gone unnoticed in the neighborhood, as she was nominated for the Personal Profile series by one of her local students: “What is particularly impressive about Karen is that she can teach at all levels. She is able to encourage new students so that they don't feel that yoga is beyond their ability while guiding more advanced students to new challenges. Karen was able to show me how to develop flexibility and strength that I didn't think I had.” Schwartz has clearly incorporated her life’s work into the community.

Currently, Schwartz focuses her career on one-on-one yoga therapy and conducting workshops for small groups, allowing her to assess each client’s individual needs and fitness level. She volunteers as much as time allows, providing valuable services for those who don’t traditionally have access to yoga. As part of this initiative, she has conducted yoga classes for senior residents in her building and has submitted a proposal to teach volunteer classes for the American Cancer Society; she also intends to work to a greater extent with abuse survivors and those suffering from eating disorders. Her work has truly come full circle, incorporating many of her life’s passions. A highlight of her work as a yoga therapist? “Making a connection with my students. It’s great to give them something to take with them afterwards.”

When she’s not teaching, Schwartz loves to enjoy the diversity of her surroundings. Dining out, Schwartz favors Luz hands-down, which she describes as having, “Great food and vibe, and they have a Tempranillo I just love!” You’ll also see her frequenting Olea, as well as enjoying a Café Moche at Pillow Café’s new space on Myrtle. “When I'm hanging out in the neighborhood I like to walk around and look at houses, relax in Fort Greene Park, and go to movies at BAM, especially the film festivals and other special cinema events they have.” And, of course, the ice cream question. “Haagen Dazs Deep Chocolate Peanut Butter, because it doesn't hold back!”

Schwartz has just launched a new website, www.oneselfyoga.com, which further details her work in yoga therapy. She also teaches mixed level/open yoga classes at Lucky Lotus Yoga on DeKalb.

Greenhouse?

I walked past this strange structure on Clinton between Myrtle and Park over the weekend. For some reason, it looks like an old greenhouse to me. What was this, or what was it going to be?

Henna Tatto(o)?

Has anyone checked out the brow threading place yet? It was open this weekend, and someone kinda fixed the sign...

I'm trying to grow my brows out so I can test them out and report.

The Chocolate Bar

I Googled the mysterious Chocolate Bar and did a walkby:

A peek inside:

How has this place remained on the DL for so long? Any readers hang out there?

Porn Building Reuse

Several readers emailed me last week to find out what's up in the old porn store space on Myrtle, which is being worked on and has received an exterior paint job:

Reader comments in the Italian Restaurant post indicate that the space is slated to become a European-style cafe.  (What does that mean?  "European-style."  Guess we'll see soon enough.)