Manhattan Transfers

Ms. Hovey channeled her "Palm Beach on crack" style into a more manageable dose of Adderall at the Edge.

Flipping Over the Edge: Williamsburg Penthouse Sells for $3 M.

With a forest of high-rises about to sprout on the Greenpoint waterfront and Two Trees looking to build Brooklyn’s tallest tower at the old Domino Sugar Factory site, the Edge and Northside Piers are about to have a lot of competition for waterfront views in northern Brooklyn.

But for now, they’re all we’ve got, and they’ve got the price tags to show for it: one of the penthouses at the North Tower at the Edge just closed late last week for $3 million, making it the first penthouse resale in the building. Read More

Developing Situations

Get your burgers while you still can. (Photo via Propertyshark.)

Williamsburg White Castle Not Long For This World?

Metropolitan Avenue in Williamsburg hasn’t seen much development since it was upzoned in 2009, owing to the financial crisis and development freeze that has gripped the city. But with the thaw lifting, at least one player apparently sees potential on the forlorn strip, one of only two streets east of the BQE where six-story tenement-scale development is allowed: a group called 781 Metro Investors LLC just picked up the White Castle at Metropolitan and Humboldt for $6.72 million, according to city records. Read More

Bar Brawl

Barcade, one of the victims. (Flickr)

‘Will Beyoncé Be There?’: Prankster Targets Hipster Bars With Hilarious Tumblr

A mysterious prank caller has been terrorizing trendy Williamsburg watering holes and posting the calls online.

“How many single girls are there?” he inquires, the questions only escalating from there. “How many whiskies is one drink?” “How cheap is your beer?” “Do you have Buckhunter?”

When ringing Roberta’s Pizza in Bushwick, he asked whether Beyoncé Read More

BYOB Bust

From paintinglounge.com

Painting Lounge Owner Lashes Out at Daily News For Instigating NYPD Investigation

In a serious case of raining on hipsters’ parade, Williamsburg’s Painting Lounge was forced to suspend its BYOB art classes after the Daily News inquired with the NYPD about the legality of such “speakeasy”-style establishments, prompting an investigation.

The Painting Lounge’s owner, Kevin Tarasuk, is furious with the paper.

“The reporter was obviously Read More

Affordable Housing or Lack Thereof

A rendering of the Dattner Architects-designed building slated to rise at the site.

City Selects Developer For Affordable Housing Slated To Rise On Architectural Graveyard In Williamsburg

Fifty-five units of affordable housing may not do much to stem the tide of gentrification washing over Williamburg, but they will allow a not-insignificant number of low-income families to stay in the increasingly expensive neighborhood.

Today, the Department of Housing Preservation and Development announced that it has selected MDG Design and Construction and the North Brooklyn Development Corporation to build a mixed-use affordable housing development at 337 Berry Street, the site of a former Landmarks Preservation Commission warehouse. The development team was selected nearly a year after an RFP went out for the project, which will include 55 low-income units, ground-floor commercial space for a grocery store, community space for tenant services and an open space for use by future tenants. Read More

trend stories

Crossing Brooklyn Ferry. (Photo via NYC.gov).

How Much Did It Cost the Times to Make Henry Alford a Hipster?

“It costs a lot of money to look this cheap,” Dolly Parton famously said. Well, nowhere is that more true than in Hipster Brooklyn, a magical land that The New York Times seemingly “discovers” once every five weeks. In today’s Style section, the Times sent intrepid middle-aged Manhattanite reporter Henry Alford to Williamsburg to live like the locals do (which, coincidentally, is also the way one would live if one were living one’s life according to trend stories in the Times Style section).

So how much did Mr. Alford’s long weekend of living the artisanal life actually cost the newspaper, which confirmed that it covered Mr. Alford’s expenses but, citing policy, declined to share costs? Read More