All stories about "Brooklyn Bridge Park"

As this long weekend Saturday gets underway, check out a selection of some of the top stories on Curbed this week.

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1) West Village: NYU's Plan 2031 has been re-rendered and it has a little something to make everybody a little insane. This time around, it includes new high-rises within Washington Square Village and I.M. Pei's Silver Towers, and a "zipper loft" design to replace the Coles Gymnasium.

2) FiDi: There are additional models and renderings of the SHoP Architects plan for General Growth Properties to makeover the South Street Seaport.

3) Everywhere: Are things up, down, turning around or have they hit the ground? There were many market reports this week indicating many things.

4) Brooklyn Heights: It's unclear when the entire Brooklyn Bridge Park will be funded and built, new renderings were released this week and some segments will be done by next. year.

5) Long Island City: The Crescent Club turns out to have a fitness center designed by Madonna babydaddy Carlos Leon.

6) Central Park: To us, the turkey wandering around the Ramble like he owns the freakin' place is definitely the story that rounds out the pack.

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Here is a big new set of renderings of Brooklyn Bridge Park, some of which have been trickling out for the last week or so and some of which haven't been seen before. In any case, it's been quite a while since new renderings were released. Land clearance for the park is underway and two sections (at Pier One and Pier Six, at opposite ends at Fulton Ferry Landing and Atlantic Avenue) are supposed to be finished late next year. Entire park will stretch for 1.3 miles. The original budget was $150 million, but it has climbed to $300 million, with the trouble being that only $225 million is funded. The Brooklyn Bridge Park Development Corp. estimates that about 2/3 of the park will be done by 2012.
· Brooklyn Bridge Park Update: A Park for All Seasons [Curbed]

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So, here's this summer's little Brooklyn waterfront surprise: the Pop-Up Park designed by dlandstudio that was only officially announced a couple of weeks ago. It occupies the northernmost part of Pier 1, which until very recently was occupied by a warehouse. To its south is more land that's been cleared for Brooklyn Bridge Park. The little park features pavement painted to look like sand, a bunch of picnic tables, four trees, an outpost of the restaurant Rice, promotional banners for the future park and a close view of the waterfall under the Brooklyn Bridge with a distant view of the other three. It was quiet and cool there this morning, but both of those conditions are sure to change soon.
· The Freakin' Waterfalls Are On: Brooklyn Bridge Edition [Curbed]
· Parts of Brooklyn Bridge Park Will Open Next Year [Curbed]

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There's a lot of empty space there now, and there isn't enough money to pay for the whole thing, but parts of Brooklyn Bridge Park will be open by 2009. Today's Daily News says there will be "a sloping lawn overlooking the Brooklyn Bridge," an "elaborate playground at Atlantic Ave." and "a grand public plaza at Old Fulton St." (That's a brand new rendering above.) Come 2012 there will be "a 30-foot wide greenway from Old Fulton St. to Atlantic Ave." and other completed segments. The estimated park cost was $150 million when it was announced in 2002, but the cost has doubled since then. The park has been more controversial than others because of the 1,200 condos planned to finance it (like this guy right here). Some Destructoporn of its current state coming up later today.
· Work to start, but funds still short for Brooklyn Bridge Park [NYDN]

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The Brooklyn Bridge Pop-Up Park is getting ready for its big day when the Olafur Eliasson waterfalls get turned on Thursday. We passed by them from the water side and found that a fence is up, four trees have been moved in, a small tent has been put up and several little raised mounds of sod have been put in place. We're still not sure how it's going to match up in a Rendering vs. Reality way, but then again, everybody's probably going to be looking at the waterfalls anyway rather than contemplating the meaning of four little trees and painted pavement.
· A Brooklyn Bridge Pop-Up Park for Waterfall Watching? [Curbed]

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[Photo courtesy of jetsetcd/Curbed Flickr Pool]

This is the site of the Brooklyn Bridge Pop-Up Park as seen from the Bridge. Last week an opening date of June 26 was announced coinciding with the day Olafur Eliasson's waterfalls are turned on. Given that a lot of the park will be painted green and there will be only four trees and a handful of benches, we're going assume they can make the deadline, unless the sod mounds hold things up On the other hand, whether it looks like the early renderings is another matter.
· Brooklyn Bridge Pop-Up Park Popping Up on June 26 [Curbed]
· A Brooklyn Bridge Pop-Up Park for Waterfall Watching [Curbed]

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That pop-up park on Brooklyn Bridge Park land whose renderings we posted back in late May? It will be opening on June 26, the same day that Olafur Elliason's waterfalls are turned on. The summer park was announced at a local community board meeting last night, the Brooklyn Eagle reports, and will remain open through Labor Day. It will include four sod mounds "with a slight elevation to improve viewing and to give children something to roll down," 1,700 square feet of sand, ten benches, 10 picnic tables and, uh, four trees. Yes, four trees, "to provide shade." (Don't everybody try to get into the shade at once.) The park will be open from 10AM to 10PM and Rice will operate a concession stand. Veggie tofu meatballs while one angles for a seat on one of the 10 benches or shade under one of the four trees and watches the water fall!
· Surprise! Brooklyn Waterfront Park Open June 26 [Brooklyn Daily Eagle]
· A Brooklyn Bridge Pop-Up Park for Waterfall Watching? [Curbed]

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This is what one might call the Brooklyn Bridge Pop-Up Park, a concept from dlandstuio for the Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy for a temporary viewing area for one of Olafur Eliasson's waterfalls under the Brooklyn Bridge. Per Tropolism, which had renderings and info, "the design is like a pop-up shop" for the park and includes "wide swaths of color painted in stripes over the asphalt to create both a more comfortable walking surface for pedestrians and add color and texture." there are also grass mounds, a sand area with umbrellas and "hay bales that get seeded and grow grass like a chia pet as the summer progresses." The designers, by the way, are also behind the cool Sponge Park concept in Gowanus.
· Tropolism Exclusive: The Waterfalls Get A Park [Tropolism]
· dlandstudio [dlandstudio.com]
· Gowanus Canal Sponge Park Fully Revealed [Curbed]

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Brooklyn is officially saying buh-bye to the Floating Pool dream. The Parks Department confirms that last year's announced plan is still the plan: the Floating Pool will be spending the summer at Barretto Point Park in the South Bronx. A Parks Department spokesperson tells the Brooklyn Paper "our intention was always to spread it around the city." The pool drew tens of thousands of people to the future site of Brooklyn Bridge Park last summer. There's no timetable for when the pool will float from it's winter home in Jersey to SoBro. It'll presumably open with the rest of the city pools on June 27.
· ‘Park’ pool floats to Bronx [Brooklyn Paper]
· Barge Pool Ditches Brooklyn Heights for Bayonne & Bronx [Curbed]

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There is destructoporn and, then, there is destructorporn. This series of shots was taken by Denton Taylor from the Brooklyn Bridge and posted as a set on PBase. We're talking about hardcore destructoporn as the first warehouse on land that will become Brooklyn Bridge Park come down. Click on the photo gallery above and watch it vanish.
· Brooklyn Bridge Park Shed Demolition [Denton Taylor/PBase]
· Brooklyn Bridge Park Demolition Porn: Falling Fast [Curbed]

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David and Jane Walentas have enlisted Jean Nouvel in their long-running struggle to have a restored carousel placed in Brooklyn Bridge Park. The saga of the carousel goes back 22 years and New York Magazine's Intelligencer updates it as it now includes a pavilion designed by the Pritzker Prize winning starchitect. Besides learning that it costs $500,000 to have Mr. Nouvel design a carousel pavilion, we find out that the Walentases have promised to pay for the building, that the head of the Brooklyn Bridge Park Development Corp. is still in no hurry to make placement of the carousel a priority. Despite years and years of agitation by the Walentases to give the carousel to the the park, the master plan doesn't include a space for it. The Nouvel Pavilion involves "shadows of the carousel’s 48 horses prancing on the pavilion’s glass wall as they revolve by night." Meanwhile, Jane says: :"I wake up every morning and ask myself, ‘How do we get the powers that be to get off their dime?’" Here's one way: "There's a guy in Dubai who wants to buy the carousel," she says. Nooo!!!
· Nouvel and the Carousel [Intelligencer/NYM]
· Now in Dumbo: Jane's Carousel [Curbed]

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[Courtesy of epc/Flickr; click to expand]

Work crews have made a quick work of tearing down the first waterfront warehouse on the Brooklyn Bridge Park. The work is happening despite continuing controversy and threats of new litigation from the Sierra Club about the park and development project. The demise of the blue building has even opened up some new vistas across the water to Manhattan and to New Jersey. Some early work is supposed to be done next year.
· Brooklyn Bridge Park Demolition Photoset [epc/Flickr]
· View from Demolished Pier 1 [McBrooklyn]
· Brooklyn Bridge Park Controversies Continue [Dumbo NYC]

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[Photo courtesy of Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy]

There has been some preliminary work going on at the Brooklyn Bridge Park site for weeks now, including the cutting down of a lot of trees (which has been causing the few people down there on food and bicycle to stop and stare) and the positioning of construction equipment and site clearance. But the Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy sent out a photo this afternoon to prove that demolition of one of the big warehouses on the property started today. The release titled "The Park's on the Move!" said, "construction crews began tearing down the shed on Pier 1 early this morning." After all the false starts and controversy, one can understand the desire to prove that it's actually happening.
· Surprise: More Trouble for Brooklyn Bridge Park [Curbed]
· Phase I of Brooklyn Bridge Park Demolition Starts [Dumbo NYC]

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Don't look now, but there's more trouble for Brooklyn Bridge Park. This time, it's not specifically related to a budget that's doubled from $150 million to $300 million, but about how plans will impact the water. Today's Post reports that the park "is a major money pit that's now in danger of losing its biggest draw - waterfront activities like rowboating, canoeing and kayaking." Why? The state Department of Environmental Conservation "has serious concerns" about plans that include a marina for yachts, motorboats and sailboats. In other words, the DEC won't issue a permit because it thinks the plans will hurt the fish and the Empire State Development Corp. is being asked to change the plans. The park covers 85 acres, 12 of which are on the water and 8 of which are reserved for 1,400 condo units. The issue isn't just boats but major park features like floating walkways and other features. Negotiations on finding a solution are underway, but "drastic revisions" may be needed. Peddle boats tossed in the terraces at One BBP?
· B'klyn Row a No-Go [NYP]
· Brooklyn Bridge Park Pricetag Skyrocketing [Curbed]

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Let's say you're interested in pumping sales at One Brooklyn Bridge Park. What can you do? Well, a Post article about Elizabeth Stribling's $6.6 million penthouse doesn't hurt. (When last heard from, Curtis Martin, was not taking a $7.25M One BBP penthouse.) Interestingly, sales of six units in the building are said to be new Brooklyn records, blowing away the previous sales record at the Aurora on Karl Fischer Row. About one-third of the 449 units are now sold and move ins are starting next month. Developer Robert Levine offers this assessment of the one-third full/two-thirds empty glass: "Considering the state of the economic environment, we're doing very well." In the meantime, a few other factoids: Parking spaces range from $128,590 to $281,050, and 20 have been sold. Half of the 18 riverfront cabanas, priced from $145K to $245K, are sold too. The $7.25M Curtis Martin penthouse is still on the market. Act fast.
· B'klyn Beckons [NYP]
· Six Condo Sales Records at One Brooklyn Bridge Park [Brownstoner]
· Curtis Martin Backing Out of Buying Brooklyn's Priciest Apt. [Curbed]

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So, who's to blame for the fact that the old coffee warehouse in Dumbo has enough scary structural issues that the state closed Empire Fulton Ferry State Park in December? Is it David Walentas, who original held development rights on the property? Or Shaya Boymelgreen, who snatched them away in 2002, only to have them taken back by the state in 2006? A spokesperson for the Empire State Development Corp. tells the Brooklyn Paper that the state "failed twice" to find a developer. Meanwhile, opponents of Brooklyn Bridge Park say the "finger-pointing has to be aimed at" the ESDC. The Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy, which supports the big park plan, blames opponents that filed a lawsuit to stop the park plan and notes the property belongs to the state parks, which doesn't have a big budget to keep up buildings. The most interesting question, though, is why the entire state park is now closed, when people park cars next to a damaged part of the building, and how long it will be off limits.
· Empire Falls [BP]
· Treatment Arrives for Dumbo Crack Problem [Curbed]
· Dumbo's Empire Stores Fighting Gravity, Park Closed [Curbed]

With work on the always interesting Brooklyn Bridge Park said to be starting soon, it's worth having a look at the desolation between the BQE and the water where, someday, people will frolick and, perhaps, stop in for some arugula. The Brooklyn blogger who produces 1000 Bars took a break from exercising his liver to engage in some urban planning with a photo tour of the compellingly vacant waterfront. Meanwhile, the Brooklyn Paper reports that the developer of One Brooklyn Bridge Park, having been spurned by Trader Joe's, is still trying to lure a food retailer and says the revenue will help pay for the park, which looks like it's going to need the cash. Neighborhood reaction might be characterized as "pffffffft." Or in more traditional terms, per the head of the Brooklyn Heights Association: "I don’t think it’s the most complimentary business for the park." Yes, it's going to be an excellent few years down there.
· Brooklyn Bridge Park Progress Report [1000 Bars]
· Supermarket could come to 'park' [Brooklyn Paper]
· Brooklyn Bridge Park Work Will Start With Demolition [Curbed]

A tipster with a view of the old coffee warehouse in Dumbo (sometimes called the Empire Stores) sent along photos of work to keep people from getting beaned by falling bricks. Per the email: "You can see the cracks in the Dumbo coffee house under each of the windows. This morning trucks arrived and scaffolding is being constructed so it looks like repairs are about to begin." The problems led to the led to the temporary closure of Empire-Fulton Ferry State Park. While the building may not be Building Collapse Pool material, it's been deteriorating from neglect. No word on a solution or on the cost. Its future use, assuming it doesn't lose the fight with gravity and the elements, hasn't been decided.

With work on the controversial Brooklyn Bridge Park project supposed to start soon with demolition work and a likely ceremonial groundbreaking, there are new questions about the ever-growing cost estimates. Today's Observer says the project "is thought to now cost tens of millions of dollars more than the $150 million budgeted." The good news is that last year NYC Park Advocates said the cost could approach $300 million, so they still have a way to go. The bad news is that despite all the condo development expected to provide a funding stream, the project isn't fully funded. (The city is willing to kick in more money but wants more control over the project.) New Brooklyn Bridge Park Development Corp. President Regina Myer tells the Observer that "Since this project was originally scoped, construction costs have absolutely exploded." Well, thank God it isn't the $45.07 an hour lawn sprinker people that haven't done it or the $30 million already spent on planning and, uh, lunches at Union Square Cafe.
· City Wants More Power Over Brooklyn Bridge Park As Project Slides Into the Red [NYO]
· Brooklyn Bridge Park May Cost a Tiny Bit More Than Thought [Curbed]
· Brooklyn Bridge Park Spares No Expense [Curbed]

While work on One Brooklyn Bridge Park seems to be going along nicely, with the building currently sporting a tri-color exterior of tan, powder blue and gray, the controversial park itself looks like it's going nowhere fast. In fact, it's been so long since there was anything going on at the park site (other than the Barge Pool) that it's easy to forget there's supposed to be a park. The Brooklyn Daily Eagle has noted progress on major elements of the $150 million--give or take--plan is "stalled while the city and state wrangle over control" of the development. Park fans might recall some rather nasty cost issues associated with inflated expenses and, uh, $45.07 an hour lawn sprinkler people. Right now, the Brooklyn Bridge Park Development Corp. is still looking for a director and the state and city are arguing over the fate of the Empire Stores in Dumbo and about who will pay to maintain the park. Someone described it as "part of a much broader negotiation of who gets what piece of the legacy pie."
· Brooklyn Bridge Park, Empire Stores Stall [Brooklyn Daily Eagle]
· Brooklyn Bridge Park Update: Park for All Seasons [Curbed]
· Update on One Brooklyn Bridge Park [Brownstoner]

[Photo courtesy of Property Shark]

UPPER WEST SIDE—There is something less than joy among many tenants at 30 Lincoln Plaza on Broadway between 62nd and 63rd Streets, which is being converted by the Milstein family to condos. Prices were originally said to start around $930k for a 426 sq ft studio and $1.175m for a 581 sq ft 1 bedroom. Of the offering plan that came out on Monday, a resident writes, "The prices are the same and the tenants are trying to get together to get their voices heard. The Milstein's are being very piggish." We are going to go out on a limb and guess there is more to be said about the condo conversion. [CurbedWire Inbox]

BROOKLYN HEIGHTS—It's very unclear where things stand with the Brooklyn Bridge Park plans, but the planning process is starting "for how the park will be used." There will be some public meetings starting October 30 to deal with what kinds of activities will be in the park, funding and whether programs in the $150 million park should be free or whether people should pay. No word on when there might be an actual park, plus all those condos. [CurbedWire Inbox]

When a grainy photo taken inside Two Trees Management's office shows up, we pay attention. When that photo shows a model of the Dumbo neighborhood we all know and love—but with some bonus features—we break out the red numbers. Here is Dumbo: the Director's Cut, now openly on display in a Walentas lobby near you:

1) Looks like the controversial Dock Street development is a given in the Walentas' hypothetical future Dumbo. What say you, angry mob?
2) Is that Jane Walentas' painfully restored 1922 carousel? You bet it is! We already know that this sucker will wind up in Brooklyn Bridge Park one day, but it's nice to see they're giving it a prime spot.
3) Here we have the Empire Warehouses, which reportedly will wind up as a performing arts venue, sporting a nice Brooklyn Dodgers tribute.
4) Holy shit, a marina?! Well, there ain't a Dock Street for nothing, kids. For what it's worth, we're hearing that the Two Trees gang doesn't actually think a marina will happen, it's just a dream. And what a dream! Jeeves, I'll take my highball on the schooner!

As our anonymous tipster points out, "Walentas is going into master builder mode," but it's not like Dumbo's First Fam hasn't been kicking it into high gear already.
· Two Trees Prankster: Know Your Future Black Monolith [Curbed]
· New Two Trees Dumbo Building is About Kids & Steel [Curbed]