You may have noticed some really cool artwork in the windows of the former Century 21 (RIP). Award-winning artist Sarula Bao is a Chinese American illustrator and graphic novelist based in Brooklyn, and her Hanfu x Chunky Sneaker installation will be on display through the end of March.
It’s always cool when a piece of the past pokes through to the present.
I noticed the half-sign a few weeks ago when walking past with my wife, but didn’t know what I was looking at, at the time. Thanks to Brooklyn Paper, I now know that it’s the site of a former Waldorf Cafeteria that operated at the corner of Fulton and Jay street.
Bklyner has an optimistic view for the future of Downtown Brooklyn, as well as an outstanding look at how we got to be here:
Brooklyn’s historic central business district also suffered during the pandemic. But the area’s boosters and developers believe its location, open spaces, and large residential population could give it a leg up over Manhattan as the post-pandemic recovery finally begins.
Q: Will there be a traditional lion dance?
A: Hell yeah, there’s going to be a traditional lion dance!
Come and celebrate the Year of the Ox at Albee Square on Saturday, February 13th between 1:30pm and 3pm. There will be a traditional lion dance and a “selfie-station,” which honestly sounds like a fantastic reason to get outside and keep the days from all blending together due to the pandemic.
Sure, we’ve gotten a little bit of snow in the past few years, but there hasn’t been a huge storm in New York City since January 23rd, 2016. I had pretty much given up hope that we’d ever get a big storm here again, especially after New York City was re-classified as subtropical.
But here we are, two decent snow storms in one winter (so far). Here’s a few pictures from Jay Street Metrotech in the snow.
Via AMNY:
The city’s Landmarks Preservation Commission voted unanimously on Tuesday to grant landmark status to the Downtown Brooklyn house where prominent abolitionists Harriet and Thomas Truesdell lived during the 19th century — marking a long-awaited victory for local history buffs and activists alike.
There’s still very little known about the future of the block adjacent to Albee Square, where Dekalb Ave curves to meet Fulton Street and becomes Bond Street. But progress is being made, in the form of demolition. Pretty much everything east of Duane Reade has been razed.
From Steve Cuozzo at the New York Post:
“Data just released by the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership show that occupancy is above 95 percent at both old and new rental buildings. Absorption remains strong as most new properties report leasing between 20 and 40 units every month.”
You may have noticed a fitness studio had quietly opened in City Point. Well, that is to say it soft opened. The official opening day is October 13th, and they’re offering free classes all day to celebrate.
The City Point website has the class schedule, with classes starting at 10am and going til 5pm. At Your Beat is an import from London (this Brooklyn location is their first foray into the United States), and offers dance-infused fitness classes.
We did it! We won! Apparently.
From the BKReader:
Downtown Brooklyn was awarded $10 million grant as part of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo’s Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI), which aims to transform downtown neighborhoods into vibrant communities where New Yorkers want to live and work.