justiNYC

New York City Cityscapes Issue of The L Magazine features Justin Farrow

The newest L Magazine is on the streets now and it happens to be the long awaited NYC Cityscapes Issue.  In this issue, the reader is presented with iconic snapshots that might be taken (or remembered) by a New Yorker from all corners of the city and outer boroughs.  So pretend you have absolutely nothing to do except for walk around the city and shutterbug the hell out of stuff tourists would like and your schedule will look a little something like this: If you look close, you will see that Justin Farrow (me...duh) has a nice little purdy Williamsburg shot in there.  Although the shots are not of the Old Dutch Mustard this time, this view is from the roof of a building that is no longer small...its growing like a weed, over near McCarren Park (...excuse me, Karl Fisher Row). As seen in the New York City Cityscapes Issue of the L Magazine, this picture from Justin Farrow is reflective of a time that is quickly fleeting in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. As mentioned a few times before, there's just nothing quite like having a photograph that you've taken find its way into the hands of at least a million people while ending up on every street corner of this fine city of ours.  I've had the opportunity to shoot a lot of landscape that no longer exists out here in Brooklyn and I'm very happy to have been given the chance(s) to share it all with you. Here are a few of the other covers and stories I've worked on with the L Mag:

the brooklyn issue [cover/NYC Profile]

  -

		The Fall Art Preview Is the UN Doomed? Sept 28- Oct 11, 05 volume iii issue 18 [Cover/NYC Profile "Fulton Fish Market"]

  -

The Love Issue February 01-14 [Profile/Various restaurants]

The Gym Issue Cover

Other Links that Reference Related Material:
Brownstoner-After Hipsters Before Condos
Curbed -Williamsburg's Old Dutch Mustard Building, Inside and Out

Judith Supine Bridge Stunt and Other Works you Might Remember

We've shared quite a few moments of artistic aw with Judith Supine, here on justiNYC blog, but this one might take the cake.  According to Gothamist, Judith recently placed a 50 foot tall piece over the south side of the Manhattan Bridge-undoubtedly one of the greatest graffiti stunts involving a NYC bridge in history. This massive piece will most definitely not survive very long, but the feat itself is amazing, to say the least.  So, in honor of Supine and for sake of giving HUGE props, I figured it appropriate to dig out a few other works that I've gathered along the way. Bond Street, Manhattan (near the acclaimed 40 Bond)
Off of Berry Street in Williamsburg

Off of North 10th Street in Williamsburg/Greenpoint I've been printing a lot lately and I must say that some of these pieces are among my favorite to see large.  Its almost like reliving the moment that I first stumbled upon each of them.  Thanks Judith for your hard work!  If you'd like to have a print or two to remember yourself by, look me up.  I've got the last one hanging in my living room, big as life.

Pleasing the Beverly Hillbillies on Roebling and a Field guide to Williamsburg

So, Williamsburg made it into Gawker yesterday- they published a "field guide!"  For the most part, its pretty accurate.I suppose this means the Burg has finally arrived.  Brownstoner linked it up, along side a few listings from my buddy LoftNinja.

Meanwhile, over at Gowanus Lounge, there's a bit of talk today about the "Roebling Oil Field" at 223 N. 11th Street.  Forget black gold and texas tea, its a bonified slick fest over there!  The Beverly Hillbillies could certainly be a gang of potential buyers, if someone tracked them down....


Technorati Tags: Gawker, Williamsburg, links, field guide,

powered by performancing firefox

The Cover of the Latest L Magazine "Fitness Issue" and justiNYC Shot It

Be sure to swing by one of those orange bins, located on just about any corner in NYC and pick up the newest copy of The L Magazine.  I, justiNYC shot the cover shot! 

I find it very interesting (albeit, very NYC) to use a photograph of street art to demonstrate the "Fitness" theme that The L is going for this time around.  Even moreso, the irony of this particular piece (by internationally known UK artist, Banksy) on this particular North 6th Street wall (currently slated for development) is especially interesting. To be precise, this Banksy work is gone already. [Curbed] First, it seemingly had a new tenant, then it was gone.[Test of Will]  It just goes to show, everything in NYC does start and end with real estate-even cover photos on entertainment guides.

Few might see it this way- but could it be said that Williamsburg is "shaping up?"  It is a fact that many (if not most) of the Burg's blocks are "losing weight," yet only to double, triple or even quadruple in size in the places where pounds are being shed. Hmmm...  a little real property philosophy to ponder. Don't lose any weight over it.

As many of you may know, this isn't the first time justiNYC has had the pleasure of decorating  L Magazine covers.  The thrill of having around a hundred thousand New Yorkers carrying around your photograph in their back pocket is enough to feel all warm and fuzzy inside....well, maybe not but one damn sure feels as though they have "made it" in NY when it happens.  Here are a few of the other covers and stories I've worked on with the L Mag:

the brooklyn issue [cover/NYC Profile]

-

		The Fall Art Preview Is the UN Doomed? Sept 28- Oct 11, 05 volume iii issue 18 [Cover/NYC Profile "Fulton Fish Market"]

-

The Love Issue February 01-14 [Profile/Various restaurants]

Put one in your pocket- The L Magazine knows whats up!

powered by performancing firefox

Sorely Missed Street Art in the City that Always Creeps

I just have to say (and I've said it before) that one of the things that I miss the most about Brooklyn (while down here in the Dirty South on break) would have to be graffiti and street art.  When you are as ingrained into a neighborhood as I am, watching buildings and streetscapes change like blinks of an eye, it is the art that keeps even the shortest of walks interesting.  From across the street, I will without fail notice the arrival of any new sticker or scribble, the fresh presence of a new poster and ahhh...the smell of wheatpaste in the morning.  Today, Curbed made me a little nostalgic for my neighborhood route, actually showing me a couple of things that have been added to the streets, undoubtedly within the last 2 weeks.


[apparently freshly posted on the outside of the barrier attached to the "See Through Building" on Bedford and N4th Streets (future of "Williamsburgh Square."-maybe)]

You just can't avoid the truth of the streets!

I would like to also share with all of you an album i have posted on PicasaWeb, jam packed with Street Art from Williamsburg, Greenpoint, Bushwick, DUMBO, etc.  Enjoy!

Street Art

Before the Bedford Ave. Highrise, the See-Through Building [Curbed]
· Peevish Williamsburg Graffiti #1 [Curbed]
· Pevish Williamsburg Graffiti #2 [Curbed]

Technorati Tags: graffiti, street art, Williamsburg, Curbed

powered by performancing firefox

The End of 2006 and the beginning of Lucky '07

As 2006 comes to a close, I, justiNYC would like to both thank everyone for all of their nice comments and participation with the blog and share a few of the Flickr albums and concepts that I've devoted to change.  Currently, I am down south working on the organization of a book that I will be publishing sometime early in the new year. I am very excited about the book project and cannot wait for all of you to see it!  Also, I intend to begin my final stretch of school in the up and coming year.  It is my hope that sometime within the next 3 years, i will acquire a "Dr." in the front of my name.  Urban anthropology and gentrification have become an obsession and a passion which I cannot ignore.  As a real estate agent, I have had the rare opportunity to participate and observe while applying anthropological methodologies, hitherto unexplored in such ways.  As an artist, I have come to appreciate the ways in which change can be expressed and the effect that visual representation can have to those far removed from the process. 

I have learned a lot about change in the past year and even more about the effect that real property can have on families, culture and neighborhoods. In Brooklyn, situations become different so fast, that it is hard to imagine anyone being able to totally keep up.  In many ways, I have purposely kept up with the ways that streets and landscapes get altered, by matching them (to the best of my ability) with the intentions of developers, landlords and the tenants that are in a perpetual state of shift.  I have mindfully captured instances that reflect the alarming rate which change can alter the dynamic relationship shared between people and buildings. I hope that so far, all of you find that i have done a somewhat adaquate job of doing so- yet, it will not be until you have the book in your hand that you will see the full scope of what i have set out to do.

In the real estate industry, the "active deal" makes it quite difficult to broadcast certain information to the public, as a real estate agent's paycheck will most always (at least in NYC) depend on that information remaining confidential and only shared among priviledged minds.  When you have no system of MLS to shared across professional platforms, the deal hinges on the fact that such information remains confined to the buyer, seller and the broker.  I am (as most of you are aware) far from being your average real estate agent. Believe me when i say that if i could tell you everything about every deal i have been in the middle of, i would.  However, my own shelter and diet depend on a certain amount of secrecy.  In other words, if i could just be an anthropologist, i would. 

Over the past five years, I have focused on cultural change in North Brooklyn, brought about by gentrification.  I have had the privilege to work with many of the very artists who made the areas of Williamsburg, Bushwick and Greenpoint desirable- enough to excite affluent  Manhattanites on high enough levels to where they would finally leave their blessed borough and explore a side of New York City that (for the most part) had hitherto never been appealing for reasons other than saving money and survival.  Now, Brooklyn has become widely recognized as an epicenter of cultural assent- a place of color and an extension of the New York City that non-natives are no longer warned about, but rather encouraged to hunt.


Goodbye to 2006!

We have seen the fall of the Old Dutch Mustard building at 80 Metropolitan Ave, in Williamsburg



  Pass the Hot Dogs [Cuozzo/Post]

· The Final Days of Williamsburg's Old Dutch Mustard [Curbed]

· Dutch Demolition Porn: The Money Shot [Gowanus Lounge]

· The Rubble That Was Old Dutch Mustard Building [jUSTINYC]
 condomeant [Brownstoner]
 Curbed Found out Old Dutch Sold [justiNYC]
 A Peek Inside Old Dutch Mustard Building [justiNYC]
Condomeant Buildings- Hold the Cheese [URbanfoto]
Williamsburg's Old Dutch Mustard Building- Inside and Out [Curbed]

The conversion of many of the war age buildings along the waterfront in Williamsburg and Greenpoint due to rezoning plan.




The 10 alarm fire at Greenpoint Terminal rocked the very foundations of the waterfront as we knew it.  It dem




· Greenpoint Burning: End-o'-Day Rumor Wrap [Curbed]

· When Smoke Clears, Greenpoint Towers Set to Rise [Curbed]

A few albums for you to check out from my various explorations throughout North Brooklyn:

greenpoint

1758 photos

Changing Williamsburg

2881 photos

Bushwick, Brooklyn

361 photos

Queens

343 photos


Happy New Year New York!

powered by performancing firefox

Technorati Tags: 2006, 2007, New Year, Old Dutch Mustard, Greenpoint Terminal, rezoning

11 Spring Street Art Scraps

justiNYC has slightly elsewhere and unfortunately found himself unable to make it inside the Wooster Collective Art show at 11 Spring Street over the weekend.  Nevertheless, these shots were taken last night of the outside during a brief excursion into Manhattan with buddy, M. Sayyid.  Here's some of the leftover 'scraps' we saw.

Sayyid chillin

Closing time at 11 Spring.  Sayyid and I just missed it.
DAMN!

a quickr pickr post

11 Spring Street has been a Wooster Art Collective open format show of the work from (at least) 45 internationally known street artists-with of course heavy representation from NYC. At the end of the show, the building is being converted into condos.  Enjoy (while you can)!
Check out Wooster

Here are some videos:
11 Spring Street
Cheeky Signs Piece at 11 Spring St., New York
11 spring street, line walk (sunday afternoon)
11 Spring Street
11 Spring Street - Final Explosion of Street Art
Wooster on 11 Spring, just a quick walk through
Art House

powered by performancing firefox

Williamsburg will soon have nice racks

 
According to a draft plan (above) that the Streets Blog acquired, Bedford Avenue in Williamsburg is undergoing some major changes. As the Streets report

"the plan calls for the elimination of five motor vehicle parking spaces
on N. 7th Street at Bedford Avenue, alongside the subway station
stairwell on the southeast corner (see the corner at the bottom of the
diagram)." 

We will have to wait for the Department of Transportation for an official press release for more information. The plan is expected to remove 5 parking spaces on North 7th Street in order to widen the sidewalk, making room for more bike racks.  Great! So now, Williamsburg will have more room for weekend junk hustlers. Besides, how easy is it to park around that N7th/Bedford madhouse anyway? Fuggitaboutit! But, how many Wall Street kids ride bikes to work? Hmmm
Just last year, the cops were sawing the locks off of bikes that had been secured to the Bedford Ave Station entrance.  A buddy of mine had his impounded for obstructing the sidewalk-(the very sidewalk that is planned for widening).

Gothamist asks the question of whether or not the DOT adding more G and L service would help the (totally packed) chaotic commute to this area brought on by the ridiculous numbers of new residents migrating to the area.  Last year's rezoning is expected to bring 40,000 newbies in this Brooklyn hood within the next decade. Hope they bring bikes!

Will this help the Car Free Bedford initiative? I suppose we'll have to wait for that as well.

powered by performancing firefox

Williamsburg Movie Theatre Update- Rated "R" for "Really dirty"

Remember the Williamsburg Movie theatre that's being built at 136 Metropolitan?  All seeing Brownstoner does, of course.  Its gonna be a blockbuster for sure.  Caught this shot of the interior as it stands presently, from the soon to be back entrance on North 1st a couple of days ago.
and the front:



Williamsburg Movie Theatre Update [Brownstoner]
Catching Up in the Burg: Movies and Manufacturing [Brownstoner]

The Future Home of Cinema in W'burg [justiNYC]

Technorati Tags: linkage, Williamsburg Movie Theatre

New way to demo a property- hire your "hipster" tenants

This is what happens when you tell your tenants that A) they have to
move out of their $5000+ per month Brooklyn "loft" because B) you are
planning to tear the building down to make way for space elevators and
starbucks.

Sure, it costs a lot of money to demo a building these days (brick by
brick), but it looks like with a little help from the hipsters, you
might be able to get off pretty cheap.  Perhaps Gutman should have
just hired the "Hipster Wrecking Crew"...

[this place is/was 3 blocks to Bedford L train in Williamsburg]

Technorati Tags: demo, williamsburg, hipsters, brooklyn, real estate, nyc

The Rubble that was Old Dutch Mustard Building

What you have before you is the site where the Old Dutch Mustard Building once sat.

Technorati Tags: old Dutch mustard, photography, rubble

Black Opz at the Bowery Poetry Club

Want to see the next stage of HipHop evolution?  Black Opz blends drum-n-bass, ill freestyle and stylized rhymes, dub and experimental rhythm to form some of the most interesting music you've heard in a while!  Check out the videos that i took last friday (the 13th) at Bowery Poetry Club in Manhattan.  Stop by and see my buddies Hired Gun and MC Aero for some tracks that  are sure to leave you spinnin in your seat on your head!  Are you ready?

[Black Opz] justiNYC Google Page

Technorati Tags: Black Opz, Hired Gun, MC Aero, Hiphop, music, video

Non-Profit Real Estate Group GMDC Buys Factory Building East of Williamsburg

Last week, Greenpoint Manufacturing and Design Center bought this beauty at 221 Mc Kibbin with a $4million grant.  GMDC plans to tranform it into at least 25 spaces for small manufacturers, creating more than 100 jobs for local folk.  They hope to be finished with this big boy in the latter part of 2007.  The Brooklyn Borough President's Office is even pitching in- a cool half million! Gotta love help from the pres...

[Real Deal] Williamsburg Factory gets $4M grant
[Crains] East Williamsburg Plant gets $4M grant   [I love how Crains made this rhyme..haha]



Technorati Tags: GMDC, East Williamsburg, Bushwick, real estate, deals, non profit, jobs, brooklyn

The Future Home of Cinema in Williamsburg

Thats right...movies! 136 Metropolitan Ave [between Metrop. & North 1st] will soon be the premier place to go
and (after taking out a mortgage on your hole in wall in NYC) afford (maybe) a descent flick in the theatre. It doesn't look like much now, but it is destined to be BIG, expensive and (as Curbed promises,
"indie"). As to exactly how big....its hard to say, considering the fact that the building is already 2,108sf over F.A.R [link].

It won't be hard for Wburgers to remember this building as it currently is, as the gigantic FOR SALE sign has been dangling out front since before Bushwick was a place to move to.  Even harder to forget will be the sign that came after if was sold, as I believe it must've been the crowning achievement in that agents life- the SOLD sign still hangs to this day.  For a while, a few of us in the hood have wondered whether he might take private little walks over to the building in the middle of the night, just to see if it was all a dream.  Ahhhh...real estate and its hidden pleasures.

[Curbed] Curbedwire: Williamsburg, Warts and All
[Curbed] Storefronting: Time for a Name Change?

a quickr pickr post

Technorati Tags: Wiliamsburg, movie theatre, new, brooklyn

Old Dutch Mustard Gets the BIG "D"

Curbed (finally) reports that the Old Dutch is being demolished.  It is.  That netting is to keep the mustard dust off of the tourists and those so called "Hipsters" I keep hearing about.  Here are a few of my shots:

...in Williamsburg, D stands for ....D E M O L I S H

For the record, asbestos was removed from Old Dutch 30 yrs ago, according to a reliable source.  Nevertheless, she will be missed.

Here are some links to cry to:

[URbanfoto] The View inside Will Most Definately change too
[Curbed] Williamsburg's Old Dutch Mustard Building, Inside and Out
[URbanfoto] A Peek inside the Old Dutch Mustard Building

· A Peek Inside Old Dutch Mustard Building [Urban Foto]

· View from Old Dutch Mustard Building [UrbanFoto]

· Old Dutch Mustard Building on Block for $25m [Brownstoner]
Salvaged Items from Old Dutch Mustard [Brownstoner]
[Curbed] The Most Expensive Mustard Ever
[justiNYC] Old Dutch Mustard Building Ready for the Ball

and finally, A Flickr Set by justiNYC Old Dutch Mustard Reveiled

a quickr pickr post

Technorati Tags: old dutch mustard building, williamsburg, brooklyn, demolition, real estate, links

West Indian Day Parade 2006 in Crown Heights Brooklyn

This year's West Indian Day Parade 2006 was of course off the hook!  I traveled down to Crown Heights via G train [transfer C] and stopped by a buddy's [you guys might know him as RunsWithScissors] new house for some BBQ before venturing over to the Carribean Eastern Parkway.  I always enjoy this parade!  The colors are like nothing else that happens in a year- unless of course you are in the Caribbean.  The food [jerk chicken, corn, etc.] was terrific of course, but the music was the highlight.  There's just something about reggaeton and roots that can transform a crowd into a wave of motion- fully body pulse factory.
I most enjoyed Crown Heights today, as i have had only a little experience with the neighborhood.  Its truly remarkable and some of the homes that I saw today look like any idea of brownstone Brooklyn that you might have floating around in your head.  Many, i would say, belong in a book.  Perhaps, I'll just put a few in mine.
Here are a few of the shot i got from the parade.  Lemme know what you think!  The full set [to and from] is here

a quickr pickr post

Technorati Tags: West Indian Parade, Crown Heights, Brooklyn, parade, photography

Adidas party with Chuck D and Kool Herc

Monday night last, justiNYC was asked to shoot an Adicolor event for Adidas.  Among the guests were Chuck D of Public Enemy and the infamous Kool Herc on the tables.  Kool Herc's mom even came.  It was a great time...here's some of the proof:

Adidas(Adicolor) Party featuring Chuck D and Kool Herc

Jul 31, 2006 - 42 Photos

Loft Living in the City and How Not to Pay Rent

A brilliant piece of literary magic from the Village Voice this week highlights the illegal loft living situation in NYC (Brooklyn, in particular) and the many woes of the landlord who rents out space for residential use when the zoning folks say otherwise. Real Deal liked the article too.  Who wouldn't?   Its informative and it gets right to the heart of one of the most interesting housing issues in NYC history.  Living illegally is risky, but lets face it, many if not most of the people attempting to live living in this city cannot afford what is considered to be the "reasonable rent" for desirable space.  As a real estate agent who works almost exclusively with artists, believe me- i know.  In fact, there's only one guy who may know this more than I and that's the LoftNinja.  These days, he's even gone missing- most likely for reasons pertaining to not being able to find affordable space for his charished clients (nor reputable landlords whom he would feel comfortable helping a complete stranger bind themselves to contractually.)  It is not uncommon for a landlord to ask the full "reasonable asking rent" for some concrete commercial hole without windows or walls, unconverted and illegal while having no intention of even making minor repairs-in Williamsburg, it has become such and so.  [Example:  try 1300sf  ground floor concrete box with barely running water for $3500 per month, in Williamsburg.  This is what the market is, presently.] If you want to read how a rare few have beat the heat of rent (while endangering their own health for the sake of affordable living), read this article.  Hats off to the Village Voice this time.
In NYC, nothing is free except for a hard time so don't get any big ideas...well, any REALLY BIG ones anyway.  Rent-free living is not guaranteed for tenants of illegal diggs.  For that matter, if you think anything in this city is guaranteed, think again.  You should be writing fantasy, if so because you are not here.... you may be hanging out in some ethereal 99 cent store of the mind.  I don't know....just please, don't get it twisted.


Technorati Tags: NYC, housing, illegal dwellings, lofts, article, link, brooklyn

Smokey the cat lives! He survived the GTM fires. And other people call him "Smokey" too.

Remember Smokey the cat, from back in May?  Well apparently he survived the Greenpoint Terminal Fires....whoa.  What a weird coincidence. justiNYC met smokey just the day before the GTM was set afire.  Gothamist and Daily News had a report about it today. He's currently cooling off at BARC Shelter in Williamsburg.  If this is the same Smokey, perhaps we can get one of those pet psychics to ask him who really set that damn fire!


report from back in May [justiNYC] Former Feline resident from the Greenpoint Terminal District


Technorati Tags: smokey, cat, greenpointterminal,

The InCRAIGable Hulk (update)

UPDATE! Here's a link to the drafted post from 2-28-06 that justiNYC decided not to publish because Craig postponed the charging.  I had a lot more to say about the issue back then.  It's nested inside LoftNinja's album of real estate artvertisements, but don't let that scare ya! this is an update from this earlier post


Technorati Tags: update, craigslist, loftninja, NYC

Craig does "it" today, finally. Brokers pay up!

So, Craig Newmark started charging NYC brokers to post on his list today. [Curbed via Dealbreaker]. I still need to go back and dig up that old post that i never published because the charge got postponed.  Perhaps i'll do that tonight.  For now, check out this amusing wack  peice of art that LoftNinja made for that old post.



$10 Fee for NYC Broker Apt Ads [Craigslist]

Technorati Tags: craigslist, craig newmark, NYC brokers, charging, posting

As it turns out, the homeless man wasn't even in Greenpoint to start fires

[photo justiNYC]
Another interesting turn for the investigation of Greenpoint Terminal fires last month. The homeless man that alledgedly started the fires at the Greenpoint Terminal (while searching for copper to gank) apparently wasn't even in the area that day.  NY Times reports that the little old man may have been tying one on working on a buzz  upstate during the time of the fires.  Nevertheless, Mr. Kuczera (the chronically drunk, homeless metal detector) at least has a temporary home at Rikers Island while all of this mess gets sorted out.  I wonder if there's any copper laying around out there....hmmm

Investigation of Warehouse Fire Veers Upstate Over Alibi Claim [NYTimes]

CurbedWire: Chelsea Kegger, Greenpoint Patsy, &c.[Curbed]

Homeless man in Greenpoint arrested for setting the damn GP Terminal Fire [justiNYC]

Technorati Tags: greenpointterminal, fires, homeless man, alibi

There's a NYC bubble battle on June 16th

Sounds kind of like an outdoor rave at a little after 6pm in the East Village, thrown by the same cats that host those crazy subway public art parties.  Could be fun.  Don't really know what to make of it.  Info here--->[link] New Mind Space
print this out!

Technorati Tags: events, bubble party, east village, party

Brooklyn Record blog officially launches today

Brooklyn Record launched today- a new blog about old Brooklyn...uh, becoming new.  justiNYC is a contributing blogger, even though he hasn't had as much time as he would have liked lately to post [here's one].  Nevertheless, some time seems to be freeing up in the ole schedule within the next week for a few action packed posts, so stay tuned.  We'll have food and events and history and.....It looks like it could be great daily read!  RSS it up!

Brooklyn Record Launches [Brownstoner]

Cool New Thing: Brooklyn Record [Curbed]

Technorati Tags: bbrooklynrecord, blogs, new

Linkage and Wreckage in Greenpoint and Red Hook

What in the hell is happening to Brooklyn? 
Am I the only one concerned?  (well, not today I'm not anyway....)
Both Curbed and Brownstoner got a kick out of the Rubble pic from a couple of days back.  The truth is, Brooklyn's waterfront is looking pretty similar to Boston's BIG DIG these days.  Looks like swimming in the East River might be a bad idea again this summer.
Damn...and my new swim trunks are on Fiyah too!

Here's a nice little slideshow of some of justiNYC's Greenpoint Rubble flicks to get you through the weekend.


Technorati Tags: photography, wreckage, greenpoint, red hook, greenpointterminal, brooklyn, nyc, linkage

Base4space, NYC's newest real estate search engine launches (with major tweaks)

Base4space, NYC's newest  real estate search engine launched relaunched this week  with some major improvements including a better registration system, many more options regarding property details, RSS feeds and more.  justiNYC spoke to the LoftNinja about it and here's what he had to say:

The greatest thing about Base4space is the amount of flexibility that the user has with his/her posting.  For those agents who like to express themselves and tell the space hunter a little about who they are working with, this tool is great!  Over the past 2 yrs, agents have begun to show that they can be a little more tech savvy with a little instruction, so the use of HTML and slideshows for property photos has become more and more popular.  As yet another alternative to Craigslist, base4space gets rid of a lot of the hassles that make CL hard to stand by.  By allowing agents to  show their creativity, Base is bound to be one of the top choices for real estate search engines in NYC once all the bugs are exterminated and the tools unfold.  Its kind of like NYC as a whole...evolving into something that seems to be moving towards something we can all contribute to and grow with.

Yesterday, Lifehacker rolled out a nice action packed post for apartment hunters.  Check that out too.  And if you are an agent looking to begin adding a little more flare to your ads- or maybe even start a blog- check out the Real Estate Blog Pro blog.  The author of that blog, Pro (another close friend), you will see really isn't a Pro at all.  He is working to become more of a Pro while teaching other agents what he learns....real estate agents learning to learn and create together.....isn't that sweet!


Technorati Tags: NYC, search engine, real estate, base4space, craigslist, property

great read in L magazine about Fire in Brooklyn

Photo Randy Plemel
Nope, fire is no stranger to Brooklyn.  Remember the Greenpoint Terminal fires a couple of weeks ago?  Sure you do. Check out the L Magazine's article on the history of fire in NYC. Even firebugs might learn something.  For example, did you know that during the Great Conflagration of 1835,  675 buildings got torched?  Guttman may be close those numbers, but in any case i think today's numbers say a lot for the NYPD.  Give it a read.

Burn Baby Burn

A Brief History of Fire in New York City [The L Magazine]


Technorati Tags: greenpointterminal, fire, brooklyn, history, nyc, greenpoint

55 Berry's new neighbor will be TWO big

Curbed tossed us a building bone today (and yesterday) regarding a new kid on the block. A tipster for Curbed dished out some details:

125 North 10th is actually two distinct residential buildings,
built on a through lot running between North 10th and North 11th
Streets, off Berry. Earmarked for a zoning change, planning began
immediately upon contract signing.

Built using traditional and modern materials, the facades of the
buildings represent a modern, clean style - typical of our firm's work.
Following the Quality Housing Zoning Restriction, the building height
was limited, while additional floor area made the building
approximately 15% larger. Apartment sizes and styles are varied for
greater appeal in the market. Providing over 50% of the apartments with
parking, a fitness center, laundry, storage and electronic amenities proved a winning combination for sales. -Curbed

It will probably run about $1000 per foot when its all said and done- not really, but close.  This hood is TOO HOT!

Just in case you're interested, here are a few pics of the building that used to stand here. It had some of the most amazing art on the streets (in Williamsburg) a couple of years back.  Everything changed for me the night i saw this wall had been destroyed.

 

Technorati Tags: williamsburg, brooklyn, nyc, newyorkcity,

REVs metal sculptures hit the NYC streets

Have you seen any?  Gothamist has.


Technorati Tags: REVS, art, sculpture

Aerial photo of the area of Greenpoint Terminal that burned

Blogger GrubbyKid posted this aerial flick of the Greenpoint Terminal today on his blog.  The highlighted portion is actually much lower now, as you might imagine. 
In related news, Curbed linked up that nice polaroid image that justiNYC constructed this morning.

Technorati Tags: greenpointterminal, greenpoint, fire, warehouses, waterfront