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The cost of natural disasters last year? $91B

Natural disasters caused $91 billion in damage to the United States last year, a federal government study has found. Amid growing global concern for climate change, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration analyzed the aftermath of 14 natural disasters that occurred during 2018, and found that it was the fourth most costly year on record for such events, as reported by CNBC. The most devastating events were the California wildfires, Hurricane Florence in the Carolinas …

A Fresh Start for a Fantastic Year

Whether you are or are not planning to sell, there’s something about a fresh start each January. Everyone selling, moving, or staying put can appreciate the peace of mind a clean slate offers. So welcome the fresh start decluttering, downsizing, and organizing gives you or a loved one you are a caregiver to. There’s no better time. Prepare now for a move later or simply enjoy a fresh start at home for peace of mind. Decluttering, downsizing, and organizing offers amazing benefits! Great Benefits of a Fresh Start at Home There are three “things” a fresh start at home gives to everyone who pursues this rewarding task: improved relationships, more productivity, and happier, healthier life. For …

Amazon HQ2: NYC deal being reconsidered after fierce opposition

Legislators and grassroots activists have come together to oppose Amazon’s new headquarters in Queens Facing stiff opposition over everything from tax breaks to its stance on unions, Amazon is now reportedly reconsidering its decision to bring half of its second North American headquarters to Long Island City. The Washington Post reports that the company has “had internal discussions recently to reassess the situation in New York and explore alternatives,” per two unnamed sources who are allegedly familiar with the …

Is 186 Remsen Doomed to the Wrecking Ball?

I wish I could have gotten a better photo of what I consider to be a magnificent building, but the lighting and shadows were against me, as was a bit of sidewalk shed protecting pedestrians from falling debris generated by renovation work on the building at the corner of Court and Remsen. “Magnificent?” I know some readers are thinking. “That old pile?” Old it is, completed in 1887. It was designed by Parfitt & Parfitt, two English brothers who also gave us the Montague and the Grosvenor, on Montague Street. I’ll also confess that I have a love for Victorian Romanesque architecture, of which …

A Theatre Fit for Kings

The historic Kings Theatre in Flatbush opened its doors on February 3 to a new generation of audiences. The lead act—the incomparable Diana Ross—was not the night’s only focus of attention; the theatre itself performed for the first time in decades. Built in 1929 as one of five Loews “Wonder Theatres,” the landmark has been painstakingly restored by the Kings Theatre Redevelopment Company—a consortium of ACE Theatrical Group, the Goldman Sachs Urban Group, and the National Development …

Top 5 Stories on Brownstoner This Week: Frida Kahlo at Brooklyn Museum, Gothic in Bronxville

Romanesque Revival in Park Slope and Three More to See This Weekend, Starting at $850K You may be thinking at this moment, I vow to never go outside again. But we are assured that by Sunday, these open houses will present every opportunity to luxuriate in the open air again. — Sprawling… Read More >The post Top 5 Stories on Brownstoner This Week: Frida Kahlo at Brooklyn Museum, Gothic in Bronxville appeared first on Brownstoner.

This is the world’s “money-laundering paradise”

Everything’s bigger in Dubai. Home to the world’s tallest building since 2010, the emirate’s real estate industry could also be one of the world’s largest money laundromats. Transparency International, the anti-corruption group behind the annual Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), has now joined the chorus of voices decrying the city-state’s weak regulations and lax enforcement, according to Forbes. With the release of its latest CPI results, Transparency International singled out Dubai for special

What Makes Brooklyn a Great Place to Love?

What makes Brooklyn a great place to love for you? There’s no place like home. And there’s certainly no place quite like Brooklyn, New York. So what makes Brooklyn a great place to love? 6 of Many Reasons Why Brooklyn is a Great Place to Love Whether or not you still live in the place you grew up, there are things about it that make that place your hometown. But some of us have moved from address to address so many times that “home” is a relative term. We use the word “home” to describe a great place we either loved living once or love living in currently. Brooklyn is my home. And there are plenty of reasons why others who have …

As NYCHA braces for federal monitor, residents and advocates question the deal

“If the federal government, the state really want to help, they need to put the money where their mouth is” A stream of concerned texts and calls poured into Afua Atta-Mensah’s phone Wednesday night when news emerged—in an ominous tweet from a Department of Housing and Urban Development administrator—that the city’s public housing was in for a major shake up. Now, a day after the announcement that the federal government is imposing more control over the beleaguered New York City Housing Authority by appointing a federal monitor, Atta-Mensah—the director of Community Voices Heard—and the many NYCHA tenants who are among the group’s members remain apprehensive about what that means for the authority’s 400,000 residents. “There’s different …

BHA to Meet With DOT Commissioner on BQE – Promenade Issue

The Brooklyn Heights Association has announced that they have scheduled a meeting with City Department of Transportation Commissioner Polly Trottenberg and DOT engineers on Monday, November 19 at which BHA “will press DOT to abandon the 6-lane highway on the Promenade in favor of a better approach to rebuilding the BQE.”The BHA has retained engineering consultants to evaluate alternatives to DOT’s plan and assess ways to reduce traffic on the BQE during the construction period. Their expertise will greatly…

Skillful Design on a Doable Budget: Park Slope

When interior designer Nora Calderwood and architect Adam Darter bought their 650-square-foot one-bedroom apartment in Park Slope, they knew they would need to renovate in a major way but on a scaled-down budget. A year later, the result is not only airy and light, it smartly blends original details with the owners’ forward-thinking design ideas.The apartment had endured some wear and tear, and had been divided up into four small rooms. But the couple realized what …

Top 5 Stories on Brownstoner This Week: A Chic Reno, Affordable Housing in Brooklyn Heights

Affordable Housing Lottery Opens for 23 Units in Brooklyn Heights, Starting at $596 a Month An affordable housing lottery has opened for 23 newly constructed units in the 20-story tower under construction on Montague and Pierrepont streets, just outside the historic district in Brooklyn Heights. — The Insider: On Deadline, Designers Pull Off… Read More >The post Top 5 Stories on Brownstoner This Week: A Chic Reno, Affordable Housing in Brooklyn Heights appeared first on Brownstoner.

A Sicilian town is selling homes for a single Euro

Got a buck? Or, rather, a Euro? That could get you a home in scenic Sambuca de Sicilia, Italy. The town on the island of Sicily is selling off 17 properties there for as little as €1 to help attract people to a community experiencing depopulation, according to the New York Post. Of course, there’s a catch. New owners are obligated to invest at least $17,000 into improvements of the property within the first three …

How to Enjoy a Safe Halloween in the Neighborhood

Halloween may or may not be your thing, and for some very valid reasons. But it is a favorite “holiday” for many because: It is fun and very affordable as compared to Christmas and Thanksgiving Halloween provides value Consumer confidence is at its highest level in 10 years And if you do plan to enjoy it, plan to make it a safe Halloween. How You Can Make it a Safe Halloween With so many out and about enjoying Halloween in the neighborhood, there are some things you can and should do to make it safe and lots of fun, too. See and be seen in the dark Choose costumes that are bright and reflective Add reflective tape to …

Women’s March 2019: NYC street closures, route, and time

Everything you need to know about the march Today, thousands of demonstrators will take to the street for the third annual Women’s March in New York City. The event began in 2017 as a way to show support for women’s rights after the inauguration of President Donald Trump; last year, an estimated 200,000 people took to the streets for the event. This year, there is a slight quirk: There are two events planned, although only one is permitted to actually march through the city. That one, organized by a group called Women’s March Alliance (which also organized the 2017 and 2018 marches in New York), will happen on the Upper West Side and in Midtown. The other, organized by the group Women’s March NYC, will …

New Life for 186 Remsen? Bye-bye 192 Montague?

In a post this past September I speculated about the future of 186 Remsen Street (photo, by C. Scales), which I have long liked as an example of Victorian Romanesque architecture. In the post I noted that the building had been acquired by Up Ventures LLC, who had filed plans for a fourteen story hotel on the site. Being east of Clinton Street, the site is outside the Brooklyn Heights Historic District, with its fifty foot height limit on new construction, but it is in the Borough Hall Skyscraper Historic District, …

A Sunny Design-Build Comes to Crown Heights

Palmer Thompson-Moss and Dane Risch purchased what appeared to be a tear-down on Bergen Street and Nostrand Avenue in Crown Heights in 2013 and transformed it into King Tai, a sun-filled neighborhood bar that they designed and contracted for themselves.“The building itself brought a lot to the table, kind of ironically,” recalls Thompson-Moss. “Everyone said, ‘What are you going to do with that thing?’ It had a dirt floor; the metal cornice was falling…

Top 5 Stories on Brownstoner This Week: Maggie Gyllenhaal and Peter Sarsgaard Selling in Brooklyn

Maggie Gyllenhaal and Peter Sarsgaard Put Park Slope Brownstone on Market for $4.599 Million Actors Maggie Gyllenhaal and Peter Sarsgaard are selling their Park Slope brownstone. The couple purchased the Italianate row house for $1.91 million in 2006. Located at 36 Sterling Place in the Park Slope Historic District Extension II,… Read More >The post Top 5 Stories on Brownstoner This Week: Maggie Gyllenhaal and Peter Sarsgaard Selling in Brooklyn appeared first on Brownstoner.

Billionaire Henry Kravis’ 19K sf ranch is on the market

Want to ride horses, hunt big game, play golf, and fly in a helicopter, all in the same day? Then this $46 million luxury ranch in Colorado is for you. The seller, Henry Kravis, co-founder of investment company KKR, has an estimated personal net worth of approximately $5.4 billion, according to Forbes. He bought the property for $5.5 million in 1991, according the Wall Street Journal. The ranch, known as “Westlands,” spans about 4,600 acres …

The Best Things to Do in New York on Thanksgiving Day

The special day for feasting and giving thanks arrives on the fourth Thursday of November every year. And that fourth Thursday will be here next week! Here in New York, we know how to celebrate. So if you’re hosting Thanksgiving in New York, show your guests how it’s done. Or make some of the best memories with your own. Just look at all of New York’s best things to do on Thanksgiving Day! 7 Things to Do in New York on Thanksgiving Day 1. Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade Balloon Inflation On Thanksgiving Day Eve, Macy’s plumps up giant balloons for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. And it’s almost as crowded as the parade is! When and where? Macy’s balloon inflation takes place on …