Some of you may have heard about local favorite Anella (222 Franklin Street) having closed indefinitely over the weekend, due to a fire that raged through the space. The damage appears to have been worse on the left side of the double-aisled restaurant. The charming neighborhood joint opened nearly ten years ago in 2009, with a romantic outdoor space where they grow their own herbs. The restaurant had a hand-warn charm that always felt authentic. It was partitioned in a quirky way, yet it was a beautiful space; and with low lighting and a lack of pop art wall decals or any of the neon that’s so millenial-trendy these days it was never designed for the influencer crowd.
Anella has never faked it. And the food through the years has remained on point—whether it’s the classic burger, the french toast at brunch, or the warm popover bread, Anella nailed New American comfort dishes without being too heavy handed or pretentious. Local well wishers and fans have already started posting get-well-soon notes to the front of the restaurant—here’s hoping for a speedy recovery! The neighborhood will miss you in the meantime.
We reached out to Anella and owner Blair Papagni told us this:
We opened Anella in May of 2009 and have been blessed with an amazing staff and loyal (and hungry) regulars. We love Greenpoint and are devastated to have to close. Our priority right now is to find temporary employment for our entire staff and to get back open as soon as possible. Thank you to all who have expressed concern and offered their help, it’s deeply appreciated.
Firemen climbing up to the roof of 860 Manhattan Ave. Photo: Ruganzu Howard
There are reports of a duct fire at 856 Manhattan Avenue tonight, and firemen were dispatched at 7:10pm (Saturday, April 28th). The address 856 Manhattan Avenue is where local tie-dye and magical items shop Starhawk Design Studio is located on the ground floor, but it seems that the fire may actually be at 860 Manhattan Avenue, at Sunshine Laundromat (and Pinball). Via Facebook, Alexa McInerney comments: “I spoke with a cop who thought it was at the sunshine laundromat. So crazy because the laundromat around the corner on Franklin had a fire a couple of weeks ago.” An eyewitness tells us there were “lots of trucks, but no [visible] smoke or flames.” We’ll update this post when we hear more.
Firetrucks on the scene on Manhattan Ave. Photo: Ruganzu HowardFiretrucks on Manhattan Ave. Photo: Ruganzu HowardA Fireman climbs to the roof of 860 Manhattan Ave. Photo: Ruganzu HowardOnlookers gathering on the sidewalk on Manhattan Ave. Photo: Ruganzu Howard
Brooklyn *77-75-0040* 856 Manhattan Ave off Noble St. Duct fire 4 story brick 20×60. E-238/L-106 1st due
January 9th marks the one hundred thirty-sixth anniversary of one of the most destructive fires in North Brooklyn. On a frigid January night, the Havemeyer and Elder Refinery, which would forty years later be renamed as Domino, went up in one of the most spectacular fires the area had ever witnessed.
The refinery, the largest building in Williamsburg at the time, was nine stories high, covering an entire block on Wythe Avenue between South Third and South Fourth streets and stretching some two hundred feet in from the street to the East river shore. Having been in the sugar business for more than eighty years, the Havemeyer family knew the danger that fires often broke out in sugar refineries. The presence of steam, thousands of moving parts that could cause sparks in the refinery and the highly flammable sugar all made fire a grave risk. For a quarter century they had refined huge amounts of sugar without incident, but their luck would run out that January day. Continue reading →
Bushwick Inlet Park is finally complete! The mayor just closed the deal on the purchase of the CitiStorage site, the last remaining parcel needed to complete the 27-acre waterfront park. Mayor deBlasiotweeted the deal’s closing saying, “We keep our promises to New Yorkers.” Continue reading →
According to @NYCfirewire and local eyewitnesses, there’s a fire currently blazing at 13 Greenpoint Ave. on the 2nd floor in a 2-story commercial building. We’ll update this post as we hear more.
“The affected building houses a high-end recording studio, The End. Twelve firetrucks and 65 firemen were on the scene around 10:05 a.m. after receiving the call a little after 10 a.m., an FDNY spokesperson told Patch.
There were no injuries, and the cause of the fire was still under investigation, the FDNY spokesperson said.
The End has a stock of high-end recording equipment, mixers, musical instruments, and speakers, according to its website. It was unclear which pieces of expensive equipment were damaged in the fire.”
Email us at [email protected] if you have any tips or photos you’d like to share!
Chase Bank (798 Manhattan Ave) this morning (6/21)
Chase Bank (798 Manhattan Ave) caught on fire this morning (June 21) and is temporarily closed. It should be back up and running tomorrow, according to a Chase employee who was at the scene. In the meantime, the ATM outside is still working.
It looks like the fire was contained to the area around the Chase sign and no one was hurt.
Four people — including two firefighters — were injured last night in a four-alarm fire that engulfed three consecutive buildings on Diamond Street.
According to the Fire Department, the fire started around 10:30 p.m. on Sunday night at 49 Diamond Street and spread to two neighboring buildings at 47 and 51 Diamond, resulting in a massive blaze that required the efforts of 168 firefighters to extinguish.
It took the team about three hours to bring the fire under control, no thanks to bitterly cold temperatures that caused the spray from their hoses to freeze on the street.
Thankfully, no one was killed or seriously injured, but the residents of those buildings have taken up shelter in temporary housing provided by the Red Cross, and it’s likely that the buildings will have to be completely torn down.
The two firefighters who sustained injuries were taken to Wyckoff Heights Medical Center, and the other two went to Bellevue.
The cause of the fire is still currently under investigation.
Jill Checker was staying at 53 Diamond Street when it went up in flames. Went back inside to rescue Larry the cat pic.twitter.com/oLUkTVfkQ6
On the evening of January 18th, Greenpoint Gallery underwent a casualty from an unfortunate electrical fire, causing significant damage to the second floor space. The gallery’s curator, Shawn James, has lost a significant amount of gallery equipment, studio space, computers, documents, and over 20 musical instruments. Apart from holding shows for local artists and the community, Shawn devotes his resources and gallery space to teach, feed, and nurture students from the St. Nicks Alliance Work youth program, six days a week. Continue reading →
Early Tuesday morning, a fire at 30 Richardson St. left two dead and others displaced. Those who survived were forced out into the cold with no possessions and no longer have a home to return to.
Many of you have asked about ways to help, and you can do it by donating to The Richardson Street Fire Relief Fund. If you cannot provide a monetary contribution, then please send out love and prayers for a healthy recovery for everyone.
Thanks to all the firefighters who responded to the fire and if you’re around any of the local fire houses you can also thank them directly: Continue reading →
