BZ Grill, a Greek gyro shop from Astoria, is opening soon on Manhattan Avenue
In recent changes to the local dining landscape, Greenpoint will soon gain its only Greek gyro shop, and the neighborhood lost a ramen restaurant last month, amongst other closings.
While nearby restaurants like Dar (168 Driggs Ave.) serve hummus, grilled meat kabobs, and other dishes that are typically found in Greek restaurants, Greenpoint has been without a dedicated Greek restaurant since Mr. Souvlaki (208 Franklin St) closed two years ago.
The Greek food drought will end with BZ Grill’s opening at 544 Manhattan Ave., the former home of the farm-to-table restaurant Annicka. BZ Grill is under construction and the opening date has yet to be announced, but the awning has already been installed and construction workers have been spotted preparing the restaurant this week. Continue reading →
Starting at the north end of Manhattan Ave., the restaurant formerly known as Barley (1025 Manhattan Ave), and recently before that Whiskey Burger, closed briefly in July and relaunched as the The Royal. For fans of the fomer incarnations of the restaurant, there are few changes to the new menu, and yes, the burger is still available.
Lockwood (98 Greenpoint Ave)
At 98 Greenpoint Avenue, the awning was installed on Thursday for the forthcoming expansion of the Queens-based lifestyle store Lockwood, which is scheduled for a Septermber opening, according to owner Mackenzi Farquer who spoke with Greenpointers about the expansion. Continue reading →
The New York State Dept. of Environmental Conservation has approved a cleanup plan for the toxins at the NuHart Superfund site on the corner of Franklin and Dupont streets.
A NuHart Suerfund community forum will take place on Monday, July 29, at 176 Java St. at 6:30 p.m. where the “decision of record” will be discussed.
North Brooklyn Neighbors have also hired two new technical advisors, Dr. Joseph Gardella and Dr. Alan Rabideau to consult the community on the Class II Superfund, a site where hazardous waste “represents a significant threat to public health.” Continue reading →
Cylcists have voiced concerns over safety on Franklin street.
On Thursday, a cyclist was involved in a collision with a box truck on Franklin Street near the intersection at Calyer Street resulting (luckily) in non-fatal injuries and providing an unfortunate example of the street’s dangerous conditions. Just two days prior to the Franklin Street accident a 58-year-old man was killed while biking on McGuinness Boulevard, a notoriously dangerous street to bike. Is Franklin Street that much safer than McGuinness Boulevard?
The intersection of Calyer and Franklin streets.
The stretch of Franklin Street from Calyer Street to Greenpoint Avenue was repaved two weeks ago and now lacks street or bike lane markings, which Greenpoint residents say make the street especially unsafe for biking. Continue reading →
This past November, we announced that Northern Territory would be hibernating for the winter and planned to reopen this Spring (as in now) for their final year at the corner of Franklin and Meserole Avenue before the building is razed for new development. Sadly, Nothern Territory will remain officially closed.
Jamie Toll, photo by Ian Hartsoe.
Why the sudden change of plans? Even though their lease is up at the end of the year, Northern Territory “came to an agreement with the new landlord” to be out in a few months and make way for the seven-story office and manufacturing building that is slated to be built. Continue reading →
Have you noticed the stunning restored stained glass at The Greenpoint Palace (206 Nassau Ave.) or the beautiful light fixtures at Anella (222 Franklin St.)? They’re the creations of Friend of All Glass founder Flannery Cronin who helped to recently open FOA Collective, an artist-run home good collective at 89 Freeman St.
The new shop quietly opened last December, but the official grand opening is May 3rd to coincide with the completion of the custom-designed glass wall in the rear of the shop and the launch of a first Friday initiative where neaby business will extend their hours to 9 p.m. for the summer months.
The stained glass wall at FOA Collective
FOA Collective currently hosts 13 designers, artists, and creators who contribute a monthly membership fee along with a commitment to work two days per month at the shop.
Artist members in the collective receive 100% of the proceeds from sales helping customers to directly support the FOA Collective’s artists and designers:
With the growing retail and food scene at the northernmost stretch of Franklin St. a first Friday series for the summer will help to bring more foot traffic and customers to the area. “We’ll have events and feature specific artists eventually,” said FOA Collective founding artist Flannery Cronin. Continue reading →
Magazine (130 Franklin St.) opened last night with a packed house at the former home of Shayz Lounge. The new bar emphasizes a fun atmosphere and friendly, unpretentious service, co-founder Jermey Willis said.
Willis who lived above Shayz Lounge for 12 years, moved to Greenpoint from New Orleans in 2004 and is a co-founder of Greenpoint’s Real Estate Fine Art gallery and is also the vocalist/guitarist in the band The Listeners. “I’m from New Orleans and we kinda took some of the points of service from experiences in bars and restaurants there, and we want to have a jovial attitude,” Willis said. “The goal is to make a bar that feels like a party; we want it to feel very open and inviting and fun,” he said.
Magazine’s founding partners include Matt Wang (Candy Bar in Detroit), Julian Brizzi (Rucola, Grand Army, Celestine), and John Russell, a co-founder of Real Estate Fine Art. “Disco” David Discavage runs the bar program (formerly of Hotel Delmano, Mr. Fong’s, Primo’s), and will focus on mixed and frozen drinks. Continue reading →
Map of proposed school next to the NuHart Superfund site (via North Brooklyn Neighbors)
The future of the proposed k-8 school across from a toxic site is in question. The current plan is to build the school on a vacant lot across the street from the NuHart Plastics Superfund site, one of the most contaminated sites in New York state.
NuHart Plastics Superfund site
NYC Councilmember Stephen Levin is holding a public meeting on Feb. 7, at the Dupont Senior Housing Center (80 Dupont St.) at 7 p.m. regarding the school and has for the past three years cited efforts to seek an alternative site for a new k-8 school in the North Greenpoint area.
A petition from North Brooklyn Neighbors in opposition to the location of the future school at the corner of Franklin and Dupont streets has received over 6,600 signatures so far.
The NuHart Plastics building spewed toxic fumes into the neighborhood while producing vinyl sheeting from 1950 – 2004, during which time underground storage tanks of toxic chemicals leaked into the groundwater and soil. Today as much as 60,000 gallons of phthalates are underground at the site and the toxic plume has migrated west toward the Greenpoint Playground across the street.
The underground plume at the corner of Franklin and Dupont streets (via North Brooklyn Neighbors)
While local residents are not currently a risk for exposure at the moment while the toxins remain more than 10 feet underground, the cleanup process is supposed to start following the demolition of the building which could start later this year following approval of the proposal of the cleanup plan by the state. Continue reading →
A few months ago the city released its 1940s tax photo archive of over 700,000 black and white pictures and it’s a wonderful way for history nerds to waste hours dreaming of the Greenpoint days of yore. As part of the New Deal, the Works Progress Administration employed millions of Americans on public projects, and the NYC Dept. of Taxation hired a team of photographers under the program in 1939 – 1940 to snap pictures of every building in the city for property tax assessment. Greenpointers will be posting side-by-side photos to observe changes in the neighborhood; please note that the addresses are approximate and refer to the listings from the city’s tax archive. First up, Franklin Street:
Dupont and Franklin streets in 1940 (NYC tax archive)Dupont and Franklin streets in 2018 Google Maps)233 Franklin St. in 1940 (NYC tax archive)233 Franklin St. in 2018 (Google Maps)129 Franklin St. in 1940 (NYC tax archive)129 Franklin St. in 2018 (Google Maps)214-218 Franklin St 1940 (NYC tax archive)214-218 Franklin St 2018 (Google Maps)
