The big Toren condo, which is now rising on Flatbush Avenue at Myrtle, will be one of the most distinctive new buildings in Brooklyn. In fact, it would be stand out in Manhattan. Its big sales office on Gold Street just opened. Here’s a looking around, including a video of the developer and sales manager showing off the development and the office. (Play the vid by clicking on it.)–Curbed

This is nature’s total gorgeousness currently on full display on Fourth Street in Park Slope.

“For about 30 years I’ve been on bended knee,” says [Carroll Gardens Civic Association founder] Buddy Scotto, “begging developers to come into Carroll Gardens. It’s hard for people who haven’t been involved to understand how difficult it’s been…All of a sudden there are all these people who are concerned about high buildings are going to be.”–Brownstoner

We believe the original graffiti on this fence came from the creator of this topical beauty. (In fact, we’re certain of it based on handwriting analysis.) No matter, the annotation does add a little something to the original thought.

Even very early this morning, the view from the Brooklyn Weather Observatory shows the makings of an idea Spring day. The forecast bears that out, calling for a day that will be mostly sunny and pleasant with a high of 74. The low tonight will be 57 with patchy clouds. Enjoy.–Accuweather

The very friendly naugahyde chairs come from Bedford Avenue in Bed-Stuy. They’re not couches, per se, but they’re street furniture and, you know, they fit together. Miss Heather contributed the photo.

DOB Commissioner Patricia Lancaster who has faced increasing criticism in the wake of very high profile construction accidents this year, has resigned. Mayor Bloomberg made the announcement, saying that “Over the past six years, Patricia has moved the Department of Buildings a long way forward by fighting corruption, strengthening inspections and oversight, increasing the public’s access to information, and bringing increased levels of professionalism and integrity to all levels of her agency.”

That didn’t take long. The Love Fence, which an artist had decorated with hearts to “smother” the developer of the controversial 360 Smith Street building “with love” and which some of the neighborhood were viewing as a reflection of a less confrontational approach between activists and the project (which is now moving forward with speed), have been removed. “There is a lot less love around today,” a Carroll Gardens resident who sent us these photos joked. “I guess that [developer Billy] Stein doesn’t want our love.” The Love Fence had replaced the Democracy Wall, which was a kind of community bulletin board that often protested the 360 Smith development and other development-related issues in Carroll Gardens.

GL Analysis:
The odds are very good that residents will continue to try to use the wall to express themselves and that, if they don’t, it will be taken over by taggers and illegal advertising. Perhaps, the developer might want to make the wall available to artists in the community that have been using the site for nearly a year. Doing so might generate some good will and help to avoid more conflict.

After much build up, Barrio opened yesterday on Seventh Avenue in Park Slope. We popped in to grab a menu and few photos and chatted with Spencer Rothschild who, with his wife Julie, is behind the restaurant. “This space is a dream come true,” said Rothschild, who is also involved in a number of Manhattan dining spots like BLT Prime in Gramercy, Django in Midtown and Calle Ocho on the UWS. He and his wife Julie moved to Park Slope and were looking to open a restaurant close to home. He expressed confidence that the chef, Adrian Leon, who comes from Mexico City, will be a Brooklyn hit. Barrio was filling up around 6:45 and packed by 8:00 last night. Entrees run from $11.95 for the excellent-sounding Baked Vegetarian Enchilada to $19.95 for the Hanger Steak Churrasco. There are also carnitas, grilled marinated steak and fish tacos, a range of appetizers like Oaxaca Marinated Mexican Cheese and daily specials. They’re open from 11AM-10PM Sunday-Thursday and 11AM-11PM Friday-Saturday.

[Photo courtesy of Joe Holmes/flickr]

Manhattan’s Cheyenne Diner–every single piece of it–is going to be moved to Red Hook. We read the item on Gothamist, which picked it up from amNY’s Urbanite blog, about five times to make sure we weren’t seeing things. We weren’t. The diner, which like all good NYC diners, is being replaced by new development, was purchased by Mike O’Connell, who is the son of Greg O’Connell, a major player in the development of Red Hook. (He owns the building in which the Fairway is located and the warehouses across Van Brunt Street among other things.) Last year, the Moondance Diner was moved to Wyoming, so Red Hook is a closer destination. Greg O’Connell told the Urbanite: “I can’t begin to tell you how many people are excited about it in Red Hook. It’s a great thing, and my son is so excited over this.” A press release that went out overnight says in part:

Preservationist Michael Perlman of Queens, who founded the Committee To Save The Moondance Diner in spring 2007, along with fellow Preservationist Kyle Supley of Brooklyn, have spared the Cheyenne Diner from oblivion, after sparing the Moondance last summer. Michael Perlman of the Committee To Save The Cheyenne Diner presented a proposal to property owner George Papas (owner of nearby Skylight Diner, 402 W 34th St, & developer for Cheyenne property) on closing day, Sun, Apr 6th, and effectively convinced him to work together. A 9-story condo is slated to rise on premise, which marked the end of the diner’s 68-year run for its Manhattan site.

Perlman states “It is rewarding that the Cheyenne will gain a new lease on life in Red Hook, Brooklyn, and will contribute to the appeal of an up & coming neighborhood. Keeping it within the 5 boroughs, especially in a time when NYC is losing its history, emphasizes how progress can be in the ideal sense. We take pride that Papas was sensitive to our proposal & extend our thanks, and also thank Mike O’Connell for taking on a noble cause. We proudly serve as a liaison from ‘moving day’ to its reopening and future.”

There is no word yet on where in Red Hook the Cheyenne will end up.

The mystery of the tenant that will occupy the remaining part of the D’Agostino’s space on Seventh Avenue at Sixth Street is solved: It will be an outpost of the Five Guys Burger and Fries chain of restaurants. The chain most recently opened in Brooklyn Heights on Montague Street. The other part of the storefront space is, of course, going to be a Bank of America.

Yesterday’s Construction Site Du Jour was a Karl Fischer building and so is today’s. This Pit of Death at 120 S. 4 Street is a building site that hasn’t been touched in so long that its foundation has become nicely tagged up. (The site was originally cleared and excavated a loong time ago and it’s also open for visitation on and off for years.) The drop, right beyond the hole in the fence is one or two stories down. Watch your step.

Is there such a thing as “too many trees”? There is in Borough Park. “Too much green is making a Borough Park block red with anger. The rest of the city may be going green, but the folks living there on the block say it has gone too green. They’re outraged that the city tore up their sidewalks to make room for more foliage. “Do they think I’m Johnny Appleseed, with all these damn trees?” asked Gus Caleca, 39, who works as a disk jockey. “We have enough trees and we don’t need anymore.” The neighborhood mutiny among 59th St. residents sprouted earlier this month after 10 new trees were planted on the block between 10th and 11th Aves. Now, residents are complaining that the recent planting leaves no space on the sidewalk for people to walk.–NYDN

It may be our imagination, but we think we’ve noticed a definite uptick in the number of site sporting Stop Work Orders around Williamsburg in the last few weeks. It seems like the Department of Buildings has been hitting some work sites hard since about the third or fourth week of March. (Stop Work Orders, on the other hand, can be very fleeting things, imposed and lifted in as little as 24 hours, although some can linger for weeks and months.) We found this one at 246 Bedford Avenue, which is part of block where the big Quadriad development is going up. (It is not part of the Quadriad project, however.) It was for work being done in an “unsafe manner.” This was the site of the Door of Death before it was closed off. The project also has one of those “10 day intent to revoke permits” issues right now.

The Big Eye is gone from the storefront on Seventh Avenue between Second and Third Streets where artist Mark Ravitz has been placing his work and it has been replaced by new work. The grate was already down yesterday evening, so we could only capture all three of them as they appear behind steel.

This is Noodle Studio a Thai restaurant on N. 5 Street in Williamsburg whose irregular hours, at one point, led us to believe it was closed. It’s not and, in fact, the other day the entire front of the building was being turned into a big mural.

It is correctly pointed out that “blogs are not a medium known for focusing on or endorsing neckties,” but when the tie in question is a Parachute Jump Tie, well, it’s going to be listed.–Kinetic Carnival

Here’s a very nicely done video on the entire issue of the Brooklyn Museum’s controversial Gala honoring Bruce Ratner. It’s short documentary length, but definitely worth a view if you’ve got the time.

Brooklinks is a selection of Brooklyn-related information and images:

• Credit Crisis is Hurting Brooklyn Renters Too [NYDN]
• Criticism ‘Comes to a Boil’ for Buildings Commissioner [NYT]
• Newark Option Gets More Realistic for Nets [AYR]
• Hope Street Warehouse on the Market Again [Brownstoner]
• 75 Henry Celebrates Earth Day by Chopping Down Another Tree [McBrooklyn]
• Flatbush Street Tree Walking Tour [Ditmas Park Blog]
• Flatbush House Fire Sends Raccoon Up a Tree [Fading Ad Blog]
• On Joining the Prospect Park Alliance [A Year in the Park]
• Second Highest Point in Brooklyn [Brooklynometry]
• Water and Tax Lien Help Night [Bed-Stuy Blog]
• Ancient Playgrounds [Bed-Stuy Banana]
• BAC and New Media Installations [Dumbo NYC]

A new exhibition of art on Bedford Avenue kicks off this Sunday (April 27) from 2PM-8PM. Per information sent along by Matthew Silver, known to many people as the Bedford Avenue Dancer:

Artwalking: Bedford Ave. An invitational exhibition featuring over thirty storefront installations between North 3rd and North 9th on Bedford Avenue, Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY. A marriage of ART + COMMERCE creating abridge to a Williamsburg neighborhood in transition from a new generation of store owners to an artist community over twenty five years old. Over thirty Brooklyn-based artists have created storefront installations often in collaboration with respective store owners. There will also be an array of amazing street performers The curators are Larry Walczak and Donna Kessinger.

The art is on display through June 8. There is more info here.

A new one from Wythe and N. 8 in Williamsburg.

Want to see what a PriceChop looks like? Go no further than the Azure on Classon Avenue. “Let’s look at Unit 2a. It started life last June at $735,000. In November, it went to $649,000. In December, it hit $599,000. In February? $549,000. And, yesterday, there was more axe action with the price hitting $499,000. That’s what one calls a succession of PriceChops amounting to $236,000.”–Curbed

Our innate powers of observation tell us that this parking sign, which we found on Bedford Avenue, was clearly a victim of construction. Further analysis seems to show that it was felled by some sort of street work rather than building development. Nonetheless, it is down for the count.

“The Vargas Mini-Market, a bodega at the corner of Bond and Warren, was shut down late last week. According to the restraining order affixed to the shuttered business, it was closed for the ‘sale of untaxed cigarettes.'” Isolated thing or growing trend in the age of mega-taxes?–Brownstoner

We’re used to seeing trashed bike and deconstructed ones as well as ones for sale, but here’s a freebie we found in Williamsburg on N. 5 Street.