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

• Apartment Building Stairway Collapses [NYT]
• 50 Evacuated After Crown Heights Stairwell Collapse [NYDN]
• Barges Sink Off Red Hook, Being Investigated [1010 Wins]
• Halal Carts at Brooklyn College [Brooklyn Junction]
• Haunted Looking Building Gets Landmarked [Flatbush Gardener]
• Keeping an Eye on 388 Bridge Street [Brownstoner]
• Once, Some People Preferred to Call Spots Greenpoint, Not Williamsburg [New York Shitty]
• Sustainable Flatbush Monthly Meeting 12/3 [Sustainable Flatbush]
• Coney Island Museum Open All Winter [Kinetic Carnival]
• Heeb Magazine Moves to Dumbo [Dumbo NYC]
• Sahadi’s Gets New Signage [BK11201]
• Ho Ho Freakin Ho [Brooklyn Nester]

[Photo courtesy of I like/flickr]

Okay, so it’s not in Brooklyn. It’s a photo from the Christmas Funfair in Glasgow, Scotland, and it’s clearly Brooklyn-related and very amusing.

If one pays attention there is much variety to be found in Brooklyn auto-related signs: collisions shops, mechanics, etc. Have a look at the first batch.–Brit in Brooklyn

There are a couple of more holiday events to report:

1) Dumbo Tree Lighting. The DUMBO Improvement District is having the second annual tree lighting in Dumbo on Thursday, November 29, at 6:30 pm. It will take place at the Pearl Street Triangle (the space on Pearl Street between Front and Water streets that has been reclaimed from cars and decorated and recreated as a place to sit and relax. There will be a reception afterwards at Superfine for which an RSVP is necessary. Call(718) 237-8700 for that. More details at About Brooklyn.

2) On Saturday, December 8, the Cadman Memorial Congregational Church on Clinton Avenue is having its annual Christmas Candlelight Celebration, which is a “64 year old tradition.” It’s at 7PM at 350 Clinton Avenue. Details at the Clinton Hill Blog.

There will be a “First Annual” Brooklyn Artisan Holiday Gift Fair on Saturday, December 1 from 11 am – 6 pm at the Fifth Avenue Committee at the FAC Center 621 DeGraw Street, which is located betwen Third and Fourth Avenue. The email for the event says, in part:

ENJOY live music by internationally acclaimed classical guitarist Robert Secrest, and delight over FREE sweets & savories provided by Erica’s Rugelach & Baking, Co, Cousin John’s Bakery, Hena Coffee & Two Boots. LEARN about the Fifth Avenue Committee’s compelling work going on right in your very own community. MEET filmmaker, Isabel Hill, of the razor sharp documentary ” Brooklyn Matters” and become informed about the true story behind Atlantic Yards. BUY handsome holiday gift tins & packages from Erica’s Rugelach & Baking, Co and find out about some special promotions and discounts. SHOP to your heart’s delight in a relaxed & friendly environment and SUPPORT your local artists. SHOP locally THINK globally.

Check it out. (That’s some of Erica’s work in the pic above.)

Too. Cute. For. Words. The “Queensboro Kitten” who was found wandering the 59th Street Bridge has been adopted. One look at his picture and there will be no doubt as to why.–New York Shitty

[Photo courtesy of luluinnyc/flickr]

It’s the Christmas tree stand on Flatbush Avenue, standing this year amidst the emptiness of properties that have been demolished by Forest City Ratner.

Good thing parts of this Fifth Avenue Park Slope brownstone near Carroll Street decided to fall off around two in the morning on Monday night rather than during the day on Tuesday. It looks like there would have been a serious ouch factor had the debris come down on someone.–Brownstoner

Yesterday, we posted about the new Brooklyn Bean that is opening at Fourth Avenue and Carroll Street. Brownstoner posted about it too, noting that it is an offshoot of Cuppa Cuppa in the East Village and has nothing to do with Brookyn Bean & Tea Company on Atlantic Avenue. Of course, we had assumed that the new Brooklyn Bean was an offshoot of the Atlantic Avenue Brooklyn Bean. Wrong. We got an email yesterday afternoon from the owner of (the Atlantic Avenue) Brooklyn Bean & Tea Company pointing out that the two Brooklyn Beans have nothing to do with each other. The email from Jeremy Lugo simply said:

hello I am the owner of Brooklyn Bean and Tea Co. on atlantic avenue…and i just wanted to clarify that there is no relation to the new Brooklyn Bean opening up on 4th ave.

We emailed him back asking him if another cafe with the same name was a problem for him and he did not respond. So, the question is, is Brooklyn big enough to have two Brooklyn Beans or is an Espresso War, you know, brewing. Fourth Avenue Brooklyn Bean vs. Atlantic Avenue Brooklyn Bean. Will one of the beans blink? Will they coexist? Will there be a Queens Bean? Are we the only ones that find the name thing odd? Stay tuned.

The building above is 175 Kent Avenue, officially known as 53 N. 3rd Street. It will be going on that big site formerly occupied by the concrete plant on Kent Avenue between N. 3 and N. 4 Streets across from 184 Kent. The building will be six stories with 112 units and 166,000 square feet of space, according to the Department of Buildings website, which shows the initial plan being rejected on November 16. Brownstoner published the rendering of the new building, which is being developed by the Chetrit Group, last week. The architect on the project is Meltzer/Mandl Architects. Brownstoner noted the building will have 5,000 square feet of retail at street level and another 18,000 square below ground, which fits the kind of space that’s sought by some big retailers. Interestingly, 175 Kent only represents about 1/2 of the Chetrit property. No permits have been filed for the other half, which is 157 Kent Avenue. A fence has gone up around the building site, which is the first time this site has had a fence. It was wide open during the long demolition of the concrete plant.

The big strip of new developments and construction sites on 16th Street in the South Slope (that’s “Suite Sixteen” in the photo above) may be getting a new addition. Via the South Slope news group:

Rumor on the street is Ganmar electronics is sold to the developer currently building next door, as well as the one almost finished across the street. Anyone know this for a fact?

I am worried now because they may be pressuring the owner of the parking lot next to ganmar (and the building associated with it) into selling as well. If that lot is sold, it will result in a huge footprint to build on.

The business in question is at 224 16th Street (which is near Sixth Avenue), and the parking lots are at 220 and 222 16th Street. Notes neighborhood activist Aaron Brashear: “I don’t think I can handle any more construction work on this block.” Will the last original building left standing on 16th Street below Sixth Avenue turn out the lights?

“The high rise apartment buildings being built here in New York City have more than just a passing resemblance to the ones built in East Germany from the 1960’s to the 1980’s. I am thinking in particular about the ugly buildings going up on newly rezoned Fourth Avenue as well as the ones wedged in between 2 and 3 story houses a bit all over Brooklyn.”–Pardon Me For Asking

The Roebling Oil Building, now known as Warehouse 11, as it enters the marketing phase (although the banners outside the building and the website haven’t gone up yet), is getting windows. This is exciting to us as we have followed every development at this building since it was just a construction site with a big, stinking pool of oil (of unknown origin) seeping through the soil. There are many more Roebling Oil milestones to come in 2008: an exterior, a sales and marketing campaign and, of course, eventual move ins.

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

• Praying to Variance Gods at 205 Water [Brownstoner]
• Annotated Posters on the G Line [New York Shitty]
• Brooklynites Have Best Vocabulary, Says Times Square Test [NYDN]
• Civic Involvement Always Interesting in Manhattan Beach [GerritsenBeach.Net]
• Prospect Park Playground Being Renamed for Slain Officer [Brooklyn Junction]
• Weekly Coney Hoopla Links [Kinetic Carnival]
• Disabled Woman Suing Walentas, Two Trees [NYDN]
• What’s Up at 135 Joralemon? [BHB]
• Looking Like Christmas on Smith Street [Pardon Me for Asking]
• Fall Leaves in Park Slope [Velvet Sea]
• Problems at Clinton Hill Library [Clinton Hill Blog]
• New Trees to Replace Tornado Victims on 68th Street [Bay Ridge Blog]

We’re guessing that the owner of this home on Union Avenue took issue with people trying to buy the property at some point in the past. The “Attack Dog” sign beneath it would also seem to be a disincentive to anyone that wants to ask about the availability of the property.

Would you put on a diving suit and jump into the Gowanus Canal? Didn’t think so. But Ludger Balan and other members of the Urban Divers actually dive in the Gowanus (plus other somewhat less frightening local waterways). Mr. Balan says you’ve got to “zen” with a dive beforehand.–NYT

[2006 Atlantic Ave. Tree Lighting courtesy of michellekarshan/flickr]

If it’s the holiday season, it’s tree lighting season in Brooklyn. Here are a couple of local events coming up (and we’ll fill in more as we get emails or see them listed). The Annual Atlantic Avenue Tree Lighting Ceremony is taking place on Thursday (11/29) at 6PM. It will be officiated by Council Member David Yassky and include Christmas caroling and dance performances by PS 38 and PS 261, holiday treats compliments of local restaurants and Santa. The event is sponsored by the Atlantic Avenue Local Development Corporation and Atlantic Avenue Betterment Association. The tree is at the Belarusian Church at the corner of Atlantic Avenue and Bond Street in Boerum Hill. Meanwhile, in Carroll Gardens, the Transit Garden’s Annual Tree Lighting will take place on December 5 at Smith Street and Second Place. Guests are invited to bring ornaments to hang on the street. PS 58’s Chamber Strings will be performing Holiday songs at 4:30 and there will be hot cocoa, donuts and holiday cookies.

There’s a lot of traffic around Flatbush and Nostrand, so what will it “look like if congestion pricing becomes the law in Manhattan?” Readers have a lot of opinions and have left many comments.–Brooklyn Junction

We got an email from Lara Wechsler, who does the Park Slope Street Photography blog, about a exhibition of her Coney Island photos at the 440 Gallery in Park Slope. It will run from November 29 through January 6 and feature “present day scenes from Brooklyn’s fading fantasy emporium.” The opening reception is Thursday (11/29) from 6PM-9PM. The 440 Gallery is at 440 6th ave, between 9th and 10th Streets. Gallery hours are Thursday-Friday from 4PM-7PM and Saturday & Sunday from 12PM-6PM. You can see some of the pics here and there’s a bit more info about the show here.

Need a doppio? You will have 75 more opportunities to score one within the next three years as chains continue to discover the glory of Brooklyn and all of its untapped market potential (compared to Manhattan). The Daily News fills in more detail about the coming wave of Bux, banks, chain drugstores from a conference first noted on Brownstoner earlier this month.–NYDN

Taken from Manhattan Avenue near Driggs, here’s a long shot of the decorations with Manhattan itself in the background. GL welcomes appropriately festive or interesting holiday shots from our readers. If you have a ‘Tis the Season shot, send it along to thegowanuslounge (at) gmail (dot) com. We’ll happily supply a photo credit, but the presumption is for anonymity unless you state otherwise.

We’ve noted the alarming conditions at 1000 Manhattan Avenue in Greenpoint in the past, and check in with our old friend to see how the battle between gravity and building is coming along. While it would appear to be a standoff, in that 1000 Manhattan hasn’t collapsed yet, it remains one of the leading candidates in Brooklyn to make news by falling down on itself if gravity ever gets an edge in the fight. What’s especially compelling is the way the way the facade is buckling in two different directions. That, plus the flying buttress that is holding the thing up and sitting in the middle of sidewalk. Since our Greenpoint correspondent last checked on the building, a drain pipe has been removed, making the facade problem even more apparent. The building’s owner has been served with many, many violations.

We’re not sure if it’s a sign of serious change on the Gowanus side of Fourth Avenue, but it’s definitely a sign of the times. Brooklyn Bean & Tea Company, which opened in September at Atlantic and Hoyt, is opening another cafe at the corner of Carroll Street and Fourth Avenue. Blogger Velvet Sea caught a “coming soon” sign being painted on blue construction fencing over the weekend, and passed by yesterday to find the temporary sign completed. Brooklyn Bean & Tea has won some converts over at Chowhound and bills itself as offering “organic, fair trade and artisan” coffees and teas. It will be a short stroll from hundreds of new condos on Fourth Avenue, so it should do well. Family Car Service, which was in the space, has been moved further back in the building.

Here’s Prospect Park as it appeared on Saturday, November 24 in all its late Fall glory.

Given that we’ve featured the Gowanus Whole Foods fence when it was open again last week, it’s only fair to note that it’s been closed up again. How long it stays that way is anyone’s guess. The site has been in a semi-abandoned state for more than a year, with only a burst of demolition activity in late summer. In the meantime, the fence has been knocked down by both the wind and vandals, opening up the toxic (and only partly decontaminated site) to public access. So, how long before the site is open again?