1) Amazon Cafe, which is an outpost of the chain, is now open at 236 N. 12th Street. We talked to the owner on Sunday who said it had been open about a week. The lighting looks a little more subdued than the Smith Street branch, which is too bright (and is also in the really nice space–now carved up–that used to house Halcyon). Given that the area on this side of McCarren Park has no place to grab some quick food or a drink, it’s a welcome option.

2) On the retail front, Shoe Market has opened on N. 6th Street on the site of a former flea market. Talk about changing retail conditions. The new shop has some very cool shoes–a lot of Terra and some very cool Keds–some of which are surprisingly reasonable in price, while others tend toward the upper end of the price range. In any case, it’s comfortable and inviting looking, if very unlike the spot it replaced.

There’s a report in the new City Limits on the rally held by Project Empire this past weekend to protest the closing of the Empire Roller Skating Rink. The group gathered outside the rink–which is slated to close and be converted to a storage facility next month–on Saturday to, in the words of the writer, “voice their pain and anger about the loss of such a vital recreation resource.” City Council Members Charles Barron and Leticia James were among the speakers. According to the report:

Unlike many others, these politicians recognize and acknowledge that Empire Roller Rink is a cultural and historical landmark that should be preserved.

Members of the skating community had strong reactions to the anticipated closing of the rink in April. Many were brought to tears. Sophia Dawson, 19, member of the Brooklyn HYPE skate team I created, gathered with her fellow team members, aged 12 to 19. Breaking into tears, she shared, “It is not just skating … this is my family.” Spry, the program director of HYPE, expressed discontent with the new owner’s decision to build a storage facility. “How dare you come into our community and decide what we need without consulting us?” shouted Spry. “What the new owners need to understand is that we will not support you in the tearing down of a facility that means so much to us.”

I wonder where the children will go. Skating is therapeutic for children – it provides an outlet for them to escape the stress in their lives. If this rink is shut down they will end up in the lobbies of our buildings getting high, on the corners selling drugs. We need to invest in this building and make it a multi service recreation center that can be a safe haven for these kids to keep them off the street and out of trouble. A former Empire employee, Jackie, and other loyal skaters from Project Empire spoke passionately about what the closing of Empire means to them and verbally solicited stars like Oprah and Brooklyn native Jay Z to donate funds to the restoration of Empire Roller Skating Rink.

Another Brooklyn institution about to bite the dust, this one raising very legitimate questions about the lack of recreational opportunities for young people in many Brooklyn neighborhoods.

[Photo courtesy joshbousel/flickr]

For those wondering how Ikea’s effort to fill the historic Graving Dock at former Todd Shipyard that both preservationists and working waterfront advocates had been working to save, we can report that progress excellent. While crews weren’t at work this weekend, we did manage a look at it and we can say that if you didn’t know it was a huge drydock you would think it was a future parking lot. Which is what the Swedish home furnishings giant intends.

We had dinner at Bubby’s in Dumbo on Friday night. The first thing we noticed was the big, cash-only sign on the door. The second thing was that the menu had shrunk to a shadow of its former self. And the other was the “We are Closed Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday on the check.” Not knowing how long all this had been the case, we didn’t do a post on it. Yesterday, the Brooklyn Record–which was not asleep at the switch and sensed an interesting story–reported on it, wondering if Bubby’s was in trouble. Today, Dumbo NYC reports on its discussion with Bubby’s owner, who said that they’re having problems handling the large space during the week and had a difficult winter. He tells Dumbo NYC that:

I believe that DUMBO-Bubby’s will grow as DUMBO grows, and as people know that you can have a great time, eat good home cooking, and feel comfortable bringing your kids, your grandma, your congressman, or your new bride. Now that spring is here, Bubby’s in DUMBO is doing much better; it was a rough winter. We will continue doing our best, and I welcome any dialogue.

We hope they can tough it out, because their population base in Dumbo is about to expand dramatically. We have a soft spot for Bubby’s, having wandered in there on its opening night several years ago, and having had countless dinners there. It’s one of those Brooklyn spots we like to head over to after a long week for a no BS meal. The thought that it might not make it saddened us.

Some street art stays around for a long time. Some has a very short shelf life. And some gets tagged up. Case in point is this Deuce Seven piece located in the former cement plant across from 184 Kent in Williamsburg. One of the pieces was painted over on a tank that was later removed from the property. This one has been tagged, apparently by the same person that tagged up another work by the same artist on N. 6th Street. On another front, the green gate on N. 6th, which has been the scene of splashings and such, has been painted lavender just in time for spring and Easter.

Brooklinks is a daily selection of Brooklyn related information and images.

• Report on the Coney Island Development Corp. Board Meeting [Kinetic Carnival]
• Check Out the Major Urban Room Coming to Dean Street After Demolition [AYR]
• Atlantic Yards Demolition Begins [WNYC]
• Protest at Ward Bakery Demolition [amNY]
• Southern Brooklynites Use Mass Transit Too [Streets Blog]
• Gowanus Junior High Science [Esthetic/Aesthetic]
• Last Season of Old Coney Island [Gothamist]
• Who Stole the Coney Clown Art? [Kinetic Carnival]
• From Bleach House to Bank Branch on Court Street [Brooklyn Record]
• The I Heart Brooklyn Pass [Bushwick is Beautiful]
• Clinton Hill Neighborhood History Essays Wanted [Clinton Hill Blog]
• The South Williamsburg Finger is Making Progress [Brownstoner]

Remember 110 Green Street, the development in which Magic Johnson has invested? The one with the crappy fence that was immediately replaced by a Super Fence with two-story poles? We figured the developers were going to toss up a humongous fence. Turns out they put up the poles so that they could put up video cameras. So, the transformation is complete. The site, which you could once have waltzed into and camped out in, now is protected by both fence and six cameras. Local residents have been seen flipping the bird to the cameras reports our correspondent Miss Heather, who also hit us off with the pic.

Next time you’re on Green Street, smile for Magic.

Willamsburg, Brooklyn

We were in Coney Island this weekend to check on the progress of the demolition being done by Joe Sitt and Thor Equities (still ongoing, but the war-like wreckage that made for excellent photo has been cleaned up a bit, except for all those pesky paint chips) and found it busy with workers re-installing rides and getting ready for the April 1 reopening. Rides were turning and employees were finishing up the task of reattaching the cars to the Wonder Wheel, which was rotating. Workers were also getting the rides in shape at Astroland, which reopens for one more season before the demolition crews are dispatched again. Today’s Sun has a great article about Astroland getting ready for its bittersweet final year.

For those of you that prefer moving images, here’s a Brookvid we posted on YouTube we shot on Saturday of workers getting Coney Island ready for opening on April 1. You’ve got your workers putting things in place at Astroland, the Wonder Wheel turning as cars are attached, the Spider Ride turning, some kiddie rides being put together and more.

There is hope. Everyone’s favorite Coney Island attraction, Shoot the Freak, is going to live to see another year. There had been some doubts as the property had gotten a little banged up by developer Joe Sitt’s demolition crews, but when we were in Coney Island this weekend, we watched people at work repairing the Shoot the Freak Signage. So, we fully expect that on April Fool’s Day, when Coney Island officially reopens for the season, that “Shoot the freak! Shoot the freakin’ freak!” will be part of the boardwalk soundscape.

Related Post:
Sitt’s Demolition Underway: Coney Island Looks Like Hell

[Photo courtesy of Miss Heather]

A couple of notes from the food, libation and retail scene in Greenpoint:

1) O Sole Mio Café has opened its doors at Manhattan Avenue and Green Street in Greenpoint. It is operated by the owner of Triangolo Pizza, which is across the street. Our Greenpoint correspondent–who is a tough customer when it comes to cafes in the neighborhoods–likes this one. She writes that “O Sole Mio does indeed serve coffee. They also have a gelato bar and serve Italian pastries. These pastries are made by a gentleman named Nick, a first generation Sicilian, who also happens to work at Triangolos…All the previous have made me re-think my opinion(s) about this business. A gelato bar is a nice addition to the ‘hood, and if Nick is making those pastries they’re probably damned good. They seem to be doing a nice little bit of business.” GL couldn’t ask for a better endorsement.

2) We’re almost afraid to ask this question, but is Franklin Street going to become Greenpoint’s Bedford Avenue? Regardless, multiple new business are opening in the Hood and three of them have started their own new blog, called Shop Franklin. (We don’t know if they intend to update it much, and there’s only one entry, but it’s a great idea and also speaks to a sense of community that’s pretty cool.) Alter is a fashion and accessories shop at 109 Franklin, which has its own very busy blog. Dalaga is a super cool looking boutique at 150 Franklin. And, Zoe’s Beauty Products is a salon and spa at 119 Greenpoint Avenue. We’re also told that an Irish pub is about to open at 130 Franklin.

Want to know what building is going up next in Williamsburg? Follow the Big Pile Driver That Bangs the Burg. We spotted it yesterday, ready to move on from N. 8th and Roebling where it’s been banging away at the site of the former Tribeca Bakery and future Karl Fischer-designed condo. (There’s been a stop work order taped to the signage outside and a it’s leaving behind a forest of undriven piles, but we’re told the big Empire Pile crane has been banging away, shaking buildings a couple of blocks away, so maybe its work is done.) We’ve previously observed it banging another site on N. 10th Street and at the Roebling Oil Field. We’re guessing it could be headed back to N. 11th across the street from our oily old friend, but since this thing will bang just about anything, who knows what it will bang next. Okay, time to stop with the sophomoric double entendres other than to say: If you spot it banging anything, let us know. Like Where’s Waldo, but easy to find as it’s several stories tall and patriotic in appearance.

On this day of significant Coney Island coverage, it’s worth recounting the following conversation we overhead while walking on Stillwell Avenue in the corridor that is Thor Equities’ demolition zone. The exchange took place between a little girl who was probably about eight or nine years old and her father:

Little Girl: Daddy, what happened to the Go-Karts we used to ride?
Father: I don’t know. They’re not here anymore. Everything’s gone.

(The photo is a current demolition shot as of this weekend.)

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

• The Big Hole in the South Slope [IMBY]
• The Ugliest Brickwork in Brooklyn [Velvet Sea]
• Looking at Preservation, Planning and Brooklyn [AYR]
• Eat Local Via Edible Brooklyn [OTBKB]
• Dine in Brooklyn Week: Doing Much Better [Esthetic/Aesthetic]
• Go to the Save Coney Demonstration on Friday [Brit in Brooklyn]
• Church Avenue Bonanza [Kensington Brooklyn]
• Brooklyn Industries Coming to Myrtle Avenue? [Bed-Stuy Blog]

Could the consulting firm hired by the city to examine the history of downtown Brooklyn buildings have deliberately ignored key documents? There is significant evidence the buildings were part of the Underground Railroad, but the downtown Brooklyn plan counts on Underground Parking to trump Underground Railroad history. Now, there’s a suggestion that consultants took a pass on documents that suggest the development will bulldoze African-American history.

A story in the Brooklyn Daily Eagle by Sarah Ryley says that documents were ignored and implies that this happened so that the consultants could reach the decision expected of them: that the sites have no historic significance and they can be demolished to clear the way for underground parking topped by a park. We reproduce a bit of the story with permission, since the Eagle’s site is subscription only:

A city-sponsored study ignored key documents that could link the 19th Century Duffield Street homes to the Underground Railroad, according to expert panelists hired by the consulting firm AKRF to review the study.

The study involved seven homes on Duffield and Gold streets in the footprint of a proposed 1-acre park above an underground public parking garage, part of the Downtown Brooklyn redevelopment plan. The City Council ordered the study two years ago when owners of three of the homes claimed they were used as safe houses along the Underground Railroad.

The final version of the AKRF study deemed one of the homes — 227 Duffield St., owned by Joy Chatel – as “quite possibly involved” in the Underground Railroad, which is just short of enough to have the home listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Despite records showing that Harriet and Thomas Truesdell, who lived there from 1851 to 1863, had a long history of activism in the abolitionist movement and entertained prominent abolitionists such as William Lloyd Garrison, the study found insufficient documentation proving that they actually helped African-Americans escape slavery.

But AKRF was made aware of documentation that could have been critical in proving that involvement, if it existed, according to Paul E. Truesdell, Jr., the great-grandson of Thomas Truesdell, whom AKRF contacted for the study…According to stories passed down through generations of Duffield Street residents that were included in the final report, the street was a hotbed of Underground Railroad activity, with tunnels and secret doorways that offered escape to other buildings or the street. The Truesdells and other homeowners would put lamps in the back windows to let freedom seekers know there was space in the home.

AKRF is regularly hired to do consulting work for local projects, either on behalf of the city or developers, including Atlantic Yards, Atlantic Terminal, Red Hook IKEA, Brooklyn Bridge Park and the World Trade Center Memorial and Redevelopment.

Hearings and a decision on the site are pending.

The demolition work at the Revere Sugar Plant site in Red Hook continues–and will go on for a long time–but all traces of the iconic dome have vanished. There is a farm of tanks on the property, which Thor Equities blowtorch-bearing crews (okay, the Breeze crews hired by Thor CEO Joe Sitt) are now laboriously cutting apart. Then, there are the brick buildings. The wood frame structures. And, the plant itself, which has a smokestack which must be laboriously dismantled. Excellent demolition porn opportunities for months to come. No word on what Mr. Sitt intends to build on the laboriously cleared parcel or whether he will try to sell the cleared land at a profit to another developer.

The photo above is one we took of paint chips all over the ground in the aftermath of some of Thor’s demolition work in Coney Island. As things would have it, we found the following post over at the Coney Island Message Board last night, posted by the person who goes by the name of Captain Nemo:

Walking by the former Go Kart track on West 12, I spotted lots of paint chips on the ground, from the recent demolition done in the area.

Backtrack a couple of years ago. When they were rehabbing the steel structure of the Parachute Jump, they sand blasted the old paint off in a temporary building with negative pressure, so the poisonous lead paint doesnt get airbourne and contaminant the neighborhood. They even posted signs warning people not to eat in the area as a further precaution.

This last year, IKEA was fined for not taking proper precautions when knocking down civil war era buildings that contained asbestos, but IKEA claimed was free of asbestos.

So isnt it more likely then not, that the paint chips all around the area could have contained lead, and poisoned the whole area through their negligence?

Also, when I pass a construction site in the city, whether they are building or removing existing structures, they post the necessary permits.

I dont remember ever seeing any type of official paperwork publicly posted saying they have official permission from the city to do so?

So, did Thor break the law and [is it] continuing to do so?

We scoured the Department of Buildings database and there are no demolition permits on any of the properties that we could find and, certainly, no posted as they are at demolition sites around the city. We will assume that for some technical reason, they weren’t necessary because the Department of Buildings–while clearly Kafkaesque in its approach to inspection, enforcement and public safety–couldn’t be that blatantly oblivious to such a high-profile project. (Although, it’s curious, because erecting some of the structures that were demolished required building permits.) The lead paint question–permits or lack thereof notwithstanding–is an interesting one too.

We can report that a permit was issued on March 21 for a construction fence on the W. 12th Street property in question and around the former miniature golf course. So, look for those lovely big blue fences to go up soon and for an important approach to the Coney Island Boardwalk–the most direct from the Stillwell Avenue subway station–to become a potentially unpleasant and dangerous canyon lined by block-long dead, blank blue wood walls just in time for the 2007 summer season.

Given that it’s Sunday, it’s time for another Craigslist Brooklyn Missed Connection. We opted for today’s item because it’s, well, touching in its own way:

girl in green, hooded coat on G-train from Lorimer to Carroll – m4w – 37

this is pathetic. i was wearing a backpack. you looked beautiful… well, d’uh, if i didn’t think you were, would i be posting this?
we got on the G at lorimer and exited at carroll
this is stupid. nobody’s going to read this posting.
anyway. if in the one in 15 million chance you do, can you tell me what color your hair is, or where on the train we entered, or how you wore your hair? for identification’s purposes.
this is stupid. i’m a freak’in idiot

We really wish people would just say something sometimes.

Honorable Mention:
Sexy Girl at Laundrymat m4w

Green Brooklyn has a great item on the NYC Department of Education’s New Green School Guide and Rating System, which also brought to our attention the Green School in Williamsburg. (WCBS has also reported on the story.) The school describes itself as “a progressive alternative high school in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, New York that focuses on sustainability, the environment, science, social justice, experiential learning, and career planning.” Here’s a snippet from Green Brooklyn’s item:

Without much fanfare, the NYC DOE recently announced that they have published a Green School Guide and Rating System, and will be focusing on sustainable building techniques. Bravo! In fact, it’s about time we heard some good green building news from the NYC government and specifically, the DOE.

Green Brooklyn has links to the guide and other interesting things, so absolutely check it out.

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

• Was New York’s First Amusement Park in Williamsburg? [INSIJS]
• How Green is Demolition? [Brooklyn Views]
• Rescuing the Feral Cat Colony from Bruce Ratner’s Property [NYT]
• People Hocking Them Up on Sidewalks [Bed-Stuy Blog]
• When Sails Were Made on Atlantic Avenue [Sail Brooklyn]
• Driving to Brooklyn [NYT]
• Community Uprising Over DOT’s One-Way Park Slope Plan [Park Slope Courier]
• Trip to Red Hook [Petra]
• Red Hook Art Lot [Food of the Future]
• Smith Union Market [Park Slope Street Photography]
• Green (Its Color, Not Its Environmental Status) Taxi for Sale [Lost City]
• Spring at Greenwood Playground [Kensington Brooklyn]
• Brooklyn March Radness Continues [East Village Idiot]
• Brooklyn Dog Looking In [No Words_Daily Pix]
• Flags, Baltic Street [seriously excited!]

This is a trailer recently posted on YouTube for a film about the Giglio Festival in Williamsburg. It was produced in 1995, and if you go over to the folkstreams.net site, you can download it in MPEG-4 or Real Media formats to watch in its entirety. It’s an interesting look at an original Brooklyn tradition. By the way, only 102 day, eight hours, 11 minutes and 46 seconds (as of 8:49 this morning) until this year’s Giglio Festival, which starts on July 5. For detail’s go over to the Our Lady of Mount Carmel Feast site.

As you may know, we also post over at Curbed from Monday through Friday. Here’s some of this week’s output over there:

• The Finger of Richardson is Standing Tall (above)
• Walk on the Rundown Side in Flushing Meadows Park
• How They Fight Dog Crap in Bushwick
• Their Work is Done: Toll Brothers Leaving Bedford Avenue
• Williamsburg Gets a Dose of ‘Cheesy California Stucco’
• Tower of Fun Goes Upscale: Now on Prospect Park West

The Save Coney Island protest has been scheduled. It will take place on the steps of City Hall on Friday March 30. There will be a parade to City Hall at 11AM, Performers at 11:30, Speakers at Noon, Performers at 12:30 and a parade up Broadway at 1:00PM.

The announcement says:

We will be protesting Thor Equities’ proposal to build condos in the Amusement District in Coney Island and showing support for the City’s position against this rezoning.This fabulous event will be hosted by some of New York’s most colorful burlesque performers and speakers from the community!! In addition saving our beloved Coney Island, it is going to be loads of fun!!

Glitter!! Face Paint!! Costumes!! Aquatic Spectacles!! Mermaids and more!!

The true spirit of Coney Island, in all of it’s splendor, will rock City Hall !!

Please let us know if you would like to perform at the event, help us to publicize it or attend.

More details available at Save Coney Island.

The Coney Island demolition and eviction strategy being pursued by Thor Equities long in advance of any development work has officially claimed its most prominent victim so far. Diana Carlin, whose Lola Staar Boutique was a unique boardwalk treasure, has moved out. (We have made no secret of our belief that the loss of a business like Miss Carlin’s symbolizes everything that is wrong with the redevelopment plan and is very ominous in terms of what the “new” Coney Island might look like.) Ms. Carlin was evicted because she refused to signed a confidentiality clause in her lease and because, she says, she became a pawn in the ugly game of hardball development politics that is consuming Coney Island. An article in the Bay News offers more details about Ms. Carlin’s forced departure and includes a stinging rebuke of community concerns by a Thor spokesperson who say the firm is not focusing “on tenants of the past.”

Sadly for Brooklyn, Ms. Carlin is considering a Manhattan location for her boutique. We believe that it would behoove the Coney Island Development Corporation to do backflips, handstands and somersaults to find an affordable, well located space for Ms. Carlin in Coney Island. Their approach to the redevelopment “negotiations” led developer Joe Sitt’s firm to have her business taken out into an empty field and symbolically executed as an example of what they can do if their demands are not met. We believe Ms. Carlin’s description of the scenario is accurate. She has struck us in numerous conversations as extremely straightforward and very honest.

Of Thor’s demolition zone–which on our last visit was full of debris and a few romping rat–Ms. Carlin says:

“I think people are going to be shocked when they see what it looks like…When Coney Island looks like a war zone, I’m afraid that’s going to breed crime. I think that’s what Thor wants.”

Ms. Carlin and other Coney watchers believe that Thor is following a deliberate scorched earth strategy in Coney Island and that it will level most of the amusement zone and create a vast new blighted area in order to create pressure on the city for residential zoning so that development can get underway.

Ms. Carlin is helping to organize a group called Save Coney Island that could become the focus of community, citywide and national opposition to the developer’s plans and tactics.