A (Good) Baseball Team for Brooklyn?

The "South Brooklyn" area has a rich sports tradition. Gowanus was home to the Brooklyn (Trolley) Dodgers, and the Atlantic Yards will soon be home to the Brooklyn Nets.

What many people forget nowadays is that New York City used to be home to three baseball teams. And, if you think about it, it makes perfect sense; if St. Louis, with a population of 380,000, can support a Major League Baseball Franchise, why can't New York support three, or four, or five?

Now comes some chatter from various sources that it is a (very, very remote) possibility that the Tampa Bay Rays could look to move to Brooklyn. From NBC New York:

"That would also be the case for Brooklyn, a spot where you could actually see a groundswell of support for such a notion taking hold. At least, you could have seen it taking hold before the entire Bruce Ratner/Nets mess took away a viable location and turned into a boondoggle that no one wants to live through again. Maybe it's just that faux-nostalgia again, but the idea of a team in Brooklyn could have caught fire."

And the Brooklyn Bugle:

"Brooklyn may be too much of a hot spot Alper believes due to the Atlantic Yards quagmire.  However, we say in the words of Cher in Moonstruck -- SNAP OUT OF IT!

Sure the Mets will complain and try to block.  Naturally the Yankees will try to block it as well.  But ladies and gentlemen don't tell us that you don't get a little misty when the possibility of BROOKLYN facing the Yankees or Mets in the World Series.

The team? The time? We say the Rays move to Brooklyn, change their name to something far less lame and start kicking ass and taking names.  Are you with us?"

I'm with you. Who else is? And, for the new name, how about Brooklyn's Finest? Any other nominations?

We've Got the Biggest...

Courtesy of the New York Times Magazine Blog, we find out that The Invisible Dog (gmap), an art space in Cobble Hill, has a new installation called "Ant Colony".

"An enormous ant built of steel and nylon balloons, with a porkpie hat suspended above its head, “The Ant” refers to the childrens’ poem by the Surrealist artist Robert Desnos."

Hmm. This reminds me of something...




And, for the jazzy amongst us...


The Invisible Dog.

Long Island 12 Needs a Geography Lesson

Long Island 12 recently did a story (and accompanying video) on a suspicious device which caused an evacuation. From the video and story, we can ascertain that the evacuation was in Gowanus. Ok, I guess if you stretch it, you could say that it was in Carroll Gardens. But, oh boy, were they off...

Another Super Fun Superfund Meeting

Another fun filled Thursday Night as the EPA came to the community to discuss it's ongoing progress and outline their community participation efforts. Found in Brooklyn has done a good job of summarizing the EPA's presentation, but failed to note one interesting tidbit. The EPA spokeswoman actually referenced those who engage in "subsistence fishing" along the Canal. There are no words for what this would actually entail...

Below are comments from Brad Lander and Stephen Levin, New York City Councilmen, on the designation of the Gowanus Canal as a Superfund site.

Analysis of a Brooklyn Theme Song

As anyone who grew up in Brooklyn from 1995-2005 can tell you, there is no more appropriate Brooklyn theme song than "Brooklyn's Finest", by Jay-Z with the late, great Notorious B.I.G. In the song, they go through a roll call of sorts of neighborhoods where they grew up or frequented. Have a listen:



Here is an analysis of the current state of the neighborhoods mentioned in the chorus of the song.

Whites' Homes:

Bed-Stuy

Bushwick

Fort Greene

Red Hook

Clinton Hill

Frank White's Home:

Marcy (Projects)

Crown Heights (But Frank could soon be leaving)

Brownsville

Flatbush

East New York

So there you have it. Almost 14 years after the release of Reasonable Doubt, half of the hoods that Mrs. Carter and Wallace were repping are now the home of hipsters, yuppies and urban pioneers (to themselves). To quote Biggie...

Also, did anyone else know that "Brooklyn's Finest" will soon be a movie starring Richard Gere, Don Cheadle and Ethan Hawke?

Shameless Plug for a Band

Readers -

Head on over to Amie Street to check out Greg Smith and the Broken English. Their first album release was #1 on the Amie Street charts for a while, and is holding steady at #4.

"On Amie Street, the community determines the price of music. Every song starts cheap (or even free!) and increases in price up to 98 cents as more and more people purchase it.

This ensures that you get music at a sensible price. If you find cheap songs or albums, that means they're new to the site and/or undiscovered; conversely, when you pay top price for an album, you know that a lot of people think it's really good."

Community Board 6's Craig Hammerman Honored for 20 Years of Service (and interviewed!)

Anyone who has attended a Community Board 6 meeting no doubt appreciates the hard work, even temperament and quick wit of District Manage Craig Hammerman. Personally, I think that Craig's biggest strength is his ability to stand above the heated discussions that the meetings frequently devolve into and offer advice and support to both sides of a discussion. although he has mulled entering politics in the past, he has not yet taken the leap and I think the district is better because of it.

From Courier-Life:

"There is no such thing as a perfect development project. And the larger a project is, the greater the range of costs and benefits. I didn’t agree with all of the projects that came to us and while we can stand on principle, and often do, that’s little consolation to a person who needs your help. Change happens whether we want it to or not. I accept things which I cannot change, and change things which I cannot accept. 

This district has undergone some very real, major changes to its physical landscape in the past 20 years. Cumulatively, we’ve see projects that have reconnected the community to the waterfront like the Erie Basin evidence vehicle facility, Valentino Park and Pier, IKEA and Fairway in Red Hook. Twenty years ago there was zero public access to the Red Hook waterfront. That was, and is, and important community value. Now, it’s a whole new story."

Brad Lander Becomes our Councilman

Newly elected Councilmember Brad Lander took his oath in Prospect Park on Sunday. Lets hope that Mr. Lander is a little more progressive, open and thoughtful than his predecessor. From Courier-Life:

"In his speech, Lander cited three challenges that his district faces: recovering from the economic crisis while preserving neighborhoods, preserving and strengthening schools, subways and parks, and renewing the public’s faith in local government.

“I believe that the solution begins in building partnerships between government and the public, that insist both on real results, and on democratic engagement,” said Lander. “This balancing act takes longer, to be sure. Quality systems to measure accountability take discipline and data. Meaningful democratic engagement takes patience and openness.The combination is all too rare.”"

New Area Skate Park

With the construction and rehabbing of the Brooklyn Bridge's Manhattan side, the famed Brooklyn Banks will be closed for some time. Maybe some of the skaters can head over to Gowanus for Homage, the new indoor skate facility at 615 DeGraw Street. From the New York Times:

"has a suitable concrete floor and several wooden skateboard ramps wedged into it. The 2,500-square-foot space accommodates about 20 skaters; for now, it is open only to members who pay $100. Ms. Sauer, a former designer at Zoo York, the skateboard company, and at Burton, the snowboard company, said she and Mr. Portes planned to offer day-rate admission soon. “It’s hard for New Yorkers to skate in the winter,” Mr. Portes said. “So we wanted to set up a training facility because we want to see more pro skaters coming out of New York.”"

A Novel Idea for Slowing the CSOs into the Gowanus Canal

Everyone who lives around and studies the Gowanus Canal knows that the long-term issue is heavy metals, industrial history and lack of current. However, adding fuel to the fire are the CSOs, Combined Sewage Overflows. Basically, the waste and storm water flows share the same drain, and when stormwater flows heavily (i.e. during a rain event), the excess capacity overflows into the Gowanus. Once in the canal, it sits for weeks until it breaks down, since there is no tidal or other flow to bring it out to the bay.

One Park Slope resident think that he has a idea for this problem, and it involves disseminating real-time information to residents in close proximity to the canal, hoping to reduced wastewater flow when stormwater is heaviest. From Courier-Life:

"His system collects rainwater from buildings, and stores it in large, 750-gallon cisterns if a signal alerts that an overflow event is imminent. “Once you get that signal, it will close the valve because you don’t want to be dumping that water anymore.”When the system can handle it, the water is released back into the sewer line. “This is smart technology — it sees the action before it occurs and reacts to it,” he noted.

Presently, 377 million of gallons are discharged into the canal eachyear from 11 combined sewer overflow pipes along the waterway, Chezar said. Even with the city’s recently announced plan to reduce the overflows, there will still be 250 million gallons dumped in the canal, he noted. “Any gallon you can prevent from being discharged reduces that number,” he said.

Chezar’s hope is that his system will be installed in representative homes, institutions and businesses in and around the Gowanus. If it is shown to be effective, he is suggesting the city provide a discounted water rate to homes or businesses that employ the technology.

The plan would offer a variety of modes of communication — text messaging, Twitter, e-mail — to alert resident that an overflow event was likely. A small subgroup of homes would even receive a remote signal to a MIT-designed cube-shaped device that will change color when the canal is in danger of being overwhelmed by sewage.

The theory is that the person would then modify their behavior, say, forestall washing their dishes, until after the danger of polluting the canal has passed. “This isn’t Big Brother,” Chezar said. “It is basically telling you what’s going on.”"

Old Computers Are Art in Gowanus

For the more artsy among us, the Brooklyn Eagle is reporting that some Gowanus artists took some older Macs which were to be recycled, and made some interesting exhibits.

"Since the Mac Support Store is part of the NYCS retail takeback program, the equipment was slated to be recycled. But Graber and Brooklyn curators Michele Jaslow and Spring Hofeldt decided to put out a call for artists to use them to create art pieces.

The result is the show “Programmed,” which opened on Dec. 21 at the Mac Support Store, with a satellite exhibit in the windows of wine shop Red White & Bubbly on Fifth Avenue in Park Slope."

The show will be at the Mac Support Store until March 13th.

Columbia Heights: Another Great Video

Mr. Junkersfeld over at the Brooklyn Heights Blog did another history tour video, this time on Columbia Heights. Truthfully, Columbia Heights may be the most expensive and coveted real estate in all of Brooklyn, and I've always enjoyed it. However, the BQE creates a physical, psychological and cultural barrier to conceptualizing a waterfront where Columbia Height, Fulton Ferry, Carroll Gardens, Red Hook and the Columbia Waterfront District all were a part of a huge, vitally important economic engine for the country.

New Waterfront Restaurant for Brooklyn?

The River Cafe may not be the only waterfront restaurant in Downtown Brooklyn (you can of course venture into Williamsburg or Sheepshead Bay for other waterfront dining options). From the New York Post:

"The city’s Parks Department is seeking a restaurateur to operate an eatery overlooking the New York Harbor on Brooklyn Bridge Park’s Pier 6, this paper has learned.

The pier is located on the southern edge of the waterfront Park off Atlantic Avenue with breathtaking views of both lower Manhattan and New York Harbor.

“Parks recently sent a notice to (Community Board 2) that we are intending to issue an RFP (Request for Proposals) for a restaurant at Pier 6 in Brooklyn Bridge Park,” said Parks Department spokesperson Phil Abramson."

Also at Curbed.

Nine Good Teeth: Carroll Gardens, Old School

For an incredible video, head on over to Pardon Me For Asking, Katia Kelly's Carroll Gardens and beyond blog. The video is titled "Nine Good Teeth" and is about someone's grandmother, born in Carroll Gardens (then Red Hook) two centuries ago. The video is not only incredibly well done, but is touching and contains scenes of the neighborhood.

I won't put this video up, because she went through the hard work of finding and posting, but suffice to say that as someone whose own grandmother is from Carroll Gardens, I found it touching. So head on over there and thank Katia for posting!

Carroll Gardens' Lucali Continues to be a Friend

Lucali's friends of friends continue to make news. From the ever-reliable New York Post:

Colombo crime-family slacker Dominick "Black Dom" Dionisio -- who was accused by his probation officer of socializing instead of working at his Brooklyn pizza-parlor job -- is hoping to open a new restaurant for his boss.

While Dionisio waits for his federal racketeering trial to begin, his lawyer has requested that he be allowed to help his current employer, Lucali's Pizza in Carroll Gardens, open a new eatery.

"Mr. Dionisio's duties at the new location will require him to travel to [Manhattan] for, among other things, his food handler's license and permits for the restaurant," his lawyer, James Froccaro informed the judge. "He will be purchasing décor and equipment for the new restaurant as well."

Froccaro refused to say where the new restaurant will be. 

Refused to say? Come on, where's the investigative journalism?

Gowanus A Go-Go: A Benefit for the Gowanus Canal Conservancy

GOWANUS A GO GO

Monday, January 25, 2010 6:30 PM 

a benefit concert to support the Gowanus Canal Conservancy

PLUSHGUN

PAPERDOLL

THE FLANKS

GRAMERCY ARMS

DJ SPIRITBEAR

The Gowanus Canal Conservancy will be hosting the first annual "Gowanus a Go Go" benefit concert. Gowanus a Go Go will feature some of the best bands of the New York City music scene, bringing them together to play at The Bell House in the Gowanus Canal district. 

All proceeds from the concert will go to the Gowanus Canal Conservancy, a non-profit organization founded in 2006, dedicated to the preservation, restoration and smart growth of the Gowanus Canal and its environs for the greater good of the community, to continue their ongoing work on the canal and the greater Gowanus neighborhood.

Direct link to tickets here.

Jonathan Lethem on Brooklyn. Through British Eyes.

Motherless Brooklyn Author Jonathan Lethem gave an interview to the Observer (a British paper), on subjects ranging from Manhattan to writing to Dean Street. I must confess that I've always found Mr. Lethem a bit whiny, and it is hard to find a hipster who does not enjoy his work, but it's interesting to read how another culture gets it information about Brooklyn. The article does also do some serious journalist felating of Mr. Lethem.

Some highlights:

"This whole neighbourhood has become centred on the kind of middle-class families that were just one very small minority element then,"

"The dirty word hovering over all this is gentrification – "a Nixon word", as his parents saw it. The mother in Fortress of Solitude teaches her son to be proud of calling the neighbourhood Gowanus, rather than the nearby, more chi-chi Boerum Hill"

"As a teenager, Lethem left. He went to Bennington College in Vermont"

And my favorite:

"I didn't set out to write a great Brooklyn novel, or a Brooklyn novel at all. I set out to write the great novel of Dean Street between Bond and Nevins, on a certain summer's day in 1972."

via Curbed.

Congresswoman Yvette Clark Leaves Community Waiting, Wanting

Last night Conresswoman Yvette Clark (D-NY) held a community roundtable last night at Christ Church, courtesy of the Cobble Hill Association. After showing up half an hour late, the Congresswoman gave updates on topics ranging from joblessness to health care to housing. After a short discussion on health care, the discussion moved to the topic that everyone knew it would, Superfunding of the Gowanus Canal.

Congresswoman Clark explained her (non) position thusly: The Superfund process is slow, and the EPA currently does not have enough money to complete the process (this is debatable). The Mayor's plan (which itself lacks many details), will be faster and will include private sector money. She claimed that she is still waiting for details to emerge on both plans before endorsing either plan. See some of her comments in the video at the bottom.

The vast majority of those there endorsed Superfund designation and peppered the Congresswoman with questions about why she refused to endorse Superfund status. She kept on repeating that in fact, she had no endorsed EITHER plan. What she failed to realize was that in fact, by not endorsing the Superfund designation, she was implicitly endorsing the Mayor's Plan, or, at the very least, supporting those who oppose Superfund designation.

The rest of the night was spent with the Congresswoman attempting to straddle the fence on the issue, and with her parrying the citizen's concerns. While composed and cool under pressure, at a few points, she and her staff did break down and begin bantering with residents.

Congresswoman, the issue is simple. It will soon be a year since the issue has been raised. On one side of the issue are residents, your voting constituents. On the other side, people who stand to make loads and loads of money.

Who will you support?

More detailed writeup at Pardon Me For Asking, with additional video.

The Beer Man of Bay Ridge

A friend and fellow fisherman recently authored an article for the Brooklyn Paper on a new specialty beer store in Bay Ridge. Although not directly Carroll Gardens related, it is still a fun read.
 
"Dharmesh Chokshi’s new BR Specialty Beer Store offers 500 other bottles of beers for the rest of us.

“All of our beers were rated 95 percent or higher on Beeradvocate.com,” Chokshi said, adding that he spent considerable time roaming around some of the borough’s best bars before putting together his own shopping list.

As a result, BR’s offerings extend well beyond the full line of popular alt-brews like Dogfish, Rogue and Chimay to add organic craft beers and Belgian ales, not to mention an extensive line of wintertime strong brews that come in at more than eight percent alcohol."

For more by Mike, check out Lines in the Street.

A Life In The Gowanus Houses

Many newcomers to Carroll Gardens, Cobble Hill and Boerum Hill (and, lets face it, many of the natives) avoid the Gowanus Houses. Sure, they're projects, but as projects go, they're not that bad. The New York Times has a nice little piece on one life in the Gowanus Houses, and her impact on the Drill Team the "Gowanus Wildcats".

"Ms. Flowers, now 51 and a facilitator at an East New York post office, still lives in the three-bedroom apartment where she grew up. And a third generation is in residence: the apartment is also home to her son, Darryl, 31, who works at a consulting and technology firm. (Ms. Flowers is engaged to his father, a longtime friend.) 

Ms. Flowers, who pays about $1,000 in rent, is not sure how much her parents paid when they arrived, but she could check because she has saved all the old receipts. “I hardly throw anything away,” she admitted. “You name it, it’s around here somewhere.” 

Over the years, her life has been brushed by the sorrow and disarray that is sadly commonplace in many of the city’s public housing complexes. She does what she can to fight back." 

Sometimes we lose track of the fact that old timers live everywhere, even the pjs. Click through and read about a life that is so close and yet so far from the Carroll Street F Train stop.

Fear Not Landlords: Brownstone Brooklyn Rents Going Back Up!

In 2008 and some of 2009, Carroll Gardens, Cobble Hill, Brooklyn Height, Fort Greene, Park Slope and most of Brownstone Brooklyn were all affected by the down real estate market, with purchase prices and rents descending rapidly. Well, turns out that while purchase prices have yet to recover, rents are going back up. From Courier-Life:

"As the temperature dropped, rental activity increased markedly. “The hyperactive November and December 2009 are a true testament to the resiliency of the brownstone Brooklyn rental market,” the report states. “It is as if everyone had been asleep and then mid-November capriciously happened.”

While most of the year was hardly a cause for elation, December certainly impressed: 15.3 percent of all rental transactions for the year were completed that month alone, the report found.

...

Still, conditions are certainly more favorable for renters than they were at the irrational heights of the last real estate bubble. Over the last year, virtually all rental units decreased in price in comparison to 2008. Two bedroom apartments lead the general trend, renting for an average of $2,605 a month, shaving $225 a month from 2008. One bedrooms fell an average of $214 and three bedrooms on average were $141 cheaper in 2009, down to an average of $3,000 a month."

Is this a temporary uptick, in response to steady demand and reduced prices, or will we see prices rebound as we head in 2010? As Bob Marley says...

City Diving: The Urban Divers at the New York Boat Show

The Urban Divers have always fascinated. Although I consider myself an aquatic person, and hold PADI certifications, the waters around New York have never fascinated the diver in me. Maybe I'm not cold-blooded enough, who knows. Nonetheless, I have always taken in interest in the Urban Divers' affairs, and now word comes, courtesy of the Brooklyn Heights Courier, that the Urban Divers will be come out to the New York Boat Show, which yours truly will be attending as well.

"The Urban Divers Estuary Conservancy will be wheeling its 48-foot traveling urban nature center and maritime museum called Enviromedia Mobile to the New York Boat Show.

The vehicle offers a host of exhibits meant to inspire discovery and learning about the urban estuary and watershed, as well as the chance to learn about diverse maritime heroes and history. Over the summer, the travelling museum touched down across the borough, from Bensonhurst to Red Hook as part of the celebration of the 400th anniversary of the Hudson River.

The Urban Divers, along with its youth urban marine explorers, will provides public activities in a hands-on way, teaching environmental investigation and scientific exploration."

The New York Boat Show is at the Javits Center, from January 20th - January 24th. For tickets, go to nyboatshow.com. See you there!

All In All: A Trolley Dodger's Wall?

The wall on Third and Third in Gowanus, which may or may not have been part of Washington Park (head on over to the Old Stone House for more history), the original home of the Brooklyn (Trolley) Dodgers, has drawn the attention of the Landmarks Preservation Commission. From Courier-Life:

"The Landmark Preservation Commission said it will review whether the 20-foot wall, which stands at Third Avenue between First and Third Streets, should be named a city landmark. “We are aware of it, and it is under consideration,” said Elisabeth de Bourbon, a spokesperson for Landmarks.

Some believe the wall was once part of a clubhouse or carriage house in Washington Park stadium, where baseball teams that would later become the Brooklyn Dodgers once played. From 1898-1912, the Brooklyn Superbas, later known as the Trolley Dodgers and then the Dodgers, played in the stadium.

Reports surfaced last week that the historic value of the wall has now become suspect. Brooklyn historian and author Brian Merlis reportedly said that there is no evidence that the wall is original to the now-vanished stadium, claiming with “absolute certainty” that the wall was not a part of the stadium prior to the team’s departure in 1912."

If a real Brooklynite had Hitler, Stalin and Walter O'Malley in a room with a gun, but only had two bullets, who does the Brooklynite shoot?

More Super Fun Superfund Meetings!

The EPA is back again, with more informational meetings on the Superfund process. Pardon Me For Asking is reporting that the EPA's meeting will be held on on Thursday, January 21, 2009, from 7-9 pm at PS 32.

Lets hope that they have some new information about where the Gowanus is in the Super Fun Superfund food chain.

For more Superfund information, check out the EPA's website for the Gowanus.

Hey, Bloomberg: Keep Your Message Clear

There is fetid, putrid, contaminant-infested water body that surely needs some extensive cleanup, due to it's industrial past. However, this one isn't in an area that has high real estate value, or mega-developers bearing down on it, or high-paid lobbyists opposing it, so Mayor Bloomberg has decided to go along for the ride! From the Brooklyn Paper:

"The Bloomberg Administration has quietly backed a federal effort to list North Brooklyn’s Newtown Creek as a toxic Superfund site — though the city continues to fight the very same classification for the Gowanus Canal.

On Dec. 23, the city submitted its testimony in support of the Environmental Protection Agency’s Newtown Creek Superfund bid, citing the waterway’s pollution. Yet at the Gowanus Canal, which is similarly befouled yet is ripe for luxury development along its banks, the city is still moving forward with its own clean-up.

“They are different situations and we evaluate each one independently,” said Marc La Vorgna, a mayoral spokesperson. “Each situation is not the same.”

The pollution in both waterways certainly is. The main difference is that the city, with the help of developers like Toll Brothers, is hoping to turn the rundown manufacturing zone around the Gowanus Canal into a residential, commercial and manufacturing area with thousands of luxury units and $400 million in private investment."

Mayor Bloomberg, this rouse is very easy to see through. Don't disappoint us again keep on disappointing us.

Caputo's Bake Shop: A Carroll Gardens Haven

Caputo's Bake Shop occupies the first and second floor of a white-brick building at 329 Court Street between Sackett and Union.  If you live in Carroll Gardens, you know this bakery quite well.  In fact, the Caputos may even know you.  Their long, striped yellow bread bags with the bold blue capped CAPUTO'S font may be the most recognizable logo in the neighborhood.  And if someone sent you on a scavenger hunt to find it, you wouldn't be limited to the bakery alone.  Caputo's not only boasts of a successful retail business, but of a thriving wholesale business as well.  They distribute their breads, of which there are over 100 different varieties, to stores all over Brooklyn.  They are, without a doubt, the men with the bread. 

Meet John and James Caputo - father and son. 

Established in 1904 by John's father and grandfather, the bakery was originally opened for business on the southeast corner of Union and Hicks before it and adjacent buildings were demolished to make room for the construction of the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway.  John's father was the baker and he did everything by hand in an old-fashioned slow mixer.  They sold three breads: plain, seeded, and scalita (a dry Sicilian bread that goes best with soups, I learned).  Home deliveries were big then and so frequent trips were made by horse and wagon around the neighborhood, running up stoops with bread baskets.  "Families ate a lot of bread - five to ten loaves a day!" John says.

The clientele was noticeably different as it was a working-class Italian-American neighborhood.  "If you wanted to work behind the counter and be a salesgirl, you had to speak fluent Italian," John recalls.  "Our backhands? All Italian."  Those scalita loaves went fast.  "Today we only sell a couple of scalitas, but we used to make hundreds of them.  Meat was expensive and so the staple was bread.  You filled up on bread.  My father used to say 'You can't have a piece of meat without a piece of bread'," John reminisces.  James laughs and adds, "Our family still can't eat without the bread." 

In the early 1960s, right around the time the old International Longshoremen's Association building was being built (now torn down in order to make room for upscale housing), the business moved to 332 Court Street (across the street from its present location).  With bakery establishments on the rise, Caputo's saw competition from nine other stores.  "There was such a demand for bread that it was okay to have so many open though," John explains.  "Some did better than others but everyone, at least, made a living." 

Today, however, Caputo's is one of the two standing traditional Italian bread bakeries in the neighborhood (the other being Mazzola's on the corner of Henry and Union).  A day-to-day business with preparation beginning around four or five o'clock in the afternoon, there are doughs that need to be started one day and finished out the next and then there are some that are baked out in one day and put under refrigeration.  Some doughs take three days to prepare.  However, it's during the holiday season when the Caputo men really need and require the most help from their staff.  "Even then, it's not enough," the both of them agree.  

In 106 years, the business has been passed down amongst five generations of Caputos and we can only hope it doesn't end with James.  Years ago, when James was working in finance, John actually considered working his way out of the bakery so that he could retire.  James didn't like the sound of that.  "I decided it was a bad idea," he jokes.  "We were a family business and my Dad had put in forty, fifty years here.  I couldn't let him go that easily."

This father and son duo have a fairly straightforward business motto that has been around a long, long time: KEEP THE PEOPLE HAPPY.  They're a neighborhood bakery that caters to its inhabitants - always has, always will.  "One of the reasons why we changed our mix of breads was to accommodate all of the young, new people who were moving in," John explains.  "Fifteen years ago, bread was still a popular thing... but they came wanting the new breads - the kaiser rolls, the brioche, the olive."  He lets out a little smile and says, "They thought they were gourmets." [Side note: the olive bread is my favorite bread there.]  "But that's why we're still here," John says.  "We bake what the people want.  If we depended only on the basic items we sold forty and fifty years ago, people would pass right by."  And pass right by, they do not.  Not when you have baguettes and ciabattas, olive breads and onion loaves, rusticas and semolinas stacked warm and pretty in the window.

It seems that the bread attract the parents and the cookies beneath the counter attract the children.  "I see it, everyday," James says.  "A child will not allow his mother to pass the shop without stopping for a cookie." 





Caputo's Bake Shop
329 Court Street b/w Sackett and Union
718-875-6871 

More by Sylvie Morgan Flatow 
Photos by Max Flatow

Brooklyn House of Detention Clears More Hurdles

Outgoing New York City Comptroller (and ex-Mayoral Candidate) William (Bill) Thompson has dropped the Office's opposition to the reopening of the Brooklyn House of Detention on Atlantic Avenue. From the Brooklyn Eagle:


"An expected courtroom fight between Mayor Michael Bloomberg and former Comptroller Bill Thompson over a design contract for a Downtown Brooklyn jail was suddenly resolved on New Year’s Eve when Thompson, in an 11th-hour turnaround, agreed to register the contract on the last day of his term in office. 


The lawsuit, which sought to have the state Supreme Court compel Thompson to register the contract, thus became moot. It was withdrawn by Bloomberg shortly thereafter."

I understand those who are worried about their real estate values, however we need to recognize that as a society, we have a need for detention facilities. An existing complex, in close proximity to arraignment facilities, seems like a perfect situation for a cash-strapped city with over crowded jails.

Meet Your Congresswoman: Yvette Clark

Reported by Pardon Me For Asking and the Cobble Hill Association, Congresswoman Yvette Clark will be hosting a Community Roundtable at Christ Church (Clinton and Kane) on Monday, January 11th, at 7:30 pm. If history serves, one issue will likely dominate the night, that of Superfund status for the Gowanus. From PMFA:

"I believe that Congresswoman Clarke owes her constituents an explanation for her failure to take a stand on the proposed listing of the Gowanus Canal as a Superfund site. She has been tiptoeing around the issue for months claiming she is doing due-diligence. As opposed to Congresswoman Velázquez's strong pro-Superfund statement, Ms. Clarke's fence-sitting has been deplorable.

I had lengthy conversations with the Congresswoman's staff about this very important environmental issue and hope to have an opportunity to finally hear directly from Ms. Clarke."

I hope that the Congresswoman and her staff are prepared for the constituents' ideas.

CVS Crime Wave?

Over at the Brooklyn Paper, we learned this morning that the Court Street CVS (between 2st and 2nd Places) has been the site of at least two attempted robberies in the past couple of weeks. From the Police Blotter:

"One week after our Police Blotter crackled with a juicy item about a pushy shoplifter at the store between First and Second places, the manager told cops that a perp entered the store about 2:50 pm and tried to leave without paying for several items.

Employees wrestled with the villain and he gave back the items. But when workers refused to allow him to leave, he got violent, pulling a knife.

“I gave you your stuff back — get off me,” he said, brandishing the blade before making his getaway.

Cops are looking for a 6-foot, 230-pound bald man in his 40s."

Lets keep an eye out, Carroll Gardeners!

Throwdown: Bobby Flay Comes to Court Street

Tune into the Food Network on January 13th at 9 pm, to see Bobby Flay "Throwdown" at Fish Tales on Court Street. From the Food Network:

"John Addis, owner and chef of Fish Tales, is a self-proclaimed fish fanatic. He thinks his Manhattan Fish Chowder has earned him a spot on a Food Network special called "Hooked on Chowder." What he does not know is Iron Chef Flay will be showing up to serve him with a Throwdown challenge. Stay tuned to see who sinks or swims on this tasty chowder battle."

Hannah Senesh: Give Them Some Rope, They Want To Be Cowboys?

Hannah Senesh may have overstepped their bounds. After an uneasy couple of years with traffic tie ups on Smith Street and a brand new color palette forced on us, they fired a huge first shot in what will surely be a war by attacking the Gardens of Carroll Gardens. Now, it seems that the attention brought on them by their land grab has backfired, as people have taken notice of the fact that they are illegally using their garden as a parking lot (as the district office did before them). From Courier-Life:

"The courtyard area is city owned, and the Department of Buildings has enforcement over any zoning violations seen on the property. Carly Sullivan, an agency spokesperson, said inspectors were dispatched to the site on Dec. 30 — during a vacation week for the school— and did not observe any cars in the courtyard. “In the future, if residents see parked cars there, they should call 311,” she said, saying the agency will be keeping its eye on the courtyard. Meanwhile, she added, the agency has received no complaints about the matter since July 2008.

Amy Glosser, vice president of the school’s board of directors,said the school simply inherited a parking lot. “As far as we know, it has been that way a long time, and we don’t have plans to change the use of the space at this time.”

The property was formerly home to the headquarters of School District 15, whose employees also parked their cars in the courtyard.

Maria Pagano, president of the Carroll Gardens Neighborhood Association, said she’s been hearing complaints about the use of this courtyard for the past 20 years. “When the district office used it they said it was just temporary, and that it would be converted back to a garden,” she recalled. “You have to understand, there are people fighting for the restoration of the original gardens who see this every day.”"

In my opinion, this parking situation is on par with how egregious their land grab is. Could you imagine if a homeowner paved over their yard and installed a curb cut and parked cars on a Place Block?

The BQE Going Green???

The good folks over at Curbed have continuing coverage of the madness that surrounds the New York City Economic Development Corporation's solicitation of ideas for the "trenched" section of the BQE. From more ambitious ideas based around housing, flooding, the EDC has selected dlandstudio for it's "less-than-abitious" plan to green up the trenched BQE section in Carroll Gardens and Cobble Hill.

"Now, two years after Brooklyn architecture firm dlandstudio wowed us with some renderings of a green BQE, that concept appears to be the winner. Why? Because it's the cheapest. The Brooklyn Paper calls it a "less-than-ambitious" proposal, but when other ideas include turning the ditch into the Nile, what realistic alternative isn't a disappointment?"

For those who don't realize, in the footprint of the current trenched section of the BQE were numerous buildings, churches and parks prior to the BQE's construction. Caputo's Bake Shop's original building was demolished to make room for the open wound that severed the Columbia Waterfront District from the rest of Carroll Gardens, as was the original Sacred Heart's parish building.

Another big problem with the BQE is that the Carroll Gardens community is cut off from the waterfront. There used to be legions of workers who would come walking up the hill from the docks after work. Now, we have two different neighborhoods, neither quite whole.

Whole Foods: Maybe Not?

As first reported here on Thursday, the Gowanus / Park Slope / Carroll Gardens / Boerum Hill Whole Foods site is continuing with it's environmental remediation (as much as capping can be considered remediation), which seemed to bode well for the prospects of those who love their foods whole. But today, the Daily News is reporting that the news from Whole Foods' lawyers may not be so positive:

""No decision has been made," said spokesman Michael Sinatra. "We're kind of taking it step by step." Plans to open the upscale natural food chain's first Brooklyn store at Third Ave. and Third St. were thrown into disarray when leaky oil tanks were found buried beneath the site in 2006, contaminating the soil with cancer-causing chemicals, such as benzene.

At the time, store officials said they would clean up the toxic 2.1-acre site and open in 2008, but the deadline sailed by with little progress. Now, the company is vowing to clean up the mess, but may never build a store. "When [the cleanup] is done, it will be reassessed and [Whole Foods will] determine what will happen, whether a store will open or won't open," Sinatra said. "Eventually we'd like to bring a store to Brooklyn. Whether or not that will be the site, we're undecided at this point.""

Persistent rumors abound that the Whole Foods site will eventually be developed for residential uses, which makes the decision to cap all the more interesting, as that would not suffice as remediation for many residential uses. Perhaps they are capping so that the land may retain some commercial value in the interim while the Superfund status is decided?

The Jersey Shore...On Court Street

MTV's The Jersey Shore certainly has attracted a lot of controversy. Here is a clip of The Jersey Shore's "The Situation" being interviewed right here in Carroll Gardens at Body Elite...




I wonder if Body Elite is searching for a new type of clientele by hosting this "interview".

Also, as an added bonus, the VH1 host appears at the end of the interview, sitting on a brownstone stoop, presumably somewhere in Carroll Gardens as well.

Carroll Gardens Residents More Unemployed Than Those in Coney Island?

Carroll Gardens and Cobble Hill are apparently doing worse than Coney Island and Sunset Park when it comes to unemployment data. From the Times City Room Blog, via the Village Voice:

"Predictably, realtor-friendly districts in north (Williamsburg) an southwest (Sunset Park) Brooklyn are doing better than Crown Heights and Brownsville. It's a small surprise that Coney Island and Canarsie are more in the middle, at 9 percent -- lower than Brooklyn Heights, Cobble Hill and Carroll Gardens! Maybe formerly productive citizens in the latter districts have taken to living off rents.

Unofficial unemployment, of course, is probably much higher all around."

UPDATE: Old ILA Building to go to the BSA

UPDATE: According to Katia Kelly over at Pardon Me For Asking, Community Board 6's Land Use Committee voted to recommend approval of the BSA application on Monday Night.

Something of interest to all in Carroll Gardens who have been here long enough to remember when the International Longshoreman's Association was a huge influence. According to the Courier Life Publications, the former ILA building site at 340 Court Street, will have to jump through some procedural hoops to proceed with their planned development.

"A stop work order has been slapped on the Clarett Group’s cavernous property, 340 Court Street, where a seven-story condominium and 11 four-story town homes are planned. Before the rezoning passed in October, the project, called “The Collection at Court Street,” was allowed to proceed “as of right,” zoning parlance meaning no special approvals would be required, as it conformed to the existing zoning.

Following the rezoning, which was initiated to preserve the neighborhood’s low-rise character, the developers will now be required to present their plans to Community Board 6, whose vote is advisory in nature only.

Ultimately, it will be up to the city’s Board of Standards and Appeals to approve or disapprove of the developer’s request, which is essentially asking for the legalization of previously issued building permits, which would allow the completion of the project as planned."

This seems pointless, as the same buildings could be built under the new zoning. Probably just a way for the developer to save money. But I don't see them blazing along with anything anytime soon...

Community Board 6 Going Green!

Community Board 6, which represents Carroll Gardens, Park Slope, Red Hook, and other hinterlands, has decided to go green! Or, in this age of PDFs, maybe a little less NOT green!

From the Courier Life Publications:

"planning to cut that amount down to 250 pieces a month, the minimum required to qualify for cheaper bulk mail rates.

The move will save approximately $150 a month, not a huge sum, but significant with more budget cuts looming for community boards, according to Board 6 District Manager Craig Hammerman."

Happy New Year!

...from the Carroll Gardens Diary!