Art Not Arrests Garden Cleanup RIGHT NOW

Ack - time has flown so fast over the last few weeks that I looked at the email from Art Not Arrests and CHCA and thought "oh, April 7, that's NEXT weekend." Not so much. So, if you're around right now or this afternoon for an hour or two, head on down to the Crow Hill Community Garden  (Franklin between Sterling and Park) to help the folks from Ground Up Designers clean up and prepare the garden for this summer's installation, as well as build the actual frame that will hold the canopy of zip ties.

It's Weekend Time: Food, Drink, & Cherry Blossoms

(photo by Oskar Norlander via Brooklyn Botanic Garden)

- The cherry trees are beginning to bloom at the BBG (see above), so put on your walking shoes and go for a stroll with that special someone this weekend (don't wait for the festival at the end of the month, which is always packed and, with global warming, always comes too late, anyway). To appreciate them even more, check out this fabulous story about the dirt the trees are planted in (here's a Brooklyn Dodgers connection) from Michael W. Robbins' collection Brooklyn: A State of Mind.

- Tonight, check out Chef Benoit Bofia's SoulKofa Soiree at Lily & Fig for good company and a vegan African buffet. 

- Tonight and tomorrow, 739 Franklin offers food, music, and cocktails in their brand new space as part of their grand opening.

- Finally, as regular readers will know, ILFA is a total map nerd. Check out this latest one from Columbia, an energy-use map of NYC.

Crown Heights in the News, Falafel, Murals, and More

Straight from the rumor mill, ILFA has heard that the former Passion Hair Salon on Franklin between Eastern and Lincoln (798A, if memory serves) is being transformed into a falafel joint as we speak. Whenever they open, Gothamist will have to update their "Food and Drink Tour of Crown Heights" and the Daily News will have to update their "Guide to Crown Heights and the Brooklyn Botanic Garden," both of which were published in the last few days. 

Meanwhile, down the street, the clinic at Franklin and Park is getting a new mural, courtesy of Imaginal Disc Art. 

Finally, while it's not in Crown Heights, tonight's party for dance documentary Flex is Kings over on Bond and Union looks to be truly fantastic (and I know some local folks are involved in the project, so hey, there's your CH connection).

WSJ: Brownstoner Investing In Crown Heights

Years ago, a local developer turned an old Studebaker building in Crown Heights into low-income housing, an unlikely redevelopment that was hailed at the time for marrying preservation and affordable units. Today, it was announced by the Wall Street Journal that the other Studebaker building in the neighborhood, the former service station at 1000 Dean Street just west of the shuttle tracks, is also slated for a radical transformation. Jonathan Butler, the creator of real-estate blog Brownstoner and the Brooklyn Flea and a guy who knows about as much as one blogger can about the changing shape of Brooklyn neighborhoods, has put together a mega-deal to pour $30 million into three industrial properties along Dean between Franklin and Classon. The WSJ reports that much of the space will be used for "mixed-use office space to house a mix of small businesses like Internet start-ups, food makers and light industrial manufacturers," hopefully employing 400-500 people in a couple of years. (no word on how much local hiring is in the works). Additionally, Butler and his partners (who include Goldman Sachs and the guys who brought you the Toren) plan to set aside some space for good times. Writes the Journal, "one section of the property will be used for cultural events and another section will have a food and beer hall that will feature food vendors from the Brooklyn Flea, a flea market held on weekends in Fort Greene and Williamsburg. Mr. Butler envisions that the 9,000-square-foot food hall will have five or six different food vendors." 

About 15 months ago, with new businesses including Thirst Bar and Compare Foods opening up in the area, Nostrand Park described the hitherto-light-industrial-but-starting-to-develop area bounded by Prospect, Atlantic, Washington, and Franklin as Four Corners (so named for its location, at the juncture of Crown Heights, Prospect Heights, Bed-Stuy, and Clinton Hill). At the time (as it does now), the area that still had many working junkyards, auto body shops, and live poultry butchers, but was also attracting wine bars, high-end residential development, and increasing numbers of creative-class types. With Butler's big-time investment getting under way this summer, one can only imagine that "Four Corners" will be turning a corner as all of these trends accelerate. Readers, any prognostications?

St. Marks: Bridge v. Truck, Bridge Wins

Thanks to reader Amar for sending these photos, which arrived in my inbox with the subject line "maybe time for a "maximum height" sign on the shuttle line bridges?" If, like Amar, you live nearby and woke up to a big bang this morning, this was it.

739 Franklin: Grand Opening This Weekend

The announcement says it all - 739 Franklin, the latest addition to the super-hot block between Sterling Park, opens for business this weekend with a two-day celebration. Swing by on Friday or Saturday for free (while supplies last) catered hors d'oeuvres and music (a DJ on Friday, and live jazz on Saturday), as well as first crack at their cocktails and other offerings behind the bar. Should be a good time - the Franklin Avenue Merchants always know how to welcome a new spot to the Avenue in style.

SoulKofa Soiree at Lily & Fig, Friday from 6-11pm

 

For those looking for an interesting Friday night, chef Benoit Bofia hosts his monthly SoulKofa Soiree this Friday, April 6, at Lily & Fig, featuring a vegan African buffet and eclectic company from 6-11pm. For more information, click on the flyer above or check them out on FB.