From Fort Greene PUPS: Just wanted to pass along an invitation to the grand opening of the Who's Your Doggy dog grooming and washing shop (I think Tracy should call it the Laundra-Mutt). Who's Your Doggy is located at the corner of Adelphi and Willoughby, and the grooming shop is right next door. The party will be this Sunday, June 24 from 2:00-5:00. There will be people treats, doggy treats, and a keg o' beer.
Tracy says to come on down and help her celebrate!
The next Presidential election is coming sooner than later (thank GOD), and our neighbors in Bed-Stuy are organizing some events to watch the Democratic candidate debates. It's a good reason to motivate: not only make sure you keep abreast of the issues, but also an excellent excuse to visit some of Bed-Stuy's most talked-about hangouts:What: Two simultaneous parties starting at 8:30 pm June 28 to watch the Democratic Debate (hosted by Tavis Smiley, live from Howard University, focused largely on African-American issues).
Where: Common Grounds coffee shop, 376 Tompkins (b/t Jefferson & Putnam) and Bread-Stuy, 403 Lewis Ave (@ Decatur). Both locations are close to the C train.
The events are hosted by Bed-Stuy for Obama, though they'd love to have anybody interested in listening to all the candidates. RSVPs can be sent to bedstuy@brooklynforbarack.org.
Everyone is welcome!
Salsa & Merengue @ Move With Grace Prepare to be seduced by the rhythm of the drum and the spice of the latin soul of Cuba where salsa was birthed. This class is open to all levels and will be tailored to introduce not only the basics but also solo and couples choreography you can travel to the amazing night life and local clubs where Salsa lives. There is no such thing as two left feet in this class, only souls ready to join in the growing addiction of Salsa con Alma!
Singles & Couples Nights every 2nd Friday (Begins Friday July 13th) Salsa class begins at 7pm After Party (with refreshments) begins at 8pm (Party is FREE when you take the class at 7pm)
Partners are not required for the class! Dance experience is absolutely not required for this class!
$15/per class $140 for ten sessions $13 for your first class when you mention "The Clinton Hill Blog"
People, the Hollenback Compost Toilet is not yet complete! This Saturday, June 16, volunteers are needed to help install the composting tank into the giant hole that last week's volunteers helped create. I will once again be out of town this wknd, so please go and take notes!
Received this info from Hollenback Community Garden on Washington: Next Saturday, June 9th, we will be digging a hole 10 feet by 6 feet, 4 feet deep to install our new, and to my knowledge the neighborhood's only, composting toilet unit.
I thought it'd be nice to let you know, so if you wanted to come by and see the incredible group effort that makes Hollenback the beautiful place that it is, you could. Maybe you could also put a post up on your blog and see if anyone in the neighborhood would like to stop by and help us dig. We should be starting at around 11am, with a raindate on Sunday the 10th.
Even if you can't make it, after the digging, the installing, and building of a structure to house the unit, we will have an unveiling ceremony, where community members will be able to contribute in other ways.
I'm not sure if that last part was meant to be tongue-in-cheek (ie, contributing to the toilet). Either way, if you go, send photos.
I'm planning a large post on community gardens for Monday. In the meantime, the Clifton Place Community Garden is having a fundraising bake sale this weekend:
I'll have more info on this and other gardens next week!
First Friday @ RePop: FIRST FRIDAY JUNE 1ST: Hook-Ups & Meanderings by Ellie Balk
Join us this Friday, June 1st at RePOP 95% Recycled for Hook-ups & Meanderings featuring fine art by Ellie Balk.
The series of work on exhibition is an expression of both tension and beauty, and the balance of the space that lives between the extremes. Urban, raw nature, tone, color, line, expression, documentation, fantasy....these things find harmony on found objects and canvases.
Complimentary wine reception is from 7:30pm - 11pm so come on down the the Navy Yard, mingle with the art and get your vintage groove on!
Instead of our usual 10% promotion, this First Friday we will be donating 10% of all proceeds to a very dear 8 year old Huskie named Otto. Recently, Otto moved to Pennsylvania with his mommie, Amy, and a few days ago collapsed while on a walk in the park. Otto is suffering from paralysis in all four of his legs and in need of surgery to remedy the situation. This surprising attack on Otto's otherwise healthy nervous system has been quite frightening for both Otto and Amy. Please send them your utmost positive thoughts and help us to help them have a successful breakthrough surgery.
Pink Elephant Projects
Pink Elephant Projects (PEP) is excited to present Women et Homme, a new photographic body of work by Evan Schwartz. This is Mr. Schwartz's first show of new work in two years and the follow-up to his critically acclaimed body of work, Reclaiming Puberty.
In his new work, Women et Homme, Schwartz turns his camera outward in his search for truth in identity. The idea of self is layered in personal and societal constructions of gender. The women in Schwartz's photographs have found expressions of their individual selves within these outward constructions of gender to define their personal experiences.
Schwartz writes, "from dinners within the confines of this small Midtown garden apartment to events in restaurants and excursions to their favorite tavern, the seemingly average lifestyle of these women is what most interests me. What the general public fails to recognize is that a cross-dresser does not necessarily dress for entertainment or shock value: they dress to live as another gender for a series of moments. These women's stories are littered with wives and partners, children and professions. Some come from supportive backgrounds and some remain secretive. One can only honestly document what they understand; this series is the continuation of my responsibility as an artist: the pursuit of truth."
The photographs capture the women in all their vibrancy. The intimacy of a shared laugh in the company of friends, the gesture of applying lipstick or fixing an earring - all distinctively personal, feminine gestures captured by Schwartz in an engaging immediacy is Women et Homme.
Evan Schwartz was born in Lake Forest, IL in 1982. After a brief stay in Israel, Mr. Schwartz attended Pratt Institute where he received a BFA in photography. While still a student, Schwartz was given his first solo show, Reclaiming Puberty, at Schroeder Romero in Williamsburg in 2005. It was for this work that he received a review in the New York Times by Holland Cotter who, "look[ed] forward to more intense and startling work in the future," from Mr. Schwartz. "Reclaiming Puberty" traveled to Italy earlier this year to be included in "Other Families" curated by Peter Weiermair. Works by Mr. Schwartz can also be seen in L.A. Ruocco's Xero and in the permanent collection of Yeshiva University. Evan currently lives and works in Brooklyn, New York.
Crossdressers International (CDI) is a nonprofit, non-sexual group based in New York City whose focus is primarily on closeted male-to-female cross-dressers, offering a safe, informative, and welcoming means for CDs to overcome their fears of being discovered and to happily and constructively express their transgendered selves. Our experience suggests that a CD's female side is born inside each individual, and therefore cannot be denied. For those who want to escape the closet, CDI can help.
A reader send me the minutes from the last Community Board 2 meeting, which covers our area. She's summarized some items of note for us:
Thanks, Eve!
Rose is IN. Check it out this weekend at the Greene Grape: With summer rapidly approaching, this weekend we're uncorking all our roses at The Greene Grape. The event will be Friday, May 18 from 5-7pm, Saturday, May 19 from 4-6pm and Sunday, May 20 from 4-6pm -- we'll uncork at least 3 of our rosés each day. Attend every day and you'll have tasted every pink wine we carry.
The Greene Grape is at 765 Fulton Street between South Oxford and South Portland in Fort Greene, Brooklyn.
(718)797-9463 or www.greenegrape.com.
The SONYA Stroll is by far one of my favorite events in the neighborhood. Tons of local artists open up their homes and workspaces to display and sell their creations. This will be my fourth year doing the self-guided walk and I can't wait.
More info on SONYA:
Who is SONYA? South Of the Navy Yard Artists, (SONYA) is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization of visual artists living, creating, and exhibiting in the Ft. Greene, Clinton Hill, Wallabout, and Bedford Stuyvesant neighborhoods of Brooklyn. We are as diverse and dynamic as the community we serve. Our mission is to recognize, support, and celebrate the visual art and artists within our community.
Where is SONYA? Our artists live, create, and/or exhibit within the boundaries of Flatbush, Atlantic, Bedford and Flushing Avenues (including the Navy Yard) of Brooklyn. Our home base is ElevenTen Gallery at 1110 Fulton St. There we meet, plan, learn, exhibit, reach out to our community and celebrate.
When is SONYA? The South Of the Navy Yard Artists are creating and exhibiting all the time! And every 3rd weekend in May the SONYA Studio Stroll is an opportunity for you to become part of this experience. Be there!
For more info and to download a better map, go here. I highly recommend the large buildings near Wallabout that host lots of artist spaces. Cool to go inside, and you can see a lot of creations at one locale!
Cool vintage store collecther (I first checked it out here) is hosting a clothing swap! A great excuse to clean out your closets before summer kicks in...friends.. fam... collecthers...
SUNDAY MAY 20TH 4PM collecther clothing swap @ collecther - 306 Franklin Avenue (at Lafayette) http://www.collecther.com/ sponsored by STOLI VODKA
clean out your closet bring 20 FAB ITEMS YOU KNOW YOU DONT WEAR ANYMORE Get 80 FAKE BUCKS Bring (1) Item for donation benefiting DOMESTIC VIOLENCE OUTREACH... BID! DRINK! EAT! SWAP!
PLEASE RSVP @ anasha1@gmail.com
Society for Clinton Hill May General Meeting Wednesday, May 16, 2007, 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. (refreshments at 7:00, meeting 7:30) St. Luke's Church, Parish House, Washington Ave. (DeKalb/Willoughby)
AGENDA
7:30 House Tour Report – Jim Barnes & Linda Scher. (A great success that broke all previous records!) 7:35 Clinton Irving Jones: Brooklyn in 1900, by David Sokosh, Photographer
Jones was a photographer who lived on Steuben Street, in Clinton Hill, early in the 20th century. Working with the City History Club of New York, Jones documented a Brooklyn of Dutch farmhouses, barns and mills which was fast disappearing in 1900 and is all but non-existent today. In 2006, Jones' work was the subject of two New York Times articles and two exhibitions at Sokosh's Underbridge Pictures Gallery in DUMBO, Brooklyn.
This presentation is made possible in part by a grant from the Brooklyn Arts Council.
8:15 Getting Back Into the Garden: Tom Osbourne, Jackie Phillips Some tips on what to be doing during May to make your window boxes, street tree pits, front and back gardens beautiful for the coming months.
8:45 COMMITTEE REPORTS Zoning and Historic District Update
8:50 Announcements SUPPORT the DDDB Legal Fund which is now working to protect our brownstone neighborhoods through the courts. There are critical cases on the abusive use of eminent domain to take private homes for the benefit of a billionaire developer, and the severely inadequate Environmental Impact Study done by Ratner consultants for the proposed Atlantic Yards project. These lawsuits are the only thing standing between our neighborhoods and massive over development with the degrading environmental impacts. Visit DDDB online or mail your contribution to DDDB Legal Fund, 121 5th Ave., PO box 150, Brooklyn, NY 11217.
GARDEN TOUR, Sunday, June 3, 2007, 11 AM to 5 PM The self-guided walking tour includes gardens in Fort Greene, Clinton Hill, and Prospect Heights. Tickets: $15 advance; $20 day of tour. Tickets at Tillie's. Info:718-707-1277
BROOKLYN CONTEMPORARY CHORUS, Sunday, June 4, 2007, 4 PM
Spring Concert: Purcell, Bach, Mozart, Bobrowitz & Porter. Adults $15/Children $7.50. Lafayette Presbyterian Church.
This is our last general meeting until September! Consider joining a committee or nominating yourself or someone else to the board now. We need your participation. Contact us through the website www.societyforclintonhill.org.
Last night, hoards of Brooklyn Bloggers gathered at the Old Stone House in Park Slope. It was this event last year that inspired me to start up CHB, so a special thanks and shout-out to Louise Crawford of OTBKB for keeping this event going.
The speakers were largely tipped towards development, politics and Atlantic Yards. These are all very crucial issues, of course, but I hope the Third Annual BlogFest will feature one of each type of blog: a neighborhood blog, a real estate blog, a personal blog, an environmental blog, a design blog, etc.
The theme of the evening was The Impact of Brooklyn Blogging. It's really kick-ass that we have so many watchdogs in the BK, reporting on stuff that gets ignored by mass media. I gave a CHB shout-out at the end of the night, and briefly commented on how blogs can help local businesses. There is so much that Brooklyn blogs do, and I wish more of that had been discussed. Hopefully next year will be even more diverse!
Nevertheless, it was a lovely evening with lots of friendly people. A highlight was hearing Gowanus Lounge speak, and meeting him in person at the reception afterwards. He is so nice in person!
I also met the woman I'm doing a CSA share with this summer! So far, we've only spoken via email.
And here's Brownstoner and I, giving a special CH shout-out:
Don't forget, tonight is the second annual Brooklyn BlogFest! Hope to see you there...
Hope you didn't miss Friday night on Washington Ave in Wallabout. The weather was awesome, and the street was packed with patrons for RePop's First Friday and Pink Elephant Projects' Opening Reception at 64 Washington. The "Shadows" show at RePop is my favorite yet, and the two events worked wonderfully together. I was only able to stop in for a few minutes on my way to a grad school party, but I'm glad I did.
The Brooklyn Paper also did a recent story on PEP's new space.
(PEP's Joe Weiner and Tricia Wimmer)
Washington in Wallabout is poised to be THE summer hangout...
It was a lovely day for a house tour yesterday, despite being windy. It was so cool to see all the people walking around with their programs. I wondered who had come from other neighborhoods.
Personally, I much prefer the private homes to the institutional buildings. Don't get me wrong- it's amazing to have the opportunity to get inside the Pratt mansions, and the woodwind performance at St. Joseph's was really lovely. I'm just much more interested in seeing how people choose to renovate and decorate their homes.
I wasn't able to take as many photos as I'd have liked, since a lot of the homes were not allowing photography inside. Personal favorites were:
315 Washington Ave. - the program said to "note the lovely built-in china cabinet." I snickered at that line, but boy were they right. The dining room china cabinet was gorgeous and filled with amazing things. This place also had GORGEOUS flower arrangements and a stunning coffee table.
302 Clinton Ave. - the friends I was with thought perhaps the renovation was too modern. I absolutely loved it! Gorgeous dark-wood floors, funky bedroom rug, amazing furniture, modern kitchen and a large koi pond out back.
Speaking of which, what do people do with the koi in the winter?
258 Hall St. - omg, omg, omg. A loft-like reno of a carriage house! I wasn't 100% sold on the layout of the living room, but the furniture throughout was amazing.
281 Greene Ave. - I've been in this place before, on the SONYA Stroll. Props for the neat foliage, cool office and the swing hanging smack dab in the center of the apartment! Nice roof deck, too.
The rest of my photos are here. Again, apologies that there aren't that many!
What were your favorites?
For their weekend edition, which comes out today, Daily Candy blurbed the house tour, and when Daily Candy blurbs something, things sell out lightening quick. I would pick up tickets soon if you don't have them: Clinton Hill House Tour What: Ogle twelve rarely (or never) seen, beautifully restored mansions and apartments from 19th-century millionaires like the Pratts, Singers, and Pfizers. Why: To the right, a room designed by Tiffany & Co. To the left, your broke ass. When: Sun., noon-5 p.m. Where: Tour starts at St. Luke’s Church, 259 Washington Ave., b/t DeKalb & Willoughby Aves. Tickets online at societyforclintonhill.org.
Don't forget about the 30th Anniversary House Tour this Sunday. It only occurs every other year (alternating with Fort Greene), so attend if you can. Hope to see you on the route!******
The Clinton Hill Society 2007 House Tour
Sunday, May 6th, 12 noon – 5pm, rain or shine.
Advance Ticket sales — $20; Day of Tour ticket — $25 Tour starts at St. Luke’s Church, 259 Washington Ave. (between Lafayette and DeKalb Avenues)
Advance tickets at the following Brooklyn locations:
Pillow Café 505 Myrtle Avenue between Ryerson & Grand Outpost Café 1014 Fulton Street near Grand Sister’s Hardware 902 Fulton Street @ Washington Avenue Tillie’s Coffee Bar 248 DeKalb Avenue @ Vanderbilt Avenue Yu Interiors 15 Greene Avenue @ Cumberland Street
PayPal Tickets may also be purchased by visiting: www.societyforclintonhill.org
Directions by Subway:
A or C trains to Hoyt-Schermerhorn, then G train to Clinton/Washington; or C train to Washington/Clinton Stop. .......................
Come experience the beauty and history of one of Brooklyn’s premier landmark neighborhoods at this year’s Clinton Hill House Tour. Stroll along the tree-lined streets to see a stunning variety of architectural styles and take advantage of the rare opportunity to see the interiors and private gardens of 12 beautifully restored houses and buildings.
Tucked cozily off downtown Brooklyn, residential Clinton Hill was built in the 19th century as the borough’s “gold Coast”. It is uniquely saturated with free-standing mansions erected by such distinguished and prominent industrialists of their time as the Pratts (oil), the Underwoods (typewriters), the Singers (sewing machines), and the Bristols and Pfizers (pharmaceuticals). The neighborhood’s architectural styles include Italianate brownstones, Neo-Georgian, Queen Anne, Romanesque and Greek Revival houses which all rub shoulders with Beaux-Arts apartments and hotels. Clinton Hill also has what may be the largest number of carriage houses in the city.
The fantastic houses and buildings on the Clinton Hill House Tour provide significant insight for all those interested in historic homes and their renovations. The tour engages visitors by providing a glimpse of the past and a snapshot of the neighborhood’s vibrant diverse community. Pratt Institute and St. Joseph’s College impart the feeling of a small university town while its many grand churches (still among the tallest structures here) give one the feeling of traveling back in time. Two of the original Pratt mansions and Pratt Institute’s Library with the interior designed by Tiffany Studios will be part of this year’s tour.
The Society for Clinton Hill House Tour is the primary fund-raiser for this not-for-profit organization, a neighborhood group celebrating its 30th anniversary. Proceeds from the tour help sponsor a variety of educational, historical preservation, social programs within the community. Most importantly it provides a public forum where neighbors can gather to discuss important issues concerning their community.
UNITY 2007 - Community Planning WorkshopContact: Rebecca Ferguson (917)348-3741
Community to Develop Alternative to Atlantic Yards Plan
UNITY 2007 Saturday, April 28 10 am – 4 pm Registration opens at 9:30 (free & open to the public) Hanson Place United Methodist Church 144 Saint Felix Place Brooklyn, NY
Looking to the future, community members create UNITY 2007, a Community Development Plan.
Brooklyn, NY – As developer Forest City Ratner (FCR) makes plans to start demolition and clear the way for a planned sports arena and multiple high rise towers in Brooklyn, and as two law-suits that could stop or radically alter the project hang in the balance, an alternative development plan for the neighborhood is gaining steam. Local residents, politicians, neighborhood organizations, churches, architects and planners will gather on Saturday April 28th for a one day community workshop and design charrette to create the UNITY 2007 Community Development Plan.
Started in 2004 with the support of Council Member Letitia James, and under the leadership of local architect, Marshall Brown, the original UNITY Plan (UNITY stands for Understanding, Imagining and Transforming the Yards), endeavored to bring community stakeholders and professionals together to plan for the development of the 8.5 acre Vanderbilt Rail Yards–a key piece of public land within the Ratner proposal–and promote affordable housing, small businesses and open space without the excessive density of the FCR Plan. The UNITY 2007 Workshop will revive and expand the original UNITY plan.
Project watchdogs, critics, and opponents are convinced the project will not happen as proposed and want to be prepared with an alternative plan under anticipated scenarios. Participants in the day long planning meeting will discuss housing, jobs, design, open space and transportation. They will talk about options for the neighborhood if some, all or none of the FCR project is completed. The result will be an updated set of plans for the future of the Vanderbilt Yards.
"The Forest City Ratner project is definitely not a done deal. New York development history shows that mega projects like this often die in the final stages. The UNITY Plan will show New York some real and exciting options for development of the site." Tom Angotti, Director, Center for Community Planning and Development
"Given the Mayor's release of his PlaNYC 2030 environmental sustainability strategy and the failure of the FCR plan to address environmental, traffic and fundamental community needs the UNITY charrette will address how we can properly plan and develop the "yards" to meet our city's present and future needs." Ron Shiffman, Former New York City Planning Commissioner
The UNITY 2007 effort is sponsored by the Hunter College Center for Community Planning and Development, and the Council of Brooklyn Neighborhoods.
I'm working on a comprehensive post about the area's community gardens. In the meantime, check out the Brooklyn Botanic Garden's famous cherry trees.
This weekend:
Sakura Matsuri April 28, 29 Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s peerless collection of cherry trees—-the largest and most diverse outside Japan—-creates a canopy of blossoms in the spring worthy of celebration. Over the past quarter-century, BBG’s Sakura Matsuri has evolved into one of the city’s most anticipated weekend events, as hundreds of thousands of visitors have experienced the breathtaking beauty of the cherry tree’s fleeting blossoms and learn about Japanese culture. Again this year, visitors from around the world and the New York metropolitan area alike will enjoy a dynamic weekend of music, dance, food, workshops, demonstrations, art exhibits, and guided tours of the Garden’s plant collections.
Festival hours are from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. All activities are free with Garden admission and take place rain or shine, with indoor locations provided for all activities in the event of rain. Tickets are available through www.TicketWeb.com; for same day ticket information, visit bbg.org or call 718-623-7200. A detailed schedule of the festival is available by visiting Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s website, and additional information is available by calling the public events hotline at 718-623-7333.
If the weather's nice, you can walk right down Washington Ave, all the way to the Garden.
Clinton Hill Blog published from 2006 - 2010. Please enjoy these archives - a love letter to the neighborhood.
