Behind the Construction Fence at 419 Myrtle

Posted At : December 14, 2010 5:43 PM | Posted By : sarah
Related Categories: Storefront Improvement, Business Attraction & Assistance

Work is underway at 419 Myrtle where a lease was recently signed for the 1,800 sq ft space. The planned restaurant and pub is still unnamed, but renovations are in progress. The owners have stripped the space down to its historic bones, exposing cast iron Corinthian columns, high ceilings, beautiful brick walls and what appears to be the building’s original wall paper.

The 68-seat restaurant will evoke the inns and dining rooms found in New York during the Prohibition-era and at the turn of the century. The menu will offer 24 quality draft beers, 40 quality bottled beers, 2 highly unique Cask Ales, an extensive wine menu and delicious assortment of small plates, salads and large plates for lunch and dinner, and weekend brunch.

Work to the storefront and commercial interior will be supported with a NYMS Grant from MARP. The New York Main Street Program (NYMS) is a Housing Trust Fund Corporation (HTFC) grant program administered by the New York State Division of Housing and Community Renewal (DHCR) to provide financial and technical resources to help New York communities with their Main Street revitalization efforts by: providing financial incentives for the rehabilitation of traditional building stock, fostering small business development, encouraging energy efficiency and addressing issues of code compliance. The NYC Department of Small Business Services has provided MARP with operating support to manage the program for the last 3 years.

How it works on Myrtle: Our NYMS Grants are matching, reimbursement grants available, through MARP, to property owners and merchants on Myrtle Avenue between Washington Park and Classon Avenue for façade preservation, storefront improvements and commercial interior renovations. Grant recipients employ local contractors, architects, structural engineers and preservationist (depending on the project scope) to complete the work. MARP selects and works with recipients to complete projects that: - Respect the original design of the buildings - Facilitate commercial activity on Myrtle Avenue - Ensure long-term benefits to the improved buildings - Correct immediate health and safety concerns and code violations - Positively impact the Myrtle Avenue corridor.

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Related Blog Entries

Exciting work on Myrtle (November 19, 2010)
Main Street Transformations on Myrtle (October 28, 2010)

Comments

Two questions for MARP and elected officials to answer: (1) how did this business get public funds to open and (2) will MARP, local elected officials and the community insist that this business will hire local residents to work in this soon to open establishment?

# Posted By Joe Gonzalez | 12/21/10 12:41 PM

Mr Gonzales
If local residents are good workers they will get work, if they sucks so we will not employ them, even they live across the street
Have a nice day

# Posted By Alex Rumm | 12/22/10 9:35 PM

Why is it so many of your workers & many other laborers in Green Hill area eating establishments cannot speak English? Are they American citizens? Reveal if you are employing as cheap labor illegal aliens? I am not willing to eat in & spend my money in such places that are hiring illegal aliens who are not paid the prevailing wage paid to American citizens. Thru out Green Hill and beyond when these illegal aliens are hurt or killed on the job the employers disown them. At the construction site on Clinton Avenue (between Fulton Street and Atlantic Avenue) an illegal alien fell to his death there about two years ago & his body laid in the City morgue for three months until locals took a collection to send his body back to Mexico because the building owner disowned the guy.

# Posted By Joe Gonzalez | 12/23/10 12:08 PM

Mr. Gonzalez,
To address your initial questions:
(1) the business has not received any "public funds to open". The business is applying to MARP's New York Main Street program to restore the historic storefront that once existed at the location, which is what the program is designed for. This property, given that it is mixed-use (retail and residential) in nature and is a historic property, is eligible for the program.
(2) MARP always encourages Myrtle's businesses to hire locally whenever possible, just as we work to recruit local entrepreneurs and business owners whenever possible. One of our programs even places 15 students from Ingersoll and Whitman at the avenue's retail businesses each summer to not only promote local hiring, but to also build these students' skills, to provide them with a mentor who owns his/her own business, and to provide each participating business with a part-time employee whose salary MARP/BID pays. Community Board 2 also strongly encourages any Myrtle business that comes before it for various approvals (for example, a liquor license) to hire locally. All this being said, neither MARP nor NYC can legally require our small businesses to hire locally, but we can all help to ensure that when job openings are advertised, that our local residents know about them and are able to apply.

# Posted By Myrtle Avenue Brooklyn Partnership | 1/5/11 1:55 PM

It's nice that you encourage local hiring. but the fact remains local hiring is not happening despite your said efforts. It's time to turn up the heat by developing a system to identify and publicize said businesses that are hiring illegal aliens and non-residents so that local residents can make an informed choice as to whether they want to spend their money in these places. Only then will area stores get the messages that they must respect this community.

# Posted By Joe Gonzalez | 1/31/11 3:11 PM

I for one think the new restaurant at 419 turned out wonderfully, and was pleasantly surprised when the 'curtain' finally came down. A nice addition to the avenue!

Mathieu - http://www.cocoonbarcelona.com/

# Posted By Mathieu | 9/28/11 12:44 AM