This summer the avenue is sprinkled with sidewalk sheds and scaffolding as merchants and property owners make repairs and improvements to their buildings. Many of these projects, ranging from commercial interior renovations to cornice reconstructions to complete façade restorations, are receiving New York Main Street grant assistance through MARP.

The New York Main Street Program (NYMS) is multi-million dollar 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.

Through a competitive process the Myrtle Avenue Revitalization Project (MARP) has been awarded New York Main Street funds in three previous rounds of funding. To date, we have been awarded $500,000 and as of this summer, almost all of those funds have been committed or disbursed!

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.

Next time you’re taking a stroll down Myrtle, stop by some of the properties recently completed / under construction!

334 (between Washington Park and Carlton) – Last year the property owner updated the building the houses Farmer, and this summer, he is doing the same for the building next door. In the scope of work: upper cornice improvements, cleaning and repointing of brick, sills and lintels, interior open grid gates and a reconstructed lower cornice and storefront.

366 – Scaffolding should go up any day now! The property owner has planned construction to repair the upper cornice, waterproofing and sills and lintels on the upper façade. Currently, the new tenant, Brooklyn Stone Boutique, is hard at work in the commercial space preparing to open her women’s clothing and jewelry boutique.

459 /461 (corner of Washington and Myrtle) – The owners of Five Spot went big – undertaking major work on both building facades and the storefront, with technical assistance and a loan from the New York Landmarks Conservancy's Historic Properties Fund. Their scope included new brownstone, cornice repairs, cleaning and repainting the Washington façade, removing exterior gates and installing a new, iron, accordion-style storefront with a corner entrance.

456 – 460 (between Waverly and Washington) – When you’re at Anima or Joseph Tyler Salon, look up to check out the newly repaired upper cornices!

561 (between Emerson and Classon) - Behind the construction fence, the Emerson (a new bar opening in mid to late September) is taking shape. The business owners are busy constructing the detailed interior and beautiful storefront for their new bar and neighborhood hang-out.

Stay tuned for more projects, beginning work any day now!

Please join the NY Landmarks Conservancy to hear from a group of preservationists and architects who will provide a critical framework and practical advice on sustainability in historic houses. These professionals will discuss their own experiences, highlighting what is successful and what should be rethought, and will answer questions from the audience.

Preservation is Sustainability: How to Make Your Historic House More Energy Efficient

Date: Thursday, Nov. 12 from 6:00 to 8:00 pm
Location: Lafayette Avenue Presbyterian Church, 85 South Oxford Street, Brooklyn

Speakers:
Walter Sedovic, AIA LEED, Principal & CEO, Walter Sedovic Architects, moderator

Christine Benedict, R.A. ARCHITECTURE AND ENERGY LIMITED

William Neeley, Deputy Director, Preservation, Landmarks Preservation Commission

Rebecca Williams, Program Officer, Northeast Regional Office, National Trust for Historic Preservation.

Tickets: $5.00. Registration Required.
Contact Meral Agish at meralagish@nylandmarks.org or call 212.995.5260 to register.

About the Landmarks Conservancy:
"For over 35 years, the Landmarks Conservancy has promoted the benefits of historic preservation and has become a trusted advocate for preservation policy. In addition, our unique financial assistance and expert technical advice have won national recognition. Since 1973, the Conservancy has provided more than $30 million in low-interest loans and grants, accompanied by countless hours of pro bono technical assistance to countless, non-profits, and caretakers of religious buildings for the maintenance and restoration of historic properties."

The Wallabout for Kids Saturday activity has been officially cancelled due to low registration numbers. We apologize to those who have registered and hope to reschedule at a later date.

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It is time for Open House New York again and this year, we have added a children's activity! Children ages 8 thru 13 (and their parents, of course) are invited to take part in a workshop led by long-time youth educator, Paula Jeanine Bennett.

Children will learn about the Wallabout area(the history and architecture) through a brief tour and then bring activities inside to put what they just learned into action, sketching and making paper bag models of the built environment.

Who: YOU (class is limited to 20 students, ages 8 - 13, so don't delay)

When: This Saturday, October 10th-- 10a to 12p

For more detail and to register: click here

Brooklyn's Other Museum of Brooklyn (BOMB) invites you to a 2-day celebration for "the longevity of Admiral's Row."

Party at BOMB, 102 Steuben Street. BYOB; brownie taste-off (bring your best!); music by Terrible Eagle.

Saturday, March 29th, 7-11p and Sunday, March 30th, 2-6p

Show up, or email scott.witter@yahoo.com for further detail.

Come experience the beauty and history of one of Brooklyn’s premier landmark neighborhoods this coming Sunday, May 6th, for the 30th Anniversary 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.

A number of specials and discounts will be available from participating Myrtle Avenue merchants on the day of the tour as well. Check out the ads in the House Tour Guide that will be distributed at St. Luke's Church on the day of the tour for details.

PayPal Tickets for the house tour may be purchased by visiting The Society for Clinton Hill website.

Advance tickets are also for sale at the following 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

House Tour Details:
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 Avenue (between Lafayette and DeKalb Avenues) Directions by Subway:
A or C trains to Hoyt-Schermerhorn, then G train to Clinton/Washington; or C train to Washington/Clinton Stop.

From the Society for Clinton Hill:
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.