P.S. 372’s Chemical Fume Problem Isn’t Going Away
Two historic ships sink in Red Hook, DTBK’s old Macy’s to become ‘BKX,' a Cobble Hill send-off for fashion stylist Gregory Wein and more.
I didn’t get to see Macy’s Fourth of July fireworks in-person this year, but the highly illegal ones my parents’ neighbors set off in Pennsylvania were a sight to behold. Huge, loud, a little bit scary — very on brand for America 250!
Last week, I wrote that Mark Iacono shut down Lucali so he could attend Michael Rubin’s party in the Hamptons. Apparently Red Hook Tavern was also in attendance. To be ultra wealthy and shuttle in your favorite Brooklyn eats.
Those watching the new season of The Bear will catch “The Franks” of F&F in Episode 7. Jeremy Allen White, Carroll Gardens native, told Jimmy Kimmel as much when he went on his show recently.
Nevins Landing in Gowanus is getting “a museum courtyard’s worth of public art,” according to Curbed. Two such pieces include a 30-foot polar bear and a 13-foot cub, the latter of which debuted at Burning Man in 2022.
The Roundup
A year’s worth of efforts to rid the basement of P.S. 372, an elementary school in Gowanus, of chemical fumes have been unsuccessful. State officials alerted parents and staff at the beginning of the Juneteenth holiday weekend that additional contamination in the annex building had been found. The city teachers union is responding to staff concerns by conducting a confidential and voluntary health survey in September.
Two ships sank in Red Hook waters this past week. Both are owned by Crew, the hospitality group behind ship-restaurants like Fireboat and Grand Banks. Pilot, a schooner-turned-restaurant that was in the process of becoming a National Historic Landmark, sank at its maintenance location last week. Days later, Victory Chimes, a historic schooner and windjammer from Maine, sank.
Today, 60% of properties in southern Brooklyn have a risk of flooding. This risk will only worsen with climate change. Within the next 30 years, Brooklyn’s sea level is expected to rise by over a foot and a half, and high-tide days are expected to occur eight times as frequently as they do now- at nearly 80 per year.
A celebrated fashion creative director and stylist whose eye shaped campaigns and covers for nearly three decades has passed. Gregory Wein was the fashion and style director of Out Magazine for a decade before joining Abercrombie & Fitch as global style director in 2008. He has worked with such brands as Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Tom Ford and Calvin Klein, according to Cobble Hill Chapels, which will host his celebration of life today.
The former Macy’s in Downtown Brooklyn will become “BKX,” a.k.a. “the largest contiguous retail space in New York City” spanning entertainment, dining and retail, Brooklyn Eagle reports.
Books Are Magic is partnering with the Gotham FC Women’s Soccer team to drive historic attendance to their Wednesday, July 15 match at Citi Field. Use code BOOKSAREMAGIC for 20 percent off tickets. The bookstore also has a GothamFC player recommendation display at its Montague Street location.
Brooklyn Community District 2 — which includes Downtown Brooklyn, Boerum Hill, Brooklyn Heights and DUMBO — is getting stationary on-street trash containers from the Department of Sanitation. Starting this fall, all residential buildings with 31 or more units are required to have Empire Bins, as they’re called. Click here to enroll before the Friday, July 31 deadline.
Goings On
Chelsea Piers and Ample Hills Creamery have co-created an ice cream flavor called Matcha Berry Mash Up (matcha green tea with strawberry swirls). The two are hosting a celebration at Ample Hills’ Prospect Heights shop at 623 Vanderbilt Ave on Saturday July 11 from noon to 4 p.m. Onsite giveaways include a grand prize of a 12-month membership to Chelsea Piers Fitness Prospect Heights and a full fall trimester of youth programming at Chelsea Piers Field House Brooklyn.
The Six Bells Countryside Inn is celebrating its one-year anniversary with a free-admission jubilee on Saturday, July 11. They are also hosting their third miniatures retreat this fall (Wednesday, September 23 to Friday, September 25). Jessica Williams recently gifted Jimmy Kimmel a miniature chair she made at the retreat. Interested parties should email theinn@thesixbells.com.
Volunteer Opportunity: Make sandwiches to fill the Brooklyn Heights Community Fridge on Monday, July 13 from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. Food prep will be in the Brooklyn Heights Association’s conference room on the 2nd floor of 55 Pierrepont Street.
The NYC Economic Development Corporation is holding a virtual informational session about the Brooklyn Marine Terminal on Tuesday, July 14. RSVP here.
M.Patmos is hosting another expressive repair workshop with Atelier Mironi on Saturday, July 18.
The Brooklyn Heights Association is hosting a Bastille Day celebration and live Fifa World Cup 2026 Final viewing party as part of Montague Open Streets on Sunday, July 19 from noon to 6 p.m. The Bastille Day fête, in partnership with L’Appartement 4F, will feature music, games and of course, baked goods. Tickets here.
The Cellar at District is holding The Exhale Ritual — a combination of fascia release, stretching, red light therapy, Meridian massage and crystal singing bowl sound bath — the evening of Thursday, July 23. Tickets here.
Brooklyn Pop-Up’s Red Hook Summer Market will take place at 161 Dikeman Street on Saturday, July 25 and Sunday, July 26.
One Last Thing
A trip down memory lane to the 1800s, when an Atlantic Avenue tailor built five 20-foot, Gothic-style houses on Clinton Street. The Brooklyn Heights homes were nicknamed Honeymoon Row.