There’s a brand-new view of New York City’s only wooden bridge for cars. Wanna see it?
If you think for a minute, you’ll know which bridge we’re talking about.
This individual city landmark, which was built in the 1880s, has a quaint sign on it that warns drivers they will be fined five dollars if they cross it at a speed faster than a walking pace.
Its steel beams are painted blue. There are wooden gates to stop traffic when the bridge is retracted onto the shore — no, it isn’t raised like a drawbridge — to make way for boats traveling on the canal.
It’s the Carroll Street Bridge, of course, a quirky, historic span over the Gowanus Canal.
We saw this brand-new view of the iconic bridge from a model apartment at Atlantic Realty Development’s newly constructed 363 Bond St., which we visited the other day.
This Gowanus rental-apartment building has frontage on both Carroll Street and the edge of the canal. The apartment where we photographed the new view has floor-to-ceiling windows right above the bridge.
The span looked like an architectural drawing with its wood planks carefully penciled in. In the middle distance, another span across the canal, the Union Street Bridge, was visible. On the horizon, we glimpsed the landmarked Williamsburgh Savings Bank and recently constructed Downtown Brooklyn apartment buildings.
A mural called ‘Brooklyn Crush’ on a water tank
We also got to see the rooftop swimming pool at 363 Bond, which is the second luxury-apartment building to be constructed right along the banks of the Gowanus Canal.
On the day of our visit, the pool hadn’t yet been filled with water. The most eye-catching thing on the roof was a huge piece of outdoor art — a mural called “Brooklyn Crush” that artist Tristan Eaton had painted on a wooden water tank and a wall.
There are also shuffleboard courts on the roof.
There are 270 rental apartments at 363 Bond, 54 of them affordable units and 216 market-rate units.
When we checked 363 Bond’s website the other day, monthly rents for available apartments ranged from $2,380 for a studio to $5,492 for a two-bedroom apartment.
The 12-story building was designed by Hill West Architects. Mark Zeff was the interior designer.
Tenants have started moving into the building.
Fast start to leasing campaign
The full-scale leasing campaign for 363 Bond’s market-rate apartments started in July.
About one-quarter of the market-rate apartments have been rented, Matthew Villetto, a Douglas Elliman senior vice president, told us during our visit to the building.
The first luxury residential building to be constructed on the Gowanus Canal near the Carroll Street Bridge was Lightstone Group’s 365 Bond St.
Lightstone Group initially planned to develop the adjacent site at 363 Bond as well, but later decided to sell that property. Atlantic Realty Development purchased it for $75 million in July 2015, city Finance Department records indicate.
The fact that 365 Bond was first out of the gate has been a help with leasing efforts at 363 Bond.
Just a handful of two-bedroom units remain available at Lightstone Group’s 365 Bond.
“It established a market for luxury apartments in the area,” Villetto said. “The lease-up was strong. We did a lot of the leg work.”
Villetto said “we” in referring to Lightstone Group’s 365 Bond because he was in charge of the initial leasing at that building. He remains a consultant to the property.
These days, when prospective tenants visit 363 Bond, they see two completed apartment buildings. They see a completed cul-de-sac between 363 and 365 Bond. They see a completed esplanade along the Gowanus Canal.
