Around Brooklyn: Capone’s former home up for sale

June 25, 2020 Editorial Staff

Brooklyn artist Danielle Mastrion painted this mural. Photo: Lore Croghan/Brooklyn Eagle

Brooklyn artist Danielle Mastrion painted this mural at the Coney Island Boardwalk. Photo: Lore Croghan/Brooklyn Eagle

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Capone’s former home up for sale

Gangster Al Capone may have become famous in Chicago, but he grew up in Brooklyn, where he was a member of several street gangs and worked as a bouncer in Coney Island. As a child and teenager, he lived in a townhouse at 21 Garfield Place before leaving for Chicago in 1919, one step ahead of cops who wanted to arrest him for murder. The property, which has been divided into three units, is going for $2.9 million, according to the New York Post. Capone’s father, a barber, had his shop on the ground floor.

Dining under the el? Maybe not.

While many restaurants are eagerly opening sidewalk cafes during Phase Two, some located are under elevated subway lines or highways may find it harder to do so. “I’m not sure if they would have customers willing to sit under the subway,” said Yelena Makhnin, executive director of the Brooklyn Beach Business Improvement District. Most restaurants on Brighton Beach Avenue, where many restaurants sit under the subway line, are waiting for Phase Three to allow for indoor dining. Randy Peers, head of the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce, said the law “doesn’t treat all restaurants equally,” according to amNewYork.

Renovation of Brooklyn Paramount: No end in sight

The open-ended closing of the Nassau Coliseum, operated by Russian billionaire Mikhail Prokohorov, opens questions about Prokhorov’s renovation of Long Island University’s Brooklyn Paramount Theatre. The renovation has been delayed several times since 2015, and LIU’s website still says that the Paramount was expected to open in 2019. Questions to Onexim, Prokhorov’s firm, and LIU were not answered, according to Bklyner. The theater was once a venue for first-run films, and later, during the 1950s, hosted package shows starring Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers and other early rock and roll stars.

Brooklyn principal warns of school chaos next year

A principal at a Brooklyn public school, in an email to families, warned that the next school year is likely to be very chaotic. Eve Litwack of P.S. 107 in Park Slope said social distancing requirements could force an alternating schedule that would split the small school into three groups. In addition, every inch of the school could be pressed into service as a classroom, including the cafeteria and smaller offices. Kids would also have to remain distanced from their classmates at all times, according to the New York Post.

Park Slope condo on sale for $1.25M

A two-bedroom, two-bathroom condo inside a circa-1889 brownstone at 64 Seventh Ave., Park Slope is being offered for $1.25 million. The Romanesque Revival building is located in the Park Slope Historic District and was constructed in 1889. It has many original details, such as a rough-faced brownstone first floor, a low stoop with original ironwork and an arched entrance. The apartment has living spaces at the front and bedrooms at the rear. It also includes a wood-burning fireplace, a wood mantel, built-in shelves, a kitchen “island” for bar stool seating, a washer-dryer and more, according to Brownstoner.

Playgrounds reopen as part of Phase Two

The City has given the green light for playgrounds to reopen this week as part of Phase Two. However, Mayor Bill de Blasio says that parents can expect social distancing enforcement “ambassadors.” Also, the New York City Parks Department will not be sanitizing the playground, so you’ll need to bring hand sanitizer yourself. Regardless, kids of all ages are thrilled to be back at playgrounds, according to amNewYork.

New Yorkers crowd barbershops, hair salons

As the City entered Phase Two of reopening, barbershops and hair salons welcomed back customers who hadn’t had haircuts for months. For example, Paul Kim, who waited online for a haircut at Clinton Street Barber Shop in Brooklyn Heights, said he hadn’t had a haircut in 17 weeks. Manager Isaac Rubinov said the barbershop had to raise its prices by $5 in part because they had to get one barber’s chair to comply with the new social distancing rules. Even so, there was a long line around the block, according to the New York Post.

Five shot at Brooklyn vigil

Five people were shot during a late-night vigil in Brooklyn where memorial candles were being lit, around 11 p.m. on Monday on Sterling Street near Brooklyn Avenue. A 24-year-old woman was shot in the arm, a 29-year-old man was grazed in the head and a 39-year-old woman was shot in the back. In addition, a 29-year-old woman was grazed in the head and a 30-year-old man was shot in the torso. All five were taken to Kings County Hospital, where they reported in stable condition, according to the New York Post.

Affordable development receives $72M in financing

A partnership between MDG Design and Construction, Smith and Henzy Advisory Group and The New York Foundling has received $72.1 million in financing for a 160-unit affordable housing development in Brooklyn. The project is one of four in the first phase of Gov. Cuomo’s Vital Brooklyn affordable housing initiative. The New York State Housing Finance Agency is providing most of the funding, which is divided between construction bonds and a subsidy loan. The project will be located at 535 E. 98 St., according to Multi-Housing News.

Video shows man throwing fireworks at police car

The NYPD released a video on Tuesday that shows a man throwing lit fireworks in the direction of a police car in Flatbush earlier this month. The man seen in the video threw several fireworks at police officers and the police car at around 11:30 p.m. on Sunday. There were no injuries, according to the New York Post.

Man killed by trio on motorcycles

A 30-year-old man was fatally shot outside a NYCHA housing development in Williamsburg after an argument with three men on motorcycles, according to police. The victim was shot in the chest and abdomen in a courtyard of Williamsburg Houses on Ten Eyck Walk around 9:30 p.m. on Tuesday. The victim was still alive when officers responded, but he did not tell them who the perpetrators were. He was rushed to Woodhull Hospital, where he died. Police are still looking for the trio, who fled the scene, according to the Daily News.

‘Decentralized’ Mermaid Parade coming to Coney

Coney Island USA, the nonprofit group that hosts the yearly Mermaid Parade, says that it is planning an Aug. 9 event at several locations to ensure social distancing. Parade-goers will be able to wear the same colorful costumes as always, and events will be livestreamed. And as always, the king and queen of the parade will choose the best Mermaid and Neptune costumers, the best child’s costume and the best musical group. Each venue will also get a bottle of Coney Island seawater for partygoers to “baptize” each other, the Brooklyn Paper reported.

On the trail of fireworks

Noise from fireworks has been a steady source of complaints in the past few months. One reporter who bicycled around Brooklyn on Tuesday night saw several groups of young men setting off rolls of firecrackers. One young man said, “I don’t know why they want to stop fireworks. They don’t last that long.” Another said, “It’s a way for us to stay out of trouble.” Although boxes of fireworks are not legal in New York City, they are in many other states. Many of the fireworks seen in Brooklyn are coming from Pennsylvania, and entrepreneurs buy them there and then sell them locally at a profit, according to BuzzFeed News.

Compiled by Raanan Geberer.