Preliminary work begins on half-demolished Brooklyn Heights eyesore, 100 Clark St.

December 18, 2015 By Lore Croghan Brooklyn Daily Eagle

Alright, Alright, Alright as Matthew McConaughey would say; preliminary work is getting underway on the long-awaited restoration of 100 Clark St. in Brooklyn Heights. Eagle photos by Lore Croghan

Share this:

They’re Dancin’ In The Street (remember Martha and the Vandellas?) on Monroe Place.

The sight of construction workers at one of Brooklyn Heights’ rare eyesores — the half-demolished historic home on the corner of Clark Street — is a cause for rejoicing for the building’s long-suffering neighbors.

On Friday, the workers were out with jackhammers tearing up the sidewalk in front of 100 Clark St., which is also known as 1 Monroe Place.

This hot mess of a house, which is located on an otherwise stellar Brooklyn Heights Historic District block, has the dire distinction of having been subjected to the wrecking ball at the orders of the city Buildings Department.

A previous owner of the house, the Penson Cos., let the place fall into such disrepair that the city agency deemed it dangerous to neighborhood residents — and sent a demolition crew to tear it down on Memorial Day weekend of 2008. The pre-Civil War residence was half razed by the time court action halted the tear-down.

“We are doing preliminary sidewalk and shed work in preparation for receiving the necessary permits from city agencies,” said George Arzt, a spokesman for Newcastle Realty Services, which plans to repair and rebuild the 1852-vintage Greek Revival brick house.

“We are thrilled,” Arzt told the Brooklyn Eagle Friday. “Any step forward is progress.”

Newcastle has owned the property for five years.

Neighborhood residents have been waiting to see some action on Newcastle’s proposed project since 2011, when the city Landmarks Preservation Commission gave its blessing to the developer’s restoration plan for 100 Clark.

According to city Finance Department records, Newcastle paid $1.25 million for the half-demolished house.

Five apartments will be created in the renovation, city Buildings Department filings indicate. The building had been carved into 18 units by a previous owner.

The Eagle was told in 2014 that the apartments in renovated 100 Clark are likely to be condos rather than rentals.

Newcastle’s restoration design, as approved by the Landmarks Preservation Commission, includes slate roof shingles and wrought iron fencing, the addition of a stoop and entrance stair on Monroe Place and the recreation of a mansard roof that had been added long ago to 100 Clark.