747 Franklin to become Brooklyn Winery

This is the place right next door to the postal store, across the street from Pearl indian and Cent Anni. It's been vacant since I've been on Franklin, and recently I've seen signs of activity. Anyone know whats up?

SE corner of Franklin and Sterling.

just adding a somewhat recent photo, to spell it out for the readers:



747 Franklin Avenue

thanks whynot!

I did a little digging, and a historically reliable source informs me it will become a wine bar.

Cool! I wonder what the timeline will be... The place has sat dormant for a good long while, but it seems like they are clearing out rubble from the inside at a pretty good pace.

Leased - 747 Franklin Ave - Brooklyn - New York - 11238

Neighborhood: Crown Heights

Cross Streets: Sterling Place & St. Johns Place

Tenant: Brooklyn Winery

Type: Retail

Size: SF: 1,425

http://www.cpexre.com/assignments/all_completed

Oh, well ill be. Hooray I guess, although maybe not?

Anything new with this one?

I don't recall them going thru the rituals of getting support for a liq lic from CB8, or find the address as being in process with the SLA.

...that could change, of course.

I live right next door, and I havent heard or seen anything going on at all. 

Me either.

It seems they finally filed with the SLA on Sept 4th, the same day I last posted on this thread but could not find anything.

The lic is presently pending:
http://www.trans.abc.state.ny.us/servlet/ApplicationServlet?pageName=com.ibm.nysla.data.publicquery.PublicQuerySuccessfulResultsPage&validated=true&serialNumber=1280954&licenseType=DW

The back wall of the building was gone when I looked a few weeks ago.  I'm betting they're going to expand to fill the footprint of the building.

I also noticed changes on the single-family townhouse abutting the rear of the property.  It had recently undergone a renovation, and they put in windows facing 747 Franklin's rear.  It seems they've now had to shrink those windows, possibly in order to accommodate an extension to 747.

It certainly would be easier to do an such extension on while the lot to the left remains a vacant lot.

After that, their only way of accessing the backyard will be thru the existing structure.

Update: The Brooklyn Winery is seeking a full lic.

They are scheduled to appear in front of the CB8 subcommittee on January 5, at 6:30.

looks like things are moving forward!

They are supposed to go before CB8 before they apply to the SLA.

In this case, it looks like they applied to the SLA and were asked "Did you go before you CB? There is no letter in here from your CB", and are NOW going before the CB.

...which is not that unusual.

I play gigs at weddings at the big williamsburg location of the BK Winery quite often, they are pretty big time over there. Makes sense that they feel that they can just go above it.

http://bkwinery.com/

I can't say I have ever been there. Looks like a fancy venue.

I wonder if they will use the Franklin Avenue location as an events space more than a typical bar would.

Well, that would be nice, and make my commute incredibly short! I don't think its big enough though, although maybe they have plans to buy that lot?

That would certainly make for a very nice wine bar, but I suspect that unless they're planning to develop the property further beyond that it would not be very economical.

These permits are posted, oddly enough, on the corner lot.

If I were opening a fancy wine bar on that corner, I would definitely be making use of both properties. The other location of bk winery is definitely much larger run the combined size of these properties.

Without a doubt that would be the desirable thing.  But a whole corner lot with 6,000+ buildable square feet versus an outdoor seating area or even a single floor of a restaurant doesn't make a lot of sense.

I believe the lot next door (745) is being developed seperately.

This thread provides renderings of what 745 is supposed to look like when complete: http://www.brooklynian.com/discussion/43943/lot-745-franklin-corner-of-sterling/p1

All went well for the Brooklyn Winery on Jan 5th.

Rachel wrote a quick piece about their plan:

"CROWN HEIGHTS — The wine experts at Brooklyn Winery are set to uncork a second location in Crown Heights this year with an upscale restaurant and bar on Franklin Avenue.

The team behind the popular Williamsburg winery and event space have a 63-seat restaurant planned for 747 Franklin Ave. at Sterling Place, according to an application for a liquor license made to the local community board this week.

The new location will have a full food menu, an enclosed backyard seating area and small-batch wines made at their N. 8th Street location from New York State and California fruit, said John Stires, co-founder of the winery.

“We’re very excited to be coming to the community,” he told the board Monday night. “We’re now manufacturing enough wine to where we can open a second location.”

Stires said the price point at the Franklin Avenue location will be “relatively high” with wine going for between $10 and $16 a glass. His business partner, Brian Leventhal, said the two hope to open the new spot in late summer of this year with a full liquor license to serve cocktails to those who don’t prefer wine, they said.

The Community Board 8 committee approved the application for the license, and it will have to be approved by the full board and the State Liquor Authority as well.

The restaurant plans to be open seven days a week from 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. Sundays through Thursdays and until 2 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays."

http://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20150106/crown-heights/brooklyn-winery-plans-second-location-with-crown-heights-restaurant-bar

A 63 seat restaurant.  So they are taking over the empty lot as well?

Franklin is quickly becoming too upscale for my tastes...

The 63 number is achieved as a result of enclosing the back lot, and I believe includes the number of people able to sit at the bar. ...they are not taking over the lot next door.

As a frame of reference, I believe this place will have about the same number of INDOOR seats as Mayfield and Centanni. However, during the summer months, Mayfield and Centanni each have more seats as a result of their backyards.

My sense is that this place will be nicer (more expensive) than Centanni and Barbachino.

It will be at about the same service and price point as Mayfield and Bar Corvo.

...and serve similar demographics.

$10 - $16 wine demographic.

yup.

I believe I saw her and her friends recently at the Clover Club on Smith Street.
http://www.cloverclubny.com/

I overheard something about how, if they decide to have kids, they are going to postpone it until they make partner or turn 40.

The latter appeared to be about 2 years away.

A 63 seat restaurant.  So they are taking over the empty lot as well?

Franklin is quickly becoming too upscale for my tastes...

If it makes you feel any better, there was a shooting on Franklin a few days ago.

I was walking past the site a few days ago, when work was being done, and the workers mentioned that they were fixing up the existing building, and once it was completed, they would begin construction on the empty lot.