Roll Call: The Momma say knock you out. edition.

Boxing, green buildings and hipsters. I would actually pay to see some hipsters smacking each other around in a green building.

Dumbo Improvement District to Host Inaugural Fundraiser

DUMBO Fight Night: the Fight to Preserve DUMBO!



BROOKLYN, NY – On Thursday, September 20, St. Ann’s Warehouse will be a buzz of activity for the Dumbo Improvement District’s inaugural fundraiser, DUMBO Fight Night: the Fight to Preserve DUMBO! After a successful first year of operations, the Dumbo Improvement District has created a signature fundraising event to bring the community together for the widely shared goal of preserving DUMBO’s historic and artistic integrity.



Playing into DUMBO’s rough manufacturing infrastructure and today’s world-class cultural reputation, DUMBO Fight Night combines the beauty of the arts in stark contrast to the force of hand-to-hand combat. When developing the concept for DUMBO Fight Night, the Improvement District did not have to look far for fighters in their corner. Neighborhood cultural organizations and businesses quickly rallied behind the event, offering their services and talents for the production of DUMBO Fight Night. The end result is an exciting event program showcasing the talents of some of DUMBO’s most gifted residents.



In the first round of the event, classical musicians from Bargemusic will take on hip-hop artists representing the Room Service Group, demonstrating the wide ranging talents of musicians who make their home in DUMBO. In the second round, modern dancers from White Wave Dance Company will go head to head with break dancers presented by the powerHouse arena, both showing unique approaches to expression through dance. Rounding out the performance component of the evening, the third round will feature performers from the Brooklyn Arts Council and Galapagos art space in the ring. The evening will finish with USABoxingMetro sanctioned boxing matches facilitated by DUMBO anchor institution, Gleason’s Gym.



Confronted with DUMBO’s quickly changing landscape, the “Fight to Preserve DUMBO” is more than a catch-phrase. All monies raised from the event will be directed into a maintenance fund for the restoration of DUMBO’s Belgian block roadbeds, ensuring that the historic character of the neighborhood’s streets is not lost. Additionally through the participation of neighborhood cultural groups, the event will bring the cultural community of DUMBO to a City-wide audience, ensuring that DUMBO remains synonymous as a home for arts and culture for many years to come.



“DUMBO is the Creative Capital of NYC and we are proud to present DUMBO Fight Night as an evening dedicated to showcasing the cultural organizations that make their home here.” said Tucker Reed, Executive Director of the Dumbo Improvement District. “It is our sincere hope that this event becomes an annual fixture in the community, rallying our diverse stakeholders together for the both the celebration and preservation of DUMBO.”





DUMBO Fight Night

Thursday, September 20, 2007 – Doors open at 6:00P.M.

St. Ann’s Warehouse, 38 Water Street, DUMBO, Brooklyn



Tickets: A $50 ticket admits one individual to the Fight

A $100 ticket admits one family to the Fight

Group rates available by calling (718) 237.8700



For more information about DUMBO Fight Night or to purchase tickets, visit www.dumbonyc.org or call (718) 237.8700.



Special thanks to our production sponsors: St. Ann’s Warehouse, halcyon the shop and Gleason’s Gym.



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The Dumbo Improvement District is dedicated to the enhancement and promotion of one of New York City’s most historic, dynamic and compelling neighborhoods. In no other place throughout the five boroughs can one find such impeccable views, alluring public spaces, charming streetscapes, unique shops and restaurants and celebrated architecture all within a five-block radius. The organization’s programs, which range from enhancing the streetscapes to supporting small businesses and hosting events to promote the community, are all geared toward developing the neighborhood’s intriguing and ever-evolving sense of place. www.dumbonyc.org

And something about hipsters and green buildings. Apparently word on the street is that they are going to Bushwick. BTW, THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS EAST BUSHWICK. IT IS A LIE CREATED BY SOME OVERZEALOUS CORNELL STUDENT TRYING TO LOOK COOL.

NYC’s Hipsters heading East &

Their ongoing affair with Eastern Neighborhoods



A Green building settles in boundaries of East Williamsburg redefining urban trend sets.







NEW YORK, NY (September 2007) — All New Yorkers have witnessed the city’s hipster tendency of heading east, and how these tenants skyrocket the value of where they settle. Now, Rafi Elbaz, founder of Lifeform studio, has developed a new project that goes further east and settles in the up and coming neighborhood of Bushwick, with 163 Montrose; a newly renovated green building for the young, hip and environmentally-conscious.

With clear examples of previous eastern neighborhoods, these so called hipsters are known to have an urban vision of where the city tends to grow. As seen in the East Village during the 1960’s, when Warhol hosted parties in Saint Mark’s St. and the Lower East Side when the Ramones performed for their first time at CBGB’s in 1974. All of these trendsetting minds are known to shape up these old neighborhoods turning them into hip and extravagant.

During the late 1980’s, NYC’s young and creative, kept heading east and crossed the bridge to settle in the new “it neighborhood” of Williamsburg, due to the cheap rent and its close proximity to the city. They settled in industrial spaces where living and working areas were more generous than what the city offered. By 1996 Williamsburg’s artist population had swelled to more than 3,000 and continues to grow to this day.

Today, with the meticulous transformation of a rundown apartment building into a green-design project 163 Montrose is attracting a new breed of hip and environmentally-conscious tenants. It is now occupied by young professionals including photographers, fashion editors, journalists and Ivy League professors. It counts with outdoor areas accessible to the tenants, and rescues the original flooring and building’s structural members in a fresh new way.

Elbaz is known to trend set in these up and coming neighborhoods. When he first moved to New York in the 1980’s he settled in the Bowery, just above CBGB’s. During these years he attended Cooper Union and became at home with the then flamboyant Bowery. In the 1990’s, he moved to Williamsburg, crossing the bridge with many other adventurous minds in pursue of a specific lifestyle.

He began to work on various projects and got involved in numerous dwelling, including the first condo conversion in Williamsburg; The Esquire, making him an insider of the “eastern hipstern” movement. In 2003, Lifeform won the first step housing competition, a shelter project for the homeless located on the Bowery; this project is now under construction. Elbaz, has since been involved in the development of N7, the first green-design housing condo on the north side of Williamsburg and recently finished 163 Montrose.

Lifeform believes in contributing positively to the developments in these up and coming areas, by incorporating progressive style and sustainable materials into its projects.





THE PROJECT: 163 Montrose



The neighborhood of Bushwick, located in East Williamsburg Brooklyn is conveniently situated on the Montrose stop of the L train. 163 Montrose transformed a run down construction into a three stories loft like apartment building.



The renovations included gutting out apartments and the structural reinforcing of the building, foundation, new kitchens, bathrooms, electrical, plumbing, the entire renovation of the backyard, and the construction of a second floor outdoor deck.



Environmental features were given to this renovation by restoring the wooden floors to its original condition in a recycling process. The facade was fully reformed using a natural mineral plaster and energy saving double glazed windows. Most notably, the studio has salvaged old wooden columns and beams and reused them for structural and architectural purposes. The apartments provide the inhabitants a healthy stress less environment.



In the last year the project has helped to spark of a new wave of trendy Bars and cafes on the block, that have further encouraged the economic growth of the area.