archived article on 35 underhill

Here's an article I found from searching the Brooklyn Eagle site.

http://www.brooklyneagle.com/categories/brooklyn_space.php?id=1735


35 Underhill: First New Residential Development in Prospect Heights
by Linda Collins (linda@brooklyneagle.net), published online 06-04-2004


39 Units, Outdoor Space, Gym Planned in Glass Tower
PROSPECT HEIGHTS — Calling it “The Glass Tower,” developer Isaac Fischman said he wanted his new condominium development at 35 Underhill Ave., between Pacific and Dean Streets in Prospect Heights, to have lots of glass and lots of light.
“I also wanted to have very large apartments to accommodate families,” he told the Brooklyn Eagle this week.
Families, couples and singles will be accommodated in the structure, which is actually two buildings with a shared lobby and cellar but with separate elevators and stairways.
Although the bulk of the 39 units are two and three-bedroom apartments, there are also a few studios and one-bedroom units and one-bedrooms with mezzanines. The sizes range from 480 square feet for a studio to more than 1,500 square feet for a three-bedroom.
Fischman, a partner with 630 Realty LLC, the owner/developers, also believes the 80,000-square-foot complex is the first brand new construction in Prospect Heights in many years.
The partners acquired the formerly vacant land for development because the neighborhood is “so up and coming,” he said, pointing out that there is a brand new cafe on nearby Washington Avenue and the newly renovated Brooklyn Museum is only a seven-block walk.
In addition to the large units, the development has several unique features, according to Fischman. These include designing four of the units as duplexes, each with their own private entrance along Underhill Avenue; setting aside one floor in each building where the units have mezzanines and double-height windows and ceilings; and creating a lot of outdoor space — every unit has either a balcony or a rooftop terrace, some have both, and there is a large private courtyard for residents.
The project will also have a gym and parking for 20 cars underground. What is still up in the air, according to Fischman, is whether to have additional parking at street level or to create a retail space. Fanny Sahar, the project manager and spokesperson for the design team of Robert Scarano Jr. and Yuliana Pritzker at Scarano & Associates Architects, concurred that the project is “one of the first buildings in this neighborhood since it was rezoned as a moderate density area.”
The structure is in an area of many brownstones and otherwise low-rise residential buildings and the designers put a lot of effort into meeting the challenge of having a rather large building that is of moderate density — hence the “huge” units and great amenities, according to Sahar.
But she feels the project is also unique for another reason.
“We wanted to do something different in this neighborhood,” she said. “We believe it will be the first light-colored building in the area. We’ve used a light yellow brick and metal panels that are a light shade of blue-green. This project will transform the area totally.”
Additionally, these materials “age well and preserve the low-key residential nature of the neighboring homes,” she added.
Sahar estimates that completion is still about nine months away but said there has been a lot of interest from prospective buyers already.
Fischman has selected Aguayo & Huebener Realty to handle condo sales, which could begin as early as late summer or early fall, or as soon as a model apartment is ready, he said. The firm is keeping list of those interested in the project.
© Brooklyn Daily Eagle 2004