407-415 Leonard Street, "The Aqua"

407-415 Leonard Street, "The Aqua" is a 7 story, 55 apartment condo building located on the corner of Bayard and Leonard Street. The building was designed by Robert M. Scarano Jr. (Architecture biography coming soon!) and was completed in 2006. The building features a part time doorman, garage, laundry room, rooftop deck (very nice views), and a common storage room. There are studios, 1, and 2 bedrooms, most of which enjoy a balcony. Most units have 10' ceilings and all have central heating and cooling, and modern kitchens which include Sub Zero refrigerators.

The building is right next to the newly opened McCarren Pool, which has become a major attraction to residents nearby. Also a few blocks away is McCarren Park, the weekend farmers market, and a bevy of bars and restaurants. The Brooklyn Queens Expressway ramp is near by and the Metropolitan-Lorimer L and G trains are a few blocks walk. Finally, there has been a surge of gyms and cross fit training centers in this particular part of industrially-converted Greenpoint and Williamsburg.

Architect Profile: Karl Fischer

This blog entry is going to be something different. I'm going to focus on an architect who designed a number of buildings that have been featured on my blog so far. Today, I'm writing about Karl Fischer. Born in 1948 in Montreal, Quebec, since 2003 Fischer has designed more that 200 residential structures in Manhattan and  Brooklyn. Currently one of the most prolific architects in New York.

This is Bayard Street as it runs along McCarren Park in Williamsburg. Every building from the tallest brown building to the left (50, 30, and 20 Bayard St.) was designed by Karl Fischer. It's become known as "Hot Karl Row".

50 Bayard Street, The Ikon

The first buildings that Fischer designed in Williamsburg was 60 Broadway, "The Gretsch Building" in 2004.

Schaefer's Landing was completed in Williamsburg in 2005

The Powerhouse was another commercial conversion with a 4 story addition to a Pennsylvania Railroad power station. It was competed between the years of 2005-2007.

 Karl Fischer is currently working on two projects in Brooklyn (100 Luquer St. and 100 Parkside Avenue) and continues to reign as the most dominant architect in NYC. With new development leaning towards rentals, it remains to be seen if Fischer will be the go-to architect for the next wave of new development in Brooklyn.

80 Metropolitan Avenue

80 Metropolitan is a 6 story, 124 apartment condominium apartment building that was built in 2008 by Steiner NYC. The building is located on the corner of Metropolitan Ave and Wythe Ave and runs the length of Wythe Ave until North 1st Ave. The building features an indoor garage, a bike room, an indoor pool, a courtyard, a fitness room, a media lounge, a rooftop with private cabanas, and private storage. There is currently a 25 year 421-A tax abatement in place.

This building straddles the boundary between North-side and South-side Williamsburg, which means that the walk isn't too far from the Bedford Ave stop on the L train, while the walk to bustling Grand Street is just two blocks. It's also a block to the East River and about 3 blocks from the Edge building.