The longtime home of Williamsburg’s iconic Crest Hardware store and nearby associated properties have sold for $22 million, and a new apartment building will take the former hardware store’s place.

Brokerage firm TerraCRG announced the sale in late November and the buyer, Green Street, was made public in city records this week. The company has developments in Brooklyn and South Africa, according to its website.

Green Street paid $15.5 million for Crest’s former store buildings at 558 Metropolitan Avenue and 554 Metropolitan Avenue, $3 million for Crest’s garage at 546 Metropolitan Avenue, and $3.5 million for a mixed-use red brick building with a driveway at 536 Metropolitan Avenue. Formerly owned by the Franquinha family, all the properties are connected in the rear by a narrow strip of land.

Green Street principal Joshua Greenberg told Crain’s the hardware store — presumably 558 and 554 Metropolitan — will be demolished and replaced by an 11-story, 75-unit rental building with no retail space. He said the project would likely kick off in the next year and be done in three years time.

A press release and listing from TerraCG said that the properties are all zoned R7A and C2-4 and can transfer air rights to each other, giving developers a range of options. The buildable square feet is 72,864, and the developers could use inclusionary housing to increase that to 97,152 square feet, the release states.

“Our team takes great pride in working with families who have successfully owned and operated multi-generational businesses at their properties. We are highly experienced in managing confidential marketing processes while respecting the sensitive nature of these transactions,” TerraCRG CEO Dan Marks said in the release.

Crest Hardware announced its closing in July after more than 60 years in business. While Joe Franquinha was the sole owner of the iconic Williamsburg store, established by his dad Manny Franquinha and uncle Joe Franquinha in 1962, he was only one of four owners of the property, all family members, and was outvoted on the property’s future, he told Brownstoner at the time.

The store was known for its highly knowledgeable and longtime staff as well as community events such as a yearly art show and block party. It catered to local artists and families with its assortment of homewares, hardware, paint, and garden supplies. It was also home to Franklin the pig and Finlay the parrot, who now live with Joe and his wife, Liza.

“Crest Hardware has been more than just a store; it has been a gathering place and a symbol of neighborhood resilience and connection,” Franquinha said at the time of the closing announcement.

In August, hundreds, maybe thousands, of people turned up to a closing party to say their goodbyes.

No demolition or new-building permits have as yet been filed for the site.

This story first appeared on Brooklyn Paper’s sister site Brownstoner

A homeless man has been indicted for murder after allegedly fatally stabbing another man during a dispute on an N train at the Stillwell Avenue-Coney Island station, Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez announced Tuesday.

Zhongqian Chen, 32, was arraigned Dec. 17 before Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Dineen Riviezzo on charges of second-degree murder and fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon.

According to the investigation, on Oct. 29 at around 11:10 p.m., Chen allegedly approached 54-year-old Timothy Rudolph on an N train at the Stillwell Avenue-Coney Island station. The two men reportedly fought after Chen attacked Rudolph, during which Chen allegedly pulled out a knife and stabbed Rudolph twice — once in the torso and once in the leg, prosecutors said.

The victim, Bronx resident Timothy Rudolph, was rushed to NYU Langone Hospital-Brooklyn, where he was pronounced dead. Chen allegedly fled the scene and was arrested on Nov. 7 after an investigation.

“This was a tragic and senseless murder that is particularly frightening as it took place aboard a subway car with several commuters. There is no place for this type of violence in Brooklyn,” Gonzalez said in a statement. “We will now seek to get justice for the victim and his loved ones.”

Chen is being held without bail and is scheduled to return to court on Feb. 7, 2025. He faces up to 25 years to life in prison if convicted.

Anyone with information about the incident is urged to contact Crimestoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS.
 

The NYPD is looking for a suspect who fatally shot a man in Brooklyn earlier this month.

According to police, at 12:05 a.m. on Dec. 2, 36-year-old Frankley Duran was closing the security gate at 100 Jamaica Ave. when a black car stopped in front of the location. An unknown vehicle occupant pulled out a gun and fired several times, hitting Duran in the head.

Paramedics rushed Duran to Brookdale Hospital Medical Center in critical condition. He ultimately died of his injuries on Dec. 4.

The NYPD released photos of the car, described as a black 2016 Chrysler four-door sedan with a NY license plate reading LAL 7188.

Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website or on X @NYPDTips.    All calls are strictly confidential.

AT LEAST 100 PEOPLE HAVE BEEN SICKENED during an outbreak of Salmonella Typhimurium in cucumbers distributed nationwide since Oct. 12.

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HAKEEM JEFFRIES on Thursday rebuked Congress for reneging on a bipartisan bill that would have funded the government for three months.

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The Brooklyn Museum has awarded a coveted prize to emerging artist Melissa Joseph.  

As the fifth recipient of the UOVO award, which recognizes the work of local artists, Joseph will launch a solo presentation at the Brooklyn Museum, receive a $25,000 unrestricted cash grant, and a commission for a fifty-by-fifty-foot public art installation to be displayed on the facade of UOVO’s facility in Bushwick. 

“I am thrilled to be awarded the UOVO Prize. For this project, I chose to reference the incredible floors of the Siena Cathedral and to think about the way public art has functioned throughout history,” Joseph said in a statement. “While the process and purpose of creating public art have both expanded and accelerated, the potential for profound human connection remains and that is what most excites and inspires me about this project. I have deep gratitude to UOVO and the Brooklyn Museum for this opportunity.”

Joseph’s work spans multiple mediums, including drawing, ceramics, painting, and fiber art. She has garnered praise for her rich-hued portraits constructed with wool and felt. Her pieces scale from miniature to larger-than-life, highlighting domestic scenes and mundane moments that showcase the importance of human connection, according to the Brooklyn Museum. 

“We are delighted to present the UOVO Prize to Melissa Joseph, whose work explores themes of memory, familial history, and the politics of how people occupy spaces,” said Kimberli Gant, the museum’s Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art.“As her art addresses public spaces and the environment, it is fitting to present it in two major public locations in Brooklyn. Moreover, it makes Joseph an ideal artist for this opportunity. We’re looking forward to supporting Joseph’s vision for the UOVO mural and sharing her work with our audiences.” 

A team of Brooklyn Museum curators selected Joseph among fellow artists featured in the Brooklyn Artists Exhibition, a major group show supported by UOVO. Joseph’s piece “Olive’s Hair Salon” was included in the Brooklyn Artists Exhibition. Last year, Joseph’s work, “Getting Reuben’s tuition book” was welcomed into the museum’s collection. 

Previous UOVO Prize winners are John Edmonds, Baseera Khan, Oscar yi Hou, and Suneil Sanzgiri.

“We are pleased to continue our support of Brooklyn artists and the Brooklyn Museum,” added Steven Guttman, UOVO founder and co-chairman. “Artists are at the heart of our community, so it will be wonderful to make Melissa Joseph’s work accessible through two outdoor presentations in dialogue across the borough, from Bushwick to Prospect Heights.” 

Starting in June 2025, Joseph’s mural at UOVO Brooklyn and art installation at Brooklyn Museum, both referencing Italy’s Siena Cathedral, will be on display. The Brooklyn Museum’s installation will be located on its outdoor plaza, making it publicly accessible day and night. 

A NEW PLAN TO FUND THE GOVERNMENT was rejected in the House of Representatives, just one day before a possible government shutdown.

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