This Time, Buschenschank On Court Street Is Definitely Closed

(Credit: yelp.com)

Buschenschank, the Tyrolean Bistro Pub at 320 Court Street in Carroll Gardens, recently closed its doors for good. This should not come as much of a surprise to many in the neighborhood.

The owner of the eatery, James McGown, who was also the proprietor of the eatery, has had quite a few problems in the last few years. Most, it would seem, were of his own making.

As it was widely reported, McGown has declared bankruptcy seven times since 2009. Last year, in an effort to hold on his real estate investments, he hosted an auction of several of his properties in Brooklyn. But the buildings failed to fetch the prices McGown had in mind, so he cancelled the potential sales.  Finally, this past September, Auction Advisors was appointed to auction off the properties as part of foreclosure proceedings. During a street-side auction, 320 Court Street fetched $4.95 million. The buyer, according to Crain's New York was Seth Weissman, "a 33-year-old real estate investor who owns about a dozen properties in Brooklyn and Harlem."

The closing of Buschenschank was therefore just a matter of time. Since it opened in 2011, the gastro-pub was a rather terrible neighbor to those living nearby. It had amassed an impressive amount of noise complaints. The NYC Building's Department also issued quite a few violations. Then there was the matter concerning the establishment's illegal basement music venue which features a full bar, but violated occupancy laws and are codes. In 2014, a fire broke out in the basement, and though it was quickly put out and happened during the day, it illustrated the potential danger.

The place was such a problem that Community Board 6 recommended to the N.Y. State Liquor Authority to not renew its liquor license, which the Board rarely does. (Unfortunately, the SLA had already renewed the license before CB6 could make a recommendation.)

In short, Buschenschank was a shady business and its owner was all too willing to push the envelope. Hopefully, the new owner will find a worthier commercial tenant to take over the space.

Are you glad to see Buschenschank go, or will you miss it? We would love to hear your thoughts.

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The Buschenschank Building At 320 Court Street Back On Market With Suggestion To Turn Into 1-Family

Listing for 320 Court Street on Trulia

Listing on Zillow

Exactly a year ago, restaurateur James McGown, tried to sell off  several of his Brooklyn properties at a "pre-foreclosure" auction held at the  Brooklyn Marriott Hotel.

The move did not come as a surprise. McGown,  whose questionable business practices, string of bankruptcy filings and dilapidated buildings, had been forced to close several of his other eateries, including Goldenrod, in the former PJ Hanley space.

Included in the March 2015 auction was the three-story brick corner property at 320 Court Street, which houses McGown's Buschenschank, a "farmhouse style tavern inspired by the Alto-Adige region in Italy" and the Ratskeller, an illegal private events space in the basement.

The estimated value of the building, according to the offering, was $9.4 million. The description stated that the storefront was owner-occupied and would be delivered vacant.

However, the auction did not go as planned and several properties failed to get any offers.
320 Court Street only received one bid for $3.8 million. McGown, obviously disappointed, released a statement saying that he was "reconsidering the sale process."

Now, twelve months later, the "Bankruptcy Baron" as he has been called in the press, has obviously come up with a new approach.  He is offering the Buschenschank building for the slightly reduced price of $7,200,000.  

A PMFA reader sent us the link to the listing on Zillow just yesterday. 

Strangely, the listing suggests turning the 6,000sqft 4 bedroom, 4 bath building into "a one family home." 

"It seems like a weird suggestion for that building," wrote the reader.  

I agree, especially since the second floor has also been used as commercial space and currently houses Lift, which offers floatation pods for restricted environmental stimulation therapy. 

Do you think McGown will get his asking price this time?  How about the idea of turning the building into a one family home?

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Lift Sensory Deprivation And Floatation Therapy Center Now Open Above Buschenschank On Court Street

picture courtesy of www.liftfloats.com

picture courtesy of www.liftfloats.com

A blackboard in front of Lift, the newly opened sensory deprivation and  floatation therapy center at  320 Court Street asks: "Aren't you curious?"
Well yes, we are. Many in the neighborhood had been having fun guessing what the giant bathtubs that were delivered to the address  back in February were for.

According to its web site,  Lift's owners "believe that having somewhere to relax—a refuge to escape from it all—is key to staying grounded. That's why we've put so much care into Lift. Having experienced the inner stillness, bursts of insight and relief from pain that floating can bring, we're passionate about making this practice more widely available."

The price for a single float is $99. Lift offers a 'first time' 3 float package for $199.  Monthly plans are also available.
The water in the tubs is heated to body temperature and Epsom salt is added.  It gets recirculated three times and treated between 'floaters.'

One must wonder if placing this haven of silence right above one of the loudest bars in the neighborhood was the best move.  What do you think?
Have you been yet? Are you planning on going?

***UPDATE***
PMFA just received an email from David Leventhal of Lift.  He and his partner Gina  write:
"Call us crazy for locating above a loud bar, but honestly the only noise that occasionally may disturb people floating is the sound of our clients loudly and excitedly discussing their experiences with us. We hired a prominent acoustical engineering firm to design and help us implement soundproofing techniques which isolate us from the sounds emanating from below."

THanks for the information, David and Gina.

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James McGown's Pre-Foreclosure Real Estate Auction Of Several Properties In The Neighborhood "Did Not Go As Well As Planned"

320 Court Street in Carroll Gardens

I received several reports regarding restaurateur James McGown's pre-forclosure auction of several properties in Carroll Gardens and Gowanus, which was held this past Friday. March 27th, at the
Brooklyn Marriott Hotel.

According to one source, about 80 people attended the auction, which was conducted by East River Mortgage Corp., a defunct corporation owned by McGown, which filed for Chapter 11 in 2012.

Among the properties up for auction was 320 Court Street, the building currently housing the gastro-pub Buschenschank, an illegal private events space in the basement, and soon, a floatation therapy business on the second floor.
Though McGown had valued the building at $9.4 million, it was 'only' bid up to $3.8 million at Friday's auction.

Another source reported that several of the lots being auctioned off didn’t get any offers, "so the auctioneer said he’d come back to them at the end. Others were going for $1.2 million to - $1.5 million."

The long neglected buildings at 555 Union Street and 557 Union Street, received bids from the same buyer for $1.2 million each.

Obviously, McGown was disappointed with the results. Shortly after Friday's auction, he made the following announcement via email:
The auction did not go as well as planned. Several properties did not have offers sufficient to cover lien amounts so we could not accept them. Other bidders failed to produce down payment checks after bidding on the properties. As a result we are reconsidering the sale process.
We are currently offering the following properties for sale:
1511 Pacific St for $160,000 or best offer.
557 Union Street--$2M
555 Union St--$2M

The term of sale for the properties stipulated that the owner reserves the right to cancel any of the sales, so he does not need to accept any of the bids.

None of this probably comes as a surprise to those who have had dealings with McGown in the past. After all, he has become notorious for his questionable business practices, string of bankruptcy filings, and dilapidated buildings, which has earned him the nickname "bankruptcy baron" in the press.

It will be interesting to see what happens next.

555 Union Street and 557 Union Street in Gowanus were offered at the auction,
but the bid was not accepted.

(photo credit: www.google.com/maps)

 

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Giant Bathtub Mystery Solved: "Float Ventures, LLC" To Occupy Space Above Buschenschank on Court Street

The second floor of 320 Court Street will soon be providing floatation therapy.

One of the enormous tubs that were delivered to 320 Court Street in February

A few weeks ago, PMFA readers had a bit of fun trying to guess what business was moving above Buschenschank, James McGown's Tyrolian gastro-pub at 320 Court Street after a reader had taken photos of several enormous tubs which were being delivered to the address.
Some readers though they were birthing tubs, some others thought they were for swinger parties.
Those who guessed that they were floating tanks seem to have been correct.

Someone just forwarded me a copy of a the-year commercial lease agreement that was signed back in October 2013 between James McGown's Brooklyn Renaissance, LLC and Float Ventures, LLC., a business which will be offering floatation therapy.

Strangely, the agreement states that the landlord acknowledges that Float Ventures, LLC. "is reliant upon a lack of noise" and that he will "shall undertake reasonable efforts to ensure that the other tenants of 320 Court Street utilize their respective premises to minimize disruption to the Business due to sound."
That may be a bit difficult considering that there is a loud pub directly underneath the floating tanks.

James McGown is auctioning off 320 Court Street together with some of his other Brooklyn properties at a pre-foreclosure" auction, which will be held at the Brooklyn Marriott Hotel today, March 27th, 2015  at 10 AM. 

A description of the 320 Court Street building estimates its value at $9.4 million. It states that the storefront is owner-occupied and will be delivered vacant, so perhaps the noise emanating from  Buschenschank.

According to a source, Float Ventures is putting the finishing touches on the second floor space and plans to open soon.

Meanwhile, a PMFA reader sent along the photos above of the second floor of the building bathed in black light.   He writes:
 "They’ve built out three interior private rooms, and the door was open to one of them- someone was working in there. There’s some weird shape in the room but for the life of me, I couldn’t even really figure what shape it was. I imagine it’s something that goes over one of those big tubs. Combine that with the black light, and it seems a little weird."

For fun, the reader also sent along a clip of the classic Altered States, Ken Russell's film featuring LSD and sensory deprivation tanks.

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What The Heck Is Going In Above Buschenschank On Court Street?

I received the following email and photos taken in front of  Buschenschank, the pseudo-Tyrolian pub at 320 Smith Street from reader J. last night:

"I was walking by this corner at Buschenshank today and saw a few of these monster tubs being delivered upstairs. I had to stop just to figure out what it was!
They were enormous! About the equivalent of 4 regular bathtubs each and it looked like they all had tops/covers as well. There were 3 on the sidewalk that hadn't been brought up yet. What the heck is going in up there? It creeps me out a bit given the history of this owner."

The building housing Buschenschank has indeed had a troubling history. Besides the noise complaints against the bar itself, there is the matter with the establishment's illegal basement music venue. and the many violations issued by the NYC Buildings Department in regards to illegal work done on the upper two floors of the building.
And then, of course, much has been written about owner/restaurateur James McGown's questionable business practices, string of bankruptcy filings, and dilapidated buildings.

A quick check on the DoB site indicates that there are still several outstanding violations on 320 Court Street which include a violation to 'certify correction of Class 1 Violation'.

So, indeed, one has to wonder what is planned for the two upper floors.  Surely, those bathtubs are a bit too massive for regular apartments.

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Early Fire At Buschenschank On Court Street Forershadowed By A Tweet?

Photo credit: Liza Kindred

This morning at around 6:30 am, a fire broke out at Buschenschank, at 320 Court Street. It was quickly subdued, though Court Street was still blocked at Sackett Street at around 7:30 Am.
According to reader Simon van Kempen, who alerted me to the incident, the fire may have broken out in Buschenschank's basement, since there was visible damage on the ground floor.
To insure that the fire hadn't spread, firemen also had to break through the the door of Scotto's, the neighboring wine store.

Reader Liza Kindred wrote this account of the fire:
"I thought your readers might be interested to see these pictures–it doesn't seem like anyone was hurt, thank goodness. We were woken up this morning to a lot of sirens, and it quickly became obvious that the building that Brooklyn Buschenschank is in (320 Court Street) was on fire. There was black smoke coming out of the restaurant, and firefighters inside and on the roof. There were a couple of children on the sidewalk that seemed to have been evacuated from the building. We also saw the firefighters breaking the door into Scotto's Wine Cellar next door–how sad to see them going through the window celebrating Scotto's 80 years in business!
Glad to see no one seemed hurt, but sorry to see all the damage."

Both Liza and Simon pointed to yesterday's tweet on Buschenschank's Twitter account:
"The fire is on and lunch and brunch are being served till 4pm..... Then happy hour starts at 4 till 8 $5."
How coincidental is that?

Yesterday's ominous tweet on Buschenschank's twitter account

Thankfully, the fire did not start during the evening hours, when Buschenschank can be packed. Previously, I have written about the establishment's illegal basement music venue and about the illegal work on the building. And then, of course, much has been written about owner/restaurateur James McGown's questionable business practices, string of bankruptcy filings, and dilapidated buildings.

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Court Street Building Housing Buschenschank Hit With Partial Vacate Order And Stop Work Order

More trouble for James McGown, the real estate developer and restaurateur, whose questionable business practices, string of bankruptcy filings and dilapidated buildings have drawn quite a bit of attention from the press in recent time.

A few weeks ago,  a construction crew gutted the second floor at 320 Court Street, a building owned by McGown, which currently houses his pseudo-Tyrolian pub Brooklyn Buschenschank.  After someone reported to the New York City Department Of Buildings that the brick building was shaking and vibrating, the agency sent out an emergency crew to investigate.
The inspectors determining that the second floor had been illegally gutted and that major steel support beams had been removed.  DOB issued a complete stop work order on August 23rd.  In addition, since the missing support beams jeopardized the stability of the third floor apartment and access to the fire escape was blocked on that floor, a partial vacate over was served at the same time.
The orders were posted on the front door to the upper floors on Court Street the day they were issued, but promptly (and illegally) removed.

Plans have since been filed with, and approved by DOB to remedy the situation, but the Stop Work and Partial Vacate orders are still in effect as of this morning.  There are some additional concerns about the building.

This is not the first time there is trouble with the building.  According to DOB records, there are quite a few open violation, some of which have been deemed hazardous.  Significant fines have been imposed, but remain unpaid.

A PMFA reader pointed out recently that McGown uses the basement of the building as a music venue, bar and restaurant.  Sure enough, on Buschenschank's web site,  there is a page dedicated to the Ratskeller, which offers a series of concerts as well as a full bar, tables for dining and is available for private parties.

The use of the basement raises some serious questions. Has it been approved by the Fire Department and are there enough means of egress in case of fire?  Is the Buildings Department aware of the additional occupancy?

 photos above from Buschenschank/Ratskeller web site

And lastly, I would just like to point out to Buschenschank patrons and pedestrians passing by the building that a piece of masonry above a window situated directly over the pub's front door looks as though its about to fall down.  Watch your head.

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Community Board 6 Votes To Deny Sidewalk Café License For Buschenschank

(Buschenschank owners in front of CB6 Permit and License Committee last night)

Members of Community Board 6 's Permits and Licenses Committee voted to deny a sidewalk café license for Buschenschank, the pseudo-Tyrolian beer pub at 320 Court Street at a meeting held at the Prospect Park YMCA last night. The establishment had requested a permit for an additional 18 tables and 48 chairs for the outside area. 

Several members of the community had taken the time to show up at the meeting to tell the Committee that Buschenschank was a terribly noisy neighbor and that, on warm days, the eatery actually removes all of its windows, allowing loud music to escape from the establishment. One resident pointed out that the establishment was operating like an open-air beer garden. Another resident suggested that, with the windows wide open, Buschenschank already had a sidewalk café of sorts.

Noise complaints were not the only problem. It was pointed out that there are currently quite a few open NYC Building's Department violations noted for the building housing the bar. In addition,  when asked, the owners confirmed that they do not have a Place Of Assembly Permit, though they clearly have more than 75 people (including staff) in their establishment on a busy night. (The owner denied that they exceed that capacity.)

Glenn Kelly, one of the Committee member pointed out to the owners of Buschenschank that, according to NYC Department Of Environmental Protection's rules, a restaurant or bar's doors and windows are to be kept closed at all times to prevent noise from escaping onto the sidewalk. Asked if they would keep those windows closed from now on, the owners seemed defiant and said "no". "If that was a rule, how come we never got a violation from DEP at Buschenschank or at our other place, P.J. Hanley's?"

Committee member Lou Sones asked if the owners intended to close the windows during the summer, when the air conditioner would be running. The owners again said "No." Sones informed them that that was a violation as well, which did not seem to impress the owners much.

Their cavalier attitude and their arrogance did not sit well with members of the Board. "You seem to be willing to make getting tickets part of your business strategy at the expense of the community," Committee member Joe Porcelli told them.

In related new, the Commmittee approved a sidewalk café license for both Café Bruno on Henry Street as well as for Marco Polo on Court Street.

The Committee also voted to renew a sidewalk café license for Abelene, but, since the Community Board had received several complaints about the bar, the owner was asked to follow DEP rules and keep its large windows closed.

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