Leon Livshin Quartet To Perform At St. Agnes Church In Carroll Gardens As Part Of The 'Sounds Of Sackett ' Concert Series

The Sounds Of Sackett concert series at Saint Agnes Church will begin its 2016 season with a performance by the Leon Livshin Quartet on Saturday. March 12th at 7pm.
Please mark your calendar and enjoy great music in one of the most spectacular spaces in the neighborhood.
Tickets are $20 for adults. Children 12 and under attend for free.  Tickets are available un advance by calling the parish house at 718 625 1717 between 2 and 5 pm and at the door prior to the performance.
A wine and cheese reception will follow right after the concert.

St. Agnes Church is located at the corner of Sackett Street and Hoyt Street in Carroll Gardens.
For a bit of history of St. Agnes Church, click here.

Here is a video of the Leon Livshin Quartet rehearsing for the concert at St. Agnes.  Thank you to Anthony Cucchiara for providing it.

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St. Agnes Church In Carroll Gardens To Host "Sounds On Sackett" Concert Series

Saint Agnes Church, located on Sackett Street and Hoyt Street here in Carroll Gardens, just announced its 2015-2016 "Sounds on Sackett" concert series.   The concerts are "dedicated to showcasing a wide array of talent and music, reflecting the rich diversity of Brooklyn and the greater New York City community."

The series debuts on Sunday, October 18th at 4 pm with Soprano Karen Merchant who will be performing selections from the American Songbook.
Individual concerts cost $ 20 for adults. Children under 12 attend for free.
Until October 15th, you can purchase a season pass for $75.00, a savings of $25.00
Tickets can be bought at the door or in advance at the Office of St. Agnes, 433 Sackett Street from Monday to Friday between 2-5 PM.


One can not think of a more spectacular space in which to enjoy an evening of jazz or classical music than this grand old neighborhood church. So make sure to purchase your tickets soon.

For a bit of history of St. Agnes Church, click here.

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Video By 'We Are Gowanus' Shows Potential Impact Of Peter Shapiro's Rock And Roll Playhouse On Its Neighbors

280 Bond Street in Gowanus

Open space attached to 280 Bond Street

 

Members of We Are Gowanus collecting signatures for petition this past Saturday

The Rock & Roll Playhouse Impact from We Are Gowanus on Vimeo.

Since learning of Peter Shapiro's plans to turn an industrial warehouse at 280 Bond Street into The Rock & Roll Playhouse (RRPH), opposition from area residents against the venue has been mounting

Homeowners on Sackett and Degraw Street, whose property abut the 6,570 SF building, first got wind of the proposed venue in late April, when they received a certified letter from Burda Construction Company indicating that work to turn the warehouse "into a theatre and a restaurant that will include daily programing for children 10 and younger" would commence shortly.

To better understand the plans, the homeowners reached out to Amy Striem, RRPH's executive director. When Striem indicated that Shapiro, who also owns Brooklyn Bowl in Williamsburg and the Capitol Theater in Port Chester, would be applying for a full liquor license as well as a Place Of Assembly Certificate, they ask for a meeting with Shapiro.

The meeting between residents, Shapiro, Striem, Larry Burda of Burda Construction and Devlin Goldberg, the Children's Program Curriculum Director, took place on May 14th, 2013. Father Robert Powers of nearby St. Agnes Church was also present.

During their conversation, homeowners learned that besides the kids classes and family-friendly programming,  Shapiro intends to operate an over-21 jazz club after 8 PM that would offer live music seven days a week and feature a full bar with a last call at 1:30 AM, 2 AM on week-ends.

The residents also learned that Shapiro had no plans to soundproof either the inside or the outside walls of the brick warehouse, though the building extends deep into the backyards of several homes on Degraw and Sackett Streets. To make matters worse, the music stage will be placed at the back of the building, closest to the residential buildings.  In addition, Shapiro plans on installing large doors between the building and a large 3686 SF outdoor space.

In response to the initial misrepresentation of the project and of Shapiro's disregard for their concerns, the residents have joined together and have formed We Are Gowanus. In an impressive effort to protect their quality of life, they have reached out to the community and local business owners and have collected over 600 signatures so far.

They have just released the video above, showing the impact of the Rock & Roll Playhouse on the neighborhood.
From We Are Gowanus:
"The animation is based entirely on plans submitted to the NYC Dept. of Buildings. Everything is to scale. The purpose of the video is to help folks in the neighborhood visualize Shapiro's plans. The animation is based entirely on the plans he submitted to the DOB. Everything is to scale. The building is HUGE and can fit a lot of people. This is its real, legal occupancy potential. The video makes the fact clear: It's location on a residential block is entirely inappropriate."

To refute Peter Shapiro's recent assertions that RRPH will primarily be a" family-focused destination", WAG has also sent PMFA the following statement:

Father Powers was one of many citizens who heard Mr. Shapiro lay out his plans on May 14, plans supported by Mr. Shapiro’s own filings at the Department of Buildings. Mr. Shapiro is being disingenuous when he tells Daily News readers and the public in general that his Rock & Roll Playhouse will be a small family-friendly venue focused on childhood education. Such a child-centered venue does not need a full liquor license, which Mr. Shapiro is seeking, and cater to the 21-and-up crowd, which Mr. Shapiro has said it will.

Father Power’s comments follow below:

On May 14, I was invited to a meeting with neighbors whose homes on the block are closest to 280 Bond Street and with Peter Shapiro and his staff, and I attended the 90 minute meeting. One of the two churches of my parish, St. Agnes, is on the block. 

I don't hang out in nightclubs but Mr. Shapiro's description of what Rock n Roll Playhouse will be after 8 PM---jazz shows with a full service bar that will close at 1:30 AM on weeknights and 2 AM on weeknights--sounds like a nightclub. I was surprised to see the statement attributed to him in the online version of the Daily News today: "This is not a nightclub." 

My neighbors' concerns are legitimate: noise from patrons leaving the venue; noise from an old brick building that has no soundproofing; discrepancies between Mr. Shapiro's claims of an occupancy of 200 and the building's and property's square footage that could potentially hold hundreds more. This nightclub could ruin the tranquility of this neighborhood, and my neighbors deserve better. 

Father Robert M. Powers 

Administrator,  Parish of St. Paul &  St. Agnes

You can reach We Are Gowanus via their new website here.
You can find the group's new Facebook page here.
And if you would like to sign their petitions, click here.

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This Sunday, St. Agnes On Hoyt Street Opens Its Doors To All

St. Agnes Roman Catholic Church is having an Open House, on Sunday February 19th from 1 to 4pm. This is a great opportunity to visit one of this neighborhood's most impressive churches and to see its interior with its marble and stained glass.
The neo-Gothic Church was designed and built by Thomas F. Houghton in 1904 to replace an earlier structure on Sackett Street, we see St. Agnes Church at the intersection of Hoyt Streetch was destroyed by fire in 1901.

St. Agness Church Open House

433 Sackett Street (at Hoyt Street)

Carroll Gardens

Open To All

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