It used to be that this was a city of vacant lots and hobo fires and places to park your car after you sat in traffic in them all day on Robert Moses’ wonderful highways. Then all these jerk kids started moving in and the hobo fires disappeared, the government tried to stamp out vacant lots and even the parking garages became a thing of the past, turned into community-focused music and art venues helmed by people who grew up here, traitors to their own upbringing. Nothing’s sacred anymore.
Yep, in Crown Heights, a group has bought up the parking garage that sits on 893 and 897 Dean Street, with plans to turn it into a bar, restaurant, performance space, recording studio and rehearsal space, and as if that wasn’t bad enough, also include a large backyard. According to DNA Info, Global Square, as the converted garage will be known as, is already asking the community for input on choices from their pizza menu to their events calendar, and is working with the community board to smooth the process along for a potential liquor license.
The project is being helmed by a number of people, including Charles McMickens, a Brooklyn native and owner of The General Greene and Brooklyn native. You’d think a city native would recognize the importance of abandoned garages to our economy, but apparently you can’t trust anybody these days.