Old-timer Blarney Stone becoming a gastropub with 35 plasma TVs in the Financial District

Every so often we wander away from the neighborhood...

We've written before about our fondness for The Blarney Stone on Fulton Street near Nassau in the Financial District ... a fine place for some beers and affordable quality food from the steam table by the front door. And they open at 8 a.m. A good crowd. Office workers. Construction workers. Horse players. A few people working on a scheme.

[Photo by IrishNYC via Flickr]

The place closed for good in March 2010.

Now, a reader sends along the following item from UrbanDaddy with news of what this space is becoming...

Welcome to The Fulton, a 4,300-square-foot gastropub where the menu looks like it’s from a steakhouse and the flat-screens are invisible (except when they’re not), opening Saturday in FiDi.

This place feels like a long-lost executive’s lounge from the 1920s. There are diamond-tufted leather banquettes everywhere. Herringbone wood walls. Hanger steak frites. Old framed photos of Fulton Street (circa horse-and-buggy era). And a slew of cracking antique mirrors... that happen to conceal 35 state-of-the-art invisible plasmas.

So when a game isn’t on, and the TVs are off, every set will be hidden behind two-way glass. Perfect for when you want to quietly sip on a Ginger Inn (that’s vodka with guava, lime, raspberry and ginger) while splitting short ribs and cheddar grits with that comely market analyst.

Like the sound of the "old framed photos of Fulton Street." A little history for the lifeless.

Window shopping on Fulton Street

New million dollar lofts in FiDi go from sliding rules to sliding doors

Just in case you thought there wasn't enough high-end condos in the Financial District. Debuted now on Fulton Street, a few doors west of our old friend the Blarney Stone...

Anyway, meet the Compass Lofts... oh, and excuse me, it's The Compass Lofts at 42 Ann Street. Even thought I'm standing on Fulton Street. Ann runs parallel to Fulton. And probably doesn't have as much of a stigma as Fulton Street, the home of, well, nothing.



Anyway, as the sign says, the lofts, which hit the market last week, start at $2.4 million... and they provide a nice view of the Beekman ...



Here's some of the listing:

The Compass Lofts is a landmarked boutique residential loft building in the heart of FiDi offering seven extraordinary homes that perfectly fuse 19th century distinction with 21st century luxury. Every aspect of the architectural restoration epitomizes the developer’s reverence for the building’s role in history as a symbol of precision and design integrity.

The Compass Lofts offers a choice of six gracious full-floor lofts and one newly added rooftop penthouse duplex. All offer grand living spaces that boast oversized windows, fireplaces and high vaulted-barrel ceilings that set the stage for dramatic entertaining. The loft layout bedroom area and spa-like baths provide for a quiet retreat. The open custom kitchen includes RAK Ceramics marbleized polished porcelain counters with premium Liebherr and Viking energy-efficient kitchen appliances. The penthouse duplex is flanked by spacious north- and south-facing terraces plus a private rooftop deck.

And a little history on the building:

It was built in 1892 and landmarked 113 years later. Now the former factory at 127 Fulton Street is on the brink of becoming one of the finest, best-restored residential buildings in the Financial District. The 10-story Keuffel & Esser building was named for the family-run company that built it. Famous among engineers who relied on its products, “K&E” was the brand of the early 20th century for all sorts of drafting materials and instruments — T squares, compasses, measuring tapes, leveling rods, surveying equipment, and even furniture. It was the first American company to manufacture slide rules, and its success helped make Lower Manhattan a commercial capital in the days when industry rivaled finance downtown

Here's more on the history of the company. And if you want to know more about the Compass Lofts, there's an open house on Sunday...

Former Strand Annex now a Lot Less closeout store

The Strand Annex at 95 Fulton Street in the Financial District closed in October 2008... due, in part, to a 300 percent rent hike on its 15,000-square-foor home...



...and now, I just noticed that a Lot Less closeout store has taken over the space...



One more strike against the reinvention of Fulton Street and FiDi...

Practicing safe swiping

Entering the 4/5 the other day at Fulton Street downtown ...

Good news: The Blarney Stone has reopened

Yesterday, in fact, after being closed for nearly three weeks...



...with a few modifications...



On Fulton Street in the Financial District.

Previously.

Very bad things: Blarney Stone still closed on Fulton Street

No sign of any activity. If my math is correct, they've been closed now for 18 days.

Previously.

A model condo: An angel will try to earn her wings while living at the District

So, per usual, I was reading talkingmakeup.com, you know, the daily makeup and beauty blog, and I came across this item of interest.

For the first time ever, Victoria’s Secret has opened its legendary runway to the public by holding open casting events in New York City, Miami, Los Angeles and Chicago where the country’s most beautiful women competed for a chance to be the next Victoria’s Secret’s Runway Angel.

A Victoria’s Secret panel of experts have narrowed down the field to 10 finalists, who were flown to New York City to take part in “Angel Boot Camp,” a series of challenges where the contestants will show their photogenic qualities, prove their abilities as a spokesmodel, show off their red carpet star quality and radiate charisma while walking a runway in lingerie.

Yeah, yeah, blah, blah...(Oh, wait: radiate charisma?)

While in New York, the finalists will stay at The District, a luxury condo building in the heart of Manhattan’s financial district boasting spectacular views of downtown Manhattan. Throughout their stay, the aspiring models will also enjoy such amenities as a roof deck with four pools, a lounge/library with fireplace, a billiards room, screening room and such elegant furniture by RentQuest.

That's one way to lure some horndogs to live in the District at 111 Fulton St., where some units are available.

Oh, and the weekly webisodes from Angel Boot Camp started airing last night, pervs. And I can't wait for the webisode where the models have to radiate charisma while walking past the MTA's Fulton Street pit and working a shift in the Nassau Bar...

The Blarney Stone is still closed

Perhaps they'll reopen in time to capitalize on the Yankees World Series victory parade Friday morning.

Previously.

The Blarney Stone is closed (again)

Uh-oh. Thanks to a tipster who points out that FiDi fave the Blarney Stone on Fulton Street has been closed now for five days. As you may recall, the bar was mysteriously closed for seven days or so this past February.

Previously on EV Grieve:
The Blarney Stone is back in business

Things that you can do with your real estate promissory note

And why the random quotation marks? On Fulton Street in the Financial District.

All the Fulton Street Duane Reade news that's fit to post

The Big new Duane Reade opens at the former Staples site on Water Street and Fulton on Saturday...



...which means the old Duane Reade a few hundred feet away on Fulton is closing...



Meanwhile, someone artfully arranged these bricks on Water Street outside the new Duane Reade.

Is the recession over? Tiffany & Co. is advertising on bus shelters

On Water and Fulton in the Financial District.

93rd Duane Reade in Lower Manhattan nearly complete

We're almost ready for more Duane Reade action ... at the former Staples store on Fulton and Water Streets in the Financial District.

Woman smiles, runs into traffic proudly carrying her Duane Reade bag

Oh, it's just an ad! And the signs confirm that Duane Reade is taking over the former Staples store on Fulton and Water Streets in the Financial District.



Perhaps the Duane Reade 100 feet way will have some good sales then...Better, I hope, than the crap that Rite Aid tried to pawn off...

One of those days

On Fulton Street near Water Street.

What else do you think would take over a large retail space downtown?

As we mentioned last year, the big Staples store that anchored the corner of Water Street and Fulton Street at the gateway to the South Street Seaport closed up in November.

Meanwhile, there has been plenty of activity at the site....Prepping it for — c'mon, you can guess correctly!






...a big Duane Reade, this according to a construction worker ...
Huge need for this! There isn't a Duane Reade within 100 feet of this location!



OK, OK....the other Duane Reade there on Fulton is simply moving...

Previously on EV Grieve:
That joke isn't funny anymore: Duane Reade opens at location of former OTB parlor on John Street

Falafels for lunch today...? Oh, on second thought...

Great ad placement.

More signs of the recession: At the Blarney Stone

On Fulton Street in the Financial District.

Revisiting Fulton Street...and say hello to Fultonhaus!

Fulton Street, down in the Financial District, is as dreary as ever. The street is still torn up. And there's that large, unnecessary money pit in the Earth on Fulton and Broadway where the Fulton Street Transit Center will open in 4783. (At the east end of the street at Water and the South Street Seaport, the storefront that housed the Staples remains vacant.) Still, though, despite all this...the street is functional enough for the working folks in the neighborhood. You have your Radio Shack, your Subway, Dunkin' Donuts, Starbucks, CVS, etc. Your basic chain hell with a few mom-and-pop shops in the mix. (With some affordable work space on the upper levels.)



Despite the economy, more change is inevitable along this corridor. For instance, on the north side of the street, between Nassau and Williams Street, there are four properties for rent. (Here's info on 119 Fulton St.)






As humdrum as the street level looks, big things have happened up above...check out the upper left-hand side of this photo...



That's the 14-story loft residence (a SHVO exclusive!) known as Fultonhaus at 199 Fulton St., just a few doors east of the Crisis Intervention Program at the Coalition for the Homeless. Dunno what the occupancy rate is at Fultonhaus. For what it's worth, there is some furniture out on a few of the terraces, though not too many brave souls are taking advantage of the Fultonhaus rooftop right now. [Update: Thanks to the commenter for setting me straight: The roof deck is part of District next door to Fultonhaus.]



Oh, one thing worth mentioning on the Fultonhaus site...the "nightlife" section...not exactly an area renowned for it. Anyway, the wonderfully seedy Pussycat Lounge gets namechecked!


No love, though, for the Blarney Stone? Which is right next to the Fultonhaus. And they're having a nice sandwich/side order combo deal. Just don't ask for separate containers, OK?