Popular Brooklyn Bar Hot Bird to Eventually Be Replaced By Skyscraper

Hot Bird — the bustling neighborhood bar nestled near the borders of Clinton Hill, Fort Greene, and Prospect Heights — might be in danger of extinction. According to Patch, plans for a 29-story tower at 550 Atlantic Ave. have just been approved by the Landmark Preservation Commission, and part of the new skyscraper would take over the lot currently occupied by Hot Bird, Patch reports.

A bar employee tells Eater NY that the closure is a long way away and that Hot Bird likely won’t have to shutter to make way for the new development for another “year or two.”

Frank Moe — who also used to own the now-closed Fort Greene bar Rope — opened Hot Bird in 2010 in an old auto shop space, borrowing its name from a defunct Brooklyn barbecue joint. The bar has a spacious, adults-only outdoor space that makes it easy to escape the commotion of Atlantic Ave. It’s popular for parties.

The new development at 550 Atlantic Ave. is being spearheaded by developer Hope Street Capital, and the plan includes repairs to the nearly 130-year-old Church of St. Luke and St. Matthew, which was damaged by a “suspicious” fire in 2012. The new 312-foot tower will have a rooftop space overlooking Atlantic Ave.

• Clinton Hill Skyscraper To Replace Hot Bird Approved By City [Patch]