Dumbo Is Landmarked, vs. Dumbo Is a Forbidding Outpost, and More Brooklyn in Brief

- Dumbo preserved: The Landmarks Preservation Commission voted unanimously to protect the blocks and 91 historic buildings in Dumbo. DumboNYC

- Dumbo is "a forbidding outpost lined with dark industrial buildings, some with broken windows and graffiti. Mainly an industrial and commercial district, its choppy, potholed streets are deserted at night." From a 1995 article in the New York Times

- The giant inflatable rat is gone, and the Smith's (Atlantic and Smith) ground floor retail spaces have just hit the market. Brownstoner says construction on the project should be finished sometime in January. Brownstoner

- A father abandons his children at the age of two. He never sends birthday presents or attends graduations. He never asked about their well-being or education, except to obtain their social security numbers after they became of age in order to terminate child support payments. Then one of his kids dies in the World Trade Center -- and the kid's estate is worth $2.9 million. Guess who shows up, claiming his fair share? Brooklyn Eagle

- You have to wonder at the wisdom of having a bike lane running right past the busiest hotel in Brooklyn, in the drop off and pick up lane. Brownstoner

- Dump trucks made 19 pickups on Montague Street last night. Residents are tired. Brooklyn Heights Blog

- Dermot now controls three "primo properties" around BAM, including One Hanson/the Williamsburgh Savings Bank Tower. Brownstoner

- Life in Downtown Brooklyn will never be the same. What the Daily News is calling the "Hip Hop IHOP" started serving up silver dollar pancakes, Belgian waffles and the like at Livingston and Bond yesterday. Curbed