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Movie Palaces Of The 1940s: The Miami Theatre On Flagler St. | Bedford Hills Real Estate

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At first glance, 777 International Mall in Downtown Miami at 145 East Flagler Street seems as ordinary as any mini shopping mall in the area. There are various mom and pop type of stores, a two-story Payless ShoeSource, jewelry and perfume vendors, and a Peruvian restaurant in the main courtyard. However the building dates back to 1948 when it was built as the Miami Theatre, a major movie theater of the famed Wometco theater chain.

Wometco Enterprises, Inc. undeniably launched the popularity of the moviegoing experience in South Florida. Brothers-in-law Mitchell Wolfson—the same Wolfson family that brought the Wolfsonian museum, the Florida Moving Image Archives, and the Downtown Miami Study Centre to South Florida—and Sidney Meyer founded the Wolfson-Meyer Theatre Company  (“Wometco”) in 1925 in Miami. During the first two decades of its existence, Wometco’s objective was to provide affordable entertainment venues in Florida for the general public. The film industry skyrocketed in the 1920s and there was a high demand for venues to screen these innovative moving pictures. The company launched the largest theatre chain in South Florida that included the Capitol Theatre-later the future home of WTVJ; Miami’s first television station-the Lincoln Theatre designed by Thomas W. Lamb; and the theatre-turned-nightclub Cameo designed by Robert E. Collins; both built in 1936, among many others.

  • The old 777 International Mall. Photo Courtesy: Javier Zayas-Bazan
  • The 777 International Mall today. Photo by Marvin Aguilar
  • The original foyer entrance, 1946-47, of the Miami Theatre. Photo Courtesy: S. Charles Lee Collection, UCLA Library Special Collections Department.
  • Stair to Balcony, 1946-47. Photo Courtesy: S. Charles Lee Collection, UCLA Library Special Collections Department.
  • Rendering, Foyer Stair, 1946-47. Photo Courtesy: S. Charles Lee Collection, UCLA Library Special Collections Department.
  • Mural, 1946-47. Photo Courtesy: S. Charles Lee Collection, UCLA Library Special Collections Department.
  • The interior of the 777 International Mall. Photo by Marvin Aguilar
  • Mezzanine Bar, 1946-47, Miami Theatre. Photo Courtesy: S. Charles Lee Collection, UCLA Library Special Collections Department.
  • Mezzanine Bar today. Photo by Marvin Aguilar
  • Huyler’s Sweet Shop, 1946-47. Photo Courtesy: S. Charles Lee Collection, UCLA Library Special Collections Department.
  • Huyler’s Resturant, 1946-47. Photo Courtesy: S. Charles Lee Collection, UCLA Library Special Collections Department.

 

 

 

http://miami.curbed.com/archives/2013/11/13/the-history-of-s-charles-lees-miami-theatre.php

How to Increase your SEO with Google Plus | Bedford Hills NY Homes

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Google Plus is more than just a social media site. It can be a tool that can  help boost a website’s ranking on Google’s search engine.

With the changes and updates on the Google algorithm which was introduced as  the Hummingbird, Google Plus becomes an integral part of any online marketing  and SEO strategies of bloggers, webmasters and internet marketers.

So what is Google Plus, really?

Google describes the service as connecting social, communication and people  which is designed to build your website’s ability to rank higher on  search. Here we show you how to increase your SEO with Google+.

4 tips to build content relevance on Google Plus

Blogger and content marketers use their Google Plus profile to associate  their content to their own authorship. By writing high quality content about  subjects belonging to your business category will help the search engine to  identify you as an authority within your niche. Your content should always be  relevant to your business industry to help the search engine identify your  business niche where you are trying to build your authorship.

The main objective of Google Plus is to improve the user’s experience by  integrating quality content publication to your social networks. It requires  that your content should be one that is relevant, accurate and updated for the  benefits of your readers.

In order to help the search engine identify your authorship and field of  business industry, Google Webmasters offer the following tips to help you build  your content relevance on search:

  • Optimize your Google Plus profile. It is important to optimize your  Google Plus profile in order to make it more revealing to your followers. As  much as possible, complete all the required fields from your Google profile such  as adding your profile image (no one will like to follow an  anonymous  Google Plus author), website URL, business details and description. If you can,  have your Google Plus Page get verified by Google to improve your  credibility.
  • Link your Google Plus Page to your site and social extensions. By  adding your Google Plus Page directly on your website will make it easier for  the search engine to associate your website to your Google Plus profile. Use the  snippet of the code for your Page and connect the code to your Adwords campaign  as well as to your social extensions. Using the Google Plus badge or the +1  button will also make it easier for your social connections to follow and  identify your authorship to your website.

How Google Plus Can Increase Your SEO

  • Be consistent in posting high quality content. People are more likely  to follow you if you are able to constantly connect with them by posting high  quality content that they find useful. By writing highly relevant content,   the search engine queries can assist you in achieving high rankings in  Google web search and even on the Google Plus search results.
  • Make your content dynamically engaging. To make your post engaging,  offer your readers solutions to their problems. Commenting on the conversations  on your Google Plus page will help your readers to easily connect to your  content, making it more relevant to their needs and to the search engine as  well.

 

 

 

Read more at http://www.jeffbullas.com/2013/11/11/how-to-increase-your-seo-with-google-plus/#R00S4iEXt6jhqKMC.99

Hot housing markets that are cooling down | Bedford Hills Homes

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The national housing market is by most measures recovering at a healthy clip. Home prices in some of the hardest-hit markets — places like Reno, Nev., and Phoenix, Ariz. — were up by more than 30% in the third quarter of this year, compared to the same period last year. But while many cities have seen housing market activity heat up, others that were recently among the hottest in the nation have cooled off.

Realtor.com’s Quarterly Turnaround Towns Report measures the strength of the recovery in the nation’s large housing markets. The site ranked the markets with the biggest declines in inventory and inventory age, and the biggest increases in home prices, as markets leading the nation’s recovery in growth and demand. 24/7 Wall St. reviewed the eight metropolitan areas that were, according to Realtor.com’s rank, among the hottest markets in the country at the beginning of the year, but as of the third quarter have cooled down considerably.

Many of these markets were among the hardest hit by the housing crisis. Cities like Lakeland, Fla., Reno, Nev., and Bakersfield, Calif., had homes lose more than half their value during the collapse. As Alison Schwartz, vice president at Realtor.com, explained, it is not surprising that these markets were among the hottest at the beginning of this year. “Markets that were significantly impacted by the housing crisis have further to accelerate in order to get back to equilibrium conditions — whereas, markets that were less affected by the housing crisis have less room for acceleration.”

It appears, however, that the rapid recovery in these markets has slowed.

One of the most obvious indicators of a cooling housing market is a slowing of home price growth. In places like Ventura, Calif., and Orlando, Fla., home prices rose by roughly 25% last year. But in the most recent quarter, prices rose by just 2.1% and 0.5%, respectively. In all but one of the hot housing markets that are now cooling off, home prices were up 7% or more in the second quarter of this year. Last quarter, however, most rose only 2% or less. In Orlando, home prices climbed 10% in the second quarter but did not grow at all last quarter.

 

 

http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/personalfinance/2013/11/05/eight-housing-markets-cooling-down/3441321/

Pending Sales of Existing Homes Slump by Most in Three Years | Bedford Hills Real Estate

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Fewer Americans than forecast signed contracts to buy previously owned homes in September, the fourth straight month of declines, as rising mortgage rates slowed momentum in the housing market.

The index of pending home sales slumped 5.6 percent, exceeding all estimates in a Bloomberg survey of economists and the biggest drop in more than three years, after a 1.6 percent decrease in August, the National Association of Realtors reported today in Washington. The index fell to the lowest level this year.

Mortgage rates last month reached two-year highs and some homeowners are reluctant to put properties up for sale as they wait for prices to climb, leading to tight inventories. Those forces are pushing some would-be buyers to the sidelines and slowing the pace of recovery in real estate, giving Federal Reserve policy makers reason to delay reducing stimulus when they meet this week.

“We’ll be in this weakness for a little bit, maybe even going into the fourth quarter,” said Yelena Shulyatyeva, a U.S. economist at BNP Paribas in New York, the second-best forecaster of pending home sales over the past two years, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. “This is a clear signal to the Fed as to what happens when you try to play with nascent housing recovery. The minutes indicated they were really concerned about it.”

Production Slows

Another report today showed factory production rose less than forecast in September, indicating manufacturing cooled heading into the budget battle that partially closed the federal government this month. Output at factories rose 0.1 percent after a revised 0.5 percent gain in August that was smaller than initially estimated, according to figures from the Federal Reserve. The median forecast of economists in a Bloomberg survey called for a 0.3 percent September gain.

Total industrial production, which also includes output by mines and utilities, advanced 0.6 percent as higher temperatures drove up electricity use.

Stocks were little changed after the pending sales report, erasing earlier gains. The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index rose less than 0.1 percent to 1,761.32 at 10:32 a.m. in New York. The S&P Supercomposite Homebuilding Index dropped 0.7 percent.

 

 

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-10-28/pending-sales-of-existing-homes-slump-by-most-in-three-years.html

 

Peaking Prenups Prove Housing is Hot | Bedford Hills NY Homes

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Nearly two-thirds of divorce attorneys report an increase in prenuptial agreements over the past three years.  Protection of the increased value of property was the leading asset spouses want protected.

A clear majority of 63% of divorce attorneys cited an increase in prenuptial agreements during the past three years in a recent survey of American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyer (AAML) members.  The top three items most commonly covered in prenups throughout this period of time were noted as “protection of separate property” by 80% of respondents, “alimony/spousal maintenance” at 77% and “division of property” with a 72% total.  Interestingly enough, 46% also noted an increase in women initiating requests for these agreements.

“As the financial and real estate markets continue to improve, there is a greater awareness of risk to possibly sharing these gains in a divorce,” said Alton Abramowitz, president of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers.  “The trend of divorcing spouses fighting over which one has to take possession of a devalued home and other depreciated assets appears to be coming to an end.”

Overall, 63% of AAML members have cited an increase in the number of prenuptial agreements during the past three years, while 36% stated no change, and 1% saw a decrease.  In addition to the top three prenup items selected, the next three most common coverage areas picked by respondents were “protection of the increase of value in separate property” at 62% followed by “inheritance rights” at 39% with 23% choosing “community property division.”

 

 

http://www.realestateeconomywatch.com/2013/10/peaking-prenups-prove-housing-is-hot/

Debt Ceiling Debate Hurt Housing | Bedford Hills Real Estate

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The bitter Congressional negotiations that led to a temporary raising of the debt ceiling last week may have a lingering effect on consumer attitudes and spending may pose significant downside risks to economic activity in the current quarter, Fannie Mae’s chief economist said.

Growth slowed in the third quarter, although recent fiscal risks threaten a previously expected pickup in growth in the current quarter, according to Fannie Mae’s Economic & Strategic Research Group. Consumers remain key to the outlook, but factors such as the recent federal government shutdown and the furlough of 500,000 workers, as well as the debt ceiling debate, which was resolved temporarily on October 16, appear to be weighing on consumer confidence and tempering real consumer spending. As a result of the fiscal events and the slowing momentum in economic activity from the second quarter to the third quarter, full-year growth is expected to come in at 1.9 percent, a slight downgrade from 2.0 percent in the prior forecast.

Fannie Mae’s October economic and housing forecast is largely unchanged from September’s forecast as it anticipated the modest levels of consumer spending seen toward the end of the third quarter.

However, fiscal uncertainties associated with the federal government shutdown, the protracted negotiations to raise the debt ceiling, and the timing of the Federal Reserve’s tapering of its asset purchase program, pose,” said Fannie Mae Chief Economist Doug Duncan.

“Our October economic and housing forecast is largely unchanged from the previous forecast as we anticipated the modest levels of consumer spending seen toward the end of the third quarter. However, fiscal uncertainties associated with the federal government shutdown, the protracted negotiations to raise the debt ceiling, and the timing of the Federal Reserve’s tapering of its asset purchase program, pose significant downside risks to economic activity in the current quarter,” said Fannie Mae Chief Economist Doug Duncan. “In particular, the contentious Congressional negotiations that led ultimately to Congress raising the debt ceiling may have a lingering effect on consumer attitudes and spending, as was seen following the 2011 negotiations,” Duncan said.

“On the bright side, these fiscal policy issues appear to have had only minimal effect on the housing market to date, which continues to improve overall,” said Duncan. “Notably, the rapid appreciation of home prices during the past year has contributed significantly to household net worth gains and may help to cushion some of the fallout from the fiscal policy debate. Also, the Fed’s continuation of securities purchases will likely keep mortgage rates low, enabling more homeowners to take advantage of refinance opportunities.”

Fannie still forecasts that total sales will end the year at 5.549 million units and home prices will rise 8.3 percent on the FHFA index.

 

 

http://www.realestateeconomywatch.com/2013/10/debt-ceiling-debate-could-hurt-housing/

 

Bedford Post Inn To Feature Local Farmers In ‘Harvest’ Dinners | Bedford Hills Real Estate

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Bedford Post Inn will host its first in a series of ‘Harvest’ dinners on Sunday from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., featuring some of the Hudson Valley’s farmers and purveyors

This night will honor Mimi Edelman of I & Me Farms, a purveyor that the inn’s executive chef, Jeremy McMillan, and his team regularly rely on for a bulk of their seasonal produce.

In October, the Bedford Post Inn’s Farmhouse will hold an Oktoberfest celebration featuring German inspired fare including potato and rye dumplings, wurst, sauerbraten, saurkraut, and braised red cabbage.

Guests will also be able to listen to German music.

Reservations can be made by calling 914-234-7800 or emailing reservations@bedfordpostinn.com

The Bedford Post Inn is at 954 Old Post Road.

 

 

 

http://bedford.dailyvoice.com/events/bedford-post-inn-feature-local-farmers-harvest-dinners

The 4 Most Common Kitchen Remodeling Mistakes | Bedford Hills Real Estate

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What’s the secret to a successful kitchen remodel? Knowing what mistakes to avoid! Almost everyone who has been through a remodel has a war story to share about what they’d do differently. Whether it’s the neighbor’s never-ending remodel, or the friend of a friend whose contractor couldn’t get along with the architect, keep your dream kitchen from becoming a nightmare by protecting yourself from these common first-timer mistakes.

 

 

The 4 Most Common Kitchen Remodeling Mistakes | Cultivate.

Why Promoting on the Facebook Timeline is Good and Bad | Bedford Hills Real Estate

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Facebook has made another change to how you can market on Facebook.Why Promoting on the Facebook Timeline is Good and Bad

Is this good news or not?

A couple of years ago, they decided to forbid running promotions directly on  the page and made the use of a third party app mandatory. This restriction is  now gone.  You can now run a promotion without using a third party  app.

There are still rules though, and not everything can be done. Nonetheless,  this can be a good option in some instances, or a very poor one in others.

Let’s review the pros and cons of this new possibility.

#1. The good part

So what you can do when  running a promotion on  your timeline and  why can it be a good option?

The new terms  of service and the accompanying FAQ they have put together are pretty clear about what you  can do:

  • You don’t HAVE to use a  third party app anymore to run a promotion on your page (you still can, but it  is not mandatory)
  • If you run your promotion  directly on your page, entries to the promotion can be made by either posting on  the page, liking or commenting a page post, or messaging the page.

If you have a small audience and want to offer a prize, it’s now super  simple:

  1. Post to your page that  people may just “post” or “message” the page or “like” or “comment” a post of the page
  2. Tell them you’ll pick a  winner among the ones who have done so

Super fast, super easy and free!

You can even pay for ads and get the concerned post displayed to more people  than your usual organic reach (between 5 and 50% of your fans). The ad part is probably the main  motivation for Facebook to change its rules by the way, but that’s a different  story.

A good example would be the following:

  • You have a small business  and a couple thousand fans and you are launching a new product
  • You want your fans and the  world to know about it
  • At the same time you want  to engage with the announcement
  • Create a post announcing  the launch
  • include a nice picture  and ask your fans to find a name for the new product using the comments on the  post
  • Pick the name you like  among the comments and you have a winner.

 

Read more…

 

 

http://www.jeffbullas.com/2013/09/02/why-promoting-on-the-facebook-timeline-is-good-and-bad/#kxXoFfoBSdZTxRTl.99

Billionaire Neighbors Keep Spying on Calvin’s Glass House | Bedford Hills Real Estate

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calvin%20southampton.jpg [Calvin Klein/wikipedia]

According to Page Six, Calvin Klein is feverishly trying to finish his long-aborning glass house on Meadow Lane in Southampton in time for a Labor Day housewarming. Apparently, even his billionaire neighbors (David Koch? Leon Black? Henry Kravis?) keep coming up the driveway to sneak a look inside. Well, who can blame them? The man is a style icon and one of the greatest designers of all time—isn’t everyone dying to see inside? (Besides maybe his ex Nick Gruber, who recently “came out as straight.”) Calvin, don’t forget, our address for the evite is hamptons@curbed.com. · Calvin Klein Takes Movie Break [NYPost]