Beard Street gets a shave

The sight of city workers removing the historic cobblestones from Beard Street set off a momentary panic last week as Red Hook residents feared that their heritage was being dug up so that buyers of Ikea’s Ektorp sofas, Hensvik cribs and Bjorkudden tables could have a smooth ride home.

But the trade-off is that the cobblestones will be reused as part of the furniture giant’s six-acre waterfront plaza and esplanade, Ikea officials reminded this week.