Rendering courtesy of Williams New York

Extell on Thursday officially launched sales at Brooklyn Point, the developer’s first skyscraper in the borough. According to the building’s site, units available include studios, one-, two- and three-bedroom condos, ranging from $837,000 to $3,413,000 in price. Residents at the 720-foot tower, located at 138 Willoughby Street in Downtown Brooklyn, will enjoy a plethora of amenities including a wine room, a stroller valet, well-equipped fitness center and, of course, the highest rooftop pool in the Western Hempishere.

Home to the highest residential rooftop infinity pool in the Western Hemisphere – who wouldn’t want to live at #BrooklynPointNYC? Sales officially launch tomorrow!

A post shared by Brooklyn Point NYC (@brooklynpointnyc) on Mar 21, 2018 at 7:59am PDT

Designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox, the 68-story luxury tower will be the tallest building in Brooklyn until the 1,000-foot building planned for 9 DeKalb Avenue by JDS rises. Brooklyn Point will include 458 residential units and residents will also have access to retail and dining space from City Point’s DeKalb Market Hall, Trader Joe’s, Target and the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema.

The interiors, designed by Katherine Newman, will boast an American 1950s vibe, including an art installation in the lobby inspired by Roy Lichtenstein’s Pop Art style. The condominiums will blend “Brooklyn industrial chic” with a “refined mid-century aesthetic.”

Currently, the cheapest condo is 17G, which is listed for $837,000. It measures 549 square feet and will have a carrying cost of $658/month with abatement. The studio at 28G is slightly larger at 556 square feet and is asking $874,000, with a $670/month carrying cost.

Four one-bedroom units are currently available, with the cheapest option listed for $1,102,000. The priciest one-bedroom apartment sits on the 65th floor and is asking just over $1.3 million.

Brooklyn Point’s two-bedroom, two-bath units are quite spacious, with the largest available measuring 1,182 square feet. These condos are asking between $1.9 million and $2.5 million.

Three-bedroom units will be found on the 42nd, 43rd and 52nd floors. Apartment 42F is priced at just over $2.9 million and the priciest three-bedroom is listed for more than $3.41 million. Two of the three-bedroom condos available also include three bathrooms.

See the current availability of all residences at Brooklyn Point here.

RELATED: 

• Extell’s Brooklyn Point tower will have the highest rooftop pool in the city
• Extell’s first outer-borough skyscraper, Brooklyn Point, gets new renderings
• Brooklyn Point, Extell Development’s first tower in the borough, will rise 720 feet

All renderings courtesy of Williams New York

Via Tishman Speyer/ The Wheeler building site

Tishman Speyer last April unveiled plans to revamp the Macy’s building at 422 Fulton Street in Downtown Brooklyn by building a 10-story office tower on top of it. Now, new renderings have been released this week of the building, known as the Wheeler, highlighting the design’s fusion of 19th century and Art Deco architecture. A 256-foot tall glassy addition to the historic department store will add over 840,000 square feet of commercial space, according to YIMBY.

The design from Perkins Eastman and Shimoda Design Group will integrate Macy’s two buildings, a four-story structure built in the 1870s and an eight-story building built in 1930, with new construction. Overall, the tower measures 14 stories tall.

Macy’s will occupy the bottom four floors with the planned office space above it. The lowest floors of office space will boast 16-foot ceilings and measure across 90,000-square-foot floor plates. As the building rises, the floors decrease in size.

Amenities at the Wheeler include bike storage, locker rooms with showers and 11 setback terraces. The rooftop will also feature a terrace, measuring about 10,000 square feet. According to the building’s website, there will be over an acre of outdoor space spread among eight office floors. The recreational space will have food and beverage stations and plenty of seating.

The Wheeler is expected to wrap construction up by the middle of next year.

[Via YIMBY]

RELATED:

• Plans revealed for new creative office hub above revamped Downtown Brooklyn Macy’s
• Extell launches sales at Brooklyn’s current tallest tower,  starting at $837K
• New renderings unveiled of John Catsimatidis’ 32-story Downtown Brooklyn rental ‘The Eagle’

All images courtesy of Tishman Speyer/ The Wheeler

Rendering via Tishman Speyer

Tishman Speyer released on Monday the first renderings for its new luxury residential tower in Downtown Brooklyn, 11 Hoyt. Designed collaboratively between Hill West Architects and Jeanne Gang’s architecture firm, Studio Gang, the 51-story, 480-unit condominium project will offer a variety of apartment layouts, with more than 190 different floor plans. The tower’s rippling exterior seems to borrow elements used in two of Gang’s Chicago projects, the Aqua Tower and the Vista Tower, which is currently under construction. The project will rise next to the Macy’s on Fulton Street, which is currently undergoing renovations by Tishman Speyer, who are also planning a 10-story office tower on top of the store. Sales will launch at the tower this summer, but interested buyers can now check out the building’s newly launched teaser site.

“11 Hoyt is destined to become Downtown Brooklyn’s most desirable new address,” Rob Speyer, the CEO of Tishman Speyer, said in a statement. “We are honored to collaborate with such a talented group of globally-minded and innovative design partners to launch our first ground up condominium offering in New York City. The combination of 11 Hoyt’s world-class design, unmatched amenity space and convenient, highly coveted location make this development truly one-of-a-kind.”

While the project will be Studio Gang’s first residential building, Jeanne Gang is responsible for designing the Solar Carve Tower, a 12-story office building coming to the High Line, as well as the expansion of the Museum of Natural History.

Just last month, Tishman Speyer released new renderings for its Macy’s revamp at 422 Fulton Street, the property that neighbors 11 Hoyt. In addition to the refurbished department store on the bottom four floors, the developer will add a 10-foot office tower above it, called the Wheeler.

The tower will offer a host of amenities, spanning over 50,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor space. Residences at 11 Hoyt will range from studio to four-bedroom apartments, priced between roughly $600,000 and $4 million.

RELATED:

• New renderings for Tishman Speyer’s 10-story office tower above Downtown Brooklyn Macy’s
• Plans revealed for new creative office hub above revamped Downtown Brooklyn Macy’s
• REVEALED: Tishman Speyer’s Long Island City office development boasts food hall and rooftop park

All renderings via Tishman Speyer

Renderings courtesy of Hill West

If you don’t mind being in the center of all the action, this affordable housing opportunity is for you. The lottery is open for 37 apartments at Hill West Architects‘ brand new Downtown Brooklyn rental 1 Flatbush Avenue. Not only does the 19-story building offer amenities such as a landscaped roof terrace with BBQs and a gym with a yoga studio, but its location at the intersection of booming Flatbush Avenue and Fulton Street means it’s just a few blocks from BAM, the Barclay’s Center, almost all major subways at Atlantic Terminal, and Fort Green Park. The units up for grabs are reserved for households earning 60 percent of the area median income, or between $31,612 and $62,580 annually, and range from $867/month studios to $1,123/month two-bedrooms.

Developer Slate Property Group is behind the rental, which topped out construction this time last year. It has a total of 183 units, along with a double-height lobby and three levels of retail at its base. The market-rate apartments are expected to begin leasing this summer; these prices will range from $2,400/month studios to $4,400/month two-bedrooms.

Qualifying New Yorkers can apply for the affordable units at 145 Madison Avenue until July 11, 2018. Complete details on how to apply are available here (pdf). Fifty percent of units will be set aside for residents of Brooklyn Community Board 2. Questions regarding this offer must be referred to NYC’s Housing Connect department by dialing 311.

Use 6sqft’s map below to find even more ongoing housing lotteries.

If you don’t qualify for the housing lotteries mentioned, visit CityRealty.com’s no-fee rentals page for other apartment deals in the city.

L: 540 Fulton Street rendering posted on construction fence, R: Rendering via Loopnet

The new hotspot for tall towers, Downtown Brooklyn, will be getting another contender, CityRealty reports. Revised permits show that a 43-story, 511-foot tower set to rise at 540 Fulton Street will contain 327 residential units along with retail and office space. The building’s height is only about a foot shy of the former Williamsburgh Savings Bank Tower–now condos–which held the title of Brooklyn’s tallest high-rise from 1929 to 2009. The new tower will join Brooklyn’s future tallest towers: 720-foot 138 Willoughby Avenue (Brooklyn Point),986-foot 80 Flatbush, and 1,000+ foot 9 Dekalb.

The now-active construction site at 540 Fulton Street (CityRealty)

Jenel Management filed permits for a 19-story, 200,000-square-foot building at the same address in 2016, and 6qft revealed renderings. The most recent permits show 96,592 square feet of commercial space with retail and office space occupying floors 1 through 8, and 236,869 square feet of residential space–about 720 square feet per unit, indicating rental-sized apartments.

A standard menu of amenities looks like it will include storage rooms, bike rooms, a package room, one laundry facility, a business center a gym, and two ninth-floor lounges with terraces. There will also be a roof deck with a lounge. Office workers will be getting two terraces and a bike room.

Marvel Architects is still on board to design the project. The firm’s work can be seen in the nearby 36-story condo One Clinton and luxury rental The Pierrepont.

The new tower replaces an ornate 1891 Romanesque-Revival gem, a two-story structure that was home to a jumble of small retailers. The building’s original tenant was the first Downtown Brooklyn location of F.W Woolworth’s “five-and-dime store.” The building was demolished in December 2015. The expected completion date for the new building is October 2020.

[Via CityRealty]

RELATED:

• REVEALED: First Look at Downtown Brooklyn’s New Office Tower at 540 Fulton Street
• LPC Approves Brooklyn’s First 1,000+ Foot Tower; New Renderings and Details
• Skyline Wars: Brooklyn Enters the Supertall Race

Rendering of the 986-foot tower (left) and revised 840-foot tower (right) via Alloy Development and Luxigon

The New York City Council’s subcommittee on zoning voted unanimously Thursday to approve the rezoning application that allows for the construction of 80 Flatbush, a five-building complex planned for Downtown Brooklyn. Following negotiations between Alloy Development and Council Member Stephen Levin, the developers agreed to cut the height of two buildings, one from 986 to 840 feet and another from 560 to 510 feet (h/t Brooklyn Paper). New renderings reveal not only smaller buildings but an updated design as well. With this key approval, the project will most likely get support from the full City Council followed by Mayor Bill de Blasio.

“It gets the community benefit, while also being responsive to concerns about density and height,” Levin told the Brooklyn Paper.

The number of apartments was also reduced to 870 from 900 units, but as the original plan stipulated, 200 of them remain permanently affordable. The developers also agreed to reduce the floor area ratio (FAR) of the complex from 18 to 15.75.

“We’re proud that 80 Flatbush will deliver so many critically needed public benefits and help address the housing crisis,” Jared Della Valle, the CEO of Alloy, said in a statement.

“We hope the broad support we received for building a dense project in a transit-rich area sends a strong message across the five boroughs: amid an ongoing housing crisis, New York City needs to be progressive and seize every opportunity for growth in locations that can accommodate it,” he said.

The complex will bring a cultural facility, office space and new retail. Notably, 80 Flatbush also includes the addition of two public schools, designed by Architecture Research Office. One will replace and expand the Khalil Gibran International Academy, and the second elementary school, planned to have 350 seats, will serve the surrounding community.

The project involves the historic preservation of two structures at 362 Schermerhorn, one built in the 1860s and the second in the 1890s. Although neither are protected by landmark status, Alloy plans to preserve and adaptively reuse both buildings, with one serving as the cultural center.

The schools will be built during the first phase of construction, expected to kick off sometime next year. The entire project is scheduled to finish in 2025.

[Via Brooklyn Paper]

RELATED:

• 986-foot Flatbush Avenue tower in Downtown Brooklyn gets revised renderings
• Massive high-rise complex with 900 apartments, retail, offices and schools coming to Downtown Brooklyn
• Downtown Brooklyn gets another high-rise headed for 511 feet tall

Renderings courtesy of Alloy Development and Luxigon

To coincide with the sales launch at Downtown Brooklyn‘s 57-story tower at 11 Hoyt Street, Tishman Speyer has released a slew of new renderings of the Jeanne Gang-designed condo. Previous views have shown how Gang’s signature metallic rippling effect will be applied to the facade, but the new batch gives us a better look at the nearly 27,000-square-foot private park and the first glimpse of the interiors and amenity spaces.

11 Hoyt is rising next to the Fulton Street Macy’s, where Tishman is transforming a new 10-story space above the department store into a 620,000 square foot creative office hub called The Wheeler. It is Jeanne Gang’s first residential project in NYC, but she’s also behind the Solar Carve Tower, a 12-story office building coming to the High Line, and the expansion of the Museum of Natural History.

What sets the project apart is the private park, designed by Hollander Design to “reflect how the landscape would naturally develop in the region.” There are both active and passive lawn spaces, a sun deck with a hot tub, a fitness deck, interactive children’s play area, barbecue pods, a “meandering forest walk,” and lounge areas.

Below the private park on street level is a motor court and porte-cochere. Above it, alongside the park, is the Park Club amenity space which offers a 75-foot indoor saltwater pool, co-working space, children’s playroom, game room, a “mess-friendly maker’s studio,” and a fitness center complete with yoga studio, squash court, massage room, and saunas and steam showers.

Through the motor court, residents enter a double-height lobby that is flanked by a coffee lounge, pet spa, and outdoor dog run.

Studio Gang’s scalloped concrete and glass facade design was “influenced by the iconic bay windows of brownstone Brooklyn.” (The form is very reminiscent of the firm’s designs for Chicago’s Aqua Tower and Vista Tower.) Inside, these undulating bays “allow for additional living space that can be utilized in a variety of ways, including window seats, display spaces, and storage niches.” The homes also have 10-foot ceilings, eight-foot square windows with incredible 360-degree views, white oak floors, Italian stone counters in the kitchens, and marble bathrooms with radiant heat flooring.

The interiors were designed by London-based firm Michaelis Boyd Associates. They created two finish palettes–Classic, “featuring fresh, light tones, colors and materials,” and Heritage, “which references Brooklyn’s past through a rich combination of darker hues, tactile finishes, and hand-wrought appeal.”

The building offers 190 unique floorplans; prices start in the $600,000’s for studios, $800,000’s for one-bedrooms, $1,200,000 for two-bedrooms, $1,900,000 for three-bedrooms, and $3,400,000 for four-bedrooms. Find listings for 11 Hoyt here.

RELATED:

• REVEALED: Jeanne Gang’s 51-story condo next to Downtown Brooklyn Macy’s
• New renderings for Tishman Speyer’s 10-story office tower above Downtown Brooklyn Macy’s
• Plans revealed for new creative office hub above revamped Downtown Brooklyn Macy’s

All renderings courtesy of Binyan Studios for 11 Hoyt

Rendering of the 986-foot tower (left) and revised 840-foot tower (right) via Alloy Development and Luxigon

The New York City Council voted on Wednesday to approve 80 Flatbush, a five-building mixed-use development planned for Downtown Brooklyn, Curbed NY reported. The approval comes after negotiations last week between Alloy Development and Council Member Stephen Levin, who represents the area, which led to a shorter, less-dense complex. After the developers agreed to cut the height of two buildings, one from 986 feet to 840 feet and another from 560 to 510 feet, the Council’s subcommittee on zoning voted in favor of the project.

The Council voted 48-2 in favor of the development. As part of the agreement reached, the number of apartments at 80 Flatbush was reduced to 870 from 900 units. But 200 of the apartments will remain permanently affordable, as the original plan included. The floor area ratio (FAR) of the complex was dropped from 18 to 15.75.

“It gets the community benefit, while also being responsive to concerns about density and height,” Levin told the Brooklyn Paper last week.

In addition to new housing, the complex will feature a cultural center and office and commercial space. There will also be two public schools on site; one replaces and expands the Khalil Gibran International Academy and another 350-seat public school will serve the surrounding community.

The schools will be built during the first phase of construction, expected to kick off sometime next year. The entire project is scheduled to finish in 2025. But before construction begins, the project still needs approval from Mayor Bill de Blasio.

[Via Curbed NY]

RELATED: 

• NYC Council committee approves 80 Flatbush project in Downtown Brooklyn after height chop
• 986-foot Flatbush Avenue tower in Downtown Brooklyn gets revised renderings
• Massive high-rise complex with 900 apartments, retail, offices and schools coming to Downtown Brooklyn

All renderings via Alloy Development and Luxigon

Via Extell

The highest apartment ever built in Brooklyn just hit the market for $3.9 million. The penthouse sits on the 68th floor of Extell Development’s tower, Brooklyn Point, which at 720 feet remains the tallest building in the borough. The corner residence contains three bedrooms, three baths, and will boast incredible views of Manhattan via windows with North and East exposure. Brooklyn Point, at 138 Willoughby Street in Downtown Brooklyn, is still under construction, but officially launched sales in March, with condos starting at $837,000.

Interiors were conceived by Katherine Newman Design, mixing Brooklyn’s industrial past with a more luxurious modern look. The penthouse measures about 1,455 square feet and unsurprisingly boasts oversized windows with sweeping views and a plethora of sunlight. Other highlights include its split bedroom floorplan and white oak floors. The eat-in kitchen features sleek quartz slab counters, a wine fridge, and Miele appliances.

Endless views can be enjoyed from the Brooklyn penthouse, which sits 640 feet above the ground. Other bonuses of the unit include the long list (aka about 40,000 square feet) of amenities at Brooklyn Point, which was designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox.

The tower’s 68-story heated outdoor pool is the highest rooftop pool in the Western Hemisphere. Other amenities include a health and wellness facility, an indoor saltwater pool, 35-foot rock climbing wall, squash and basketball court, and a sauna. At the Park Lounge, residents can enjoy a bar, fireplace, co-working space, chef’s demonstration kitchen, game lounge, children’s playroom and more. The building also sits above City Point, home to Trader Joe’s, Target, Alamo Drafthouse, and DeKalb Market Hall.

And the building has one of the last remaining 25-year tax abatements in the city, with carrying costs at $1,788/month.

[Listing: 138 Willoughby Street, #PHD by Extell Marketing Group]

RELATED: 

• Extell launches sales at Brooklyn’s current tallest tower, starting at $837K
• Extell’s Brooklyn Point tower will have the highest rooftop pool in the city
• Extell’s first outer-borough skyscraper, Brooklyn Point, gets new renderings

All images courtesy of Extell

Rendering via SHoP Architects

Since the plan to bring the first supertall tower to Brooklyn was approved by the Landmarks Preservation Commission in the spring of 2016, few updates have been announced about the project. While construction kicked off last year, work on 9 DeKalb Avenue was stalled for months. But YIMBY reported on Tuesday that construction of the Downtown Brooklyn tower appears to have made some progress, with its foundation now visible and workers on site. The planned 1,066-foot-tower is being developed by JDS Development, with SHoP Architects handling its design.

At the site, located along Flatbush Avenue, YIMBY reported finding this week pilings and two excavators. As of February, workers were still digging its deep foundation. But after Chetrit Group left the development partnership in August, with JDS taking full ownership, construction was put on hold, the Real Deal reported.

9 DeKalb Avenue sits behind the landmarked Dime Savings Bank, which will be rehabilitated into public and retail space to complement the new tower. The interior and exterior spaces of the Beaux-Arts bank, which was finished in 1908, will also be restored.

The facade of the building is intended to mirror the fluted columns of the bank and will feature ribbons of bronze, black granite, and stainless steel. According to JDS: “With its interlocking hexagonal design and rich materiality of bronze and glass, the tower repeats features and patterns of the historic site into a cinematic expression of the rich past and future of Brooklyn.”

The supertall will reach 73 stories and contain 500 residential units, with retail space on the ground floor. Amenities include many balconies and terraces, a bike room, fitness center, storage, and resident lounge.

Construction is expected to wrap up sometime in 2020.

[Via YIMBY]

RELATED:

• LPC Approves Brooklyn’s First 1,000+ Foot Tower; New Renderings and Details
• Jared Kushner will lend $1B to developers over the next five years
• Skyline Wars: Brooklyn Enters the Supertall Race

Since it opened in 1859, the Dime Savings Bank of Brooklyn has been integral to the history of the borough it calls home. True to its name, you could open a savings account with just a dime. The first person to make a deposit was a man named John Halsey who invested $50. Scores of Brooklynites followed suit, and by the end of the bank’s first business day, 90 people opened accounts; by the end of the first month, more than 1,000 people were depositing at Dime.

But the bank cemented its prominent status in 1908 when the first subway tunnel between Manhattan and Brooklyn opened and Dime moved into its grand neo-classical building on Dekalb Avenue and Fleet Street. After the bank closed in 2002, the landmark still stood in all its former glory, operating as a special event space. Three years ago, JDS Development filed plans to build Brooklyn’s tallest tower adjacent to Dime, incorporating its Beaux-Arts interior as retail space for the project. And with work now underway, 6sqft recently got a behind-the-scenes tour of Dime Savings Bank with Open House New York.

Throughout, all of the friezes are dimes. 

When it first opened in 1859, the Dime Savings Bank of Brooklyn occupied a small room on the ground floor of the Post Office at 211 Montague Street. By 1884, Dime had about 40,000 customers, for whom the bank was holding nearly 12 million dollars. Under the direction of prominent Brooklynites including George Hall, Brooklyn’s first Mayor, John W. Hunter, Mayor of Brooklyn 1875-76, and Alfred Smith Barnes, publisher and director of the Brooklyn Historical Society, Dime built its first dedicated structure on the corner of Remsen and Court Streets.

Then came the subway. When the first subway tunnel between Manhattan and Brooklyn opened in 1908, it created a transportation hub and business boom east of Borough Hall. That boom only grew more seismic when the Flatbush Avenue Extension opened the same year, allowing direct access to the Manhattan Bridge. Dime capitalized on that growth, opening its doors on Dekalb Avenue and Fleet Street, where the extraordinary building stands today.

The 1908 structure was a paragon of civic pride. It combined a stately neo-classical structure with the best in modern technology. It featured a concrete foundation and steel girders, yet was sheathed in ancient marble. Dime’s building was the first in the country to utilize Pentelic marble, widely used in ancient Greek temples, and taken from then-recently reopened quarries.

The marble waiting benches are carved with positive mantras. 

By 1932, the bank was handling nearly $170 million dollars and was the only bank in the borough with more than one branch (it boasted four). Bank president Fredrick Jackson, whose grandfather had owned the land that became the Brooklyn Navy Yard, knew an expansion was in order. The 1932 revamp is the structure we see today and the one that has been designated both an interior and exterior landmark.

The redesign by Halsey, McCormack and Helmer prized visual continuity between the new and old buildings and maintained the classical style. In fact, the Landmarks Preservation Commission holds that “the original fluted columns and carved friezes were reused in the enlarged design.” In fact, the architects were so faithful to the classical tradition, they “intended to follow the classical lines of the Pantheon in Rome.” To capitalize on this splendor, the bank’s new rotunda was reserved for new accounts and the estates department.

But the bank’s design didn’t just look back to classical antiquity, it also championed the future, utilizing a decorative program that venerated industry and progress. For example, scenes of the Brooklyn Bridge and a host of skyscrapers decorate the building’s main entrance.

Today, 9 Dekalb (340 Flatbush Avenue Extension), the mixed-use structure by SHoP Architects that will rise to 1,066 feet, represents the future of the site. The tower will be the tallest in Brooklyn and the first in the borough to cap 1,000 feet. It will be fused to the landmarked bank, converting what had been a savings institution into a space meant for retail.

The skyscraper’s design echoes the bank’s hexagonal footprint, and the building’s main materials, including marble, crystal gray vision glass, bronze, and blackened stainless steel, take inspiration from the landmark. As part of the building process, the bank will lose a one-story annex facing Flatbush Avenue and gain in its place a glassy atrium and two additional entrances. All told, the space will sport 417 rental apartments, twenty percent of which will be affordable, and 92,694 square feet of commercial space. You can learn all about the new project here >>

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All photos taken by James and Karla Murray exclusively for 6sqft. Photos are not to be reproduced without written permission from 6sqft.

Located in the award-winning, SOM-designed Toren in Downtown Brooklyn, this duplex penthouse at 150 Myrtle Avenue boasts three exposures and sweeping views of Williamsburg and Manhattan. On the 30th of 37 floors, the corner residence offers three bedrooms and three baths in a dramatic double-height space for the asking price of $2,100,000. And though these glassy, open spaces can often feel void, this one has been warmed up with creative decor and a curated collection of plants.

The first floor is an open living/dining area flooded with light and panoramic views. The renovated eat-in kitchen features Electrolux appliances, including a dishwasher, and a Sub-Zero wine cooler. Add some colorful, rustic decor and a few plants and the sunny space comes to life.

The smallest of the three bedrooms is also on the first floor and would make a great guest room or home office.

A spiral wood and steel staircase lit by a skylight takes you up to the second level, where you’ll find a master suite overlooking the floor below with a generous en-suite bathroom and closet space. The unit has air conditioning and a washer/dryer tucked away in a closet on the second floor.

The building holds a LEED Gold rating and SOM equipped it with sustainable features including a rain-screen system in the tower’s base and a cogeneration plant that supplies tenants with power and water.

Just one stop away from Manhattan, the building offers a slew of amenities, including a pool, a gym with sauna, a library lounge, a parking garage with valet service, a children’s playroom, a yoga studio, a multi-level roof garden with an outdoor movie screen and 24-hour doorman and concierge service.

[Listing 150 Myrtle Avenue, Unit 3007 by Marie Bromberg of Compass]

[At CityRealty]

RELATED:

• Brooklyn Point’s $3.9M penthouse is the highest apartment ever in the borough
• For $1.25M, this Downtown Brooklyn loft may need some layout changes
• Corner Loft in Former Downtown Brooklyn Toy Factory Isn’t Playing Around With $999K Ask

Listing images courtesy of Compass

Rendering: Economic Development Corporation.

It appears that residents at Downtown Brooklyn‘s new Brooklyn Point development won’t be getting their “beautifully landscaped one-acre oasis” after all. Plans to add a new park atop a high-tech parking facility on Willoughby Street across from City Point in Downtown Brooklyn are officially off the table, Brooklyn Paper reports. The plan was set in motion a decade ago under the Bloomberg administration. City officials said Wednesday that a deal with the developer chosen for the job back in 2013 failed to close.

According to a letter sent to the builder’s attorney this week by the EDC, agency heads point to the developer’s inability to secure financing and resolve other business issues as the reasons behind their decision to abandon the project. A spokesman for the Economic Development Corporation (EDC), the agency overseeing the project, said “Following several years of working in good faith, we are disappointed that the developer did not meet critical closing conditions on the Willoughby Square project.”

EDC leaders had previously announced plans to break ground break ground on the project’s underground automated parking lot and park this month. The news came more than 15 years after a promise was made to add more green space in exchange for the upzoning of a large swath of Downtown Brooklyn. The plans included residents–some of them rent-stabilized–being evicted from area homes to make room for the new project.

A few weeks ago, the local Community Board 2 shared an internal memo that suggested the city might sever ties with the Long Island–based American Development Group (the project’s chosen builder) and put out a new bid for the job. But Perry Finkleman, head of American Development Group, said at the time that he still expected to close the deal by the end of January. Rumors of the project’s imminent collapse began circulating last March, the story being that Finkleman lacked the funding to complete the project–which would have included the ability to park 700 cars using a system of light sensors and other technology.

The project’s collapse is a disappointment to the community, particularly those who were booted from their homes to make way for the new park. Downtown Councilman Stephen Levin said, “The entire process has been unacceptable to myself and the greater Downtown community, this is a clear example of how not to do public planning. I realize it’s complicated because of the underground parking, but it shouldn’t be that complicated to build a park on city-owned land. It’s totally unacceptable, there’s no excuse.”

Levin said that he is willing to consider a facility with fewer parking spots after community members suggested the project not cater to motorists so much in the public-transit-rich neighborhood. “Ultimately this park has to get done. I don’t want to allocate blame, I want to figure out a way forward.”

[Via Brooklyn Paper]

RELATED:

• Mayor Bill De Blasio Proposes to Transform Downtown Brooklyn
• LPC Approves Brooklyn’s First 1,000+ Foot Tower; New Renderings and Details
• Jared Kushner will lend $1B to developers over the next five years
• Skyline Wars: Brooklyn Enters the Supertall Race

Image courtesy of Downtownbrooklyn.com.

Downtown Brooklyn Partnership announced today the selection of a joint proposal from design firms WXY Studio (WXY) and Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG Architects) for a public realm action plan aimed at implementing long-term improvements to Downtown Brooklyn’s plazas, streets, and public spaces to keep pace with the neighborhood’s unprecedented growth. According to a press release, the two firms will conduct a comprehensive study and create an implementation plan for Downtown Brooklyn’s public realm and help “advance Downtown Brooklyn as a competitive, national urban center.”

Image courtesy of Downtownbrooklyn.com.

Since its 2004 rezoning, Downtown Brooklyn has indeed experienced an ongoing shift from daytime-only outer-borough downtown to a true 24-hour mixed-use community, with new demands on streets, sidewalks, transit, and other public infrastructure. The solutions outlined in the plan address this growth and acknowledge the neighborhood’s growing prominence in the city’s–and the nation’s–economy as well as the needs of its residents, workforce, businesses, and visitors.

The WXY and BIG team can be counted on for thoughtful approaches to project collaborations as well as placemaking expertise and the agility and capacity to develop resourceful and often unconventional solutions to complex problems. Sam Schwartz will serve as a transportation consultant, Mathews Nielsen Landscape Architecture will provide landscape and maintenance expertise, and VJ Associates (VJA) will offer cost estimating.

Over the next nine months, the WXY and BIG team will work with public and private stakeholders to analyze existing conditions, create a cohesive vision and urban design framework, and develop an action plan that includes implementation and maintenance strategies and design schematics.

Image courtesy of Downtownbrooklyn.com.

The plan’s intent is to offer clear solutions to improve the public realm while establishing a range of potential intervention points for a variety of places and spaces over the next decade. The project has three main goals:

• Create a vibrant Downtown experience emblematic of Brooklyn’s unique culture;
• Establish a sense of place and enhance critical neighborhood infrastructure to support the increase in numbers of new residents, businesses, and workers; and
• Develop a phased implementation strategy and a maintenance plan that considers full lifecycle costs and benefits and ensures cost-effectiveness and compatibility with prevailing New York City practices and procedures.

This study will focus on Downtown Brooklyn’s core, including key areas below bounded by Court Street to the west, Myrtle Avenue to the north, Ashland Place to the east, and Atlantic Avenue to the south.

Regina Myer, President of the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership, said of the plan: “As New York City’s largest business district outside of Manhattan, Downtown Brooklyn has experienced tremendous growth over the years, developing into a vibrant mixed-use hub.”

“But it has also reached a tipping point – and it is time for us to rethink how our public spaces can keep pace and better work for the people using them. We are excited to work with WXY and BIG to come up with a holistic vision for a more unified Downtown Brooklyn that meets the needs of our diverse community.”

Image courtesy of Downtownbrooklyn.com.

Architect Bjarke Ingels said, “We are excited to be part of regenerating Downtown Brooklyn, a neighborhood many of us call home. Working closely with DBP, WXY and the wider local community, we look forward to exploring how we can contribute to the neighborhood’s public realm, reclaim the spaces between the buildings and create a lively, engaging and green environment for everyone to enjoy.”

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Understudy; image credit: Liz Clayman.

Downtown Brooklyn’s City Point  is pulling out all the stops to boost its cool factor. The 1.8-million-square-foot mixed-use development at 445 Albee Square West is already home to the subterranean food mecca known as Dekalb Market Hall as well as the popular dine-in cinema-slash-supper-club Alamo Drafthouse. City Point recently announced the additions of a speakeasy-style cocktail bar called Understudy within the food court and Dekalb Stage, a 7,500-square-foot events and live entertainment space just next door.

Dekalb Stage; image credit: Liz Clayman.

Dekalb Market Hall founder Anna Castellani’s intent is to bring a nightlife destination to Downtown Brooklyn, with programming at Dekalb Stage set to offer public-facing arts, culture and entertainment events including music, original performance pieces and theater. The venue also has the capability to host private events for up to 300 people. The space boasts original work from Brooklyn-based artists including Katie Merz and Bernardo Siciliano. The theater opened to the public on Saturday, February 16 with legendary DJ collective Soul Summit.

The bar at Understudy; image credit: Liz Clayman.

According to a press release, Understudy is “accessible through a discreet door” next to the event space, and will feature signature cocktails, Brooklyn-brewed beers and a “carefully chosen natural wine selection.” Bar Manager Seth Gordon from The Standard Grill at The Standard and George Duval will be tending the bar at the “elegant, dimly lit hideaway featuring handmade blue and white tiled walls, cushioned blue and red banquette seating and cozy nooks offering quiet oases from the bustling market outside.”

Dekalb Stage; image credit: Liz Clayman.

Dekalb Stage; image credit: Liz Clayman.

6sqft recently reported that the beloved Soho destination bookstore McNally Jackson would be opening a 5,300 square-foot two-story City Point location. And the aforementioned Alamo Drafthouse will be doubling in size: Eater reports that the Austin-based chain known for classic films and cocktails is adding 25,000 more square feet, including nine new theaters, more restrooms and a bigger lobby in the space currently occupied by designer discount emporium Century 21.

RELATED:

• McNally Jackson bookstore, safe in Soho, plans expansion to Downtown Brooklyn and Seaport
• Enormous ‘Authentic and Locally Curated’ Food Hall Coming to Downtown Brooklyn
• A borough-by-borough guide to NYC’s food halls
• MADE IN BROOKLYN: A Rep for Authenticity and Excellence That’s Well-Earned–and Far from New

Rendering of 570 Fulton Street via Slate Property Group

The New York City Council this week voted to approve a proposed 40-story building in Downtown Brooklyn, adding to the slew of new high-rises coming to the historically low-slung neighborhood. According to the Brooklyn Eagle, the council voted to approve zoning measures that permit Slate Property Group to build at 570 Fulton Street. With council approval, the 200,000-square-foot mixed-use building will move on to Mayor Bill de Blasio’s desk next, despite concerns from the local community board.

Rendering of 570 Fulton Street via Slate Property Group

Developed by Slate Property Group, the plan calls for 12,000 square feet of retail on the ground and second floors of 570 Fulton, with office space above on floors three through 16. The proposal includes roughly 139 rental units on floors 18 through 40. About 30 percent of these will be designated affordable. Hill West Architects is handling the design of the 558-foot-tall tower.

Community Board 2 opposed the project as the Uniformed Land Use Review Procedure process kicked off last year. In an October 2018 letter to the chair of the City Planning Commission, Marisa Lago, the chairperson of CB2 expressed concern with parts of the developer’s plan, including a relocation of the Nevins Street subway station.

And some of its board members worry about the “unprecedented physical growth in Downtown Brooklyn,” the letter reads. “For many people, much of the appeal of Brooklyn has been its lower density and the ‘Manhattanization’ of the central business district and surrounding areas is distressing.”

Downtown Brooklyn has experienced a flurry of high-rise development. In September, the council approved a five-building, mixed-use complex at 80 Flatbush after developers agreed to cut the height of two buildings, one from 986 feet to 840 feet and another from 560 to 510 feet. Other tall towers coming to the area include 511-foot 540 Fulton Street, 720-foot 138 Willoughby Avenue, and 1,000+ foot 9 DeKalb.

[Via Brooklyn Eagle]

RELATED: 

• Downtown Brooklyn gets another high-rise headed for 511 feet tall
• REVEALED: Mixed-Use Development One Flatbush Avenue to Rise from Prominent Brooklyn Corner
• City Council approves 80 Flatbush development in Downtown Brooklyn

Current construction shot of Brooklyn Point by CityRealty (L); Photo of the view courtesy of Williams New York (R)

Brooklyn Point, Extell’s first outer-borough tower rising at 138 Willoughby Street officially topped out this week at 720 feet, and the views from near the top are even more incredible than expected. The 68-story high-rise designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox will contain 458 luxury units, ranging from studios to three-bedrooms, starting at $850,000 and reaching over $4 million. On track to be completed by 2020, it’ll be Brooklyn’s tallest building (at least until the 1,000-foot building planned for 9 DeKalb Avenue rises) and boast the highest outdoor infinity pool in the western hemisphere.

Perhaps the most impressive part of Brooklyn Point is its unbelievable views. Though the tower may not look strikingly tall from the street, its central Brooklyn location affords it unobstructed, panoramic views all the way past the Verrazano Bridge, to Hudson Yards, and beyond.

The interiors were designed by Katherine Newman and offer a modern take on American design of the 1950s—a “refined mid-century aesthetic” combined with a contemporary “Brooklyn industrial chic” feel. The building’s lobby features a ceramic wall art installation inspired by Pop Art icon Roy Lichtenstein and a dramatic suspended light structure above the front desk influenced by Harry Bertoia’s sculptures.

Residents are able to choose between a light palette and a dark palette for interior furnishings, including custom kitchen cabinetry and oak wood flooring. All of the units boast oversized windows with views of the Brooklyn and Manhattan skylines and waterways.

Residents will be able to enjoy 40,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor amenities, including a garden room, wine room, game lounge, children’s playroom, bike storage and the tallest rooftop pool in the city, complete with a full lounge area, a stargazing observatory, and space for outdoor movie screenings. Being just steps away from City Point, residents will also have easy access to the retail and dining offerings there, including DeKalb Market Hall, Trader Joe’s, Target, and the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema.

Closings at Brooklyn Point are expected to commence in early 2020, which will benefit from a 25-year tax abatement.

RELATED:

• Brooklyn Point’s $3.9M penthouse is the highest apartment ever in the borough
• Extell launches sales at Brooklyn’s current tallest tower, starting at $837K
• Extell’s Brooklyn Point tower will have the highest rooftop pool in the city

Renderings and photos courtesy of Williams New York

Rendering via SHoP Architects

A fresh rendering of 9 Dekalb Avenue first published in the New York Times last week revealed a new aspect of the project: the Dime Savings Bank‘s roof will be transformed into an outdoor lounge for residents, including a pool that will partly wrap around the ornate Guastavino dome. Inside, the Beaux-Arts interior will become a flagship store, with further details to be announced. The rising 1,066-foot-tower is being developed by JDS Development, with SHoP Architects leading the design, and is set to become the tallest tower in Brooklyn upon completion.

Rendering via SHoP Architects; JDS Development

The 73-story-tower will be clad in glass and bronze and will house roughly 425 rentals and 150 condo apartments, with retail on the ground floor. It features an interlocking hexagonal design which will be attached on one side with the marble and pink granite facade of the historic Dime Savings Bank. JDS bought the bank and its air rights for $95 million in 2016 and were able to transfer an additional 385,000 square feet, or 30 floors, of development rights to 9 Dekalb Avenue. In exchange, JDS agreed to restore the bank inside and out.

The Dime Savings Bank of Brooklyn was founded in 1859 in a post office on Montague Street, Brooklyn. In 1908 the bank moved into a new building at 9 DeKalb designed by Mowbray & Uffinger. The bank was modified and enlarged during the Great Depression by Halsey, McCormack & Helmer, becoming a 16,750-square-foot, 40-foot-tall landmark. The interior of the bank is decorated with seven types of marble, ancient Greek and Roman elements, and bronze gates, and was landmarked in 1994. The Landmarks Preservation Commission approved the planned changes proposed SHoP and JDS in May 2016. Commissioner Frederick Bland has called the project “exhilarating” and an example of “enlightened urbanism at its best.”

As the New York Times pointed out, this is one of several developments across the city that are repurposing historic bank buildings. “The issue is really analogous to churches — opulent spaces that were built for what was then a very widespread need,” said William Higgins of Higgins Quasebarth & Partners, a preservation firm that has consulted on several bank conversions. “That need recedes, and what’s left on the shore are these spectacular buildings that have lost their purpose.”

[Via New York Times]

RELATED:

• From Brooklyn’s biggest bank to its tallest building: Behind the scenes at the Dime Savings Bank
• Work finally resumes at Brooklyn’s first 1,000+ foot tower
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Rendering courtesy of SHoP Architects/JDS Development

The on-again, off-again construction of a Brooklyn skyscraper got a major push forward Tuesday. The Wall Street Journal reported that 9 DeKalb Avenue’s developer Michael Stern of JDS Development has acquired a more than $664 million loan package to fund the development of the skyscraper. While the plan was first approved by the Landmarks Preservation Commission three years ago, lack of financing and a change of developers stalled the project. Expected to reach 1,066 feet high upon completion, the SHoP Architects-designed tower will become the borough’s tallest.

Wrapped in glass and bronze, the 73-story tower sits behind the landmarked 1908 Dime Savings Bank, which will be converted into public space with a flagship store. JDS bought the bank and its air rights for $95 million in 2016. The firm transferred an additional 385,000 square feet of development rights to 9 Dekalb Avenue. In exchange for the air rights, JDS agreed to restore the bank inside and out.

Foundation work at the tower is already underway, as 6sqft reported last November. And Stern told the WSJ that aboveground construction is set to start this summer and finish by 2022. This is the first loan provided by Silverstein Properties, the developer behind the World Trade Center.

“The thing that attracted us to is the same thing that scares others,” Michael May, the president of Silverstein Capital Partners, told the WSJ.

Rendering courtesy of SHoP Architects

9 DeKalb will contain 425 rentals and 150 condo apartments. The developers also revealed plans this week to transform the roof of the bank into an outdoor lounge, equipped with a pool that will wrap around the ornate Guastavino dome. Other amenities include a bike room, fitness center, storage; some units will have balconies and terraces.

[Via WSJ]

RELATED: 

• At 9 DeKalb, SHoP Architects reveal a rooftop pool wrapping around Dime Savings Bank’s dome
• From Brooklyn’s biggest bank to its tallest building: Behind the scenes at the Dime Savings Bank
• Work finally resumes at Brooklyn’s first 1,000+ foot tower

A previous rendering; via EDC

Downtown Brooklyn is finally getting a park that was promised to the neighborhood more than 15 years ago. The city’s Economic Development Corporation announced on Friday it will take over construction of the green space at Willoughby Square. In January, the city abandoned the plan to add a new park on top of a high-tech parking facility because of the developer’s inability to secure financing. But, as first reported by Crain’s, the EDC said the agency’s capital division will take on the work itself, without a private developer or the underground automated parking lot originally proposed. The city estimates the park will open sometime in 2022.

The plan to build the greenspace came during former Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s administration as an exchange for the upzoning of Downtown Brooklyn. Through this zoning change, the city took over properties and a group of tenement buildings by eminent domain, evicting some rent-stabilized residents in the process.

The city cut the estimated $80 million project down to about $15 million by scrapping the parking, which the EDC called “financially unfeasible.” Instead, the rampways of the garage will be converted into green space. In total, the new park will measure 1.15 acres, feature new community amenities, and a public artwork display to honor the area’s ties to the Underground Railroad.

“The development of green space at Willoughby Square is vital to the future of Downtown Brooklyn, especially as the neighborhood continues to grow and the need for healthy open space increases,”  Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams said in a statement. “The commitment made to this community fifteen years ago must be upheld.”

The EDC, through the city’s Percent for Art program, will select an artist to design a memorial honoring the 19th-century abolitionist movement in Brooklyn. The new artwork would build on the work of In Pursuit of Freedom, a history initiative created by the Brooklyn Historical Society, Weeksville Heritage Center, and Irondale Ensemble Project.

A portion of the site will be open for public use this summer while the design is finalized, according to the city. Construction is expected to begin next year, with the park’s completion estimated for 2022.

[Via Crain’s]

RELATED: 

• Downtown Brooklyn’s Willoughby Square Park project is officially dead
• REVEALED: 141 Willoughby, 30-Story Mixed-Use Tower to Replace Site Once Slated for Eminent Domain Takeover
• Mayor Bill De Blasio Proposes to Transform Downtown Brooklyn