| Brooklyn Tower | |
|---|---|
 | |
 The Brooklyn Tower and the Dime Savings Bank Building, seen from Albee Square in March 2023 | |
 Interactive map of Brooklyn Tower | |
| Alternative names | 9 DeKalb Avenue, 340 Flatbush Avenue Extension |
| General information | |
| Status | Completed |
| Type | Mixed-use |
| Architectural style | Neo-Art Deco |
| Location | 9 DeKalb Avenue,Brooklyn, New York, U.S. |
| Coordinates | 40°41′26″N73°58′56″W / 40.69056°N 73.98222°W /40.69056; -73.98222 |
| Construction started | 2018 (residential tower) 1906 (bank) |
| Topped-out | October 28, 2021 |
| Opened | 2022 (residential tower) December 19, 1908 (bank) |
| Height | |
| Roof | 1,067 feet (325 m)[1][a] |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 74 |
| Floor area | 555,734 sq ft (51,600 m2) |
| Design and construction | |
| Architects | SHoP Architects (residential tower) Mowbray and Uffinger (original structure) |
| Developer | JDS Development |
| Engineer | Jaros, Baum & Bolles (MEP on Tower) |
| Structural engineer | WSP Global (Tower) |
| Main contractor | JDS Construction |
| Website | |
| thebrooklyntower.com | |
| Designated | July 19, 1994 |
| Reference no. | 1907 |
| Designated entity | Bank facade |
| Designated | July 19, 1994 |
| Reference no. | 1908 |
| Designated entity | Bank interior |
TheBrooklyn Tower (originally referred to as340 Flatbush Avenue Extension and as9 DeKalb Avenue) is asupertall mixed-use, primarily residentialskyscraper in theDowntown Brooklyn neighborhood ofNew York City. Developed byJDS Development Group, it is situated on the north side ofDeKalb Avenue nearFlatbush Avenue. The main portion of the skyscraper is a 74-story, 1,066-foot (325 m) residential structure designed bySHoP Architects and built from 2018 to 2022. Preserved at the skyscraper's base is theDime Savings Bank Building, designed by Mowbray and Uffinger, which dates to the 1900s and is aNew York City designated landmark.
The tower is the first supertall building inBrooklyn, as well as thetallest building in the borough and thetallest in New York City outside Manhattan. The Dime Savings Bank Building contains a white-marble facade withcolonnades; a diagonal entranceportico onAlbee Square; and a domed roof. The bank's interior contains a hexagonalrotunda, which is used as retail space. The building includes 120,000 square feet (11,000 m2) of amenity spaces, some of which are within the bank. The tower section accommodates approximately 150 condominiums and 425 rental apartments, totaling roughly 466,000 square feet (43,300 m2).
The bank building was built in 1906–1908 for theDime Savings Bank of Brooklyn. The original building, which operated as Dime Savings Bank's main branch for over a century, was expanded by Halsey, McCormack and Helmer in 1931–1932. The bank building was sold to JDS in 2014, and the Brooklyn Tower was constructed as an annex to the Dime Savings Bank starting in 2018. The tower's superstructuretopped out during October 2021, and sales of thecondominiums began in 2022, with 18 condos having been sold by early 2024. After JDSdefaulted on one of its loans, Silverstein Properties, owned byLarry Silverstein, took over the unsold condos in June 2024.
The Brooklyn Tower is situated at 9DeKalb Avenue and 340Flatbush Avenue Extension in theDowntown Brooklyn neighborhood ofNew York City.[2][3][4] The building's site occupies much of the triangularcity block bounded by Fleet Street to the northwest, DeKalb Avenue to the south, and Flatbush Avenue Extension to the northeast. The southwest corner faces a pedestrian plaza atAlbee Square, and the Brooklyn Tower wraps around a structure at 33 DeKalb Avenue to the southeast.[5] The site covers 46,367 square feet (4,307.6 m2), with a frontage of 219.92 feet (67.03 m) on Flatbush Avenue and a depth of 380.8 feet (116.1 m) from Flatbush Avenue to Fleet Street.[6]
The building is adjacent to other tall mixed-use developments, such as the three towers ofCity Point immediately to the west andOne Willoughby Square one block west. The campus ofLIU Brooklyn, including theBrooklyn Paramount Theater, is across Flatbush Avenue Extension to the east.[5] The building stands across from an entrance to theDeKalb Avenue station of theNew York City Subway'sB, Q, and R trains.[7][8] The Brooklyn Tower is within several blocks of theformer tallest buildings in Brooklyn,Brooklyn Point and11 Hoyt. Both were surpassed by the Brooklyn Tower in July 2021 when the latter's height reached 721 feet (220 m).[9][10] The Brooklyn Tower exceeds the height of Brooklyn Point, the second-tallest building in Brooklyn as of 2022[update], by around 350 feet.[11]
The Brooklyn Tower was developed byMichael Stern'sJDS Development Group.[12] The building has two components. The base includes theDime Savings Bank Building, designed byMowbray and Uffinger.[13][14] The bank, built in 1906–1908 and expanded in 1931–1932, was designed in theClassical Revival style.[15][16] Adjacent to the bank is the 1,066-foot (325 m), 74-story tower section, designed bySHoP Architects.[1][12][a] The structure is thetallest building in Brooklyn, the tallest physically onLong Island, and thetallest in New York City outside Manhattan.[18][19]WSP Global was the structural engineer for the tower, whileJaros, Baum & Bolles provided MEP engineering. The developer's in-house construction company, JDS Construction, was the lead contractor.[1]
The original bank building is shaped like a hexagon, withchamfered corners at the north, southwest, and southeast.[20] When built, the bank's footprint measured 114 feet (35 m) on Fleet Street, 30 feet (9.1 m) on Albee Square, and 143 feet (44 m) on DeKalb Avenue.[21][22] This was subsequently expanded to 202.17 feet (61.62 m) on Fleet Street, 46.90 feet (14.30 m) on the portico facing Albee Square, and 173.44 feet (52.86 m) on DeKalb Avenue.[23] The Dime Savings Bank will be converted to a retail unit for the skyscraper.[3][24][25]
The residential entrance faces Fleet Street, while the retail entrance is on Flatbush Avenue Extension.[26] Glass entrances to the tower units are placed directly on both sides, leading to an atrium.[27] The tower is designed in a hexagonal shape, evoking the motif used in the bank's ground-floor rotunda.[28][29] At each of its six sides, the Brooklyn Tower has slightsetbacks, which terminate in a crown.[29]
The Dime Savings Bank's facade contains awater table made of pink granite, above which is a white-marble facade.[30] This design was intended to give an impression of stability.[21] The Dime Savings Bank was the first bank building in the United States to be clad inPentelic marble.[22][31][32] Some 2,000 tons of Pentelic marble were required for the bank's construction.[33] The bank building is surmounted by a deepparapet, above which is the attic on the fifth story.[20] The only sections of the bank without a marble facade are the rear (north) wall, as well as an attic on the eastern end of DeKalb Avenue. Both are made ofbuff-colored brick that is laid incommon bond.[34] The roof contains a smooth marble dome, which sits on a base ofmodillions and a hexagonaltholobate withacroteria.[34]
At the southwest corner of the building, atetrastyle entranceportico faces the pedestrian plaza atAlbee Square. FourIonic columns support a frieze with the words "The Dime Savings Bank of Brooklyn" and a triangular pediment.[20][31] Behind the columns, astoop leads from the plaza to a multi-story opening, framed by a marble surround withacanthus leaf,bezant, and bead molding motifs. The bottom of the opening contains two single doors, which are divided by atrumeau with several panels.[b] Directly above the doors aretransom grilles, with panels depicting the godMercury and various industry-related figures. Above this is an entablature,acroteria, and a large transom window. The opening is topped by alintel withdenticulation, flanked by scrolledbrackets on either side.[20] The portico's underside, orsoffit, contains hexagonal panels. The pediment contains the carved sculptural group "Morning and Evening of Life", with personifications of a youthful "Morning" and an elderly "Evening".[20][31] This pediment was designed by sculptorLee Lawrie as part of the 1931–1932 renovation.[35]
The Fleet Street and DeKalb Avenue facades are nearly identical, withcolonnades of Ionic-stylefluted columns, which divide each facade intobays. Within each bay is a tall opening with glazed window panes. Above the lowest row of windows are bronzespandrel panels, decorated with motifs of heads and flowers. The tops of each opening contain carvedgarlands of fruit.[20] Above the colonnades, the attic level contains window openings, which are separated bypilasters and topped by a frieze with aGreek key pattern.[36]
The colonnades on both facades are flanked by end bays, each of which contains a metal-framed window between a pair of marble pilasters. Rams' heads and garlands of fruit are carved at the top of each end bay, and thecapital of each pilaster contains a Greek key pattern. At the eastern end of the DeKalb Avenue facade, there is an archway flanked by one-quarter columns. At the bottom of the archway are aluminum-framed doors, above which is a transom with bronze panels. The doors and bronze panels are surrounded by a marble archway, above which is a sign with the building's name and a dime with a Mercury cap. The top of the archway contains akeystone with a Mercury head. An end bay exists to the east of the archway.[20]
The tower's exterior is clad in stone, bronze, and stainless steel,[37] with hexagonal shafts interspersed throughout the facade.[38] The design of the Dime Savings Bank Building inspired that of the tower;[37][39] in particular, the hexagonal shape of the banking hall inspired the hexagonal massing of the tower.[40] Gregg Pasquarelli, one of the principal architects at SHoP, has referred to the design as both "badass" and "quite elegant".[37] According to Pasquarelli, the tower was intended to be "deferential to the landmark, but not derivative".[25]
The base of the residential tower is clad in stone to complement the bank,[12][41] and the facade gradually becomes darker as it rises.[41] The spacing of the tower's verticalmullions is similar to the distance between each of the bank's columns.[37] The mullions are extruded from the glasscurtain wall[29] and contain sharp edges at certain locations, giving the impression of a staggered facade.[41] The exterior is designed in such a way that, when the tower is viewed from a certain angle, two adjacent sides will appear as though they are a single plane.[37][42] This was a reference to olderArt Deco skyscrapers such as theChrysler Building andRockefeller Center.[37] Pasquarelli further emphasized the tower's Art Deco origins by describing the residential tower as the "Empire State Building of Brooklyn".[42]
The Brooklyn Tower includes up to 140,000 square feet (13,000 m2) of commercial space.[3] The retail space includes one unit on the lower level and the first to fourth floors of the bank, covering around 50,000 square feet (4,600 m2), as well as a second unit covering about 30,000 square feet (2,800 m2). In addition, there is a commercial office space on the third floor of the tower section and a commercial gym on the fourth floor of both the tower and the bank.[43] The interiors of the Brooklyn Tower's residential units were designed byGachot Studios.[11][44][40] Interior designerKrista Ninivaggi was responsible for designing the amenity interiors, and HMWhite was the landscape architect.[45]
The interior was originally clad in green marble.[46][47] Initially, the banking room was much smaller, with a counter screen enclosing a triangle at the center of the room.[21] The bank's original design included a gray Vermont marble floor and a cream-colored plaster wall.[48] The original design had a stained-glass dome in the roof of the main banking room, measuring 40 feet (12 m) across.[22][48] At the rear of the room was a vault door weighing 15 tons; a section of the floor had to be dropped every time the vault door opened.[22] There was also a board of directors' room at the rear of the banking room.[48] The subbasement had ashooting range for the bank's security guards, which is no longer in use.[25][27]
The modern banking room is approximately a triangle that measures 160 feet (49 m) on each side.[49] The banking room covers 16,750 square feet (1,556 m2), with a ceiling measuring 40 feet (12 m) tall.[25] Seven kinds of marble are used in the banking room.[25] The marble floor contains star and hexagonal motifs. When the bank was in operation, there were pink- and black-marbletellers' counters along the sides of the room. The lower section of the walls is made of plain sandstone, and it contains openings with scrolled keystones above them. The sandstone wall is topped by a frieze with medallions that depict silver dimes with winged caps. Above the frieze are fluted pilasters that flank the tall windows from outside. Thecoffered ceiling has similar star and hexagon motifs to the floor. Surrounding the ceiling is a band, containing stars inside circles and flowers inside rectangles. In addition, six bronze chandeliers are suspended from the ceiling.[49]
At the center of the banking room is arotunda, which was added in the 1931–1932 expansion. The rotunda contains twelve red marble columns.[15][16][49] The capitals of each column are gilded and are designed in theCorinthian order, with medallions of dimes. The columns hold up a decorated, multicolored entablature, which surrounds a sky-blue circular dome at the center. There are also pink marble benches at the columns' bases. Underneath the dome is a three-faced bronze clock, which stands on a black-marble pedestal and is encircled by a marble bench.[49]
The banking room's southwest corner contains a pair of tall marble columns on either side of the main entrance.[50] The southeast corner includes a pair of marble columns, between which a marble staircase leads down to a triangular lobby and a vestibule on DeKalb Avenue. The DeKalb Avenue lobby has walls with marblewainscoting and scalloped pilasters, above which runs a cornice with a Greek-key pattern. Ornamental screens are placed across doorways that lead from the lobby to the basement. The entrance vestibule has marble walls with bronze grilles. Both spaces contain coffered ceilings.[51] Above the lobby and vestibule is the Ladies' Lounge, which overlooks the banking room. The lounge's floor is similar in design to the hexagonal floor of the banking room. The walls contain marble wainscoting and wallpaper, topped by a multicolored cornice.[51]
The double-height residential lobby on Fleet Street has white oak walls.[52] Designed by the firm of Woods Bagot, the residential lobby contains milled wooden panels interspersed with wooden slats, as well as wood veneers. The lobby also contains some stone surfaces and avaulted ceiling, both of which were intended to reference the design of the banking hall.[53]
The building contains 120,000 square feet (11,000 m2) of amenity spaces.[52] The main amenity spaces span the fifth and sixth floors.[43] The tower's fifth floor includes an outdoor terrace[25][54] wrapping around the bank's dome.[25] There are three swimming pools on the roof of the bank building.[27] A cocktail bar and a lounge are placed next to the pool area. This area is called The Dome Pool and Terrace.[55] The building also has a fourth swimming pool within an indoor fitness center.[52][55] The indoor pool consists of a whirlpool and a 75-foot-long (23 m) lap pool. The amenity areas also have a conference room, meeting room, dining room, kitchen, billiards room, and movie room for residents.[55] The gym space covers over 36,000 square feet (3,300 m2).[56] These spaces are managed byLife Time Fitness.[57][58] Above this area is a mechanical space measuring 24 feet (7.3 m) high.[43]
A 66th-floor recreational area and an 85th-floor lounge are also included in the building.[52][59] The basketball court on the 66th floor was advertised as the tallest residential basketball court in the world.[52][55][60] The basketball court was designed with a similar color palette to that of theBarclays Center nearby.[60] Also included on this level is a dog run, aFoosball space, and an outdoor playground.[11][55][60] The 66th floor is open to the outdoors on all sides, allowing wind to pass through the building and reducing sway on upper floors.[11][60]
The tower accommodates approximately 150 condominiums and 425 apartments for rent, encompassing roughly 466,000 square feet (43,300 m2).[3][c] The condominium apartments start on the 52nd[27] or 53rd story[52][55] and are more than 500 feet (150 m) above ground level.[26][45] Before the Brooklyn Tower was completed, in 2022, several designers were hired to create three model apartments, each with different furnishings and decorations.[44] The smallest apartments arestudio apartments, while larger units have up to three bedrooms.[59]
With a mix of residential units planned as rental properties, the developers applied for tax breaks through the state's421-a tax exemption program in 2015, prior to that program's expiration, which would require dedicating at least twenty percent of the building's units asaffordable housing.[14] As such, 30 percent of the Brooklyn Tower's total apartments were allocated to affordable housing, to which prospective residents could apply using New York state's housing lottery system.[26][45][63] The affordable apartments largely consist of studios or one-bedroom apartments and are available to residents who earn at most 130 percent of the median income of the surrounding ZIP Codes.[11][52] Only 19 of the affordable apartments have more than one bedroom.[11]
Each unit uses marble, bronze, and stainless steel finishes, similar to the materials used on the tower's exterior. The units contain wooden doors with mahogany finishes and brass hardware, as well as brasssconces and black-granite doorways. The kitchens include bronze details and finishes, as well as appliances fromMiele, including refrigerators, dishwashers, ovens, and washer-dryers.[64] Also included within the kitchens are black and bronze cabinetry with countertops made of marble[55] or black granite.[40] The kitchen drawers are not equipped with handles, which was intended to emphasize the space's open-plan design.[65] The bathrooms contain hexagonal floor tiles and walls made of marble, as well as glass sconces on medicine cabinets. Each condominium has full-height windows measuring 11 feet (3.4 m) tall.[64][55] Due to the tower's hexagonal massing, the walls in each apartment are generally not parallel to each other.[40]
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The Dime Savings Bank of Brooklyn was chartered in 1859; its name referenced the fact that clients could originally create an account with as little as a dime.[31][66] The bank's home office moved several times in the late 19th century as the city of Brooklyn grew.[66][67] By the 1900s, Brooklyn was part of theCity of Greater New York, and transportation and businesses were expanding into the area east ofBrooklyn Borough Hall (including what is now Albee Square).[66] A new home-office building for the Dime Savings Bank at DeKalb Avenue and Fleet Street was announced in September 1905.[68] The irregular site had cost $230,000 to acquire.[66]
Work started in 1906 to designs by Mowbray and Uffinger.[15][69] John Thatcher and Sons were the general contractors on the project.[22][48] The bank's Pentelic marble was supplied by an English syndicate, which reopened the ancient marble quarries shortly before the bank was built.[22][33][32] The building cost $600,000, including the cost of the site. TheNew-York Tribune said the bank was the "first institution of importance to cross to the far side of DeKalb Avenue", at a time when the shopping district of Downtown Brooklyn was largely south of DeKalb Avenue.[22] The Dime Savings Bank moved to its DeKalb Avenue building on December 19, 1908.[46][47]
The Dime Savings Bank's home office was expanded in 1918 to designs by Russell S. Walker. The addition at 67–73 Fleet Street, measuring 71 by 57 feet (22 by 17 m), complemented the original design of the bank on DeKalb Avenue and Fleet Street.[70] The Dime Savings Bank opened its first bank branch inBensonhurst in 1929, followed by a second branch inFlatbush in 1932.[34][67] To keep up with this growth, the bank hired Halsey, McCormack and Helmer (nowMancini Duffy) to design a significant expansion of its central branch, which was built from 1931 to 1932.[15][70] For this expansion, Halsey, McCormack and Helmer received an "outstanding building" award from the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce, as did general contractor William Kennedy Construction Company.[71] The Dime Savings Bank was authorized to sell life insurance in September 1941.[72][73] To accommodate the new life-insurance department and expanded offices for other departments, the bank built an annex with five stories and a basement along Flatbush Avenue Extension.[73]
The Dime Savings Bank opened a permanent exhibit for homebuyers on the sixth floor of its building in 1944,[74] with more than 42,000 visitors in its first year.[75] A free exhibit for homebuyers opened on the second floor in 1948 and was relocated to the main floor, adjacent to the rotunda, in 1949;[76][77] it had 250,000 visitors in five years.[78] The bank building also hosted other events, such as an orchid show in 1954[79][80] and a showcase of artwork byPablo Picasso in 1962.[81] The tellers' windows on the sidewalk started operating on Saturdays in 1956, making Dime's 9 DeKalb Avenue branch the only bank building in the city to operate during Saturdays.[82] The next year, Dime renovated the homebuyers' exhibit next to the rotunda.[83]
Paul Goldberger wrote forThe New York Times in 1986 that "no other grandiose bank teaches us so fine a lesson in urban design" as the Dime Savings Bank Building.[84] TheNew York City Landmarks Preservation Commission hosted public hearings in June 1993 to determine whether to designate the Dime Savings Bank's facade and interior, along with three other banks in Brooklyn and two in Manhattan,[d] as city landmarks.[85] TheNew York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) designated the bank building as acity landmark on July 19, 1994.[86] Dime was acquired byWashington Mutual in 2002[87] and then byJPMorgan Chase in 2008.[88] Subsequently, the 9 DeKalb Avenue building was used as a JPMorgan Chase branch.[89]
In 2004, theNew York City Department of City Planning approved a significant rezoning for portions of Downtown Brooklyn. This resulted in major expansion of office space and ground-floor retail, such as those atCity Point.[90] JDS andJoseph Chetrit's Chetrit Group went into contract to buy 340 Flatbush Avenue Extension, a six-story office structure adjoining the Dime Savings Bank, in late 2013.[91][92] The sale was finalized in June 2014, with Chetrit and JDS paying $43.5 million.[93][94]
JDS and Chetrit also planned to acquire a two-story building at DeKalb and Flatbush Avenues, occupied by cheesecake restaurantJunior's, to use itsair rights.[91] The deal would have amounted to approximately 20 stories of additional space in the new building.[95][96] The Junior's restaurant, which opened in 1950, was a popular restaurant within Brooklyn.[97]Alan Rosen, the owner of the Junior's building, placed it for sale in February 2014, with a stipulation that any buyer reopen a Junior's restaurant at the ground floor.[97][98] Rosen also received a higher offer, worth about $45 million, that would have required Junior's to leave the site. After complaints from customers who feared that the store would be closed, Rosen ultimately decided against selling his building in September 2014.[99][100][101]
Meanwhile, JPMorgan Chase had expressed interest in selling the Dime Savings Bank's air rights to JDS and Chetrit in April 2014. This would add about 385,000 square feet (35,800 m2) of developable space, or about 30 stories.[95][96] According toThe New York Times, if JDS and Chetrit were able to acquire all the air rights on the block, then a skyscraper of more than 1,000 feet could be erected on the site.[91] Plans for the structure were first filed in the middle of that year, calling for a 70-story, 775-foot building designed by SHoP Architects.[92] The building marked the third collaboration between JDS and SHoP, after111 West 57th Street and theAmerican Copper Buildings.[102][54]
In December 2015,Fortress Investment Group provided a $115 million loan to JDS and Chetrit Group for the purchase of the site and for the refinancing of debt associated with the Dime Savings Bank property.[103] At the time, the bank was expected to be sold for over $100 million.[104] The same month, JDS and Chetrit acquired the Dime Savings Bank Building from JPMorgan Chase for $90 million using the money from the refinancing.[105][89] This was part of a trend during the early 21st century, when many old bank buildings across the United States were converted to residential structures.[106]
JDS and Chetrit released a modified plan in early 2016, increasing the height slightly while reducing the amount of retail space.[107] Under the new plans, the tower was to be 1,066 feet tall.[14][108][109]Brooklyn Community Board 2's land-use committee quickly endorsed the project.[28][110] Because the proposed skyscraper involved modifying the landmarked bank building, JDS and Chetrit needed to obtain permission from the LPC,[111] which approved the proposed modifications in April 2016.[112][113] Changes include the removal of non-original additions to the bank, repairing damage to the bank's marble and copper elements,[114] and demolishing part of the bank's rear to make way for the new residential addition.[14] When the plans were approved, some observers objected to the height and to the shadows cast by the new building.[115] However, the community as a whole presented little opposition to the plans.[28]
In February 2017,Bank OZK and Melody Finance issued a $135 millionbridge and pre-development loan for the project.[2] The loan replaced Fortress's debt[2] and previous funding from theKushner Companies.[116] Work on 9 DeKalb Avenue's foundation began that June.[117] JDS invested an additional $60 million in equity in August 2018 to purchase Chetrit's stake in the property, obtaining full ownership of the project.[24] Thirty percent of the building's apartments were classified as affordable housing, allowing JDS to claim a 35-year tax abatement for the building.[59] Unidentified real-estate professionals, interviewed by the websiteCurbed, expressed skepticism over whether people were willing to pay the average asking price of $2,300 per square foot ($25,000/m2) for 9 DeKalb Avenue's apartments. At the time, the building was far from the more upscale areas of Manhattan where people paid almost three times that rate.[63]
Construction of the above-ground superstructure began in mid-2018.[118] In November 2018,Silverstein Properties' debt fund Silverstein Capital was reported to be nearing a $240 million mezzanine loan for the project, in addition to $400 million in additional debt from a senior lender.[119] The loan closed in April 2019, along with a $424.1 million senior loan from Otéra Capital. This represented a total loan of $664.1 million.[120][121] At the time, banks were increasingly hesitant to finance luxury apartments because they were concerned an oversupply of such apartments;[63] the lenders said that the project had appealed to them because of its complexity.[63][121] Due to theCOVID-19 pandemic in New York City, the building's completion was pushed back by around four months.[11] The concrete core had reached 28 stories by November 2020,[122] and the curtain wall was installed starting the next month.[29] The skyscraper reached its halfway point in April 2021.[123] As of July 2021, the Brooklyn Tower had surpassed 721 feet (220 m), making it the tallest building in Brooklyn.[9][10]
The building topped out on October 28, 2021.[45][124] By then, sales were projected to start in early 2022, with a temporarycertificate of occupancy being issued by the end of 2022.[26] After the building topped out, theglobal supply chain crisis slowed down the delivery of several finishes, as well as hardware such as doors.[11] By February 2022, the facade installation had reached the upper residential floors.[125] Chetrit sued JDS that month, claiming that he was still owed $17.9 million after he sold his stake to JDS over three years prior.[126][127] That March, sales launched on the condos above the 52nd floor. The cheapest condos were studios costing $875,000 while the most expensive were four-bedroom apartments costing $8 million.[11][55][52] At the time, real estate consultants said potential buyers might have had some concerns because of mechanical and safety issues at another supertall building in Manhattan,432 Park Avenue. Marketproof executive Kael Goodman expressed optimism that the building's units would be sold quickly.[11]Although exterior construction was substantially completed by 2022, the building did not receive a permanent Certificate of Occupancy until April 25, 2025 (NYC DOB CoO #3000370-0000013). Prior to that, occupancy was permitted only under temporary certificates, while interior works and core amenities remained unfinished.[128]
The developers hired broker Jackie Totolo in early 2022 to market the retail space.[129] That May,Life Time Fitness became the building's first commercial tenant, leasing 100,000 square feet (9,300 m2) as a fitness center andcoworking space.[57][58] Life Time was to operate the building's amenity spaces as part of its lease agreement.[130] The construction crane was being disassembled by April 2022,[131] and workers were installing the final facade panels on the crown two months later.[132] The facade was largely completed by October 2022.[133][134] JDS had planned to begin accepting applications for rental apartments in August 2022,[42][134] but the application process had not started by that October.[134] The Brooklyn Tower's crown was completed in February 2023.[135][136] The next month, Stern placed the 368 rental apartments and the retail space for sale, asking $600 million to $700 million for these portions of the building. By then, the building was planned to receive a temporary certificate of occupancy.[137][138] A housing lottery for 120 of the apartments commenced that April.[139][140] By mid-2023, the amenity spaces were expected to open the next year.[60]
In December 2023, Silverstein Capital Partners took over the building's senior loan from Otéra Capital.[63][141] The podium was being finished at the beginning of 2024,[142][143] and tenants had started moving in.[143] One of the building's studio apartments sold for over $2,000 per square foot ($22,000/m2) in early 2024, becoming the most expensive studio apartment ever sold in Brooklyn per square foot.[144] At the time, the rental apartments were being marketed for over $5,000 per month.[141] That March, JDS Development defaulted on one of the building's mezzanine loans (valued at $240 million), and Silverstein Capital Partners indicated that it would sell the retail and rental-apartment portions of the building at a foreclosure auction.[59][145] Public records indicated that only 18 out of 148 condos had been sold at the time.[63] During June, Silverstein and JDS began negotiating asettlement to avoid foreclosure.[146] Ultimately, Silverstein paid $672 million to take over the unsold apartments from JDS the next month.[147][148][149]
Work on the podium continued through late 2024,[150] and Silverstein was planning to resume apartment sales by early 2025.[151][152] By March 2025, either 19[153] or 23 of the condos had been sold, and residents reported that they went into vacant units just to enjoy the views.[154] Life Time downsized its lease that month, agreeing to occupy a 80,000-square-foot (7,400 m2) health club on seven floors.[155] Condo sales resumed in June 2025, withCorcoran Sunshine as the real-estate brokerage.[156][157] At the time, the fitness center was still not open,[157][154] and early residents instead received temporary off-site gym memberships and partial common charge credits.[63][154]
When the Brooklyn Tower was built, a writer forWallpaper magazine wrote that the tower's design "was a sublime mix of interlocking forms and cascading setbacks".[40]Architectural Digest referred to the design of the tower as "neo Art Deco".[44] ACNN reporter wrote: "The building has had a striking effect on the borough's architecture, from its soaring height to its bold exterior of fluted black stainless steel."[60] Kim Velsey ofCurbed said that, when the building was being built, it garnered criticism from real-estate professionals who felt that the tower would be more suited toBillionaires' Row in Manhattan.[63] Writers fromThe Architect's Newspaper andThe Financial Times said that many locals have compared it to the Tower of Sauron from theLord of the Rings franchise, saying that it "exudes a certain menace."[158][159]
Architectural criticJustin Davidson wrote forCurbed in August 2023 that while the lower facade's "geometric gamesmanship has a Baroque intensity", on the upper stories, "patterns and proportions shift along the way, creating a restless energy you can sense even from a distance".[38] Davidson cited theSeagram Building, theWoolworth Building, and the original Dime Savings Bank Building as having influenced the residential tower's design. In discussing both the Brooklyn Tower and130 William Street in Manhattan, Davidson said, "The designs express not just an abundance of money, but a distinct architectural philosophy: The city can tolerate personality."[38]Alexandra Lange ofBloomberg News wrote that the Brooklyn Tower, along with the neighboring100 Flatbush, were reminiscent of the 1930sArt Deco architecture of New York City.[160] Cara Greenberg wrote inDezeen that the Brooklyn Tower helped revitalize Brooklyn's skyline and that, prior to the tower's construction, "Brooklyn labored under a stubborn inferiority complex" as compared with Manhattan.[161]
In 2022, the design for the tower's residential lobby and amenity spaces by Woods Bagot was named a honoree in the "On the Boards: Multi-Family Residence" category ofInterior Design magazine's Best of Year Awards.[162] In 2024, theCouncil on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat gave The Brooklyn Tower the Award of Excellence in the "Best Tall Building 300 Meters and Above" category.[163]
| Records | ||
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| Preceded by | Tallest building in Brooklyn 2021–present | Current holder |
