By Lucie Levine, Mon, January 7, 2019 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.
Explore the history and future of Dime Savings Bank
By Devin Gannon, Tue, November 6, 2018 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.
More this way
By Devin Gannon, Fri, October 26, 2018 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.
See the penthouse
By Devin Gannon, Thu, September 27, 2018 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.
More on the project
By Dana Schulz, Wed, September 26, 2018 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.
All the renderings and details this way
By Devin Gannon, Thu, September 20, 2018 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.
More here
By Michelle Cohen, Tue, May 22, 2018 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.
Find out more
By Dana Schulz, Thu, May 10, 2018 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.
Find out if you qualify
By Devin Gannon, Mon, April 9, 2018 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.
See them here
By Devin Gannon, Thu, March 29, 2018 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.
See the renderings
