(Photo credit: Gary Hershon)
Executives from JDS Development Group, SHoP Architects, and Douglas Elliman were on hand for a ceremony marking the topping off of The Brooklyn Tower at 9 Dekalb Avenue, where the landmarked Dime Savings Bank has been incorporated into a soaring new tower. At 1,066 feet and 93 stories high, it is the first and only supertall in Brooklyn.
The Dime Savings Bank has been a Brooklyn institution since the early 20th century, when locals could come in and open a savings account for as little as a dime. When it was designated a New York City Landmark in 1994, the Landmarks Preservation Commission ("Landmarks") found "that the Dime has been directed by prominent Brooklynites who were instrumental in the development of Brooklyn, and that the bank's impact on the development of Brooklyn remains pervasive." The interiors, with their dramatic columns, hexagon coffered ceilings, Liberty dime motifs, and sculptures by Lee Lawrie (of Rockefeller Center fame), are also New York City Landmarks.
In this article:
Photo credit: Gabriel Saunders; Rendering by Binyan Studios
“This is an amazing marriage of a great landmarked building with a contemporary new tower, which is not an easy feat to pull off” - Michael Stern, Founder and CEO, JDS Development Group
Michael Stern at The Brooklyn Tower's topping out ceremony
As part of the construction of The Brooklyn Tower, the 115-year-old bank is undergoing a thorough renovation and restoration with Landmarks' blessing. The space will be used as retail in the new building, and residents will enter through the historic Ionic colonnade into the residential component of the building.
SHoP Founding Principal Gregg Pasquarelli noted that the original architects of the bank used hexagons to deal with the triangular site, and they used hexagons as the inspiration for the shape of the new tower. Moreover, in stark contrast to the blue glass buildings that have become all too prevalent, The Brooklyn Tower will incorporate white marble at the base and blackened stainless steel, crystal grey glass, and shades of bronze and copper as the tower rises. The result will be a tower that changes as light comes across it from sunrise to sunset.
The Dime Savings Bank marks the third collaboration for JDS Development Group and SHoP Architects, who previously worked together on the American Copper Buildings in Murray Hill and 111 West 57th Street in Midtown West. Additional large-scale works are planned for 247 Cherry Street on the Lower East Side and 1 Southside Park in Brickell, Miami.
The Brooklyn Tower’s unique shape, not to mention sales units starting 500 feet up, will allow residents to enjoy spectacular views of the Lower Manhattan skyline, the Midtown skyline, the bridges, the Statue of Liberty, New York Harbor, the Verrazano Bridge, and even the Atlantic Ocean through floor-to-ceiling windows. They will also enjoy interiors by Gachot Studios and over 100,000 square feet of residential amenities, including state-of-the-art health and fitness spaces, outdoor loggias, and a landscaped outdoor deck with a pool, hot tub, lounge areas, and BBQ grills at the bank's Gustavino-tiled dome.
Rendering of The Brooklyn Tower via JDS Development Group
Residents will also benefit from a prime Brooklyn address. Fort Greene Park, Brooklyn Bridge Park, Brooklyn Academy of Music, the Barclays Center, and the myriad transportation options of Atlantic Terminal are a short distance from the building. However, in the wake of a 2004 rezoning, Downtown Brooklyn has emerged as a live-work-play destination in its own right with City Point, Dekalb Market Hall, Junior's Cheesecake practically right out The Brooklyn Tower's front door.
Sales are expected to launch in early 2022, followed by a leasing launch in mid-2022 with Douglas Elliman as the exclusive marketing, sales, and leasing agent. Completion is expected for late 2022. Prices are not yet available, but CityRealty listings show that the median price of a Downtown Brooklyn condo is $1.205 million. The neighborhood’s median rent comes to $3,788/month.
Would you like to tour any of these properties?
6sqft delivers the latest on real estate, architecture, and design, straight from New York City.
