Brooklyn’s tallest tower tops out at 1,066 feet, becomes borough’s first supertall

The tallest tower in Brooklyn officially topped out this week. Located at 9 DeKalb Avenue, newly christened The Brooklyn Tower reached its summit of 1,066 feet, the first and only supertall building (300 meters in height or taller) to rise in the borough. Developed by JDS Development Group and designed by SHoP Architects, the mixed-use tower incorporates the landmarked Dime Savings Bank of Brooklyn into both the skyscraper’s design and use; the iconic bank building will hold new retail space and an entry to the residential tower through its colonnade. With occupancy expected next year, the 93-story Brooklyn Tower offers 550 residences, with 150 condos for sale and 400 rentals.

Photo by Gary Hershorn

“Today marks a significant milestone for Brooklyn and New York City as The Brooklyn Tower reaches its peak, continuing Brooklyn’s long history of design innovation and bold thinking,” Michael Stern, founder and CEO of JDS, said in a statement.

“We take great pride in the thoughtful work that SHoP and our JDS Construction team have done to create this unprecedented new tower, while carefully preserving the historic Brooklyn landmark.”

Photo by Pavel Bendov

First opened in 1908 and later renovated in 1932, the Dime Savings Bank of Brooklyn features a Greco-Roman design, an ode to the Pantheon in Rome, with fluted columns and a domed roof on the exterior and opulent, ornate interiors with seven types of marble and bronze elements.

JDS bought the bank and its air rights for $95 million in 2016 and 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 historic bank building.

The city designated both the bank’s interior and exteriors as landmarks in 1994. The Landmarks Preservation Commission approved the JDS project in May 2016, with commissioners calling it “flawless” and “enlightened urbanism at its best.”

Brooklyn Tower from Albee Square; Courtesy of JDS Development Group

Retail entry on Fleet Street And Flatbush Avenue Extension; Courtesy of Gabriel Saunders

SHoP drew inspiration from the bank’s hexagonal composition and elements seen throughout the space for the Brooklyn Tower, which is bound by DeKalb Avenue, Fleet Street, and Flatbush Avenue Extension.

With a marble base and blackened stainless steel, bronze, and copper facade, the building is formed by “interlocking hexagons and dramatic cascading setbacks,” according to a press release. The geometric design and floorplan provide a new perspective of Brooklyn, Manhattan, and beyond, with views up the East River to the New York Harbor and the Atlantic Ocean.

“As more people look to move to Lower Manhattan and Brooklyn, the detail that went into the texture and shape of the structure was critical,” Gregg Pasquarelli, founding principal of SHoP, said. “We wanted to remain authentic, with that baroque, Brooklyn charm, but also look crisp and modern to capture the borough’s constant state of growth and influence.”

Rendering: Binyan Studios

Brooklyn Tower; Courtesy of by Michael Toolan

The Brooklyn Tower will feature 550 residences (with 30 percent of the 400 rentals designated affordable), 100,000 square feet of retail at the base, and over 100,000 square feet of amenity space, including a health and fitness space and elevated outdoor loggias. Notably, a landscaped outdoor deck with a swimming pool will wrap around the bank’s Gustavino dome.

The condo units that will be for sale start at a remarkable 500 feet high and will feature panoramic views from the Rockaways to the Statue of Liberty thanks to floor-to-ceiling windows. Gachot Studios designed the residence interiors, Krista Ninivaggi of Woods Bagot handled the amenity interiors, and HMWhite led the landscape design.

With Douglas Elliman as its exclusive marketing, sales, and leasing agent, the Brooklyn Tower will launch sales early next year and leasing in the middle of 2022. Occupancy is scheduled for late 2022.

The second tallest tower in Brooklyn is now Extell Development’s 720-foot-tall Brooklyn Point.

RELATED: 

• On its way to becoming Brooklyn’s first supertall, 9 DeKalb is now the tallest tower in the borough
• With loan secured, Brooklyn’s tallest skyscraper is finally ready to rise
• 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