Brooklyn’s Tallest Tower Finishes Construction and Commences Leasing
Back in 2007, a run-of-the-mill row of three- to four-story walk-up buildings bounded by Willoughby, Bridge and Duffield Streets was ordered to vacate to make way for a soaring mixed-use skyscraper developed by AvalonBay Communities. Without warning, shopkeepers were given between 30 and 120 days to clear out or face court eviction, evidence of the impact of gentrification on Downtown Brooklyn. The district’s 2004 rezoning sparked the development of thousands of new apartments (6,400 in the pipeline according to our latest count) and is finally getting a dusting of office space too.
Now, after an arduous, decade-long journey of assembling an 11-parcel site, clearing and excavating it, and throwing up nearly one million square feet into the air, Avalon has finally finished construction and has kicked off leasing of the building’s upper collection of homes called Avalon Willoughby Square.
Standing 634 feet tall, the building now holds the title of tallest building in Brooklyn and is some 120 feet taller than Williamsburg Savings Bank Tower that held the title for 80 years until 2009. But JDS Development’s 9 DeKalb, planned next to the iconic Junior’s restaurant will be almost 500 feet taller when it opens in 2019. For a short time, the building will have the highest apartments in the city outside of Manhattan until another mega-rental called Tower 28 opens in Long Island City.
Avalon Willoughby Square at 214 Duffield Street is the skyscraper’s higher-end set of rentals and occupies floors 31-58 of the floor building. Below is its counterpart AVA DoBro, which commenced leasing on its 500 units in October 2015 and has a separate entrance at 100 Willoughby Street. This latest collection of homes is comprised of 326 upscale rental residences ranging from 400-square-foot studios priced from $2,610/month up to 1,513-square-foot three-bedrooms starting from $7,245/month. CETRA/Ruddy, the designers behind Walker Tower and One Madison, are the interior architects, and homes feature floor-to-ceiling windows, in-unit washer/dryers, hard-surface plank flooring, and sweeping skyline views. Modern kitchens offer stainless steel GE appliances, quartz-stone countertops, and Marazzi tile backsplashes. The tower’s top five floors, currently the highest residential floors outside of Manhattan, house Avalon’s Signature Collection of penthouses which are enhanced with upgraded appliances and fixtures, wine centers, recessed lighting, and exclusive service offerings.
Photos of the tower from last year while still under construction
The 826-unit high-rise was designed by SLCE Architects who managed to organize the building’s immense amount of square footage (nearly 900,000 square feet in all) into a palatable, two-tiered slab massing. The tower is sheathed in a complex but animated glass skin of various shades of blue and white panes that mollify its mass and make the building nearly impossible to comprehend from any single angle.
L to R: Fitness Center, Rooftop Dog Run
It’s anticipated to receive a LEED Silver rating and features its own subway entrance that provides direct access to the A, C, F, and R trains below. Additionally, residents of Avalon Willoughby Square will have access to a host of unique amenities, such as an enchanted forest-themed children’s playroom, a rooftop deck with indoor and outdoor lounge areas, dog parks divided for breeds of different sizes, a pet spa with JOG A DOG treadmill, and private dining room with demonstration kitchen.
Find listings for Avalon Willoughby Square and Ava DoBro at CityRealty and Avalon’s official leasing website.
To see more newly complete no-fee rental buildings in NYC or properties offering rental concessions see our map below or visit CityRealty’s page here.
Renderings ©SLCE Architects
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