Brooklyn’s Quest for Office Space

Aptsandlofts’ Chris Havens (right, whom we snapped Tuesday night at an open house he hosted at the Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Arts with museum executive director James Bartlett) is trying to rid BK of its dearth of office, one building at a time. The borough hosts only 300 buildings larger than 50k SF, and he works with developers who want to help those buildings serve a higher purpose as creative office. The most promising corridors, he says, are Sunset Park (home to Jamestown’s reimagining of Industry City), along the L train, and south of the Navy Yard.

Chris is leasing the renovation of the 150k SF 1000 Dean St (above, aka the old Studebaker Service Station) that hosts a 9,000 SF Brooklyn Flea food and beer hall on the ground floor, as well as the planned ground-up 25 Kent Ave in Williamsburg. Tuesday night’s MoCADA event is Chris’ effort to drum up interest in another of his passions. He’s volunteered for the museum for years, and when the board asked him about the available space at 80 Hanson Place in Fort Greene, he said, “Grab it.” MoCADA moved there in ’06, and now the area has taken off as a cultural district. James tells us the museum has raised $6M of the targeted $10M for a relocation. It leases 2,000 SF now and is looking at three other Fort Greene properties from 10k to 15k SF to buy or lease long term.

Continue reading this story with a free account

Log in or register
Sign up for more articles like this
Subscribe to Bisnow's New York Newsletters
Related Stories

NYC Lawmakers Consider Mandating Lease Extensions For Retailers

NYC Pushes To Use Opportunity Zone 2.0 For Mamdani's Housing Goals

Defense Tech Firms Setting Up Shop In Trump Family's Palm Beach Orbit

Google Delays Thompson Center Opening To 2028, Releases New Renderings

Where Capital Meets Opportunity: Navigating The Next Wave Of CRE Financing At Bisnow’s Event On Sept. 30

Discussing Strategic Capital Stack Structuring At Bisnow's Sept. 30 National Finance Event

Why Top-Secret Facilities Are Permeating Greater D.C.'s Office Market

DivcoWest Sells Glendale Office Building For $70M

Bally's Lines Up $560M Loan For Bronx Casino: The N.Y. Deal Sheet

Data Center Spills 5,000 Gallons Of Fuel Into New Jersey River

Historic Brooklyn Hotel To Be Turned Into Ritz-Carlton-Branded Condos

Hines And Rialto Close Office Credit Fund At $1.1B