NEW YORK CITY—Heritage Equity Partners has unveiled plans to develop the Williamsburg Generator, a ground-up, 400,000-square-foot building in the heart of the Wythe avenue district in North Williamsburg.
This Gensler and HWKN-designed project at 25 Kent Ave. will be Brooklyn's first ground-up speculative office building in 40 years. It will run a full square-block between North 12th and North 13th Streets between Wythe and Kent avenues, providing breathtaking views of the soon-to-be-expanded Bushwick Inlet Park, the East River, and the Manhattan skyline. Heritage Equity partnered with the Rabsky Group to purchase the property in 2012.
The property's design—blending the area's industrial past with its creative present, a mix of traditional brick and glass to maximize light exposure—is critical to The Williamsburg Generator's overall flow, aesthetic, and function. The stacked, flexible layout provides modular space for makers of all kinds to run from incubation through the full life cycle of their development, yet also provides larger space for more mature companies.
Led by Heritage CEO Toby Moskovits—one of the industry's few female developers—the project will draw interest from a wide array of companies and industries, offering multiple floors of new office space as well as ground floor retail and artisanal eateries that will be open to the public in a communal setting.
Ideally located in a neighborhood that is young, vibrant, and filled with entrepreneurs, artists, and craftsmen, The Williamsburg Generator is expected to begin the ULURP process within the next few weeks. The premiere brokerage team led by David Falk, of Newmark Grubb Knight Frank, has been retained as exclusive leasing agent for the building's office space.
“Williamsburg is overflowing with like-minded entrepreneurs seeking a new, innovative campus that fosters creativity, collaboration and innovation,” Moskovits says. “With The Williamsburg Generator, we are going to build a transformative technology and maker hub that will set the stage for a new era in Williamsburg. As a little girl visiting my grandfather's factory at Kent and North 10th street, I never imagined that 25 years later, I would be leading the renaissance of commerce and industry in the neighborhood, tapping into the neighborhood's heritage of industrial innovation.”
“The Williamsburg Generator captures the character and cultural energy of Brooklyn by bridging the neighborhood's industrial past with planning layouts and design elements geared toward today's technology and creative organizations,” adds Joseph Brancato, regional managing principal for Gensler. “The large floor plans will enable flexibility for each tenant to design a work environment that is appropriate to their brand and functional needs. The building was specifically designed to foster collaboration and build community amongst its tenants. Additionally, with spaces that cater to the needs of startups, emerging firms, and established companies, the building was designed to sustain a company's growth so that they can establish a long-term home at the property.”
The property is located at the intersection of Greenpoint and Williamsburg, just a short walk from the L train and the ferry into Manhattan, and is near Williamsburg cultural icons such as Brooklyn Brewery and the Brooklyn Bowl, and down the block from the well-regarded Wythe Hotel.
“Toby has an incredible vision for The Williamsburg Generator and the evolution of the entire neighborhood,” Falk asserts. “We are already in discussion with multiple tenants who have expressed enthusiasm that a new project of this size, scope, and tone is finally coming to Williamsburg. From top to bottom, The Williamsburg Generator is intended to frame the street and integrate into the neighborhood, preserving local heritage and character, while establishing a strong foothold in a technological future.”
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