Brooklyn Bridge Park Revamp Advances

NEW YORK CITY-Construction has begun on the new home of St. Ann's Warehouse at Tobacco Warehouse in Brooklyn Bridge Park, an adaptive re-use of the vacant space for theater and community use. The Brooklyn Bridge Park board of directors had approved a long-term lease with St. Ann's Warehouse last month.

“Today is another big day for Brooklyn Bridge Park—and the beginning of a great new chapter in the history of the Tobacco Warehouse and the St. Ann's Warehouse performing arts institution,” said Mayor Michael Bloomberg at a ceremony marking Thursday's groundbreaking. “The renovated Warehouse will house a multi-use space for artists, schools, and community groups and will be a wonderful addition to New York's proud tradition of arts and culture in our public park

In the coming months, Brooklyn Bridge Park will break ground on several new projects, including development sites and new parkland. Next year, construction will begin on the Main Street and John Street sections of the park, including new passive and active recreation space; Midtown Equities, which leads a partnership selected last month to redevelop the iconic Empire Stores building at 55 Water St. in the DUMBO section of the park, will start work on the redevelopment; and construction will begin on a new residential building designed by Alloy Development and Monadnock Construction in the John Street section of the park. Toll Brothers City Living has already begun construction on the Pier 1 development site.

The Midtown Equities-led partnership, which also includes Rockwood Capital and HK Organization, was chosen by Brooklyn Bridge Park's board to restore seven historic warehouses along Brooklyn's waterfront, dating back to the post-Civil War era, for about 380,000 square feet of mixed-use space.

Separately, home furnishings retailer West Elm in September signed a lease for more than 150,000 square feet at the $150-million redevelopment. It will include its corporate headquarters along with an expanded store, both in relocations from elsewhere in Dumbo.