Franklin Street Offices Will Replace Popular Greenpoint Bars

GREENPOINT – At the corner of Franklin and Meserole, just across from the Bushwick Inlet, two popular local bars will be torn down for a seven-story office building.

The striking asymmetrical building will feature windows on four sides with a dark facade, with cutouts for terrace and balcony space, as well as a roof patio. Sporting 134,000 square feet of office space, it will also include 23,000 square feet of manufacturing—a concession to the former industrial neighborhood it occupies.

As the North Williamsburg/Greenpoint border shifts away from low industrial buildings into developed high-rises, retail and dining, office space isn’t a common choice. Developers are hoping that as the North Brooklyn population booms along the waterfront, new residents will look for office space closer to home.

The building offers Class-A office space intended for small business and features 15-foot floor heights, a pair of lobbies and a common conference room, along with storage for 85 bikes and an underground parking lot that can hold 36 cars, 6sqft reports.

The project was designed by FXCollaborative for developers Simon Baron Development, who acquired the lots in 2016 for $24 million.

“North Brooklyn is teeming with apartments, hotels, restaurants and nightlife — but what’s missing is enough high-quality office space to meet the demands of the area’s growing workforce,” said Matthew Baron, president of Simon Baron. Unfortunately for local residents, the project will mean the demise of two popular bars: Northern Territories and Greenpoint Beer and Ale—at least in their current iterations.

The offices will also be capitalizing on the future of Bushwick Inlet Park. Though both projects still have years to go, the fancy new offices will be in a prime location to overlook the future green space.

Developers are looking for a few exceptions in the proposed building: a zoning allowance to build higher than the current waterfront regulations among them. Also, they’re looking to build less parking than would normally be required for a building of its size—and claim they’re promoting use of public transit. The site is a short walk from the Nassau G and serviced by the B32 to bus.

Permits have yet to be filed for demolition, but the building is expected to open in 2021.