City point rendering one

Washington Square Partners founder and managing partner Paul Travis, on how the 1.8 million-square-foot City Point complex—the borough’s largest mixed-use project—will represent a residential, commercial, and cultural evolution

by Amanda McCoy • photos by alex Barreto

Trekking east on the Brooklyn Bridge used to mean leaving skyscrapers behind. “A city of spires and masts,” Walt Whitman called our elevated neighbor in the mid 1800s, as we grew accustomed even then to regarding the view over the East River with awe. Capped by such iconic edifices (namely Chrysler, Empire State, and other glittering goliaths), height inequality has seemingly changed little over the next century and a half.

Although our humble ‘hood might not yet rival these concrete titans, the game-changing rezoning of 2004 caused a once meager Downtown to begin its ascent. From the high-rises scaling Dumbo’s waterfront to Willoughby or Jay’s 30-story-and-up developments, things are getting lofty, and we can only imagine what Whitman would think of our little “suburb” today.

To set in motion the wave of development in the now third largest business district in the city (trailing only Midtown and Lower Manhattan), Washington Square Partners, with managing partner and founder Paul Travis at the helm, advised the city in the rezoning initiative of the early 2000s. Since then, the number of apartments in the Downtown area has tripled, along with an associated boost in jobs and cultural activity.

But, as Travis pointed out, what a thriving neighborhood like this needs is a true central area, one that City Point, the largest mixed-use project in the borough, is slated to become. Totaling 1.8 million square feet and designed by the Manhattan-based practice COOKFOX Architects, LLP, it is a joint venture between Washington Square Partners and Acadia Realty Trust, and will include 700,000 square feet of retail, along with office space and both affordable and market-rate residential units for a neighborhood that’s quickly evolved into one of the city’s hottest destinations.

“City Point will provide a place for people to go all day,” Travis explained. “A place to eat, see a movie, shop, and more. It will provide a focus that this neighborhood needs.”

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Bronx raised and an admirer of journalist and activist Jane Jacobs (who advanced such urban planning concepts as “eyes on the street” and “social capital”), Travis has had his hands in a number of significant city development initiatives over a multi-decade career. One particularly close to his heart was pioneering the retail development of his home borough with River Plaza, the renovation of an abandoned warehouse into a nine-acre retail center at the intersection of 225th and Broadway. Completed in 2004, it sparked an uptick of growth in an area that hadn’t seen new activity in more than 20 years, and now serves as a hub of local commerce and recreation.

The project is anchored by tenants like Century 21, Target, and Trader Joe’s, along with an eclectic collection of food purveyors celebrating the neighborhood’s abiding diversity.”

“I’ve always been interested in how neighborhoods change and develop, and was attracted to the ability to construct in a dense urban fabric. I got in the real estate sector because I wanted to build better and more durable buildings,” said Travis, a University of Albany graduate.

The development site for City Point (at the junction of Flatbush Avenue and Fulton Street) was purchased in 2007, with an original plan to build a single residential tower. But after evaluating the snowball of growth in the area and a progressing need for a central commercial and retail harbor, the team rethought the scope of the project. There was a clear opportunity to do something bigger.

One Dekalb, the first phase and retail anchor of City Point, is described by COOKFOX as “heavily influenced by Albee Square, the historic Dime Savings Bank, and adjacent buildings. Its dynamic geometry effectively engages the public plaza while deferring to the adjacent landmarked bank,” adding that the entire three-phase development will “foster a multi-use urban environment, connect subway commuters with green spaces, and create a vibrant heart in the Downtown area.”

The in-progress residential towers are highlighted by a zinc façade designed to temper with time and age.

“We saw how rapidly the neighborhood was changing,” added Travis. “We thought we could do a project that would be a much more valuable asset, and could contribute to the diversity growing around us.”

Now six years after ground-breaking, the project is anchored by prominent tenants like Century 21, Target, and Trader Joe’s, along with an eclectic collection of food purveyors celebrating the neighborhood’s abiding diversity. Unlike anything in the area, the 30,000-square-foot DeKalb Market Hall will feature a kaleidoscope of culinary offerings from beloved city locales, like focaccia from the hip Italian eatery Fortina and the iconic pastrami sandwiches of Katz’s Delicatessen.

Another staple will be Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, an inventive Austin, TX original that showcases classic and new flicks with a tableside of local brews, movie-themed specialty cocktails, and continental fare—with accolades like being named “#1 Theatre in America” by Entertainment Weekly and “Coolest Movie Theatre in the World” by Wired.com.

“This different kind of theatre and the diverse food tenants are a reflection of where Brooklyn is right now,” said Travis. “People will find a mix of names they’ve heard of before, as well as tenants people have never seen in a project like this. The design has already won several awards. This quality represents the extent to which the borough has matured as a place.”

An official grand opening is on track for fall, with select retail tenants opening their doors come summer.

City Point
1 Dekalb Avenue / citypointbrooklyn.com
Washington Square Partners
201 E 42nd Street, Manhattan / 212.906.9090 / washsquare.com