Once a Headquarters of the New York Telephone Company, Bell Tel Lofts is a winning example of the borough’s adaptive reuse sector

The new home of Bell Tel Lofts, and considered Brooklyn’s first skyscraper when it was completed in 1930 at a cost of $5.5 million, the converted former headquarters of the Long Island branch of the New York Telephone Company is a tribute to fidelity to its original Art Deco design. Hired by a new owner to update and repurpose/redesign the interior, the New York-based architectural firm Beyer Blinder Belle Architects & P lanners LLP (the minds behind Williamsburg’s Domino Sugar Factory and Grand Central Terminal renovations) are famed in the borough’s burgeoning adaptive reuse building sector.

Beyer Blinder Belle was engaged by Berkshire Capital LLC to convert the building into a facility for what the architects termed “young urbanites and home-based businesses,” including 17 professional offices and 250 live/work residences. In response to the structure’s deep floor plan and limited windows, innovative new interior layouts feature clearstory windows and translucent sliding doors to maximize light and air. The design approach creates loft-like spaces, with modern kitchens and baths. Exterior restoration and modification of the storefronts provide additional retail entryways from the street and access to the parking garage, while the removal of non-historic mechanical equipment served to accentuate the building’s dramatic massing and setbacks.

Declared a landmark in 2004 and with renovation completed in 2009 at a cost of $75 million, the building is now home to units spread across 27 stories, with available floor plans ranging from 1,062-square-foot one bed room to 2,715-squarefoot three-bedroom residences. Amenities include a 24-hour concierge, fitness center and yoga studio, two common rooftop terraces, a screening lounge, children’s playroom, Zipcar access, and on-site indoor valet parking available (the last for an additional fee). Kitchens feature stainless steel appliances, limestone and Pietra Cardoza countertops and wood cabinets, while bathrooms have custom vanities, fixtures, and finishes.

Bell Tel Lofts
365 Bridge Street / 718.596.2355 / belltellofts.com