Condos at Brooklyn Heights library tower hit the market from $1.088M

Brooklyn Heights may be one of the borough’s priciest neighborhoods, but there are only a handful of new-build condos in the area. As of this week, there’s an addition to that group of buildings: Nearly three years after the Brooklyn Public Library sold its Brooklyn Heights branch to developer Hudson Companies, the project—demolishing the library that once stood on the site and replacing it with a 38-story condo tower—launched sales, with prices for its 133 apartments starting at just under $1.1 million.

The building, designed by Marvel Architects, is quickly rising on the triangular-shaped lot where Clinton Street and Cadman Plaza West meet. Now known as One Clinton, the project (formerly 280 Cadman Plaza West), has been in the works for nearly five years, though construction only began in 2017.

In 2014, the BPL announced it’d partnered with Hudson for a new building on the site, with proceeds from the sale going toward repairs at other ailing libraries around the borough. The redevelopment would also include more than 100 units of affordable housing (not on site—across two new buildings in Clinton Hill), as well as a new, albeit smaller, library branch in place of the old one.

But as tends to happen with new development—particularly new development in Brooklyn Heights—there was pushback, with some neighborhood residents balking at the loss of library space, as well as the loss of “memories” and “community character.” But ultimately, with the backing of the City Council, the local community board, and the often hard-to-please Brooklyn Heights Association, the building moved forward.

Now, prospective buyers are getting the first peek inside—and predictably, the apartments have high-end finishes, swank appliances, and custom everything. Studio DB is responsible for the interiors, which are kitted out with travertine entryways, white oak flooring, marble-covered bathrooms, and custom cabinetry. High ceilings and huge windows will be the norm. Amenities will be equally plush, with a 26th-floor “sky lounge,” a communal outdoor space, and a fitness center among the offerings.

Prices begin at $1.088 million for a one-bedroom, and rise from there up to $5.26 million for a four-bedroom unit. There are some larger apartments—five-bedrooms and penthouses—that have yet to be released. A sales gallery will be located nearby on Remsen Street, and Corcoran’s Cornell Marshall Team is handling sales for the project.

Hudson will also deliver on the public benefit with a STEM Lab operated by the Department of Education, and a more than 26,000-square-foot library that will have a reading room with double-height ceilings, a community room with space for 150 patrons, and co-working space that’ll be open to the public. For the past few years, the library has operated a branch within Our Lady of Lebanon Church on Remsen Street; the new one is due to open in 2020.

The affordable housing, meanwhile, is also progressing in Clinton Hill; those units will be spread across two buildings on Atlantic Avenue and Fulton Street, with the housing lottery launching sometime in the spring.