A curvy, twisty tower wedged between the Brooklyn Bridge and the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway is starting to rise in Dumbo.
Located at 60 Front St., the building is currently standing at five stories, including the base structure, recent visits to the site show. Construction on the remaining 21 stories, which will eventually ascend in a slim, dramatic curve sloping upwards, has yet to begin.
Looking at the site from Old Fulton Street, it appears as if a massive cruise ship is barreling down Front Street.
It stands on what was formerly a triangular-shaped parking lot at the base of the Brooklyn Bridge owned by the Jehovah’s Witnesses. It was acquired by the developer Fortis in December 2018 for $91.113 million. It is not part of the Dumbo Historic District.
A parking lot next door at 66 Front St. was refashioned into the Dumbo Market grocery store by the developer Two Trees in 2017.
The design of the building on Front Street stands out significantly from its neighbors. Nearby buildings are more traditional in style — or at least more rectangular — reflecting the area’s industrial past.
The new building will have a total of 76 units, according to DOB filings, although it’s unclear if they will be rentals or condos. A gym, yoga room, sauna and bowling room will be included underground, along with 73 parking spaces (an additional 46 will be included off site).
A school will occupy the fourth and fifth floors of the building, according to filings. There will be a pool and tenant recreation area on the sixth floor and a roof terrace at the top.
Hill West Architects filed an application for a new building in January 2019, and they got the go-ahead to start work on the foundation two months later. The project broke ground in June of the same year. Fortis is also developing the former Long Island College Hospital in Cobble Hill.
In 2011, the Witnesses started putting their considerable Brooklyn holdings up for sale, estimated to be worth well over $1 billion, in preparation for a move upstate to Warwick, New York. The parking lot at 30 Front was their final piece of property in Brooklyn.
This story first appeared on Brownstoner.com.
