What began as a small city-owned park atop a parking garage evolved—through 15 years of vision, patience, and persistence—into Brooklyn Renaissance Plaza, a transformative development that redefined the core of Downtown Brooklyn. Today, this vibrant mixed-use complex includes a premier office tower, a full-service hotel, and an underground parking garage. It has played a pivotal role in the area’s revitalization and continues to anchor its ongoing growth.
The office tower is currently occupied by the Kings County District Attorney’s office, among others. The hotel, complete with meeting and conference facilities, was the first built in Brooklyn in over 50 years. Two years after the hotel opened, plans were underway for an expansion: a 24-story tower connected to the hotel by a pedestrian bridge on the second floor that opened in 2006, increasing the number of hotel rooms from 387 to 667.
Business is booming at Brooklyn Renaissance Plaza. Tourists flock to Downtown Brooklyn, patronizing the shops and the hotel. Office tenants are drawn by a high-quality first-class building, as well as a spectacular location. Brooklyn Renaissance Plaza offers sweeping views of the Manhattan skyline and the New York Harbor. Getting there is an easy commute from almost anywhere, with 14 subway lines and 11 bus routes practically at the door. Manhattan is less than five minutes away by subway or by car.
MUSS VALUE ADD
Ground up development including in house construction and management, interaction with various city agencies, financing, and leasing managed in house.
PROPERTY OVERVIEW
Brooklyn Renaissance Plaza, a 1.2 million- square-foot, 32- story mixed use complex (which includes the NY Marriott at the Brooklyn Bridge), occupies about a third of a long block bounded by Jay, Adams, Willoughby, and Johnson Streets in the heart of downtown Brooklyn. Close to the Kings County courthouses and a short walk from the world-famous Brooklyn Heights Promenade overlooking the New York City harbor and skyline, BRP has superb access to public transportation, including 14 subway lines, 11 bus routes, major highways, and JFK and LaGuardia airports. Manhattan is just five minutes away by subway or car.
INVESTMENT STRATEGY
Recognizing the untapped potential of an underutilized but ideally located site, we envisioned a transformative project that would reposition what was once a small city-owned park above an underground garage as a cornerstone of Downtown Brooklyn’s commercial landscape; Brooklyn Renaissance Plaza, a $230 million development years in the making. Our strategy leveraged decades of experience to navigate complex challenges, including zoning approvals, community approval process, financing structures, and long-term leasing negotiations.
Brooklyn Renaissance Plaza’s proximity to the courthouses made the property highly attractive to legal and government tenants, enabling us to secure the Kings County District Attorney’s Executive Offices as a tenant, occupying 14 floors and the majority of the Class A office space since the building’s opening in 1998.
By targeting a diverse mix of stable, long-term tenants—including Health Plus, the Federal Government, NYC Department of Education, NYC Employees Retirement System, and MetLife—alongside retail operators and on-site parking, we created a resilient income stream and maximized asset value. This balanced tenant strategy ensured consistent occupancy, reduced risk, and established the property as a premier office destination in downtown Brooklyn.
The rewards of Brooklyn Renaissance Plaza led us to acquire an adjacent property at 345 Adams, which was converted from office space into an upscale retail complex (including a Panera Bread). In addition, Brooklyn Renaissance Plaza has sparked the revitalization of other properties in the area, including the adjacent corner building on Willoughby home of Danny Meyer’s Shake Shack, the Willoughby Outdoor Pedestrian Plaza, and the nearby major retailers on Fulton Street.
- Property Type: Mixed-Use
- Floors: 32
- Size: 1.2 Million SF
- Retail Stores: 3
- Built: 1998
- Parking: 888 Spaces
- Major Tenants
- Kings County District Attorney's Office
- NYC Department of Education
- NYC Employees Retirement System
- United Federation of Teachers
- United States General Services Administration