Rendering of One Sullivan Place via RKTB Architects
Plans have been in the works for One Sullivan Place, a development across the street from Prospect Park and Brooklyn Botanic Garden, since October 2014, when the site came on the market with plans to build an eight-story, 16-unit apartment building with a common roof deck. However, the project will ultimately feature a 12-story building with 52 one- through three-bedroom units. Construction has just topped out with four stories cantilevering over an adjacent building; next to go up is the red brick and slick gray facade seen in a rendering from RKTB Architects.
The apartments within will comprise a mix of senior, affordable, and market-rate units. Information is not yet available on the senior and affordable units, but CityRealty listings show that the median rent for Crown Heights ranges from $2,022/month for a one-bedroom to $2,948/month for a three-bedroom. The cantilevered space will include recreation rooms and terraces, the better to make the most of views of Prospect Park and the Manhattan skyline; additional amenities will include storage, a bike room, and a mail/package room. Completion is estimated for fall 2022.
The new building will form the southern bookend for a stately row of Garden-facing, pre-war apartment buildings. RKTB Architects’ portfolio of contextual design and historic preservation perfectly positions the firm to delicately set a large, prominent building within sensitive historical context. The contemporary-styled corner boldly anchors the crossing of Washington Avenue and Sullivan Place. Massive, 30-foot cantilevers at the upper floors effectively utilize its neighbor’s air rights, while preserving the ornate, pre-war structure.
Construction progress circa March 2022 (RKTB Architects)
Prior rendering of One Sullivan Place. Credit: RKTB Architects
One Sullivan Place is set in a part of Crown Heights that has attracted attention for its proximity to Brooklyn Botanic Garden, yet it is this attraction that has caused trouble for developers looking to bring an influx of new housing to the area. In December 2020, a Kings County Supreme Court judge struck down a rezoning that would have allowed two 16-story towers to rise at 40 Crown Street and 931 Carroll Street, on grounds that the shadows cast by the buildings would be detrimental to Brooklyn Botanic Garden. It was for that same reason that a rezoning that would have allowed for first a pair of 34-story towers, then a pair of 17-story towers was struck down for 960 Franklin Avenue (located around the block from One Sullivan Place). In September 2021, developer Continuum Company sued on grounds that they didn’t get a fair review.
Boutique buildings are seen as friendlier to the area, and have proven highly appealing to would-be residents: Sales listings in boutique condos are going fast, and there are no public availabilities at recently constructed rental 409 Eastern Parkway. Indeed, Peter Bafitis, AIA, RKTB’s managing principal, affirms the design intent to “leverage the undeveloped space above the neighboring buildings,” while “showing sensitivity to the architectural context of this beloved New York City neighborhood and its proximity to Prospect Park across the street.”
Google Earth view showing location of 1 Sullivan Place
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