Mason Fisk, 72 Berry Street: Review and Ratings

Review of 72 Berry Street by Carter Horsley

This modest but very handsome conversion of a former industrial building at 72 Berry Street in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn into a 26-unit residential condominium building was developed by Adam and Justin Meshberg of the Meshberg Group, David Martin and a private equity fund. They had purchased the century-old, 6-story building in 2006 for $5.43 million.

In an April 10, 2009 articled at therealdeal.com, Candace Taylor wrote that Adam Meshberg, "who designed sailboats before becoming an architect, fell in love with 72 Berry's 'gorgeous shell' of two-foot brick walls and exposed wood beams," adding that "he loved the beams so much that he couldn't stand to discard the extra ones, instead hiring Red Hook's Uhuru Design to turn them into custom furniture for the lobby."

The 6-story building has a red-brick façade and arched windows on its first floor. It has a very dramatic albeit not large lobby divided by a slightly inclined ramp and a two-step-up platform and one side brick wall has several thin horizontal lighting bands.

The simple façade is subtly modeled with the center section of the top five floors slightly set back and a shallow cornice.

The building sold out quite quickly in a difficult market as the building readjusted and lowered its offering prices by 10 to 15 percent just before sales began. Ms. Taylor's article quoted Mr. Meshberg as saying that "We're fortunate that our lenders are realistic. Nobody's ecstatic about what they're getting, but they'd rather get something than nothing at all."

The building is not far from a subway station.