BKLYN AIR, 309 Gold Street: Review and Ratings

Review of 309 Gold Street by Carter Horsley

BKLYN Air is a stuning, 36-story rental tower at 309 Gold Street at Johnson Street in Downtown Brooklyn that opened in 2014 and was erected by Lalezarian Properties. It has 255 apartments. 

It is somewhat shorter than its sister, 40-story building, Oro, at 306 Gold Street that when completed in 2008 was the tallest structure in Brooklyn in about 80 years.  Oro has 303 condominium units.

Both towers were developed by Lalezarian Properties and designed by Ismael Leyva and and are major components of the new Downtown Brooklyn skyline.

Bottom Line

If you look from high up in either building to the northwest you see the roadways of both the Manhattan and Brooklyn Bridges with the Lower Manhattan skyline in the distance.  A most dramatic and impressive vista!

Description

Both towers have very crisp and handsome façades for blue-tinted windows and thin black spandrels with a nicely slanted roofline.  The centers of the broader façades has projecting, curved sections with a beige masonry façade framing many of its square central windows.  The center side projections have slightly protruding thin elements beneath the windows that add considerable texture and visual interest to the overall composition. 

The curved side projections stop three stories from the top and the masonry part of these façades stop four stories from the top of the curved side projections. 

The bold contrast of the center sections’ brightness and sensuous end curves and the spatial arrangements result in a discrete architectural presence that is relatively simple but very strong.

The tower is not symmetrical and has a slight bulge on its western side but the eastern façade almost appears symmetrical and the sides of its center projection section are partially clad in beige masonry.

Both towers are setback on low-rise bases.The Oro tower has pale-orange masonry.

Amenities

Building amenities include a 24-hour doorman, a concierge, a terrace with life-size chess and checker boards, an indoor valet parking garage, an in-house dry cleaner, and Sky Amenities, two floors at the top of the building with a 50-foot-long outdoor heated pool and landscaped roof deck, a two-level fitness center, a resident’s lounge with WIFI that is equipped with a kitchen.

The building has a bicycle storage room and Citi-Bike access is steps away from the building. 

Apartments

All  apartments have 9 to 10-foot-high ceilings, dark oak hardwood floors and a washer and dryer as well as Bluetooth Sound Bar Speaker systems, GE Café Series stainless kitchen appliances, Italian kitchen cabinetry with Caesar Stone countertops.

Each residence features Brazilian hard wood floors throughout. 

Apartments in the H line on floors 5 through 34 studio units with a 16-foot-long living/dining room and a pass-through kitchen.

Apartments in the F line on floors 5 through 34 have a 19-foot-long living/ding room with an open kitchen and a bedroom with a large curved window wall.

Apartments in the E line on floors 5 through 34 are two bedroom units with a 13-foot-long living/diing room with a pass-through kitchen.

Apartments in the C line on floors 5 through 34 are one-bedroom units that have a 17-foot-long living room with an open kitchen with an island and a curved window wall. 

Apartments in the B line on floors 5 through 34 are two-bedroom units that have a 19-foot-long living/dining room with an open kitchen. 

History

In 2005, the city rezoned this area to encourage high-rise construction between the Manhattan Bridge and Fulton Street, especially along the Flatbush Avenue corridor.

Greenfield Partners, a private equity fund based in South Norwalk, Conn., bought out the building’s original investors, United Homes, which was led by Ron Herscho, and Palin Enterprises, headed by Dean Palin, who were still involved in the Oro II, 38-story, hotel-and-apartment complex planned for 311 Gold Street and also designed in very similar style by Mr. Leyva. 

An article by Linda Collins in the Brooklyn Daily Eagle said that a Hilton Hotel would occupy the lower 25 floors at Oro II beneath about 74 apartments. A brownstoner.com article in October, 2009, however said that Oro II's "pit in the ground has been filled and smoothed over," adding that "we're assuming the work was just to clean up the site for long-term lay-away." 

The hotel plan was later shelved, and the ownership and name changed.

Location

It is part of a cluster of high-rise towers including the Avalon Fort Greene and the Toren, but its location is closest to Manhattan resulting in it having best views of the city of this trio. 

It offers easy access to the Brooklyn and Manhattan bridges and numerous subway lines. 

It is a few blocks from Fort Greene Park.