Rendering of 624 Metropolitan Avenue (via Peterson Rich Office)
At the heart of East Williamsburg, near its labyrinthine Lorimer-Metropolitan Avenue subway station, a thoughtfully designed residential building is underway at 624 Metropolitan Avenue. The ground-up project is being helmed by Christian Pompa's Caro Enterprises (Red Thumb Development, LLC), whose prior ventures include the Wythe Confectionery, 744 Greenwich Street, and most recently the Bath Haus condos in Greenpoint.
City records show the firm acquired 624 Metropolitan in early 2016 for $2.825 million. The 25-foot-wide lot previously held an undistinguished two-floor stucco building that had the vintage clothing shop, Newoldnew, at its ground floor (how Williamsburg). The building was razed in early 2020 and construction permits were approved later that year.
Model of the new development coming to 624 Metropolitan Avenue (via Peterson Rich Office)
To rise eight stories tall with 14,400 square feet of total space, the incoming building will carry ground-floor retail, a townhouse unit, and seven apartments above. Configured mostly as full-floor and duplex layouts, with an average unit size north of 1,000 square feet, condominiums appear very likely. Several new boutique condo buildings have come online in the immediate area. They include 550 Metropolitan Avenue, where one-bedrooms begin at $999K; 33 Conselyea Street, that has a garden one-bed for $1.495M; and the nearly-sold-out 147 Hope Street, which has a 3-bed penthouse available for $2.7M.
Illustration of 624 Metropolitan's upper stories (via PRO)
Lobby with arched entryway
While East Williamsburg has never been known for its historic streetscapes, 624 Metropolitan will be a step up from the architecturally bland constructs that have blemished the neighborhood in recent decades. The developer commissioned the up-and-coming design studio, Peterson Rich Office (PRO), who shaped a robust red-brick building that will neatly co-exist with the utilitarian facades of the neighborhood. The load-bearing structure will have an arched residential entrance and setback terraces at its top two floors. The building's most distinguishing feature, however, will be the gently curved corners at its edges and window openings, which the firm explains, "gives the brick an appearance of softness that changes with the sunlight over the course of the day."
Metropolitan Avenue carries a small-town main street vibe thanks to vibrancy created from its mass transit options, low-scale, and a large number of small retailers. As this section of Williamsburg east of the BQE becomes progressively out of reach to average New Yorkers, its once worn, albeit characterful shops are being replaced with higher-end venues to suit a younger and higher-heeled crowd. Nearby staples include the family-run Italian pastry cafe Fortunato Brothers, the 24-hour Kellogg's Diner, and the indoor-outdoor Mexican restaurant Zona Rosa. The G and L trains can be found at the western end of the block, making transit to Manhattan and other parts of Brooklyn rather convenient.
(Google Earth)
Two other residential buildings are taking shape nearby at 589 Metropolitan and 596 Metropolitan Avenue(L: via SL Development/Rawlings Architects, r: via Traded NY)
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