Without a doubt,
Boerum Hill is one of New York's loveliest neighborhoods and the intrusion of a hulking new development surely draws the ire of locals when sited inappropriately. However, at the neighborhood's eastern boundary where it meets Park Slope, a 12-story condo has quietly risen along the wide, up-and-coming 'boulevard' of Fourth Avenue. As city planners foresaw when they rezoned the unflattering stretch in the 2000s, the thoroughfare is ideal for high-density residential uses thanks to its several subway lines, multiple lanes of two-directional vehicular traffic (new bike lanes too), and a plethora of architecturally-insignificant buildings that make way for easy-to-assemble development sites.
Since the 2003 rezoning, more than two dozen residential buildings have sprung up, trading out car washes, drive-through restaurants, and auto-body shops for much-needed new housing near staunchly-protected historic areas of Park Slope and Boerum Hill. A general height limit of 12 stories saves some Manhattan views for those living on the slope but has generally constrained building design to ungainly boxes. While the aesthetics of some new buildings leaves much to be desired (the avenue isn't quite turning out quite like Manhattan's Park Avenue though it is the same width), the rezoning did usher in a more vibrant street scene with a growing number of retailers, new landscaping, and, best of all, foot traffic.
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Renderings by Grain London
Two blocks south of Fourth Avenue's terminus at Atlantic and Flatbush avenues,
Avdoo & Partners Development have topped out their 100-residence condo christened
Saint Marks Place. The robust new structure spans a full blockfront between Warren and Saint Marks Place and will have its residential entrance at 58 Saint Marks Place, behind a corner holdout building. Led by Shlomi Avdoo, the developer closed on the six-parcel site in 2019 for $32 million. A long-vacant Kentucky Fried Chicken previously stood at the site. To the disappointment of some would-be buyers, there is no indication that KFC will be returning, or that its fine Mitch McConnell-inspired cuisine will be incorporated into the amenity package.
While the project team touts the project's sensitivity to the adjacent brownstones, the building's scale and 125-foot height encapsulates and maximizes the zoning envelope. To soften the heavy-handed wireframe ordained by city planners, the developer brought in
INC Architecture & Design (the firm behind
Vandewater) who specified a sculpted and beveled facade of 8,000 terra cotta modules whose elemental proportions pay homage to the rowhouses nearby. The building's bulk is further ameliorated through planted areas curated by the green-thumb practice of
Terrain. A canopied residential entrance will be dripping with vegetation, and a central garden is to comprise 55 species of plants and trees.
In tune with the times, the project places unit versatility and access to outdoor space at the forefront. Nearly 80 percent of all residences will have a private outdoor space and there will be 39 unique layouts ranging from studios to four-bedrooms. Interior details are still under wraps but promise to be thoughtfully designed with an emphasis on natural light and access to fresh air.
Adam Rolston, a partner at INC Architecture & Design says, “How we live, work, and play in the urban environment will be transformed. In addition to boasting beautiful private residences with a connection to the natural light and outdoors we all crave, Saint Marks Place will constitute a village within a borough that can
support meaningful social connections to enhance both the physical and emotional health of new kind of urban life.”
Detail showing custom terra cotta facade manufactured by Agrob Buchtal
Owners and their guests will be treated to 19,000 square feet of full-service amenities curated though a 360-degree holistic wellness and fitness approach by
The Wright Fit.
Construction filings show there will be a bike room, central courtyard, on-site parking, a children's playroom, game room, party room, and a drawing studio. Top-floor apartments will have their own private roof decks and many west-facing homes will have beautiful views of the Manhattan skyline and harbor.
“The way people live is changing, especially in New York City,” said Shlomi Avdoo of Avdoo &
Partners Development. “Saint Marks Place will present a better way to live, focusing on the
essentials in a home. Direct access to nature, light and fresh air; health, wellness and
community-oriented amenities, and a location that makes life easy and convenient, are
fundamental to the Brooklyn lifestyle.”
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