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Proposed Downtown Brooklyn High-Rise Bucks Glass Box Trend With Brick

By Janet Upadhye | January 14, 2015 2:18pm
 The proposed building, called 1 Flatbush Avenue, will be made of brick and steel.
The proposed building, called 1 Flatbush Avenue, will be made of brick and steel.
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Ryder Construction Inc.

DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN — It's back to basics.

The latest building proposed for Downtown Brooklyn is bucking the neighborhood's trend in new construction — by forgoing an all-glass facade for brick and steel.

If approved, the masonry tower known as 1 Flatbush Avenue will be a 19-story building made primarily of red brick and black steel, according to David Schwartz of property owner Slate Property Group.

The building signifies a shift in architecture style for the booming neighborhood, where recent buildings such as 388 Bridge St., 66 Rockwell Place, The Brooklyner and BKLYN Air all exhibit a similar glassy architecture style.

"Someone is usually criticizing some aspect of our buildings," Schwartz said. "But in general people really seem to like this one."

Designed by Goldstein Hill & West Architects, 1 Flatbush Avenue is also a departure from some of the company's other recent works like The Continental at 885 Sixth Ave. and 605 W 42nd St. — both of which are made with glass.

Real estate and architecture news site 6sqft first published renderings of the building, found on construction manager Ryder Construction Inc.'s website, and called them "a thoughtful gesture toward an amiable streetscape."

The proposed building, located at the entrance to the Fulton Street Mall, will have 157 residential units and ground-floor retail space, according to records.

Some 20 percent of the units will be affordable, according to 6sqft.

The permits for 1 Flatbush Avenue, which were filed in the fall of last year, have not yet been approved.

Architects from Goldstein Hill & West did not respond to a request for comment.