Designs revealed for Brooklyn’s first supertall tower

Brooklyn really is becoming Manhattan.

A slim, 90-storey tower seeks to elbow through a thicket of new 40- and 50-storey residential blocks in downtown Brooklyn.

This latest rendering of the tower at 340 Flatbush Avenue Extension – designed by SHoP Architects – rises to 305 metres, blowing previous efforts out of the water. Plans submitted in June had the building topping out at 236 metres.

The proposed tower may become the city’s first 1,000-footer outside Manhattan — a so-called supertall. Currently Queens boasts the tallest built tower in the outer boroughs, at 200 metres.

Neither SHoP nor JDS Development Group could be reached for confirmation but permit watcher YIMBY estimates the tower will contain 550 apartments.

The building’s profile is cylindrical and highly transparent, with wedding cake setbacks.

Another of JDS and SHoP's supertalls: 111 57th Street, just off Central Park — Another of JDS and SHoP’s supertalls: 111 West 57th Street, just off Central Park

It is lean and light, unlike Manhattan’s stone behemoths, the Chrysler or Empire State, whose bases fill a city block.

JDS tried and failed to buy legendary cheesecake diner Junior’s for its air rights last year (the unused vertical allowances above a structure bought and sold by builders and investors). Instead the developer bought the Dime Savings Bank and transferred the air rights to double the tower’s maximum size. SHoP’s slender new concept will incorporate the landmarked bank.

Pending approval, delivery is anticipated for early 2019.