Skyscraper Historic District costly, as feared, but booming
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Their predictions were dire – but Downtown Brooklyn commercial landlords’ fears about the harm that would be done by landmarking their buildings have been only partly realized, neighborhood real estate executives tell The Brooklyn Daily Eagle.
The hotly contested city designation of the Borough Hall Skyscraper Historic District 16 months ago has jacked up the cost of renovating and maintaining the properties, as they expected. But it has not deterred new tenants from being drawn to the area, as was anticipated.
The office and retail buildings are seeing growing demand for space in the newly landmarked district along Court Street and adjacent sections of Montague, Remsen, Joralemon and Livingston Streets. The preservation area includes the Brooklyn Municipal Building, where a high-profile retail build-out has landed two tenants, Sephora and YogaWorks.