Landmarks Preservation Commission okays changes to Williamsburgh Savings Bank’s retail space
The former banking hall at 1 Hanson Place has a design of jaw-dropping glamor. And it’s located in what is arguably Brooklyn’s most famous building, Fort Greene’s Williamsburgh Savings Bank, which has an iconic four-faced clock tower.
But finding retail tenants for the space is complicated, says its owner — who went to the Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) on Tuesday to ask for permission to make some retailer-friendly architectural changes to the space.
Because the banking hall is an interior landmark — a special status that has been granted to just a few Brooklyn properties — its historic architectural features cannot be altered without the LPC’s approval.
Madison Realty Capital, which owns the ground floor, basement and mezzanine space, is “actively pursuing many retailers,” Andrew Salomon, the firm’s managing director of commercial development, said at a public hearing at the preservation agency’s Lower Manhattan headquarters.