Back in May, Two Trees scion Jed Walentas told the New York Post that the firm was hoping to snag one high-profile tenant to take over the revamped Domino Sugar Refinery building, which is in the process of being transformed into a 380,000-square-foot office space. “Our process is to go to 100 of those [creative] companies and try to get somebody interested,” Walentas told the Post, seemingly jokingly—but apparently that was literally true.
The development firm has put together a thick, glossy marketing package, created by the design firm Sagmeister & Walsh, intended to court so-called “creative” companies to the Domino site. (Two words that pop up a lot are those oh-so-crucial buzzwords, “innovation” and “authenticity”—we are talking about Williamsburg real estate, after all.) Curbed got its hands on a copy of the book, which also features a plethora of new renderings showing how a firm could customize the once-decrepit sugar factory.
Prospective tenants are apparently able to work with architects Beyer Blinder Belle to customize the interiors as they see fit, with images showing how that could be done. Among the possible amenities, per the renderings: huge floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the Manhattan skyline; open-concept floorplans that are all but de rigueur in offices nowadays; and—because no start-up or “creative” firm is complete without them—a swath of ridiculous perks, including a truly lol-worthy skate park.
Because the Domino Sugar Refinery is an exterior landmark, the 19th-century red-brick facade must stay in place; however, the offices within will be encased in “an entirely new glass and steel structure,” with the potential of incorporating elements of the building’s industrial past—exposed brick, ceiling beams, and the like—into the new offices.
There will also be four separate terraces on the building totaling 34,000 square feet, along with ground-floor retail, an open plaza at the front of the building, and “direct access” to some of the Domino megaproject’s public amenities, including an enormous waterfront park and a new ferry landing.
The book also touts the soon-to-be-transformed Williamsburg waterfront as “a unique place to live, work and play” thanks to the “energy and spirit” of the neighborhood. There are also plenty of quotes from hip Williamsburgers who are clearly meant to sell potential clients on the hipness of the neighborhood, in case they weren’t already aware that Williamsburg is, apparently, the place to be. (One example: “Williamsburg is not a new place. It’s a nimble place that projects what’s next on the horizon.” Okay!)
If all goes according to plan, the Refinery would be completed by 2018, though that’s dependent on a tenant moving on it sooner than later. Check out more renderings below.
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