A developer who bought the landmarked row in Downtown Brooklyn known as the Duffield Street Houses is proposing to build a glassy 30-story tower in the petite backyard that will swallow up the back half of the houses and obscure windows of apartments in the converted BellTel Lofts on the other side of the block.
The proposal for 188 Duffield Street is headed for a public hearing at the Landmarks Preservation Commission Tuesday, Oct. 21. In May, Community Board 2 voted no on the plan, the Eagle was the first to report. A rendering of the design published by YIMBY in June shows a glass and beige brick tower with symmetrical window openings and a stepped facade.
The proposed tower.Rendering by Hill West Architects and Acheson Doyle Partners Architects via LPC
The developer, Watermark Capital, proposes to combine the interiors of the 19th century buildings and demolish their rear facades, according to the LPC and preservation nonprofit Historic Districts Council. At the CB2 meeting, HDC “strongly voiced our concern to CB2 and local elected officials that this precedent would suggest that every historic structure is only as meaningful as its facade, and thereby fair game to be window dressing for a tower,” the group said in an update about New York City landmarks at risk.
A resident of the BellTel Lofts had previously told Brownstoner they were concerned a tower at 188 Duffield Street would likely block the windows of rear units.
A permit application for a new mixed-use building filed with the Department of Buildings in 2024 said the tower will have 115 apartments and cover 50 percent of the site. It will be set back 36 feet — as are the landmarked houses — and measure 323.32 feet tall, with a footprint of 9,854 square feet, as Brownstoner reported at the time.
The row on Duffield Street in June of this year.Photo by Susan De Vries
The build will include a healthcare facility in the cellar and on the first and second floor, but no parking. The square footage of the building will total 102,224.7, with 546.8 square feet of commercial, 3,658.2 community space, and 98,019.7 for residential. (Elsewhere the permit application says the total square footage will be 136,842.)
The houses in 2001 when they were documented for designation as individual landmarks.Photo via the Landmarks Preservation Commission Designation Photo Collection
The site previously belonged to Forest City Ratner, which moved the early 19th century houses from their original sites nearby and promised to maintain them as part of a deal to develop MetroTech.
The buildings were supposed to house offices and nonprofits but have sat empty for decades. These “important buildings” should “return to public use,” according to HDC.
This story first appeared on Brooklyn Paper’s sister site Brownstoner
As the season of tricks arrives, so do some of the best treats for horror fanatics across Brooklyn. From haunted trolleys to eerie escape rooms, here’s where to find your next fright (or some family-friendly fun) this Halloween season.
Haunted Brooklyn Heights tour
If haunted history piques your interest, another eerie attraction in Brooklyn is the Haunted Brooklyn Heights Tour. This guided walking tour winds through the streets of one of the borough’s oldest neighborhoods, blending ghost stories with fascinating historical facts. Tickets are $40 and available through the Boroughs of the Dead website.
BrainXcape
During the season of the witch, horror fanatics looking for an immersive experience can test their nerves at BrainXcape, where visitors are placed inside haunted-themed escape rooms. While there are no live actors, the atmosphere delivers plenty of tension and thrills. Each room offers different scare levels, perfect for those who want to tailor their fright factor this Halloween.
From prison break thrillers to a bloody circus, there’s something for every kind of horror fan. Each experience gives visitors one hour to make their escape, and tickets can be purchased through the BrainXcape website. With family-friendly options available, it’s an adventure fit for a wide range of thrill seekers.
The Ridgewood Asylum
If a thrill and chill is what you’re after — and an immersive one at that — check out another Brooklyn staple: Ridgewood Asylum. The attraction bills itself as “a twisted mental-health nightmare that is part haunted house and part escape room.”
Set in a building steeped in dark lore — once the site of the Ridgewood Slaughterhouse massacre and later rebuilt as a psychiatric rehabilitation hospital allegedly shut down after “violent cases of paranormal activity” — Ridgewood Asylum promises a new generation of fear. Tickets are available online through the attraction’s website.
Madame Morbid will guide you through some of Brooklyn’s spookiest locales on her historic trolley tour.File photo courtesy of Madame Morbid
Madame Morbid’s Trolley Tours
Madame Morbid offers delightfully shaky trolley tours through the heart of Brooklyn, giving riders a unique and chilling glimpse into the borough’s dark history. While it may not deliver the same bone-chilling fear as a haunted house, the 90-minute tour is one not to miss. Passengers ride aboard a vintage-style trolley as they explore Brooklyn’s eerie past and macabre legends. The attraction runs through November, with tickets available at madamemorbid.com.
Beyond Brooklyn
Blood Manor
If you’re willing to venture just outside the borough, head to Manhattan for Blood Manor, known as “New York City’s Premier Haunted Attraction.” Hidden away in the heart of the city, the manor delivers bone-chilling scares and over-the-top performances from a cast of passionate actors.
Spanning 10,000 square feet of horror-themed rooms and corridors, the attraction sends guests running up and down staircases as they encounter gruesome scenes — a horror fan’s dream, or perhaps their nightmare.
The building itself has a chilling backstory. Built in 1852, it’s said that photographs taken inside revealed strange distortions once developed. Among the images captured there was Abraham Lincoln’s most famous portrait — the one featured on the $5 bill. That’s just one of many ghostly tales surrounding Blood Manor’s haunted history.
This season runs through Nov. 10 and introduces a new fright: the “Scare Actor Experience,” which lets visitors step into the role of a performer inside the manor. General admission tickets are $50 and available online.
Fun for the whole family
While there are plenty of tricky places for seasoned horror lovers this season, there are also a few treats perfect for families looking for festive fun.
Spooktober
Go batty for Halloween at Prospect Park Zoo, where visitors can explore tombstones of extinct animals, walk the Spooky Trail, meet nocturnal neighbors, and enjoy Spooky Science, live performances, and harvest-themed photo spots. Costumes are encouraged. Tickets for the zoo’s Halloween festivities start at just $7.25 and can be purchased online at prospectparkzoo.com/spooktober.
Visitors dive into Halloween fun at the New York Aquarium’s Ascarium, enjoying marine-themed magic shows, crafts, and encounters with spooky sea creatures.Photo by Frank Black/WCS
Ascarium at the aquarium
There’s something fishy happening at the New York Aquarium this Halloween — and it’s the Ascarium! Visitors can dive into marine-themed fun with magic shows, Halloween crafts, live Wildlife Theater performances, games, and plenty of aquatic animals, from piranhas and wolf eels to bat sea stars and spider crabs.
The aquarium’s Halloween event runs on Saturdays and Sundays through Oct. 26, with tickets available at nyaquarium.com/ascarium.
Luna Park’s Halloween Harvest
Experience autumn enchantment at Luna Park’s Halloween Harvest, where the amusement park transforms into a fall wonderland filled with pumpkins, hay bales, and colorful leaves. Families can enjoy classic rides alongside Halloween activities like pumpkin decorating, tractor racing, trick-or-treating, and plenty of seasonal surprises.
Guests can also indulge in fall treats, including pumpkin spice snacks, warm mini donuts, and apple cider–flavored goodies. Luna Park’s Halloween Harvest runs through Oct. 31. For more information or to skip the line and buy tickets online, visit lunaparknyc.com/halloweenharvest.
By: Fern Sidman A tense and emotional school board meeting in Manalapan Township, New Jersey, on Thursday night drew dozens of furious and grieving parents who confronted district officials about a series of antisemitic social media posts allegedly made by high school students — including remarks joking about dressing as Holocaust victims for Halloween […]
