Proposed DoBro Tower Would Block Neighbors' Windows, Alter Landmarked RowProposed DoBro Tower Would Alter Landmarked Row | Brownstoner

"The proposal for the 30-story glassy tower, already rejected by the local community board, is headed for Landmarks review next week. 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 their 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 developer, Watermark Capital, proposes to combine the interiors of 19th century buildings and demolish their rear facades, according to the LPC and 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."

Watermark Capital proposes a 30-story glass and beige brick tower at 188 Duffield Street behind the landmarked Duffield Street Houses. The plan would demolish the rear facades of 19th-century houses and combine their interiors while occupying roughly half the site with 115 apartments. The tower is proposed to be set back 36 feet, measure 323.32 feet tall, and have a 9,854-square-foot footprint, with a healthcare facility in the cellar and on the first and second floors and no parking. Community Board 2 voted no, and the Historic Districts Council warned the plan could reduce historic structures to mere facades and block rear-unit windows in neighboring BellTel Lofts.

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