Brooklyn's Progress
May 2001

By Joe Chan On April 18th, the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce celebrated Brooklyn’s continued economic revitalization by presenting the first Building Brooklyn Awards. The event, held in the Clocktower space of DUMBO’s One Main Street, honored one individual and eight recent construction projects that have made a positive impact on Brooklyn’s economy and quality of life. “This is an ideal time for the Brooklyn Chamber to honor economic progress within the borough,” said Craig Matthews, vice-chairman and chief operating officer of KeySpan Corporation. “Over the past few years, we have had impressive growth here in Brooklyn. Tonight the Brooklyn Chamber says congratulations to some of those who have helped make this growth possible.” This year’s individual honoree is Charles A. Gargano, Chairman of Empire State Development Corporation. The Brooklyn Chamber recognized Chairman Gargano’s many achievements at Empire State Development Corporation: his enhancing the New York State Empire Zones Program; his making approximately 200,000 square feet of state-owned land in Downtown Brooklyn available for development; and, his support of Brooklyn Bridge Park. "The renewal and progress that we see throughout the borough is because of the enormous contributions made by the Brooklyn community itself,” Chairman Gargano said. “I am very proud to be a member of a team that has accomplished so much and benefited so many people, and I am extremely honored to receive the Brooklyn Chamber's First Annual Building Brooklyn Award. The Brooklyn Chamber is instrumental in the revitalization of the borough and proves time and again what can occur with hard work, dedication to its mission and teamwork." The Brooklyn Chamber also recognized eight recent construction projects that have had a positive effect on the borough. An independent panel of professionals from the urban planning and architectural fields selected the winning projects. Winning projects were chosen for their economic impact, distinguishing design and for improving their communities. “Thanks to our distinguished group of judges, we were able to arrive at an exciting group of winners,” explained Kenneth Adams, president, Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce. “Our award winners have had a major impact on our borough. They have changed the way Brooklynites live, work and get around the borough,” merce. The honored projects were: The Clermont Armory--a formerly vacant armory converted to 111 apartment units and a community school in Clinton Hill; Red Hook’s Beard Street Warehouses--formerly vacant Civil War era warehouses renovated to office space which now houses design and advertising firms and arts organizations; Brooklyn Navy Yard Building 22--a burned-down warehouse rebuilt as a facility for Cumberland Packing, manufacturer of Sweet & Low; Axelle Fine Arts--a vacant 1920 art deco cash register factory rebuilt into an art gallery and studio in Boerum Hill; New York Methodist Hospital--a newly constructed 232,000 sq. ft. building now home to medical offices, hospital-affiliated services and two floors of retail space in Park Slope; The Franklin Avenue Shuttle--a $74 million reconstruction of three subway stations connecting Bedford-Stuyvesant to Prospect Heights; DUMBO’s One Main Street--a $40 million conversion of a former cardboard factory into 124 luxury apartments and 12,000 sq. ft. of retail space; and Fort Greene’s BAM Rose Cinemas--a conversion of an underutilized performance space into Brooklyn’s premier center for first-run independent films. The Building Brooklyn Awards were held on the 16th floor of One Main Street (Clocktower Building) in DUMBO. The event was catered by Kino Restaurant and Jacques Torres Chocolates, two new additions to Brooklyn’s retail sector.