Brooklyn's Progress
June/July 2006

BY KHADIJA BATUTA

Susan Doban, Susan Doban Architect, PC, connected with fellow Chamber Member Suzanne Schwimmer of Schwimmer Realty, LLC at a Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce Real Estate & Development Committee event that eventually led to her closing on a 3,400 square foot loft-style space in downtown Brooklyn for her growing architectural firm.

Ms. Doban held a reception on Apr. 27 to showcase the ninth floor office space at 25 Chapel St., which her firm designed to celebrate the building’s majestic concrete columns and to take advantage of its unimpeded north, east, and west views of Manhattan, Queens and Brooklyn.

“Doban’s design for the leased space is quite spectacular,” said Ms. Schwimmer.  “It is very much in keeping with the special ambience of an architect’s office.”

The Chamber Connection
Ms. Doban searched for more than a year to find the appropriate setting for her business and had been courted by several Brooklyn realtors.  However, it was at a networking event presented by the Chamber’s Real Estate & Development (RED) Committee, where she re-connected with Ms. Schwimmer, also a RED committee member – and the broker for the Howard Building at 25 Chapel St.

“At the Chamber’s DUMBO real estate party, I ran into Suzanne and we were able to speak at length about the space, which got me interested in pursuing this particular opportunity,” explained Ms. Doban.

Ms. Schwimmer, who has the 25 Chapel St. property listed with the Chamber’s Real Estate & Development program’s space bank, believes the building, formerly the Howard Clothes Warehouse, just north of MetroTech, succeeds on location, amenities, and physical presence, as well as offers competitive rates for the downtown Brooklyn area.

Ms. Schwimmer also brokered a lease for this location to another Chamber Member, William Cristofaro, P.E. of Integrated Energy Concepts Engineering, P.C., whose firm is also located on the ninth floor.

RED Program
The Chamber’s Real Estate & Development Committee presents “RED Nite” networking events, such as the one where Ms. Doban and Ms. Schwimmer connected, as well as tours, seminars and its premier event for real estate industry professionals, the annual Building Brooklyn Awards.  Co-chaired by Hank Auffarth, Citibank and Chris Havens, Two Trees Management, the RED Committee is managed by Mack Tham, Director of the Chamber’s Real Estate & Development program that provides real estate match-up and business assistance services for Brooklyn businesses, as well as complementary services such as assistance with incentive programs and financial services.

“Networking is a guaranteed business success formula – the more you invest in meeting new people and re-connecting with existing associates, the more your business can grow,” said Mr. Tham.

“I was delighted to find a location in downtown Brooklyn adjacent to major thoroughfares and public transportation that would allow our firm to serve its Brooklyn clients, as well as key clients from other boroughs and elsewhere in the tri-state region,” stated Ms. Doban.

Susan Doban Architect, PC is an architectural firm focusing on educational, residential, and commercial projects for public and private clients, including several in Brooklyn.  The firm has designed 45 residential units above the Fairway Supermarket on Van Brunt St. in Red Hook for Chamber Member Greg O’Connell of Pier 41 Associates, as well as streetscapes for Emmons Avenue in Sheepshead Bay and for Sunset Park. The firm also designed the office of the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce at 25 Elm Place.  For more information about Susan Doban Architect, PC, call 718-797-1041 or visit http://www.susandoban.com/.