Brooklyn's Progress
August/September 2007

BY LESLEY GRIMM

From a modest neighborhood bakeshop to a towering hotel complex – they are the projects making Brooklyn better.
Fifteen construction and renovation projects were honored at the annual Building Brooklyn Awards, held July 18 at Steiner Studios at the Brooklyn Navy Yard.

Winners included a new school, an art museum, a courthouse and a food factory, as well as innovative offices and apartment buildings.

The awards are a testament not only to the amount of building taking place in booming Brooklyn, but also to the quality that work.

The Building Brooklyn Awards recognize beautiful and smart design. But there is also a strong emphasis on economic impact. The projects are judged on how they enrich the borough by providing jobs, services and amenities.

More than 300 people turned out at the July 18 awards ceremony. Attendees included the “who’s who” of the real estate and development community, as well as government and elected officials.

Each winning project was featured in a slick video presentation, where judges publicly praised various aspects of the buildings. Owners, architects, builders and lenders were then called up on stage to receive their trophies.

Before the 15 top projects were acknowledged, the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce paid special tribute to two key players in local development.

The evening’s special honorees were Andrew Kimball, president and CEO of the Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corporation, and Joshua Muss, principal of Muss Development.

Brooklyn Chamber Interim President and Chief Operating Officer Mark Kessler spoke about Andrew Kimball’s foresight.

“Brooklyn will be a better place to live and work because of that vision,” Mr. Kessler said in his introductory remarks.

The Navy Yard was once America’s premier shipbuilding facility, but now operates as a 300-acre industrial park.

The Navy Yard leases more than 3 million square feet of space to over 200 diverse tenants who employ more than 4,500 workers.

Andrew Kimball was appointed to his position with the Navy Yard in late 2005. Under Mr. Kimball’s leadership, the Navy Yard is poised for major growth, including the expansion of Steiner Studios.

Mr. Kimball credited his colleagues with the Navy Yard’s recent success.

“Without the incredibly talented and dedicated Navy Yard staff, many of whom have been laying the groundwork for this renaissance for years, we’d not be in this position to succeed today,” Mr. Kimball said as he accepted his award.

Mr. Kimball concluded his remarks by stating, “We’re doing everything we can today to make sure the Navy Yard once again becomes a symbol of invention, opportunity and hope.”

The second honoree, Joshua Muss, is perhaps best known in Brooklyn for constructing Downtown Brooklyn’s first major luxury hotel, the New York Marriott Hotel at the Brooklyn Bridge.

“In no small way, thanks to Mr. Muss, Brooklyn is now an international tourist attraction and hotels are rising throughout the entire borough,” Mr. Kessler said as he introduced Mr. Muss.

Muss Development is a family-owned company based in Forest Hills, Queens.

The company has been in business for more than 100 years. Mr. Muss now leads Muss Development, in the footsteps of his father and grandfather.

Muss Development has become one of the largest firms of its kind in New York City, developing over 10 million square feet of residential, commercial, industrial and retail space.

In Brooklyn, Muss Development is known for building the 850-unit Oceana Condominium and Club in Brighton Beach.

But it is Muss Development’s Renaissance Tower and Marriott Hotel that are credited for changing Brooklyn’s downtown.

In his remarks, Mr. Muss joked about how difficult it was to get the project started.

“To finance a hotel in Brooklyn is like trying to put pork in a kosher butcher store – the quality was irrelevant,” he said.

Muss Development recently constructed a new 24-story tower at the Marriott, adding another 280 guest rooms and enabling the hotel to accommodate more guests of trade shows and conferences. That recent addition to the Marriott also won a 2007 Building Brooklyn Award in the “economic impact” category.

“Look what’s going on in Brooklyn. It’s extraordinary, and it’s very gratifying to be a part of it,” Mr. Muss said.