YIMBY: Office And Retail Conversion Slated For Bushwick Warehouse, 455 Jefferson Street

The East Williamsburg-Bushwick industrial zone is slowly transitioning from a no man’s land around the heavily polluted Newtown Creek to a mixed-use neighborhood complete with hotels,nightclubs and retail. Near the Jefferson Street L stop, the Bushwick Collective mural project has hastened gentrification by beautifying several barren blocks with the work of dozens of street artists. So it’s no surprise that a hulking six-story factory nearby at 455 Jefferson Street may become offices and retail...read more at YIMBY >>

INHABITAT: 60 Water's spectacular roof deck...

If you're scrambling to find the perfect waterfront spot to watch tomorrow night's July 4th Spectacular, perhaps you should think about leasing a new apartment at 60 Water Street in DUMBO. Two Trees recently unveiled the rooftop deck of its Ismael Leyva- and LEESER Architect-designed apartment building, and with its lofty perch overlooking Brooklyn Bridge Park and the East River, it looks like the perfect fireworks viewing venue. read more at INHABITAT >>

AIGA: Graphic Design in the Wild: Deciphering the Neoclassical Neon in Brooklyn’s Bustling Cultural District

Nestled between downtown Brooklyn’s Fulton Mall and the leafy residential neighborhood of Fort Greene, there’s a corner address that vibrates with energy. The Strand Theater, at 647 Fulton Street, anchors the edge of the rapidly expanding Brooklyn Cultural District, sitting amidst an explosion of residential construction. Home to UrbanGlass, and BRIC House, a multidisciplinary arts and media center, its arresting exterior of black paint, pink neon, and expressive metal letterforms, boldly announces what lies within, jolting passersby to attention. When walking, driving, or riding past, I always find myself transfixed, displaced for a moment by graphic design writ large. Read more at AIGA Eye on Design >>

CURBED NY: Imagine LIC's Skyline With This Whimsical Silvercup Addition →

As it turns out, the expansion of Long Island City's Silvercup Studios to include Silvercup West, a mixed-use extension of the famed production studio, hasn't been a dormant project after all; in fact, LEESER Architecture has been busy creating a plan as an alternate to the originally-proposed Richard Rogers design. LEESER's proposal was created in 2013 for a "potential investor," and one-up's Rogers's design by working within the site's existing zoning restrictions...read more at Curbed NY >>

NEW YORK TIMES: DUMBO Roars - Transforming Dumbo, a Brooklyn Neighborhood, With New Condos →

Water Street is abuzz with activity, including the construction of a glassy 290-unit rental complex. Designed by Leeser Architecture and Ismael Leyva Architects for the Two Trees Management Company, it is named Dock Street. The development will eventually house a 300-seat public middle school with an entrance on Dock Street as well as stores along Water Street. The apartments, including 58 units designated for low-income residents, are expected to begin leasing this fall with occupancy to follow by year’s end...read more at New York TImes >>