brooklyn’s renaissance
SHoP architects merges historic preservation with towering new construction in the design of it’s ‘9 dekalb’ in brooklyn. the project includes the restoration of the dime savings bank, a heritage building and landmark, which anchors the new work — soon to be the tallest skyscraper in brooklyn. the 74-story tower will be expressed with a range of materials from marble to bronze, all chosen to evoke the rich detailing of the stone bank while avoiding direct mimicry.
brooklyn-based studio crow captures the SHoP architects-designed building as it tops out, rising 1,066 feet.
images by studiocrow.co | @studiocrow.co
SHoP architects’ tallest tower in brooklyn
the SHoP architects-designed tower already dwarfs its surrounding context in downtown brooklyn — a neighborhood defined by its vertical growth and new high-rise construction. while it rises over the small cluster of skyscrapers, the residential project will look out toward the distant fabric of townhouses and brownstones, along with the manhattan skyline beyond. according to JDS development group, the project will also become new york’s first supertall building that is not in manhattan, defining ‘supertall skyscrapers’ as those ranging from 984 feet and 1,969 feet tall.
see designboom’s previous coverage of early visualizations here.
a celebration of historic details
the team at SHoP architects notes that its supertall tower in brooklyn is detailed to reflect the ornamental elements of the adjacent bank. the vertical fluting which defines the new building’s facade clearly reflects that of the ionic columns of the neoclassical heritage building.
with its residential and commercial programming, the new project will transform the neighborhood, which has certainly seen an ongoing renaissance across the past decade. the tower will introduce nearly 150 condos and 425 apartments above 140,000 square feet of commercial space.


project info:
project title: 9 dekalb
architecture: SHoP architects | @shoparchitects
location: downtown brooklyn, new york NY
developer: JDS development group
construction manager: JDS construction group
original architect: mowbray & uffinger
landscape architecture: HMwhite
expected completion: 2022
photography: studiocrow.co | @studiocrow.co