Brooklyn Brewery Enlists in Building 77 at the Navy Yard
By Terence Cullen May 16, 2016 5:20 pm
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The Williamsburg section of Brooklyn has gotten so cool that one of its original trendy companies can’t even hang around anymore.
Brooklyn Brewery announced today it was moving its headquarters from the hipster neighborhood as well as opening a brewery and beer garden, both in the under-development Building 77 at the city-owned Brooklyn Navy Yard, sandwiched between Fort Greene and Vinegar Hill. The 32-year-old beer-maker signed a 75,000-square-foot lease for 40 years, according to The Wall Street Journal, which first reported news of the deal.
The lease includes ground-floor and rooftop space for the brewery, which is slated to open at the 1-million-square-foot property in 2018, according to a press release from the mayor’s office. The manufacturing hub on the first level will also be home to operations for the Lower East Side-based Russ & Daughters, according to the city. The grocer signed a 14,000-square-foot deal on the 60,000-square-foot ground floor in February, as Commercial Observer previously reported.
“The Navy Yard gives us a future in Brooklyn,” Brooklyn Brewery Founder Steve Hindy said in prepared remarks. “It’s incredible to see what’s grown around us here in Brooklyn and our long-term lease at the Yard will ensure a presence in Brooklyn alongside many similar Brooklyn entrepreneurial success stories.”
Brooklyn Brewery is expected to produce 50,000 barrels of beer and eventually have 225 employees at the facility, according to the mayoral press release. It will continue operations at its Williamsburg location at 61-71 Wythe Avenue between North 11th and North 12th Streets until its lease expires in 2025, Brooklyn Brewery Chief Executive Officer Eric Ottaway indicated in the release, adding that he hopes the company can renew at its longtime location.
The brewery had been mulling making a move to the Navy Yard for several years. Mr. Ottaway told Crain’s New York Business in February that he expected the company had little chance of renewing its lease in the gentrified Williamsburg. He added that the company was looking for about 60,000 square feet either at the Navy Yard or Industry City in the Sunset Park section of the borough.
Brooklyn Brewery’s upstate production operations are also expected to be brought within the five boroughs to Staten Island from Utica, N.Y., the Journal noted. Mr. Hindy told the paper that a facility on the island would reduce costs. Staten Island Borough President James Oddo cheered the announcement in a Facebook post calling Messrs. Hindy and Ottaway great people to work with, as the Staten Island Advance reported.
“Soon it will be official and Staten Island will be home to a big part of Brooklyn Brewery’s operation!” Mr. Oddo wrote, according to the paper.
