25 Kent Offers Companies A Cutting-Edge Office Experience Along The Williamsburg Waterfront

As creative and technology companies, especially those working with artificial intelligence (AI), have increasingly been taking larger blocks of space throughout New York City, many have found it more appealing to young talent to make their home across the East River from Manhattan.

25 Kent is a new construction, 500,000-square-foot Class A office building on the Williamsburg waterfront in Brooklyn that was designed to foster creativity and collaboration, and has been embraced as such by the creative and tech community.

The building offers tenants full floors up to 64,000 square feet, partial floors starting at 3,600 square feet, and both high-end prebuilt spaces and fully custom buildouts. This flexibility allows tenants to scale within the building as their needs evolve without sacrificing quality, and with coworking brand Mindspace on the building’s fourth floor, companies can even start out at a temp space, then evolve into a prebuilt or full-floor office.

However companies choose to occupy space at 25 Kent, they all enjoy 15-foot ceilings, floor-to-ceiling windows, sweeping 360-degree waterfront and skyline views, and terraces on every level.

“25 Kent was designed around how companies actually work today, with a focus on flexibility, natural light, outdoor access, and the ability to grow in place,” said Alex Radmin, Director of Leasing at Global Holdings. “The building’s H-shaped floor plan creates highly flexible floor plates that work equally well for partial-floor tenants, full-floor headquarters users, and companies looking for move-in-ready prebuilts.”

25 Kent also gives tenants a high level of control over their workplace experience via independent HVAC systems and easy access to fresh air including terraces on every floor.

And all of this is offered in a section of New York that features very little in the way of comparable office environments.

“There simply isn’t much true Class A office space directly on the waterfront in Williamsburg, particularly at this scale,” said Ryan Gessin of Newmark, head of the 25 Kent leasing team. “The location delivers unobstructed views in all directions, and the natural light and ceiling heights are hard to match anywhere in New York City. Layer in the abundance of outdoor space, green spaces, and amenities, and you have a building that’s difficult to replicate anywhere else.”

25 Kent augments its beauty and flexibility with amenities including a comprehensive fitness and wellness center featuring yoga, weight training, meditation pods, spin studios, a 20-foot bouldering wall and spa-style locker rooms, complimentary scooters for a quick glide along the adjacent waterfront, and a 275-space parking garage with valet service and 10 electric vehicle charging stations.

Tenants will also enjoy the building’s 12,000-square-foot landscaped rooftop terrace that includes lounge seating, a full-service bar, integrated work areas and a sound system while surrounded by panoramic views of the East River and the Manhattan skyline.

In January, AI voice analysis company Rilla signed a 10-year lease for 57,350 square feet at 25 Kent—one of the largest office leases signed in Williamsburg and among the largest in Brooklyn within the year prior— bringing the building to over 300,000-square-feet leased. Today, 25 Kent is approximately 72 percent leased, with asking rents at $76 per square foot.

Joining tech companies such as AI firms Autonomous Technologies Group and Altana, ecommerce company Queen One, and even Amazon Music, Rilla’s new lease shows just how in demand 25 Kent has become.

“When we took over day-to-day management of 25 Kent, we were deliberate about investing both capital and time into building an environment where early-stage companies can grow and adapt,” said Chris Roth, Chief Operating Officer. “From our first round of spec suites being well received to our ability to deliver turnkey large-scale space, the building has proven it can support companies at multiple stages of growth. That’s especially important for high-growth tech and AI companies, where in-office expectations have returned in a very real way.”

In a sense, 25 Kent is continuing the evolution of Brooklyn as a much desired home for emerging creative and tech companies that want the cutting edge feel of areas such as Williamsburg, Greenpoint or Dumbo without Manhattan’s corporate monolith vibe and higher Class A rents.

Beyond the deep appeal of the building itself, this area of Williamsburg is one of the hippest and most desirable in the city for young  talent and executives. Not only are Williamsburg and neighboring Greenpoint known for their young talent populations, but around 25 percent of Brooklyn residents overall are between the ages of 20 and 34.

Having hot dining and night spots such as Brooklyn Bowl, Kent Ale House, Brooklyn Billiards, Bar Blondeau, and the William Vale Hotel all within two blocks of 25 Kent, along with the lush and expansive McCarren Park, makes the area itself a competitive advantage for attracting young local tech workers and executives.

“What draws senior executives and founders to the Williamsburg waterfront is the live-work dynamic — people increasingly want to be close to where they live, and many founders already live in Brooklyn,” Gessin added.

That said, 25 Kent has been equally attractive to companies outside the tech arena, with a tenant mix including apparel brand Kith — the building’s largest tenant — plus haircare brand Amika, Mindspace, and event space Vesper.

Another population driver is the building’s high-end retail scene, with diverse retailers on the ground floor at 25 Kent including Kith, immersive bathhouse company Othership, health-forward cafe Pura Vida and golf simulator home Five Iron Golf, plus shopping within blocks at retailers like Nike, Chanel, Hermès and Warby Parker.

“The retail at 25 Kent isn’t just an amenity — it’s a real part of the neighborhood,” said Craig Panzirer, SVP head of Leasing. “The retail is a curated community of innovative brands that reflects the energy of Williamsburg. Rather than feeling isolated from the neighborhood, the retail and public spaces help integrate the building into the broader Williamsburg waterfront, and create a more active environment throughout the day.”

In addition to its location and design advantages, leasing at 25 Kent comes with financial incentives that make it even more attractive to companies comparing space to, or migrating from, pricier opportunities in Manhattan.

“There are significant financial incentives available in Brooklyn that companies simply can’t access in Manhattan, including no Commercial Rent Tax, the Relocation Employment Assistance Program — which can provide up to $25 per square foot plus $3,000 annually per full-time employee, translating to a roughly 20 to 30 percent annual rent savings — as well as a 12-year energy cost rebate program,” said Craig Panzirer. “The building has also attracted state-backed incentives; for example, Queen One received Excelsior Jobs Program tax credits through Empire State Development when it signed its lease at 25 Kent.”

Add in the building’s easy access to subways, buses, the North Williamsburg Ferry and multiple nearby Citi Bike stations, and you have an office environment that’s as close to a home as a company and its tenants could wish for.

“Ultimately, we wanted 25 Kent to be a place that supports productivity, culture, and a work experience people actually enjoy,” said Chris Roth. “25 Kent provides the infrastructure companies need without sacrificing the creativity, energy, and neighborhood character that make Williamsburg unique.”