The four-million-square-foot Brooklyn Army Terminal has a long and interesting history as a military supply base, but these days, it's still getting a handle on its new life as a commercial hub.
The federal government sold the terminal to New York City in 1981, and a few years later, a wholesale renovation began. It's come a long way since then—notable tenants now include such diverse neighbors as the NYPD's intelligence division, the chocolatier Jacques Torres, the New York City Bioscience initiative center and the Museum of Natural History.
The terminal's Building A is still flush with unused space, which the city is in the process of upgrading to lease. (Interested parties should note that units are not equipped with luxuries like air-conditioning, so if you want it, ya gotta install it yourself.) Tenants are selected based not only the number of jobs they'll provide, but how well-paid the jobs are. Lessees also have plenty of perks, like large, flexible-use spaces and on-site daycare (though build-outs of spaces, amenities and utilities also vary by tenant and uses).
Click through the photos above, and contemplate how drastically times have changed since Georgette was dosing everyone with benzedrine just down the street. And if you want to check it out in person, you can visit the Terminal on a guided tour (operated by Turnstile Tours in partnership with the New York City Economic Development Corp). Get all the info here.
