Building 77 is everything New Yorkers love about Brooklyn. It’s the sleek combination of metal, chrome, glass, and concrete. It’s the perfectly placed greenery among strong concrete pillars and one million square feet of working space. Building 77 was a stronghold in the Brooklyn Navy Yard in the ’40s, and now this 16-story space has been reimagined for modern use. What used to be a command center for navy officers has now become a multi-use space for light manufacturing, food services, small offices, and bright and airy public spaces.
With easy access from Flushing, this historic-structure-turned-modern-workspace offers breathtaking views in all directions. One recent upgrade was an entire facade of windows where layers of thick concrete used to be, flooding the entire space with light and offering unobstructed views out over the Navy Yard and the NYC skyline.
Inside, you can expect classic Brooklyn industrial-style architecture, like exposed ceilings, finished concrete floors, long corridors, private meeting areas, open meeting spaces, and modern light fixtures. But among all of the upgrades, Building 77 still holds onto its history in creative ways. Floor to ceiling black and white depictions of 1940’s Brooklyn, the active Navy Yard, and Building 77’s early days line the walls, reminding everyone who walks the halls of the structure’s significant history.
In the 1940s, the location of Building 77 made it the perfect spot for a command center for the entire North American naval fleet. Now, the same building sits in a rapidly growing and changing area, just four minutes from Brooklyn Tech Triangle, surrounded by green manufacturing buildings, the Grange rooftop farm, and the future home of the new WeWork building. It once served as a central hub for thousands of navy officers, and now will serve as a collaborative workspace for some of the 3000 people that make their way into the Brooklyn Navy Yard each day.
There’s something unique about transforming a historic military complex into a sleek, modern space where businesses, Brooklyn entrepreneurs and the arts can be a part of Brooklyn’s story. Building 77’s impressive transformation from a military hub to innovative business center is just another example of this city’s ability to gracefully evolve while still holding onto its roots.