Empire Stores is in a formerly vacant 19th-century warehouse on New York’s Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass (DUMBO) waterfront. The warehouse has been a landmark on the New York waterfront for more than a century and has become part of the urban fabric of the neighborhood. Empire Stores is a mixed-use adaptive use project in a landmarked and historic district and was designed to retain and incorporate many of the building’s notable architectural features, including its large footprint, masonry facade, and schist structural walls.

The reanimated complex features 380,000 square feet of creative office space over five floors, including a two-story contemporary addition on the roof. The building is 100 percent leased. Tenants include West Elm, which leased a third of the space, 70,277 square feet of retail; the Brooklyn Historical Society, which has gallery space on the second floor; a beer garden; and several restaurants. These tenants, in addition to the public space and park access, have made Empire Stores a creative and community hub at the epicenter of Brooklyn’s Tech Triangle.