How a huge new project will change the face of DUMBO: The history of 85 Jay
From Al Capone's school to Jehovah's Witnesses, a proposed arena, a Kushner role, and finally a 737-apartment giant
It has been called DUMBO’s “game-changing” project, a huge residential complex called 85 Jay, on a long-fallow, 3-acre site at a key location bounded by York, Front, Jay, and Bridge streets.
It’ll have big impact: the complex could boost DUMBO’s population by 25 percent, adding street life, retail, connectivity and buzz to an already hot neighborhood — plus putting strain on some antiquated infrastructure.
It’ll be imposing: 85 Jay will rise 250 feet, or 21 stories, at two corners, with lower segments at the opposite corners. With 874,000 square feet of floor space, it will house 737 apartments, both rentals and condos, a good number of them likely family-sized, plus significant commercial space.