Marriott Unveils Plan for 24-Story Addition To Its Brooklyn Hotel

Hotel Will Now Be One of Biggest In City, with More than 1 Million Sq. Ft.

Brooklyn Daily Eagle
May 2, 2003

By DENNIS HOLT

This architectural drawing shows the new addition to the New york Marriott Brooklyn, connected to the main building by an arch-like structure. The new building will replace a rundown two-story garage currently on the site.

DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN — The New York Marriott Brooklyn hotel, only a few years old and already very successful, is going to get much bigger before long.

On Wednesday night, the Muss Development Company revealed its plans to build a 24-story addition across the pedestrian mall that would add 282 rooms to the existing 345, making a total of 627 rooms, one of the largest hotels in the city.

This was not just a spur-of-the-moment decision. From the moment the hotel was conceived, the existing hotel building was designed so that some day it would link up with the new building by an over-the-sidewalk pedestrian bridge. The question was more when, not if.

The reason both wings weren't built at the same time is that no one knew how a new downtown hotel in Brooklyn would work. Quite early on, it became evident that Marriott and Brooklyn had a winner, and planning for this day began.

The plans for this new project are quite ambitious. Not only will the building reach 300 feet tall and consist of 194,000 square feet, but there will be added to the hotel capacity 3,400 more square feet of conference space and 8,000 more square feet of ground-floor retail space.

Muss also plans an elaborate new plaza are of 28,805 square feet that will consist of 45 shade trees and 28 ornamental trees, a landscaped area of 7,220 square feet of planters, and 70 six-foot benches. This plaza will clearly create a new pedestrian meeting place and center for downtown Brooklyn.

Further, the application for this project to Community Board 2 also includes a vision that developer Joshua Muss has had for years. The city is permitting Muss to develop the two bottom floors of 345 Adams St., which has entrances off Willoughby and Pearl. This space is now occupied by court-related offices that will be relocated once the new courthouse is completed. The potential retail space consists of 43,250 square feet.

This new retail complex will complement building plans by the city to develop a new office building complex along Willoughby Street.

The new hotel addition will bring the Renaissance Plaza complex to a total of 1,324,000 square feet, making it one of the largest privately owned business centers in downtown Brooklyn.

So, those familiar with the Brooklyn Marriott hotel know that the old ditty about the small hotel with a wishing well does not apply there. There is no wishing well, and the hotel is not small.

This issue which began its way through ULURP process before the Land Use Committee of Board 2 on Wednesday. The full board will take up the issue on May 14. No opposition is expected.

333 Adams Street between Willoughby and Tillary Streets, Downtown Brooklyn (718-246-7000).