NYU engineers a Brooklyn boom with tech expansion

New York University announced in late January that it would embark on a 10-year, $500 million expansion of its technology, engineering and new-media footprint in downtown Brooklyn. NYU’s effort comes as the once moribund commercial district becomes...

NYU engineers a Brooklyn boom with tech expansion

New York University announced in late January that it would embark on a 10-year, $500 million expansion of its technology, engineering and new-media footprint in downtown Brooklyn.

NYU’s effort comes as the once moribund commercial district becomes an increasingly attractive place to work and live. At the heart of the revival is the $350 million renovation of the former New York City Transit Authority headquarters at 370 Jay St., which NYU leased from the city in 2012. About a block away, at 6 MetroTech Center, is the university’s engineering school, created through a 2014 merger with Polytechnic University, a private engineering and technology college with Brooklyn roots stretching back to the mid-1800s.

Of 370 Jay St.’s 500,000 square feet, 147,000 will be used for urban science education and research programs, and 48,000 for classrooms.

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The university plans to reserve 275,000 additional square feet for new and expanding digital technology fields such as gaming and interactive media. A second-floor media commons will include virtual reality rooms and maker spaces. Work is expected to wrap up soon, and NYU said it will move into the building this fall.

The university is also spending part of the $500 million on upgrades to the engineering school’s hub at 6 MetroTech Center, known as Rogers Hall, including the addition of lab and classroom space.

NYU’s investments will help make the streetscape more attractive to businesses and the thousands of commuters who use the five subway lines that run under 370 Jay St. The school is including 20,000 square feet of new ground-floor and below-ground retail and community space as well as making improvements to the plazas around the building. That community space will include facilities for exhibits and performances.

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New York University announced in late January that it would embark on a 10-year, $500 million expansion of its technology, engineering and new-media footprint in downtown Brooklyn.

NYU’s effort comes as the once moribund commercial district becomes an increasingly attractive place to work and live. At the heart of the revival is the $350 million renovation of the former New York City Transit Authority headquarters at 370 Jay St., which NYU leased from the city in 2012. About a block away, at 6 MetroTech Center, is the university’s engineering school, created through a 2014 merger with Polytechnic University, a private engineering and technology college with Brooklyn roots stretching back to the mid-1800s.

Of 370 Jay St.’s 500,000 square feet, 147,000 will be used for urban science education and research programs, and 48,000 for classrooms.

The university plans to reserve 275,000 additional square feet for new and expanding digital technology fields such as gaming and interactive media. A second-floor media commons will include virtual reality rooms and maker spaces. Work is expected to wrap up soon, and NYU said it will move into the building this fall.

The university is also spending part of the $500 million on upgrades to the engineering school’s hub at 6 MetroTech Center, known as Rogers Hall, including the addition of lab and classroom space.

NYU’s investments will help make the streetscape more attractive to businesses and the thousands of commuters who use the five subway lines that run under 370 Jay St. The school is including 20,000 square feet of new ground-floor and below-ground retail and community space as well as making improvements to the plazas around the building. That community space will include facilities for exhibits and performances.

A version of this article appears in the February 6, 2017, print issue of Crain's New York Business.

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