The Gowanus neighborhood of Brooklyn has long been associated with its dirty sewer. But now, as housing has improved in recent years and as cleanup of the superfund site continues, the area has something new to boast about.
In a new rental tower at 544 Carroll St., a new tenant has leased a four-bedroom duplex for a cool $25,000 a month. That highest price sets what the developer says is a local record, The Post has learned.
The new residents are a family from Brooklyn – but no further details about them were available.
The eye-catching deal is the kind of number any place would expect in Tribeca, near Central Park or in the most polished corners of a brownstone in Brooklyn. Not here, where the canal’s history still clings to the details of the area even as luxury buildings rise and the future is designed.
This building was designed by Avery Hall.
In recent years, Gowanus has come a long way. A city-led rezoning approved in late 2021 set the stage for a wave of new housing — market rate and affordable — as well as public access to the waterfront, new infrastructure and a reshaped streetscape that aims to transform the former industrial area into a full residential district.
Developers have been quietly putting together sites for years waiting for that green light.
Brian Ezra, one of the founders of the company, told The Post that the location offered a great opportunity. And given the rental price of this rental, it paid off.
“One of the things that we’ve seen in a lot of these … I call them Brooklyn brownstones … there’s a strong market and we think, there’s still a very underserved market for apartments that are really big and have outdoor space and are comfortable,” he said.
That thinking led Avery Hall to build a small set of larger homes at 544 Carroll, such as the newly leased duplex.
Ezra said: “We’re building a particularly large apartment. So we listed it at $25,000. And we thought there would be demand and there is.”
Marketing materials describe airy ceiling heights, large windows, high-end kitchens built around large islands and spa-like bathrooms. Facilities are heavily reliant on greenery and indoor living: a planted courtyard that features in the lobby and work areas, fitness and Pilates areas tied to the garden area, and rooftops set for sunset views and the backdrop of the sky.
And yet the $25,000 duplex didn’t fly off the shelf. It had been on the market since October, and Ezra admitted that the road to a signed lease included a clear fix: making the exterior feel livable in a way that the floor plan couldn’t.
“We did not lower the listing price,” he said. But, he added, “with some large homes with large outdoor spaces, it may help to invest more money …
The broad bet is that Gowanus can compete with wealthy tenants who can’t pick on paper almost anywhere. Ezra doesn’t pretend he doesn’t open other doors.
“For this kind of monthly price, a family has the choice of living in many of the best neighborhoods in Manhattan or Brooklyn,” he said.
So why choose a duplex near the canal in an area in the middle of metamorphosis?
Part of it is the sense of family that has been moving out of Park Slope for years: schools, after-school activities, infrastructure for children, parks and the desire to live close to Manhattan without actually living in it.
Gowanus, on the other hand, is becoming more easily marketed as a crossroads between glittering places.
“Gowanus is very connected to transportation. It’s walkable to all these other neighborhoods,” Ezra said. “There are cool restaurants. There are art galleries. And then you can walk up to Prospect Park or down to Brooklyn Bridge Park. It’s right in the middle of the city… [it] it has an industrial history and is still changing… and it is part of the character… that does [it] cool place.”
The next chapter, he believes, will be defined by the canal itself becoming less stigmatized and more a commodity – especially as public access increases.
“I think the biggest change we’re going to see… …the neighborhood is the Gowanus Canal itself,” Ezra said. “With the cleanup of the canal and all the new development around it… we still see maybe half or less of the canal frontage being accessible… a few years from now… you’re going to see a lot of the canal frontage being done.”
