‘A Uniquely Brooklyn Product’ — How City Point Became The Borough’s Buzziest Destination
Bright colors and “contemporary but urban” woodblock typeface will be recurring design elements.
Brooklyn is a mix of old and new. It’s ethnic enclaves and artisanal goods, Hasidim and hipsters. Which is why this borough, this great city within a great city, attracts visitors from all over the world.
Considering its incredibly convenient location, it seems only natural that Downtown Brooklyn would eventually make its mark as a global brand. Enter: City Point, a large mixed-use development — 1.8 million square feet of retail, office, entertainment, and high-rise residential buildings — that remains Brooklyn to the core. City Point is taking the neighborhood, recently anointed DoBro, from a local spot — albeit one studded with gems like BAM and the Transit Museum — to a destination for natives and tourists alike.
From the beginning, the companies behind the complex, Acadia Realty and Washington Square Partners took into consideration Brooklyn’s unique character with its particular community needs and spirit. As construction moved forward, the developers were looking to local sources for their workforce, as well as making special efforts to work with women- and minority-owned business.
Architecture studio COOKFOX, renowned for its commitment to the highest standards of design and sustainability, infused a respect for the community into the design of the complex. Led by Richard A. Cook, the COOKFOX team took a sweeping approach to the project, with the architects expressing the strong desire to tie together “Downtown Brooklyn’s grand past with its thriving future.”
It’s a past that goes back farther than many realize: COOKFOX designed City Point’s three towers to echo the Native American agricultural practice known as the “Three Sisters,” in which corn, beans and squash are planted to ensure a more sustainable harvest. The architecture also pays tribute to local history, with the tower facades echoing the grand marble of the historic Dime Savings Bank, built in 1908.
Brand architects at Pentagram Studio, an independently-minded design firm known for its passionate approach to graphics and brand identity, were key players in the development phase.
“We’ve been working with [developer] Paul Travis and COOKFOX from the early days to help find a way to make this a uniquely Brooklyn project,” said Michael Gericke of Pentagram. “City Point is in the heart of Brooklyn, it has a curated food hall, and a collection of many local Brooklyn-based tenants. We wanted its graphics to convey that sense of being you’re proud of where you come from and what Brooklyn has to offer. To celebrate that pride.”
Pentagram created an authentic visual identity for City Point, using bright colors for the elevators and signage, and selecting a “contemporary but urban” woodblock typeface, a visual reminder for visitors of old-time playbills and posters.
Change is in the air. DoBro is burgeoning and Brooklynites — and all New Yorkers — are pleased. Regina Myer, President of the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership, enthused about the respectful and innovative changes City Point is bringing to Downtown Brooklyn.
“Downtown Brooklyn is part of the resurgence of American urban life, and City Point is a really exciting destination. It’s an amazing combination of residential, office, retail and food that serves the local neighborhood and is a destination for visitors and tourists. It’s very well located and it’s got great Brooklyn-born brands like Century 21. It has residential appeal, office appeal, tourist appeal — it’s part of an amazing revitalization of urban life, and people are drawn to it.”
From the sophisticated screens at Alamo Drafthouse to global eats at DeKalb Market Hall to its popular pop-up markets, City Point is making DoBro the borough’s buzziest destination.
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