Architect Profile: Robert Scarano, Jr.

Today is another entry for my series "Architect Profile", which focuses on prolific architects in New York City. The subject of this entry is somewhat controversial and somewhat eye-opening to the world of new development. Few people can drive through New York City, especially Brooklyn, without passing a building designed by long-time premier architect, Robert Scarano, Jr.

Born and raised in Brooklyn, NY, Scarano is schooled in architecture, engineering, building construction, construction management, real estate development, and real estate finance. Due to his well rounded education, he was qualified for an architectural program known as Professional Certification, or "Self Certification". This enables architects to certify that their own projects comply with all applicable building laws and codes. This eliminates a middle man, which in turn streamlines construction projects, and made self certified architects especially desirable to developers, who frequently work on a tight timeline.

Scarano's office at 110 York Street, Brooklyn is a landmark driving over the Manhattan Bridge.

Scarano began his career in Staten Island in 1985, and eventually grew Scarano Architects PLLC to a staff of about 50 including designers from Brazil, Bulgaria, Columbia, Israel, Russia, and Ukrane. At his firms height, he was representing major developers, and receiving distinguished awards on his building designs. He was working with developers from Harlem down to Lower East Side and over to Brooklyn.

52 East 4th Street aka 351-353 Bowery - Manhattan

144 North 8th "The Finger Building" - Williamsburg, Brooklyn

Problems began for Scarano in 2006 when the NYC Department of Buildings charged Scarano with violating zoning or building codes on 25 projects in Brooklyn. This was a culmination of concerns over a  loophole that Scarano found where he included mezzanine/second-level spaces in his buildings that were outside of the official square footage granted to the building. These "extra" spaces were not taxable and added considerable height to all of this buildings.

On top of this, Scarano was under a lot of scrutiny as three workers from different projects that Scarano represented died due to unsafe working conditions. The architect averted blame, be the DOB and the public eye was tightly focused on him.

In 2006, Scarano lost his "Self Certification" privileges and in 2008 the DOB cited his false or misleading statements on applications that he submitted as grounds to bar him from filing any more projects with the DOB. This severely limited his ability to practice in NYC, and, according to the Judge presiding over his hearing, Joan R. Salzman, his filings were "so deceptive that they call to mind out-and-out fraud."

The halted project at 333 Carroll Street in Carroll Gardens has been dubbed "The Hell Building" and "Steel Birdcage" by various bloggers.

Over the next few years, dozens of projects that Scarano had partially constructed were halted and numerous neighborhood meetings were held to determine what to do. In the case above, 333 Carroll Street was nearly resumed by architect Karl Fischer, but ultimately stopped again. The majority of the buildings, including above, will eventually be taken down and the projects cancelled.

Despite a trepidus exit from the architectural world, Robert Scarano has left behind a legacy of iconic buildings all around New York City. The brilliance of using a loophole to get around the DOB, however, ended with the suspension of his practice and marring of his name. For now, Robert "Mezzanine" Scarano can only watch as his projects are slowly deconstructed and brought back to the ground.

407-415 Leonard Street, "The Aqua"

407-415 Leonard Street, "The Aqua" is a 7 story, 55 apartment condo building located on the corner of Bayard and Leonard Street. The building was designed by Robert M. Scarano Jr. (Architecture biography coming soon!) and was completed in 2006. The building features a part time doorman, garage, laundry room, rooftop deck (very nice views), and a common storage room. There are studios, 1, and 2 bedrooms, most of which enjoy a balcony. Most units have 10' ceilings and all have central heating and cooling, and modern kitchens which include Sub Zero refrigerators.

The building is right next to the newly opened McCarren Pool, which has become a major attraction to residents nearby. Also a few blocks away is McCarren Park, the weekend farmers market, and a bevy of bars and restaurants. The Brooklyn Queens Expressway ramp is near by and the Metropolitan-Lorimer L and G trains are a few blocks walk. Finally, there has been a surge of gyms and cross fit training centers in this particular part of industrially-converted Greenpoint and Williamsburg.

Architect Profile: Karl Fischer

This blog entry is going to be something different. I'm going to focus on an architect who designed a number of buildings that have been featured on my blog so far. Today, I'm writing about Karl Fischer. Born in 1948 in Montreal, Quebec, since 2003 Fischer has designed more that 200 residential structures in Manhattan and  Brooklyn. Currently one of the most prolific architects in New York.

This is Bayard Street as it runs along McCarren Park in Williamsburg. Every building from the tallest brown building to the left (50, 30, and 20 Bayard St.) was designed by Karl Fischer. It's become known as "Hot Karl Row".

50 Bayard Street, The Ikon

The first buildings that Fischer designed in Williamsburg was 60 Broadway, "The Gretsch Building" in 2004.

Schaefer's Landing was completed in Williamsburg in 2005

The Powerhouse was another commercial conversion with a 4 story addition to a Pennsylvania Railroad power station. It was competed between the years of 2005-2007.

 Karl Fischer is currently working on two projects in Brooklyn (100 Luquer St. and 100 Parkside Avenue) and continues to reign as the most dominant architect in NYC. With new development leaning towards rentals, it remains to be seen if Fischer will be the go-to architect for the next wave of new development in Brooklyn.

80 Metropolitan Avenue

80 Metropolitan is a 6 story, 124 apartment condominium apartment building that was built in 2008 by Steiner NYC. The building is located on the corner of Metropolitan Ave and Wythe Ave and runs the length of Wythe Ave until North 1st Ave. The building features an indoor garage, a bike room, an indoor pool, a courtyard, a fitness room, a media lounge, a rooftop with private cabanas, and private storage. There is currently a 25 year 421-A tax abatement in place.

This building straddles the boundary between North-side and South-side Williamsburg, which means that the walk isn't too far from the Bedford Ave stop on the L train, while the walk to bustling Grand Street is just two blocks. It's also a block to the East River and about 3 blocks from the Edge building.

242 South 1st Street "Lofts1"

242 South 1st Street "Lofts1" is a 4 story, 23 unit condominium building that was designed by DUMBO-based Scarano Architect PLLC with interior design by Andres Escobar. The building was built in 1911 and was originally a factory that produced cheese. It was converted from commercial to residential in 2005 and much of the original detail from the factory have been preserved. The building features mini-lofts, duplex lofts, and tri-level lofts. Most of the units in the building also come with a private outdoor space that's deeded with the apartment. Note that this building does not have an elevator or doorman.

The location of this building is one block from Grand Street, which is a main street that has been experiencing an astronomical increase of trendy retail stores, restaurants, and bars. The L train is a short walk North and the JMZ train is an even shorter walk South. Additionally, this location is a short drive from the BQE highway.

125 North 10th Street

125 North 10th Street is a 6 story, 86 unit condominium that was designed by Savanna Partners and Ryder Construction and opened in 2008. The building features a 24 hour doorman, garage with spaces for sale, a garden, spa services, a fitness room, laundry room, playroom, rooftop deck, media room, and private storage in the basement for purchase. The building has an entrance on both North 10th and North 11th Streets, as this is a pretty sizable condo building. The apartments feature Icestone counter tops (made out of recycled glass) and custom cabinetry in the kitchens, Ipe flooring, and six foot soaking tubs.

In the later half of 2012, the average square footage of sales in this building have increased from as low as $786 PSF to as high as $1151 PSF. This demonstrates a steady and steep increase for property in the building and surrounding buildings due to a lack of inventory coupled with a over-saturated buyers market. The location of this building is away from the chaos of Bedford Ave while still being very much so in the action of Northside Williamsburg.

91-93 Metropolitan Avenue "The Louver Condominium"

91-93 Metropolitan Avenue "The Louver Condominium"

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91-93 Metropolitan Avenue, "The Louver Condominium" is a 7 story, 13 apartment condominium building that is located  on Metropolitan and Wythe Ave. The building was built in 2009 and was designed by MDIM Architects. The building has an elevator, private storage, and a private rooftop deck. Most of these 2 bedroom units were sold for between $600,000-$800,000.

This building is just one block from Nighthawk Cinema, and is surrounded by trendy stores and restaurants such as Brooklyn Denim Company, Baked in Brooklyn, ACME Studios, Hollander & Lexer, Radegast Hall & Biergarten, and BARC. 

160-162 North 12th "Residences at the Williamsburg" and "King and Grove"

162 North 12th "Residences at the Williamsburg" 

160 North 12th "King and Grove"

162 North 12th "The Residences at the Williamsburg" is a 6 story condominium low-rise building designed in 2011 by Gene Kaufman Architect PC. The building is directly next to 160 North 12th St "King and Grove", the first boutique hotel of Williamsburg (pictured above). The buildings share a ground level pool and outdoor lounge behind the building to the south. There's also a restaurant underneath the hotel, and a rooftop above it.

The building features a doorman, garage, courtyard, pool, laundry room, laundry hookups in the apartments, cabanas on the roof, and maid, valet, and concierge services. The Northside of the building faces the baseball and tennis courts of McCarren Park, along with great Northwestern views of Manhattan (amazing sunsets). The hotel was previously known as "Hotel Williamsburg", but was purchased in early 2012 by the Chetrit Group and brought under their boutique hotel chain "King and Grove".

50 Bayard Street "The Ikon"

50 Bayard Street "The Ikon"

50 Bayard is a 9 story, 58 unit condominium building that faces McCarren Park in Williamsburg. The building was designed in 2006 by Karl Fischer Architect and is part of "Fischer Row" aka "Hot Karl Row" on Bayard Ave. The building features a concierge (fancy doorman), rooftop deck, storage, fitness room, garage, and bike room.

Most interesting about the building are the 4 penthouse units that are stacked on top of one another atop of the main building. In the picture above, you can see them as part of the smaller silver portion of the building. Also above is the floor plan of one of the penthouses. Being all glass, light and views are certainly not a problem.

For everyone else in the building, the amenities offered are more than most for the area (eg: parking), and the proximity to the park is certainly a perk. The L train is 5 blocks away and there is a farmers market every weekend just a block away on Union Ave.

184 Kent Avenue

184 Kent Avenue

3Br PH Floorplan

184 Kent Avenue is 6 story 338 unit rental loft property that was originally built in 1915 for Austin Nichols & company and was then converted to residential units in 2010 by architect Cass Gilbert. The building is full service and offers a wide range of amenities such as a bikeroom, garage, courtyard, spa services, fitness center, laundry in every unit and in the building, nursery, lounge, billiards room, and rooftop deck. The units also feature high lofted ceilings and exposed brick and cement columns from the original factory.

The building is just south of the Northside Piers and Edge complexes and is on the Williamsburg waterfront. The East River Ferry is also about two blocks away. Just three blocks from Bedford Ave, this is a highly desirable location because it is quite close to the booming South Williamsburg area.

34 Berry Street

34 Berry is a 7 story 142 unit rental building on Berry Street between North 11th &12th. The building was built in 2010 and was designed by Perkins Eastman Architects P.C. The building has studios, 1 beds, and 2 beds and every apartment has its own washer/dryer. The building features a number of amenities such as a 24 hour doorman, lounge, library, onsite management, fitness center, furnished rooftop, parking, concierge service, bike room, billiards room, and ground level interior courtyard.


The location is really nice, since it's only 1 block from the Williamsburg Hotel (King & Grove), 1 block from McCarren Park, the new Wythe Hotel, Brooklyn Bowl, and a number of North Williamsburg restaurants and bars. This is about 7 minutes from the Bedford Ave L train stop.

568 Union Ave "The Union"

568 Union Ave "The Union"

568 Union Ave "The Union" is a 8 story building with 95 apartments for rent. The building opened in 2012 and was designed by Karl Fischer Architects. The central entrance is on Union Ave and is appointed by a 24 hour doorman. The building also offers a large gym which opens up to the outdoor lounge and outdoor pool, along with a number of tables, chairs, and grills. On the rooftop, there are two additional outdoor furnished areas which look out over Brooklyn, Manhattan, and North to Queens.

The location of this building is great for people with dogs or who prefer to run on a track, as McCarren Park is 1 block away. 2 blocks away are the tennis and basketball courts that face Williamsburg Hotel and 2 blocks in another direction is the new McCarren Pool. The Bedford L stop is about 5 blocks away, but you could also walk to the Metropolitan-Lorimer stop for the G or L train.

440 Kent Ave "Schaefer Landing"

440 Kent Ave "Schaefer Landing"

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PH A/B

440 Kent Ave "Schaefer Landing" is a 24 floor, 135 condominium building that was built in 2005 by BFC Partners and LM Development Partners. The side of the building that faces Manhattan has a distinctive light array that is visible from much of the Eastern River's edge in Manhattan. The building features a 24 hour doorman, a fitness room, garden, nursery, lounge, roof deck, business conference center, garage, and bike storage.


This is located South of the Williamsburg Bridge, which means that it is in the exciting neighborhood that New York Magazine says is "rising" and becoming as desirable as the central, Northern Williamsburg. Directly across from Schaefer Landing is a Brownsfields, which will eventually become a future development site.


The final amenity that draws people to this building is the proximity to the water ferry, which leaves from this location to stop in Dumbo and then FiDi.

230 Ashland Place "Forte"

230 Ashland Place "Forte"

230 Ashland Place "Forte" is a 30 floor condominium with 108 apartments. From the modern glass design by FXFowle Architects, you can see that apartments here get amazing light and views. Aside from this, residents enjoy concierge service, a fitness room, a rooftop deck, and a courtyard.

The location is very close to projected new developments like The Hub and the 32-Story development by Two Trees. There are also a number of new buildings from BAM (Brooklyn Academy of Music) that are expected to be built over the next few years, so property value in the area is set to increase drastically.

101 North 5th St "NV"

101 North 5th St "NV"

101 North 5th "NV" is also registered under 154 Berry St and is a 6 floor 40 unit condominium on Berry St and North 5th street. Built in 2008, the building is a low-rise with an elevator, garage, health club, lounge, rooftop deck, and private storage. It was designed by Karl Fischer Architect with glass and brushed jade aluminum and sponsor sales were overlooked by MNS.

The 1Brs start at 670 sqft and the 3Brs offer as much as 1,435 sqft (see picture). The location of this building is truly amazing with the train 2 short blocks away and a wealth of restaurants, stores, and bars. Also quite close to Night Hawk movie theaters and the future location of Whole Foods.

475 Kent Avenue "Illegal Apartments"

475 Kent Avenue

The Williamsburg from the long forgotten past (of 8 years ago) used to be a destination for artist and musician types who sought a unique and gritty lofted space to call home at a discounted rate. In today's Williamsburg, that's mostly vanished, however, there are a few fringe buildings that endure and deserve mentioning. 

475 Kent Street is an eleven-story converted factory building that has anywhere between 100-300 residents who are living in what has been deemed an illegal conversion by city officials. It has been written up for a number of violations over the years from inoperable sprinkler systems to blocked exits to illegal grain storage silos and a factory in the basement of the building (!!). Apparently the owner of the building, Nachman Brach, chose not to fully stop his commercial use of the building when he began renting the apartments. Due to the commercial status of the building, tenants have had to pay about $300 per month for their own satellite dish, which pepper the building on all sides.

On a cold winter day a few years ago, the FDNY raided the building and forced all residents to evacuate. They had to stay in hotels and with friends and family for a few months until they were allowed to move back in. This is an example of the great risks involved with finding a unique space. Before signing on any lease, renters should do their homework and make sure their building is up to code and safe.

214 N 11th St "Warehouse 11"

214 N 11th "Warehouse 11"

Large enough to take up two addresses (214 & 216 N 11th) and positioned only 4 blocks from the Bedford L train and 1 block from McCarren Park, Warehouse 11 is a 6 floor, 120 unit condominium that was built in 2008. The building offers a number of amenities that are uncommon for the area: a 24 hour doorman, a business room/billiards room, 4 common out-door spaces (including a 360 degree roof deck that spans the length of the building), a fitness room, a children's room, and a bicycle storage room.

The original buyers in this building purchased their units during a "fire-sale". This was a risky maneuver that saved the building from a financial cliff and also offered buyers at the time significantly lower prices. There haven't been a large amount of resales, but from the few that have happened, it's clear that they made a great return on their investment.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

34 North 7th Street "The Edge North"

 The Edge is comprised of two buildings consisting of a total of 575 condominiums, 22 North 6th St (South Edge) and 34 North 7th St (North Edge). The taller of the two is the South Edge, which is 30 floors and 352 apartments. The North Edge is half the height at 15 floors and 205 apartments.

The amenities of The Edge are greater than any condo in New York City. There is (big breath) a Health Club, Spa Services, a Courtyard, a Basketball Court, TWO Pools (and a waterfall), Sauna, Steam Room, Facility Kitchen, Nursery, Playground, Lounge, Billiards Room, Virtual Golf, Video Game Room, Party Room, Rooftop Deck, and Cinema Room. Also a 24 Doorman!