Will There Be a Pool on Top of the Landmarked Dime Savings Bank in Downtown Brooklyn?

Is there going to be a pool on top of the landmarked Dime Savings Bank in Downtown Brooklyn? According to a new rendering published this morning in the New York Times, the answer seems to be yes.

But how is that possible? Located at 9 Dekalb Avenue, the project will eventually fuse Brooklyn’s first supertall skyscraper to one of the borough’s most iconic structures. The bank building is landmarked both inside and out, unusually, and will be preserved and integrated into the new skyscraper.

An application for a new building permit filed in 2017 lists an outdoor pool on the fifth floor. There is no mention of the outdoor pool in the presentation materials presented to the Landmarks Preservation Commission in April 2016. Normally, the commission would have to approve something like this and the effects it could have on the historic building.

A new rendering (included in a Times story about repurposing old banks) shows the pool situated on the roof of the historic bank and wrapping around its dome. Another new rendering, now on architect SHoP’s website, reveals a sliver of blue atop a new section of the supertall that connects to the old bank. A version of the view included with the LPC materials did not show a pool.

At the meeting, commissioners called the proposal “enlightened urbanism at its best,” and said it “improved the vision of this historic landmark.”

When complete, the new tower will stand 73 stories and 1,066 feet tall, making it the first building in the borough to hit quadruple digits in height.

Related Stories

• Dime Savings Bank’s Historic Facade Remains as Additions Demo’d to Prep for First Supertall
• Landmarks Greenlights Brooklyn’s Future Tallest Tower, Praises Design
• Sale of Dime Savings Bank Officially Closes: Brooklyn, Prepare for Your Tallest Tower Yet

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