What’s Going to Happen to the Polonaise Terrace?

In late January, the realty company Double U Development spent nearly $9 million to acquire the rectangular 7,600 square foot property at 144 Greenpoint Avenue, known more colloquially as the Polonaise Terrace. While Double U have yet to announce plans for the space, as is the case with any high-profile purchase throughout North Brooklyn, gossip and rumors about what may come have spread like fumes wafting from Blissville recycling plants. 

Some have wondered if the space will again host a vibrant multi-purpose, multi-level venue, while others have tossed off that they think it’ll be torn down and replaced by a high-rise as tall as those on the waterfront. While the former is technically a possibility, the latter is a distinct no, seeing as the former Polonaise sits within the confines of the Greenpoint Historic District, meaning Double U’s aspirations for the space are somewhat kept in check. 

And so, to find out what it can be, we must look to what it once was.

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The 144 Greenpoint Avenue property is actually composed of two buildings, one with two stories (the one with the iconic facade now) and the other with a single story (currently with those three large oval windows). These buildings were created in 1898 by Charles Heidelberger and designed by Wilson and Dassau, according to many, many sources, but none of them adding further biographical details on the trio. In 1910, the structure became the Crystal Palace Theater, one of Greenpoint’s many movie palaces (i.e., the trivia answer to why the Starbucks looks so strange, why there’s a disco ball in the Sweetgreen, etc.). 

The theater bolted in 1926, but the building maintained roughly the same look through at least 1940, when this photo was taken: 

The space was bought up by Vincent Brunhard Sr., in 1949 to become the Ampol Baking Company which, according to his Pulaski Association bio, became a “highly successful enterprise.” This is what it looked like:

As you can see, much of the original exterior was removed or stripped over the years. By 1960, when Brunhard Sr. decided to get into the catering business with the creation of the Polonaise Terrace, the entire exterior had essentially undergone a full makeover. According to the 1982 designation report for the creation of the historic district: 

“The one-story structures have been covered with a blind arcade of aluminum and a false front of stucco and aluminum has been erected over the two-story portion.”

All of which is to say, this how the above original structure turned into the incredible facade from this 1973 postcard:

From there, the exterior underwent a few further minor changes until it became this architectural icon:

The dining hall was in operation until 2013, and the building stayed dormant until 2016, when Brooklyn Bazaar took over the space as a market/music venue. Its lease ran out in November of 2019, with someone surely walking around with dollar signs in their eyes, which they were sure to get, that is until some pesky global pandemic hit a few months later. During the pandemic, the awning-protected doorway of the vacant structure became a “free store” for those in need, before that was dismantled in December 2021, a few months after the property was sold to 144 Point Break LLC for $6.25 million.  

This takes us up to Double U Development snatching up the Polonaise for nearly $9 million, or a cool $2.75 million profit by 144 Point Break for just sitting on the property for three and a half years. Not too shabby.

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So, what’s the next step for the iconic building? Double U didn’t respond to multiple requests for comments—perhaps because of this?—but as the property is within the confines of the Greenpoint Historic District, there are only so many options available. 

For starters, as the actual structure of the Polonaise Terrace has been altered so many times over the years, there’s no real historic connection to the facade. This argument came up in an early 2023 Landmarks Preservation Commission meeting, when 144 Point Break tried to develop the space. 

In fact, despite some casual naysaying about how the design was lacking a certain, let’s say, having anything exciting at all, the commission ultimately gave the green light to Point Break turning the space into this four-story gray brick office and retail building:

While the above was approved, that doesn’t mean Double U will take the same anodyne approach. So, again, we must ask—what is, and isn’t, allowed because of the Greenpoint Historic District regulations.

The building sits in C4-3A zoning, which allows developers to build commercial on the ground floor and residential over it, if they so choose. This zoning comes with a Floor Area Ratio (or FAR) of 3, which essentially allows the creation of three times the lot area’s size. With a FAR of 3, and the lot size of 7,600 square feet, you’re looking at the potential to create 22,800 square feet. (To give you some perspective, the original Polonaise covered roughly 14,400 square feet.) 

“Roughly speaking, a four-to-five story building would be allowed,” said Stephen Chesler, co-chair of the Land Use committee for Brooklyn’s Community Board 1. “But it would definitely not be a tower.” 

Once Double U’s architect draws up their plans, they’ll bring them to the Landmark Preservation Commission, who’ll make sure the redesign fits within the context of the historic district. (Notably, the LPC can only dictate the exterior look, not what goes on inside.) The process may take six months to a year to get the final design settled, perhaps more quickly with 144 Point Break’s redesign having gone through the same process so recently. And then it’ll more than likely be time to say goodbye to Greenpoint’s most famous facade. 

(Another aspect Double U will have to take into consideration, according to a rep from the MTA, is that the site seems to be within 50 feet of the G line station, meaning they’ll have to submit any plans for review to make sure that whatever goes up accounts for the seismic rumble of the trains and any future easement issues.) 

The above stipulations aside, it feels about time to get the space back into active use once again. This location, so vital and central to Greenpoint, has been vacant far too long. “People want the space to get developed,” Chesler said. “It’s just been sitting there with graffiti for years and years, so people are tired of that.” 

Let’s just hope they find a way to keep the Polonaise waiter in the design. 

Credit for historical research must be paid to Lana Schwartz, who put together a tremendous presentation about the building’s history for Greenpoint History Night at Oak & Iron. The next one is scheduled for April 30th.