You’ve probably walked past it. If you’ve ever wandered off the Brooklyn Bridge or grabbed a $7 latte in DUMBO, you’ve been within spitting distance of 117 Adams Street. It doesn't look like much from the sidewalk—just a sturdy, blocky piece of the industrial past. But honestly? This single address is basically the nervous system for Brooklyn’s modern tech scene.
It’s one of the "DUMBO Heights" buildings. That’s the fancy rebranding Kushner Companies, RFR Realty, and LIVWRK gave this cluster of former Watchtower printing plants about a decade ago. Before that, it was where the Jehovah’s Witnesses churned out Bibles and pamphlets by the millions. Now? It’s where startups try to become unicorns.
The weird transition from Bibles to Big Tech
For decades, the Jehovah’s Witnesses owned this slice of the Brooklyn waterfront. It was a self-contained universe. They had tunnels. They had laundry facilities. They had massive printing presses. When they decided to pack up and head to Warwick, New York, it left a massive hole in the neighborhood.
Everyone wondered what would happen to these hulking masses of brick and concrete.
When the developers bought the complex for $375 million in 2013, people thought they were crazy. That’s a lot of money for old industrial space. But they saw something others didn't: high ceilings, massive floor plates, and windows that actually open. In a world of glass towers, 117 Adams Street offered "character." Tech companies eat that stuff up.
Why the layout actually matters for business
Modern office design is usually pretty soul-crushing. You know the vibe—dropped ceilings, gray carpets, and fluorescent lights that make you look like a ghost. 117 Adams is the opposite.
The floor plates here are huge. We're talking 30,000 to 50,000 square feet. For a company like Etsy (which anchored the project early on) or WeWork, that kind of horizontal space is gold. You don't want your engineering team on the 4th floor and your marketing team on the 12th. You want them bumping into each other at the cold brew tap.
It's about "planned serendipity." That’s a buzzword, sure, but in a building like this, it actually happens. You see people from different companies sharing the roof deck or grabbing lunch at the ground-floor retail spots. It creates a weird, hyper-local ecosystem.
Who is actually inside 117 Adams Street Brooklyn?
It’s not just empty desks and vibes. The roster of tenants has shifted over the years, reflecting the chaotic nature of the NYC real estate market.
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- WeWork was the big name for a long time. They took up a massive chunk of the DUMBO Heights complex. Even with their well-documented corporate drama and bankruptcy filings, the space they built out here remains some of the most sought-after co-working real estate in the city.
- Etsy is nearby, and their presence basically validated the whole "Tech Triangle" concept for Brooklyn.
- Frog Design, a massive global design firm, moved their New York studio here. They’re the ones who helped design the early Apple Macintosh. Having them at 117 Adams says a lot about the building’s "cool factor."
There’s also a bunch of smaller players. It’s a mix of fintech, media, and high-end design agencies. You’ve got ProPublica nearby, and Smallhold (the mushroom people) had roots in the area. It’s a concentrated dose of Brooklyn’s intellectual capital.
The "Kushner Factor" and the financial drama
You can't talk about 117 Adams Street without mentioning the money. It hasn't been all smooth sailing and IPO parties.
The project was heavily leveraged. When interest rates started climbing and the "work from home" revolution hit, these big office plays got shaky. In late 2023 and throughout 2024, there were plenty of headlines about debt piles and potential foreclosures across the DUMBO Heights portfolio.
Is the building going anywhere? No. It’s too well-located. But the ownership structure has been a bit of a soap opera. If you're a business looking to sign a ten-year lease, you’re looking at the stability of the landlord just as much as the view of the bridge.
The retail scene is... surprisingly good
Usually, the bottom of an office building is a desert of dry cleaners and sad sandwich shops. 117 Adams managed to get some actual destinations.
- Untamed Sandwiches (They do a braised short rib sandwich that is basically a religious experience).
- Bluestone Lane (The quintessential "I work in tech" coffee spot).
- Taco Dumbo (Lifestyle tacos, whatever that means, but they taste good).
This matters because DUMBO used to be a ghost town after 6:00 PM. Now, because of the density of workers at 117 Adams and its sister buildings, the area stays alive. It’s become a bridge between the tourist-heavy Brooklyn Bridge Park and the more residential parts of Vinegar Hill.
What it’s actually like to work there
Imagine high-speed elevators that are actually fast. Imagine a lobby that feels more like a hotel than a DMV.
The roof deck is the real kicker. You’re looking right at the Manhattan skyline. It’s the kind of view that makes you feel like you’ve "made it," even if you’re just a junior dev grinding on bugs.
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The noise? It’s Brooklyn. You’re going to hear the Q train rattling over the bridge. You’re going to hear the sirens. But the windows at 117 Adams are surprisingly thick. It’s a weirdly quiet sanctuary in the middle of a very loud neighborhood.
Addressing the skeptics
Some people say DUMBO is over. They say everyone moved to Miami or Austin.
They’re wrong.
NYC tech is more consolidated than ever. While people might work from home two days a week, they still want a flagship office that doesn't suck. 117 Adams Street provides that. It’s not a sterile Midtown skyscraper. It’s got grit, but it’s been cleaned up just enough to satisfy a VC board of directors.
The "industrial chic" aesthetic—exposed brick, matte black fixtures, open ceilings—might feel a bit 2015 to some, but it’s become the standard for a reason. It feels productive. It feels like things are being built there.
Is 117 Adams Street right for your business?
If you’re looking for space, you have to be realistic. This isn't cheap real estate. You’re paying for the zip code and the proximity to the A/C and F trains.
The Pros:
- Incredible natural light. Most offices are dark holes; this isn't.
- Connectivity. The fiber-optic backbone here is world-class.
- Brand association. Being in DUMBO Heights still carries weight in the creative world.
The Cons:
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- The wind. Seriously, the wind tunnel between these buildings in February will steal your soul.
- Cost. You can find cheaper space in Bushwick or Industry City.
- Construction. DUMBO is perpetually under construction. Your Uber will get stuck behind a cement truck. Every. Single. Time.
What you should do next
If you're looking to plant your flag in Brooklyn, don't just look at the floor plans online.
Go there.
Walk the perimeter of 117 Adams Street. Grab a coffee at Bluestone Lane and watch the people coming in and out of the lobby. You can tell a lot about a building's energy by the way people move through it. Are they slumped over and miserable? Or are they huddling in small groups talking about their next round of funding?
In this building, it's usually the latter.
Check the current availability through the DUMBO Heights official leasing portal or hit up a broker who specializes in the "Tech Triangle." The market is weird right now, which means there might be deals to be had that didn't exist three years ago. Subleases are also a huge opportunity here as companies "right-size" their footprints.
117 Adams Street isn't just an address. It's a barometer for the health of the Brooklyn economy. As long as those lights are on at 9:00 PM on a Tuesday, Brooklyn’s tech scene is doing just fine.
Before committing to a lease, verify the current status of the building’s debt restructured in late 2024 to ensure long-term management stability. Schedule a walkthrough specifically during the late afternoon to see how the light hits the western-facing units—it's a game changer for office morale. Reach out to the DUMBO Improvement District to see what infrastructure projects are planned for the cobblestone streets nearby, as that will affect your commute and client access over the next 24 months.