Office Building Breaks Ground Across From Former White Castle on Maspeth in Williamsburg

Ground has broken on a commercial project at 1 Maspeth Avenue, on a lot that stands across from the former site of a White Castle.

Part of the foundation is in, a recent visit revealed. A rendering shows a modern beige building with large, wraparound glass windows is planned for the site.

When complete, the new building, also known as 378 Humboldt Street, will stand 60 feet and four stories, according to city records. Its total 17,141 square feet will be divided into 4,552 square feet of commercial space, and the remaining 12,589 square feet will be set aside for community facilities.

The applicant of record on the project is Rybak Architects. The developer is Ocher Realty LLC of Forest Hills, in Queens.

Founded in 2002, Rybak Architects is a Brooklyn based firm focused on the southern part of the borough that handles interiors and urban design as well as commercial and residential architecture.

The property previously housed apartments over a corner store, according to old photos and records.

The developer applied for a zoning variance in 2013 to build a mixed-use building with apartments, but withdrew the request in 2014, public records show. Community space may have been included in the final project to allow the developer to take advantage of more FAR and build a bigger building on the site.

The commercial building will join several new office projects in nearby Bushwick, most of which are likely to be affected by the coming L train shutdown. Earlier this year at Brownstoner’s Real Estate Conference, experts said that increased competition has led to more and better commercial office space becoming available in recent years in Brooklyn.

The property is located in one of the oldest settled parts of Brooklyn on the site of the original village of Bushwick, known as Het Dorp.