One Clinton

One Clinton, originally known as 280 Cadman Plaza West, is a modern residential building in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Brooklyn Heights. The 36-story high-rise was designed by Marvel Architects and replaces an older branch of the Brooklyn Public Library that was built in 1962. Because the old building suffered from significant maintenance problems, the city decided to redevelop the site. The private developer Hudson Companies acquired the property and built a residential complex whose ground floor now houses a new three-story library branch. In addition to a children's area, it offers a multipurpose room with a stage as well as a mezzanine for teens.

The architecture of the new building is distinguished by a minimalist, repeating limestone grid facade that gives the structure an elegant presence. The triangular floor plan creates three distinct facades, each oriented toward a different part of the city: the harbor to the southwest, Midtown Manhattan to the north, and Brooklyn's brownstone neighborhoods to the east. A special feature of the new structure is the integration of six bas-reliefs that originally adorned the facade of the old library. Two of these artworks by Clemente Spampinato were built into the walls of meeting rooms, while the other four were moved to the garden of the Walt Whitman Library.

Besides the 134 residential units, the building also includes a large STEM lab for the local school district as well as a small retail space on the ground floor. The development of the project was accompanied by some controversy, as residents and organizations raised concerns about possible traffic congestion and the reduction in library space. As part of the building permit, the developer also committed to creating affordable housing nearby, which led to a social balance in the neighborhood. Today, One Clinton stands as an example of integrating public facilities into modern residential projects in New York's dense urban environment.