BY CATE CORCORAN
The long-anticipated restoration
and adaptation of
the historic Nassau Brewery
at 945 Bergen St. could
be scrapped by a bankruptcy
sale just as it inches toward
completion.
An investor who came on
board in 2016 with a $5 million
cash infusion is asserting
control over the project,
fi led a Chapter 11 bankruptcy
proceeding Friday, and intends
to sell the property, PincusCo
reported Tuesday.
The investor, Churchill
Real Estate, has taken over
“due to various payment and
performance defaults” as well
as, the bankruptcy fi ling alleges,
“misappropriation of
funds,” mismanagement and
fraudulent company documents,
PincusCo reported.
A retailer who leased space
in the building said they
were unable to move in, but
lost their deposit totaling
$189,000, according to The
Real Deal.
Although the site is not a
city landmark, in 2015 it was
listed on the National Register
and eligible for state and
federal restoration incentives,
Fabian Friedland, the owner
of Crow Hill Development and
the Nassau Brewing Company,
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told Brownstoner at the
time. Plans called for apartments
on the upper fl oors,
retail on the ground, and
possibly a restaurant in the
brewery’s historic 1860s underground
lager aging vaults.
Friedland also intended to restore
the building’s missing
Nassau Brewing Company
signage.
In 2014, Yoel Goldman of
All Year Management bought
the Dean Street side of the
property from Friedland for
$17.5 million, and it is now a
building designed by ODA
with apartments and stores.
After no visible progress
for years, scaffolding came
down, the exterior appeared
nearly fi nished, and several
retail spaces were leased just
before the pandemic struck.
The brewery dates from
the 1860s and once occupied
the entire block. It ceased
operations in 1916. It is in an
area where until recently residential
uses were not permitted.
The Crown Heights community
board wants to upzone
the area to permit housing
while also including light industrial
use to preserve jobs,
called the M-Crown rezoning.
“The historic nature of the
old brewery buildings fi rst attracted
me to the site,” Friedland
said in a statement in
2015. “After a long wait, I’m
truly thrilled to bring these
buildings back to life. The
Franklin Avenue corridor of
Crown Heights is a vibrant
place to be right now. And it’s
exciting to have our project
reinforce the existing architecture
and character of the
neighborhood.”
The building’s entrance in March.
Photo by Craig Hubert
The Nassau Brewery building in March of this year, when it was nearing
completion. Photo by Craig Hubert
An unpaid bar tab
Bankruptcy threatens long-anticipated brewery revamp
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