The old refinery building has been reinforced in preparation for conversion.

The historic building sits at the center of the redevelopment and has been the most controversial element of the plan. One of the biggest concerns was the additional structures design to sit on top of the old factory.

Early renderings of the site had the old refinery topped with a boxy extension. A redesign included a rounded, glass vaulted ceiling. That was finally approved in 2017. Curbed has more renderings here.

Over the years, urban explorers would sneak into the old building for photos. It also played host to a Kara Walker exhibit that filled the enormous open space with sculptures made from sugar. The NYTimes did a profile of the project in 2014.

Curbed has a good rundown of the current site plan and a look at what has been built already.

The old refinery, once a hulking mass looking down on the waterfront is now dwarfed by the first high-rise tower, One South First. That was completed in the summer of 2020 and slowly filling with tenants. The 45-story tower sits on top of a commercial retail base. The building is actually two towers, with one tower resting on the other. There are 330 residential units in the larger tower and commercial office space in the second.

Eventually a second, taller tower will be constructed between the refinery and One South First, with several other buildings constructed on the south side of the property.

Part of the project included redeveloping the waterfront into a park, and that component opened in 2018. The park provides better access to the refinery building that had previously been walled off from public view.

The first building completed in the project was 325 Kent, a 16-story mid-rise building east of Kent Avenue and without direct access to the water. That building contained 522 apartments, with 104 affordable units. It was completed in 2017. Eventually directly across from the building will be an open plaza.

From the southern side of One South First, the old refinery building still looks tall in comparison to the Williamsburg Bridge in the background. However, building B will eventually be erected between the camera and the refinery.

A lot has changed on the Domino lot since this project began. Back in 2015, the old factory was still free-standing.

Follow future Domino redevelopment progress here.