280 Kent, Final Domino, Rises
By Ian MacAllen on Tuesday, October 20th, 2026 at 11:37 am
New towers have been rising along the East River at the Domino redevelopment site, the final piece of the two decades-long redevelopment.
280 Kent is a two-tower design rising to 590 feet as part of the ongoing Domino Sugar Redevelopment. The mixed-use master plan has changed a few times over the years since it was first approved in 2014.
The original building for site B, now 280 Kent, included an “O” shaped building with a skybridge linking the two towers. The renderings from SHoP Architects generally showed a more interesting architectural choice — although the glass barrel vault added to the top of the historic factory is much improved over the original glass rectangle.
According to Brooklyn Paper, City of Yes zoning changes allowed an additional 100 units at the site. 1,200 units total are expected at site B with 315 set aside as “affordable.” Another 105 offsite “affordable” units will be built elsewhere.
The whole site was purchased back in 2004 with plans to redevelop the land, then still a working sugar factory. The Havemeyer family built the plant in 1856, and the sprawling complex had at one time processed 3 million pounds of sugar each day and employed 4,000 workers. By the time American Sugar Refining bought the sugar plant in 2001, the plant employed only about 200 workers. While the refinery was one of the largest complexes, it was inefficient compared to other facilities. Brooklyn’s rising real estate proved too tempting.
By 2008, some early renderings showed 40-story towers, about 2,200 residential units and 1,500 parking spaces. The initial plan faced community pushback and was rejected by the community board.
Two Trees, the developer that turn the DUMBO industrial waterfront into a fantasy playland for the rich, took control of the property for $185 million in 2012 according to Gothamist. Debates over how much “affordable” housing would be included continued. In 2014, a redevelopment plan was approved by the city, largely based around on expanding guarantees of more “affordable” housing.
In the spring that year, artist Kara Walker was invited to host a sculptural show in the former sugar factories. The large sculptures were made of sugar. Long lines stretched around the block to access the show. The main sculpture was 75-feet tall, while other “sugar babies” were about the size of a person.
The first component of the redevelopment was 325 Kent, across Kent Avenue from the main waterfront site, kicked off in 2015 and wrapped up two years later. Meanwhile, the warehouse that housed the Walker exhibition was demolished to make way for 260 Kent, now branded as One South First.
The 45-story, 435-foot tall building was completed in the summer of 2020 amidst the pandemic. The mixed-use building included 330 units along with office space in half the tower. The initial retailers included local brands like Roberta’s, now set to close, and OddFellows Ice Cream.
In 2023, 346 Kent, branded as One Domino Square, on the south side of the redevelopment broke ground. The two towers, 574 feet and 472 feet, respectively, include 600 units of housing.
The office space components of the development initially struggled. Ten Grand Street, connected to One South First, opened in the pandemic while office workers were working at home. The 460,000-square foot Refinery building lost an anchor tenant. However, without an anchor tenant, ownership changed tactics and began filling the building with smaller tenants and now the space is now mostly filled.
When the Domino project wraps up, Two Trees is set to build the River Ring set just north of the development. Approved in 2021, the two-tower, 1,000 unit development includes a 3-acre waterfront park that should bypass the lot currently controlled by Con Ed, creating a continuous public waterfront space.
The building at 280 Kent has been rising rapidly with one of the two towers rising alongside One South First. Glass has been installed on the lower levels and along the pedestal.
