Brooklyn Commons

About a decade later the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, like several other scientific and engineering organizations, was unsuccessfully seeking locations for expansion in Manhattan matching their needs and budget.

When the AIAA chose to relocate to Washington D.C. due to lack of suitable space in New York, Bugliarello, who had by then become the President of Polytechnic, decided to try again to put his idea of a technology-centered development in Brooklyn into action.

[4] A few years later, New York City agreed to designate what had then become Polytechnic University as the main sponsor of the urban renewal project that would become MetroTech, under the condition that there would be at least two other tenants.

Forest City's co-founder Bruce Ratner and Brooklyn Borough President Howard Golden put together a public-private partnership and quickly redefined the MetroTech vision from a research and development park to a campus-centered back-office complex.

The entire area was designated a pedestrian zone, and, as a consequence, the north ends of Lawrence and Duffield Streets were closed to automobile traffic.

[5] In 2017, New York University announced that it would invest over $500 million in its Brooklyn Campus that mainly includes the NYU Tandon School of Engineering and Center for Urban Science and Progress.

Later tenants include MakerBot Industries, the Brooklyn Nets, Slate magazine, the Ms. Foundation for Women, El Diario La Prensa, Robert Half International, and UniWorld Group.

Chase Bank building. This is 4 MetroTech Center. It is the second oldest building in the complex, followed by 1 MetroTech Center, the oldest. This building opened in 1993, and is located on Flatbush Avenue partially (the Western end). Much like 1 MetroTech Center used to have until years ago with its blue lights on the trapezoid fitting (on the roof) windows, the Chase logos on both the west and east side of this building used to light up (white) at night, and the frames used to light up yellow too. This stopped around 2003 (although the frames occasionally lit up during the years). At night the only lighting is the red antenna lights on the roof. The building is engulfed in darkness at night.
Former church at east end of plaza, now part of NYU
1 MetroTech Center (to the left), one of the original buildings of the complex. It was opened in 1992. 4 MetroTech Center and the Brooklyn Telephone Building can be seen to the right, although a building in front covers their view. The building has an industrial trapezoid shape partially enclosing the roof, and has windows, and used to have blue lights at night from light bulbs on those very windows. The shape has no ceiling as is it is the roof.