Once known as “the Waldorf-Astoria of Brooklyn,” the Bossert Hotel, one of Brooklyn’s most historic and elegant hotels, will soon begin receiving guests for the first time in more than 20 years, the Architect’s Newpaper reported.
In November, David Bistricer and Joseph Chetrit closed on the 103-year-old, 14-story property, located at 98 Montague Street in Brooklyn Heights, for $81 million, a source told The Real Deal at the time. Since the 1980s, the building had been owned the Jehovah’s Witnesses and used as a Jehovah’s Witnesses community facility.
At the time of purchase, Bistricer told TRD that the hotel would remain independent and would continue to bear the name of its original developer, lumber mogul Louis Bossert.
Late last week, the sale the Board of Standards and Appeals unanimously approved the new owners’ request for a variance to change the certificate of occupancy, officially allowing the building to open its doors as a hotel once again. If construction — which includes preserving the facade, lobby, and reception area, updating the rooms with new design finishes and amenities and restoring the Marine Roof to a restaurant and lounge — remains on schedule the hotel could open as early as this summer. [AN] —Christopher Cameron