How 1776 is part of the plan to turn the Navy Yard into a community space

The Brooklyn Navy Yard‘s renaissance is shaping up to be especially promising for tech and entrepreneurship communities. There’s New Lab, the recently opened “cathedral of manufacturing.” There’s WeWork‘s new location, which is underway. And just recently, D.C. incubator 1776 opened its Brooklyn office there.
But much of this recent activity isn’t readily accessible to the average Brooklynite, given that you typically need a security pass to enter the Navy Yard. And as of now, the scene isn’t the most inviting. Walk inside 1776’s temporary space, in Building 280, and you’ll find a colorful office and a nice view of the Manhattan skyline. But the path to get there is somewhat of a maze and, befitting the Navy Yard’s origins, reminiscent of a warehouse.
That won’t be an issue once Building 77, where 1776’s permanent offices will be located, opens next year, said Rachel Haot, the incubator and venture fund’s managing director. Unlike the Navy Yard’s other buildings, it won’t require visitors to pass through security, making it a fully public space. On the first floor will be a food hall anchored by Brooklyn Brewery and Russ & Daughters. It’s all part of the plan to transform the Navy Yard and more than double its workforce, as we reported earlier this year.
While Building 77 is scheduled to open in the first quarter of 2017, Haot said work on 1776’s new office would likely not be complete until next summer. (The incubator’s lease at its temporary Building 280 office lasts ten months, through the end of the summer.) The space will encompass 32,500 square feet. That will include 3,000 square feet of dedicated event space for the open houses and classes it holds on a regular basis — such as the course on “regulatory hacking” that guides founders on when to ask for “forgiveness or permission” in dealing with the government. It also boasts even better views of the city than 1776’s current space, Haot said.
“You get 270-degree views of the city, from the World Trade Center to the Chrysler Building,” she said.
Haot and 1776’s team, including cofounders Donna Harris and Evan Burfield, settled upon the Navy Yard after looking at some 70 possible locations. What drew Haot to the Navy Yard, she said, was the possibility of collaborating with other tenants, as well as its landlord, the Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corporation, to develop tech programming and to invite the broader community in.
“We love the idea of being partners,” she said. “It’s something we’ve done with our other campuses as well.”
Curious to see for yourself what 1776’s new office will look like? It’s holding a public hard-hat tour throughout the day on Tuesday, October 18 at 9 am, followed by an open house with workshops and networking throughout the day.

Register