Six unsold penthouses at One Hanson Place, the 37-story Fort Greene tower formerly known as the Williamsburgh Savings Bank, are going to be auctioned off on May 15. According to the Wall Street Journal, the sale should net the development team Canyon-Johnson, of which basketball legend “Magic” Johnson is a partner, substantially more than $10 million. One apartment, a four-bedroom duplex unit with a 2,900-square-foot terrace was recently listed for $5.8 million, while the remaining five full-floor units were each listed for at least $3.7 million. Canyon Johnson acquired the building from HSBC Holdings in 2005, and began putting the 179 apartments on the market in 2006, and all but the aforementioned six units sold. [more]

The new owner of the landmark Williamsburgh Savings Bank branch on the corner of Broadway and Driggs Avenue is turning the 136-year-old property into an exhibition space and banquet hall. New York Loft Hostel owner Juan Figueroa, who purchased the building from HSBC this past December for $4.5 million, told the Brooklyn Paper that a $3 million restoration plan is already underway, including the removal of a wall that had divided the space in two. Figueroa said he had once considered a restaurant or hotel conversion for the George Post-designed property but ultimately decided not to compete with nearby restaurants like Peter Luger and Diner and Dressler. Comments

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The landmark Williamsburgh Savings Bank building has sold for $4.5 million to New York hostelier Juan Figueroa, who runs the New York Loft Hostel in East Williamsburg, according to Curbed. The 135-year-old, 28,500-square-foot building at 175 Broadway hit the market in August when HSBC decided to relocate its branch to Bedford Avenue, but there’s no word yet on whether housing transient young travelers is in its future. [more]

Manhattan promoter Jennifer Blumin is leasing the landmarked ground
floor lobby of the Williamsburgh Savings Bank building, at 1 Hanson Place, and
plans to use the space as a catering hall for weddings and other large
events. The space, located on the ground floor of the historic 37-story
skyscraper in Fort Greene, was most recently an HSBC Bank branch. Now,
the lofty space with vaulted ceilings and marble tables will be
available for events starting at $15,000 a night, which Blumin calls
“Brooklyn-sensitive pricing.” Her permits are not finalized yet, but
Blumin hopes to have a capacity for 1,000 people in the
15,000-square-foot location. One Hanson Place was converted into a
residential building in 2006 by
Dermot Company and the Canyon-Johnson Urban Funds. [more]