Our Story
Two Trees is known for its singular role in transforming the Brooklyn neighborhood of DUMBO where the company’s holdings include 12 buildings comprising more than 3 million square feet of commercial and residential space.
Two Trees is known for its singular role in transforming the Brooklyn neighborhood of DUMBO where the company’s holdings include 12 buildings comprising more than 3 million square feet of commercial and residential space. Starting in 1974 with a 13-building purchase in DUMBO, Two Trees has built, rented or sold more than 800 apartments, and invested over $200 million into the neighborhood, including the development of Brooklyn Bridge Park and a donation of a public pavilion and restored carousel, contributing to the overall transformation of the area.
As a result of Two Trees’ efforts, DUMBO has grown from a neglected industrial waterfront into a vital multi-use-community. A popular destination for New Yorkers and tourists alike, DUMBO is known for its boutique retail, innovative technology firms, luxury residences, art galleries and performance venues.
Clock Tower Building, DUMBO
Innovation Rooted in History
Once home to Robert Gair’s paper manufacturing empire, DUMBO was a bustling industrial hub of factories and warehouses along the Brooklyn waterfront. After manufacturing declined, the neighborhood fell silent until 1981, when David Walentas and Two Trees began transforming its brick buildings into offices, residences, and cultural spaces that redefined urban living. With the creation of Brooklyn Bridge Park, the waterfront reopened to the public, and today DUMBO stands as New York City’s newest Design District, a modern center of creativity built on a legacy of innovation and reinvention.
Community Collaboration
Our mission is to improve our neighborhoods, give back to the community, and create places and spaces where art and community thrive.
Two Trees is committed to supporting initiatives that further the creative, cultural, educational, and civic discourse that is at the core of progress and growth for New York City. Two Trees and the Walentas family have long supported the arts and community development through fiscal sponsorship of leading and emerging cultural institutions, commissions of public art, and generous subsidies and donation of space to artists and community groups.
