This story about turning 110 Livingston Street, the building that used to house the Board of Ed, into condos is from the New York Daily News.

Talk about a turnaround. The infamous Board of
Education headquarters in downtown Brooklyn is being redone as luxury
condos — and people who worked there are buying them.

Despised as a symbol of bureaucracy gone wild, 110 Livingston St. was
sold to developer David Walentas when the Board of Ed was dismantled. A
former schools spokesman predicted it would be "the least missed
building in the history of New York City government."

But he was wrong. Just ask Joan Rosenberg.

She and her husband, Neal Rosenberg, have purchased a two-bedroom condo
in the 1920s-vintage beige-brown brick building, which was designed as
an Elks Club by famed architects McKim Meade & White.

"We have fond memories of the building," said Joan Rosenberg, who was
assistant to the director of citywide programs from 1978 to 1983 and is
now a New York University professor. "We developed wonderful programs
for kids who would not have been able to stay in school."

Also, it’s where she met Neal, who was working there as a Board of Ed lawyer.

Apartment buyer Brad Silver’s love of 110 Livingston dates back to his childhood.

His mother, Yaffa Silver, worked there in the 1990s as the head of the
music department. He’d visit her after school, and even sneak in to see
her when he was playing hooky.

An avid amateur photographer, she took hundreds of pictures of the building.

"I’m going back into a part of history that my mom was obsessed with," he said.

The old Board of Ed building is one of a pair of historic
office-to-condo conversions in downtown Brooklyn — closely watched
projects in a nabe that’s been rezoned for denser residential and
commercial development.

The other is the former Verizon building, a 27-story Art Deco landmark
on Willoughby and Bridge streets, known as 7 MetroTech Center until its
sale early last year to landlord David Bistricer. Its new name is
BellTel Lofts.

The two projects are out in front of a wave of condo construction in
the area — including ground-up projects at 75 Smith St. across from the
Brooklyn House of Detention, and the 40-story Oro tower at 306 Gold St.

Despite a citywide slowdown in condo sales, apartments are going fast
at 110 Livingston — where Walentas is adding a modern glass crown to
the building.

There were nearly 1,200 people on the waiting list to visit 110
Livingston before marketing started 11 weeks ago. Since then, sale
contracts have been signed for 162 condos — more than half the
building’s 300 units, said Asher Abehsera of Two Trees Management,
Walentas’ firm.

Part of the appeal is the pricing — which has averaged $678 per square
foot, he said. That’s a deal compared with Manhattan condos, which go
for an average $1,171 per square foot, according to appraisal firm
Miller Samuel.

The smallest apartment that’s been sold at 110 Livingston was a
$340,000 studio. The priciest — a 1,680-square-footer with a
wrap-around terrace — was sold for $1.425 million.

The building’s makeover includes a trompe l’oeil painted on its
courtyard facade by famous muralist Richard Haas. And space that was
the Elks’ grand meeting hall will become a cultural center. Eight
bidders are vying for it; the winner gets it rent-free for 10 years.

The other historic property, BellTel Lofts, has a good architectural
pedigree. The 1920s-vintage tower was designed by preeminent Deco
skyscraper architect Ralph Walker, and built as the Long Island
headquarters of New York Telephone Co.
Apartments at the orange-brick building have been on the market for
five weeks. Contracts have been signed for 13 condos, and drawn up for
another 14 condos, said Hal Henenson of Prudential Douglas Elliman,
which is handling the sales.

Asking prices start at $500,000. Two duplex penthouses will be offered
for nearly $3 million apiece — after most of the building’s 219 units
have been sold.

If things go according to plan, residents will have an upscale place to
grocery-shop right on the premises.
Elliman’s retail-leasing maven Faith Hope Consolo has offered space in
the base of the building to Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s and D’Agostino.

"We’re pushing for a food retailer," she said.