Brooklyn's Her Maiden Name: Ratner Offering Naming Deal for Atlantic Yards' Tallest Tower

Bruce Ratner is looking for a new name for the signature office tower in his $4 billion-plus Atlantic Yards project.

The Frank Gehry-designed tower was known as “Miss Brooklyn” until it was shrunk, redesigned and re-unveiled in April under a new, more staid moniker: “B1.” It turns out that that name, too, may change, should developer Forest City Ratner, led by Mr. Ratner, find a tenant eager enough to attach its name to the building.

“It’s an identity play for a company that takes a large block of space in the building,” said Forest City executive vice president MaryAnne Gilmartin.

A decision to attach a corporate name to the building would come as the result of lease negotiations, she said, with corresponding signage expected at the base of the tower. “It’s the overall package—it’s a judgment call on our part as to whether we’re willing to part with the name of the building,” she said.

Atlantic Yards has fallen victim to the stresses of the slowing economy and corresponding credit crunch, and the developer acknowledged in March that it would not move forward on many buildings, including its commercial tower, for which it wanted an anchor tenant in hand.

Specifically, Ms. Gilmartin said the developer was looking for one or two tenants to commit to about 325,000 square feet in the 650,000-square-foot tower before Forest City tries to move forward on it. Asking rents, she said, are in the mid-$50s per square foot.