I won a NYC housing lottery unit in Brooklyn's 'Sauron' tower but the vibes are good
- Tyler Correawhite pays $2,630 for a studio at the supertall skyscraper in Downtown Brooklyn
Correawhite won a studio apartment at the Brooklyn Tower and moved into the building in November 2023.
Photo courtesy: Molly Stromoski for NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development
Tyler Correawhite grew up in Flatbush and Canarsie in Brooklyn, and attended Cornell University. After graduation, she won a New York City housing lottery apartment in the Brooklyn Tower—a building that’s been likened to the Eye of Sauron from “The Lord of the Rings”—and moved in last November. Here’s her story, as told to senior writer Celia Young.
The housing lottery was always a mysterious thing that all New Yorkers knew about, but no one knows who gets it and it can take years to win. I put my application out there—just to see what would happen—and I ultimately ended up with an opportunity at the Brooklyn Tower.
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I moved in last year in November, and I've been able to create a home that's a perfect blend of my style, my comfort, and my creativity. I have access to just so many different things, restaurants, stores, and parks. The community itself is something that’s truly special.
Applying across Brooklyn
Because I'm from Brooklyn, I know the neighborhoods. So I thought, why not apply to the ones that I know? I applied to apartments in Bed-Stuy, Crown Heights, Downtown Brooklyn, Williamsburg, and Greenpoint. A couple of months after I applied to the Brooklyn Tower, I heard back, and it aligned perfectly with when I was moving out of my other apartment [in Downtown Brooklyn].
When I got picked for the lottery, I started looking into the building. I saw a lot of commentary from people saying that it's a huge building and that it's taking away from the Brooklyn vibe, but then there were others saying that the building looks kind of cool.
What I thought was: it's a really nice building, it is in a really good location, my apartment is less than market value, and I've never lived in a luxury building before. I grew up in a poorer area of Brooklyn. I thought, why not have that experience for the first time?
The process moved so quickly. I got an email notification saying that my application was picked for review. I was nervous, to be honest, because I didn’t know what to expect. I was looking online to see if there were any conversations on Reddit about the interview process. I had no idea who had actually won these things, so I didn’t know who to ask. But I worked with a good agent who I could email questions like: how do I show my income? I had just started a job.
Not exactly cheap, but great for the area
I moved in last year in November. I pay $2,630 for a studio; it is a lot. Who the heck pays over $2,000 in rent? But it is cheaper than what everybody else in the building is paying.
I’m very grateful that going to university gave me the ability to make money in corporate America and the startup world. I worked at BlackRock for three years, so I had a lot of money saved up, and I ended up pivoting into a startup. I’m so grateful because not every New Yorker can do that.
I also started a design studio, called Nu Studio. It is my creative outlet outside of working in a startup and finance. I grew up in NYC, around so many different cultures, styles, and artistic perspectives. I wanted to capture that.
I've designed a lot of cool-looking pieces of furniture, like a NYC puffer jacket chair. [My designs are] about establishing a connection between the fashion and the furniture industries. Everyone of us—the way we dress and the way our sacred home and spaces look—there’s a direct correlation there.
Loving the location, missing the amenities
I like the location of the building. I like the people that work there; they’re super kind and super nice. I think the building has a sense of community and a sense of camaraderie.
The one thing I’m not fond of is that the building amenities are not completed yet, so I don’t get to enjoy the full experience. But I love that I can walk to Brooklyn Heights, Dumbo, and there are several trains serving the area. I can get anywhere.
My family also gets to visit me in a building that we never saw ourselves living in. They come all the time, the doormen downstairs know them, they know their faces, and they feel safe in Downtown Brooklyn. Not many Black and brown people feel safe in a community that's not ours, or that was ours originally but is no longer ours as a result of gentrification.
I think this is going to be my home for a couple of years until I buy something in NYC. The cost of buying a home is insane, so I'm saving money on cheaper rent. In a couple of years, my goal is to buy property in NYC because this is my home. This is where I’m from. I want to be able to have roots here, like any New Yorker.
Advice to those applying to the lottery
My advice is to explore the housing lottery website as much as possible, to the point where you’re applying religiously. Be diligent about updating your application if you’re making more or making less, or gain another dependent. And know where your documents are, because if you do get called the window of opportunity is very short.
