New Renderings Show Anagram Gowanus Tower at 450 Union St

Tankhouse has released new renderings of Anagram Gowanus, the 20-story, 158-unit rental tower taking shape at 450 Union St in Brooklyn, with construction now above ground along the Gowanus Canal.

Why it matters

Gowanus has drawn a wave of rental towers since the neighborhood’s 2021 rezoning, and Anagram is one of the larger projects to reach vertical construction on the canal itself. Tankhouse is developing the site with Global Holdings and MacArthur Holdings, and at least 20 percent of the 158 units will be set aside as affordable, adding to the area’s income-restricted supply at a moment when the city is counting on Gowanus to deliver housing at scale.

The design, from architect SO-IL working with Magnusson Architecture and Planning, pairs private terraces, operable windows and Juliet balconies with a roughly 5,700 square foot public esplanade along the canal, a required piece of the waterfront access the rezoning demanded of every project built along the water.

The numbers

The tower will carry about 22,000 square feet of commercial, retail and community space, including six studios set aside for Arts Gowanus and other local artists, a nod to the neighborhood’s long-running artist community. Building amenities include a fitness center, a children’s playroom, an art studio, a co-working lounge, a dining room with a kitchen and a rooftop lounge with grills.

What’s next

Construction crews have the tower rising above ground as of September 2026. Tankhouse expects to begin leasing in early 2027, with completion targeted for spring 2027.

Anagram is one of several projects testing how much of Gowanus’s rezoned capacity actually gets built out, including a smaller mixed-income building a few blocks away at 213 Third Ave that broke ground earlier this year. Together they will be an early read on whether the neighborhood’s canal-side towers deliver the affordable units the rezoning promised, or whether the market-rate share ends up carrying most of the square footage once the buildings open. More Brooklyn development coverage is on the New York market page.