Historic Brooklyn Hotel to Become Ritz-Carlton-Branded Residences
The Brooklyn Heights property dates to 1909.
A joint venture between SomeraRoad and Marriott International has unveiled plans for the redevelopment of the historic Hotel Bossert in Brooklyn Heights, New York City, into a Ritz-Carlton Residences-branded condo community. The 14-story historic property located at 98 Montague St. will include 62 condo units and a first-floor restaurant.
SomeraRoad acquired the property in 2025 for $100 million and tasked a team of architects, designers, preservation specialists, and hospitality collaborators to “revitalize and reimagine the landmark while honoring its enduring legacy,” according to a statement by the developer.
Construction on the redevelopment is expected to commence later this year, with completion anticipated in 2029. SERHANT is leading the sales and marketing efforts.
SomeraRoad has experience with redeveloping historic properties. In Nashville, the company is at work on the Paseo South Gulch master plan, which includes 180 hotel keys and 146 for-sale residences, plus about 84,000 square feet of retail and creative office space. Part of the project involves two historic Nashville properties.
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The Ritz-Carlton Residences is a for-sale product, supported by Ritz-Carlton amenities and global recognition of the brand, which the developers are using under license from brand-owner Marriott International. There are currently 79 Ritz-Carlton Residences open or in development worldwide. Other coming locations besides Brooklyn include Cancun, Mexico; Phnom Penh, Cambodia; and Saigon, Vietnam.
Residents will have access to personalized service on site, alongside benefits in Marriott’s portfolio through the company’s Residence Owner Recognition Program.
Union Square Hospitality Group, founded by NYC restaurateur Danny Meyer, will debut its first full-service Brooklyn restaurant on the building’s ground floor. Designed to be a destination for both residents and the surrounding community, the restaurant will offer residents access to fine dining, private entertainment opportunities and other culinary experiences.
A storied past in Brooklyn Heights
The Hotel Bossert, with a Renaissance Revival design by noted New York architecture firm Helmle & Hubert, was developed in 1909. Throughout its life as a hotel, the property hosted various celebrities, business leaders and athletes, famously housing the Brooklyn Dodgers’ 1955 World Series celebration.
The Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York, a corporate arm of the Jehovah’s Witnesses, owned the hotel from 1988 until 2012, undertaking extensive renovations. Investors bought it for conversion back to a hotel, but redevelopment stalled until recently.
A geometric pattern brick façade characterizes the building’s Renaissance Revival architecture, which also includes a sculpted granite and limestone base, ornate terra-cotta cornice and window details, arched double-height windows, cast-iron railings and signature lion’s head keystones. These defining architectural elements of the building will be restored, according to SomeraRoad.
Brooklyn Heights is known for its 19th-century architecture, particularly brownstone rowhouses, most of them built before the Civil War, alongside views of the Manhattan skyline from the neighborhood’s waterfront. Parts of the neighborhood are in the Brooklyn Heights Historic District, a city-designated and National Historic Landmark District.
