Al Attara: Hes the coolest landlord in Brooklyn. Al Attara, the owner of the Metropolitan Exchange Building on Flatbush Avenue, has created a haven for entrepreneurs seeking environmentally friendly solutions to the worlds ills, sometimes even letting his tenants pay in works of art. From top to bottom, 2010 looks like it will be an interesting year at Attaras seven-story building. Currently, the rooftop will feature a prototype for a literal tree house that could accommodate an entire family. The so-called Fab Tree Hab will soon be sharing space with an elevated chicken coop built for humans designed by eco-artist Mary Mattingly, the creator of the Waterpod. These outlandish ideas would not be possible without Attara, who has rented out his building to so many groups of PhDs that Google would be jealous. Sustainable food companies like Crop to Cup and Sea to Table share the building with Patten Studio, which builds elaborate interactive displays for museums. This year, Attara hopes to build a local food restaurant on the ground floor and a gallery space on the second floor, further opening his house of ideas to the public.
–The Brooklyn Paper December 31, 2009
