Debevoise & Plimpton LLP advised the Brooklyn Historical Society (BHS) in its combination with the Brooklyn Public Library (BPL) and its 59-branch system across the borough of Brooklyn. The Brooklyn Historical Society’s iconic collections and landmarked 1881 headquarters at 128 Pierrepont Street in Brooklyn Heights have combined with BPL to create the Center for Brooklyn History (CBH) at Brooklyn Public Library, home to the most expansive collection of Brooklyn history in the world.

Brooklynites will now have expanded public access to more than 160 years of unique Brooklyn history through BPL’s borough-wide reach. CBH will continue to grow its collections, public programs, educational initiatives, and physical and digital history projects. The new CBH will be led by former BHS Chief Operating Officer, Heather Malin, who will serve as Director of the CBH. The transaction was supported by the New York Merger and Collaboration Fund (NYMAC), which encourages long-term collaborations between New York City non-profits.

The Debevoise team was led by M&A partner Michael Gillespie and associates Sarah Jacobson, Thomas Lopez and Abraham Williamson, and included M&A counsel Keith Slattery, tax partner Peter Furci and associate Erasmo Perez, restructuring partner Jasmine Ball, real estate partner Nicole Mesard and associate Isaac Stern, litigation counsel Tricia Sherno and associate Justin Ferrone and benefits associates Simone Hicks and David Deutsch.