by: Linda G. Miller
In this issue:
· Emery Roth Gets Luxury Makeover at Columbus Circle
· Re:Construction Continues to Brighten Lower Manhattan
· Brooklyn Romanesque Is Revived
· Cleveland State University Responds to Urban Context
· Gilman Hall Opens Interior to the Light
· Out With the Old Farmhouse, and in With the New Modern Manor
Emery Roth Gets Luxury Makeover at Columbus Circle
The Sheffield.
Photo by Bill Taylor (left); courtesy of The Sheffield (right)
The Sheffield, designed by Emery Roth & Sons and built in 1978, has undergone a condo conversion with a new lobby, renovated floor plans, and interiors. Cetra/Ruddy is the building’s design architect and also designed the new sales office, model homes, and amenity spaces. Located just off Columbus circle, the building contains 597 luxury units ranging from studios to four-bedrooms, and six model homes. The Sky Club on the 57th and 58th floors will feature an indoor pool with a sundeck, a health club with a fitness center, a yoga studio, his-and-her spa, and a children’s playroom. The building also includes a landscaped sculpture garden designed by Moed de Armas & Shannon.
Re:Construction Continues to Brighten Lower Manhattan
“Restore the View,” by Richard Pasquarelli.
Jeff Simmons
The Alliance for Downtown New York is installing three new pieces of art by NY-based artist Richard Pasquarelli as part of its Re:Construction public art program. Located at construction sites, the first of the three, “Restore the View,” has been installed outside of CUNY’s Fiterman Hall at Barclay Street, between West Broadway and Greenwich Street. “Secret Gardens” will be installed at the Chambers Street road construction project from West Street to West Broadway, and “Hours of the Day” will be installed on the piazza at the W Hotel at 123 Washington Street and Albany Street. Both will remain on view until the construction projects are completed. The program began in 2007 to help mitigate the impact of Lower Manhattan’s numerous construction projects by recasting the sites as canvases for innovative public art and architecture. The Downtown Alliance works closely with public and private developers to produce each installation and, with a $1.5 million grant from the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation, the initiative has created 16 pieces, seven of which are currently up for viewing.
Brooklyn Romanesque Is Revived
166 Montague Street.
RKT&B Architects
RKT&B Architects has completed the restoration and adaptive reuse of 166 Montague Street, the Franklin Trust Bank, in the Brooklyn Heights Historic District. The Romanesque Revival style office building, designed by George Morse and built in 1891, was one of the borough’s first skyscrapers. After a gut renovation, floors were repositioned, new vertical circulation systems were inserted, and new west-facing windows, balconies, and a rooftop terrace were introduced to take advantage of views of New York Harbor. The firm also designed the building’s 25 apartments, which range from one to three bedrooms, including several duplexes and penthouses, and the building’s public areas, including the lobby. A slender, one-story glass addition off Clinton Street was designed to access the commercial component of the building. All the work affecting the building’s exterior received approval by the Landmarks Preservation Commission.
Cleveland State University Responds to Urban Context
Cleveland State University student center.
Gwathmey Siegel & Associates
Cleveland State University’s new three-story, 138,000-square-foot student center, designed by Gwathmey Siegel & Associates Architects, is now open. The first level provides street-level access to an atrium, bookstore, lounge, and a circulation ramp that leads to a redesigned outdoor plaza. The food court, convenience store, and student office are on the second level, which also provides direct access to the campus-wide interior walkway system. The third level houses a conference center, pre-function spaces, and the student life administration and office suite that includes interconnected lounge and conference rooms. The materials were selected to respond to the building’s urban context. The connection from street to campus is articulated in granite, and the flanking walls and windows are clad in brick and aluminum. The building’s opening coincides with the completion of the Euclid Corridor Transportation Project, which places a rail stop in front of the entry plaza.
Gilman Hall Opens Interior to the Light
Kliment Halsband Architects has completed the renovation of the 146,000-square-foot Gilman Hall at the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. The 95-year-old building is concentrically organized around a central atrium, and the new design moves from historic on the exterior to modern on the interior. The glass-roofed atrium is enclosed with a tension-grid skylight from which diaphanous vessel-shaped sculptures by VA-based artist Kendall Buster are suspended. The atrium floor consists of marble salvaged from the building’s original structure, which was removed during the renovation, and the new walls are clad in terra cotta tile. An exhibition and study area for the archaeology collection is ringed with glass vitrines allowing views of the collection from the atrium into the study area. New departmental spaces include faculty offices, seminar rooms, and graduate student workspaces. The roof was raised to create an additional floor of office space. The exterior remains virtually unchanged and new ramps, concealed by marble walls and plantings, provide full accessibility. The building is expected to earn LEED Silver and will be the university’s first LEED-certified building.
Out With the Old Farmhouse, and in With the New Modern Manor
Rowan Atkinson residence.
Richard Meier & Partners Architects
Richard Meier & Partners Architects (RMP) has received the green light to build a new home for British actor Rowan Atkinson. Sited in the Chilterns, which is designated by the British government as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, is located northwest of London. Commissioned by Atkinson two-and-a-half years ago, plans call for the removal of a derelict farmhouse and adjacent buildings to be replaced by a five-bedroom contemporary take on a manor house, complete with a guesthouse and tennis court. This is the firm’s first project to be realized in the UK.