Gensler Reveals Dramatic Penthouse Addition to Historic Chelsea Building at 695 Sixth Avenue

Gensler will appear before New York City’s Landmarks Preservation Commission on Tuesday, August 6 with proposals to construct a three-floor penthouse addition atop a historic commercial building in Chelsea, Manhattan.

Located at 695 Sixth Avenue, the corner property offers frontage along the avenue, 22nd, and 23rd Streets. The existing five-story building dates back to 1910 and contains a mix of retail and office tenants including Blue Mercury, Burlington Coat Factory, and the Majestic Rayon Corporation, a textile company that first occupied the building in the 1930s.

If approved, the penthouse addition would introduce three floors of modern office space with multiple terraces, dramatic ceiling spans, and enviable views of the surrounding historic neighborhood. The jagged shape of the expansion is the product of design software that helped determine the least visible massing from street level.

Façade alterations proposed by Gensler include building-wide window replacements and restoration of all iron and marble exteriors where structurally feasible.

Proposals for new components include sidewalks and entrances along 22nd and 23rd Streets, updated lobbies and interior floor plans, a loading dock, retail signage, and masonry additions to an interior portion of the building that is not visible from outside the building.

Elevation Diagram of 695 Sixth Avenue – Gensler

Aerial view of expansion – Gensler

Following legal proceedings filed by Burlington Coat Factory against Cudge Realty and Majestic Rayon Corporation over lease agreements, it is unclear whether the big-box retailers will remain during or following construction. New renderings of the project, however, do not include Burlington’s existing, multi-story signage.

The proposed commencement and duration of construction is also not immediately clear.

Preliminary rendering of 695 Sixth Avenue – Gensler

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