Work is wrapping up on The Frame Building, an eight-story office conversion at 541 West 21st Street in West Chelsea. Designed by Mancini Duffy and Pizzacora and developed by Higher Ground Development, the project involves the interior gutting and façade replacement of the 65,000-square-foot former warehouse. Erbo Properties LLC is the owner, JLL is the broker, and Cauldwell Wingate is the general contractor for the property, which is located by the corner of West 21st Street and West Street.
At the time of our last update in August, the main southern elevation was completely stripped of its façade, exposing the old steel-framed superstructure. Work proceeded quickly since then, and the new envelope stands largely completed.
The Frame Building. Photo by Michael Young
The Frame Building. Photo by Michael Young
The Frame Building. Photo by Michael Young
Recent photos show the completed look of the new brick façade and grid of punched-out rectangular windows with copper-toned trims. Only the ground floor remains to be completed and revealed from behind the sidewalk scaffolding.
The Frame Building. Photo by Michael Young
The Frame Building. Photo by Michael Young
The Frame Building. Photo by Michael Young
The Frame Building. Photo by Michael Young
The Frame Building. Photo by Michael Young
The Frame Building. Photo by Michael Young
The Frame Building. Photo by Michael Young
The Frame Building. Photo by Michael Young
This is what the Frame Building used to look like before the conversion began.
541 West 21st Street, image via Google Maps
The ground floor will span 5,000 square feet, the second floor 8,000 square feet, and floors three through eight will measure 9,000 square feet each. Tenants will have access to amenities including a lobby with a rotating gallery of modern art, an outdoor landscaped rooftop, and a rooftop lounge with views of the Hudson River and surrounding Chelsea neighborhood. Offices will feature four Italian-made windows per floor that face south, exposed and refurbished brick walls, polished concrete floors, new bathrooms, and air conditioning units.
The Frame Building. Designed by Mancini Duffy
The Frame Building. Designed by Mancini Duffy
The main lobby. Rendering by VISUALHOUSE
The office space. Rendering by VISUALHOUSE
The rooftop space. Rendering by VISUALHOUSE
Construction should be complete in the coming weeks.
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Those projected windows are most unfortunate, but glad the building was saved.
This classic looks better than ever. But, I will admit that the window features look a bit weird.
The windows don’t bother me at all. They are an excellent fit into the context of this block. The old beady eyed windows were unattractive and anachronistic. Now if someone could do something about the mishmash of bricks on the building next door, this block would be transformed.