Construction is progressing on 44-54 Ninth Avenue, an eight-story commercial expansion project above a row of landmarked townhomes on the border of Chelsea, the Meatpacking District, and the West Village. Designed by BKSK Architects and developed by Tavros Capital, the new structure will stand 102 feet tall and yield offices and ground-floor retail space. Mepa Realty is the owner and Broadway Construction is the general contractor for the property, which is alternatively addressed as 351-355 West 14th Street and is located at the corner of Ninth Avenue and West 14th Street.
Recent photos show the historic low-rise structures covered in scaffolding as the new reinforced concrete superstructure rises within. Crews are nearing the last set of office floors, with topping out likely to occur in the coming weeks.
Photo by Michael Young
Photo by Michael Young
Photo by Michael Young
Photo by Michael Young
Photo by Michael Young
Photo by Michael Young
Photo by Michael Young
Below are photographs of what the site looked like before any work began.
Photo by Michael Young
Photo by Michael Young
Plans that were previously approved by the Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) show the updated and current iteration featuring an earth-toned terracotta envelope with a matte glazing enclosing the new building. A setback stretching the length of the top floor faces west and will overlook the street and plazas, while a flat roof parapet caps the structure. This will be set back from the street and the original pitched roof lines of the townhomes that date back from the 1840s.
The ground floor and cellar levels of the historic structures last served as retail and dining spaces with partial residential use on the upper levels. The overhaul will remove the white stucco from their façades, restoring their original red brick appearance. Other components of the project include the restoration of the roofs and second-story wooden shutters and balconettes, and a minimal use of dark gray metal paneling on the updated commercial frontage.
The renderings and diagrams below give us a good glimpse of the thoughtful integration between the old homes and new expansion.
Previous rendering (left) and newly proposed property (right) at 14th Street and Ninth Avenue – BKSK Architects
Updated rendering of proposed property at 14th Street and Ninth Avenue – BKSK Architects
Updated rendering of street walls at 14th Street and Ninth Avenue – BKSK Architects
The storefront along Ninth Avenue with previous alteration renderings, and updated renderings – BKSK Architects
From top to bottom, the image depicts the existing storefront along 14th street, previous alteration renderings, and updated renderings of proposed alterations_
Current proposed restoration of rear walls at 14th Street and Ninth Avenue – BKSK Architects
44-54 Ninth Avenue will complete work next spring, as noted on the on-site construction board.
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Finally! It seems like we’ve been talking about this project for ages.
Well crafted architecture.
Absolutely nothing wrong with the previous version. Just another of the LPC focusing on the wrong things. They waste time and energy splitting hairs over a top notch project like this while setback econo abortions, thoughtless boxes and classic apartment building cornice mutilations happen left and right.
just another example
I believe all the historic town houses along 9th Avenue will have to be demolished if they have not already been The structures was made unstable due to ongoing construction. I don’t know all the details. There are many articles online regarding this issue. I’m surprised it wasn’t mentioned in the above update.
The Untapped NY article sensationalized the situation at hand. In a nutshell, surprise surprise 180 year old buildings were pretty far gone structurally once the attempted to isolate the facades. IMO these structures were done a favor by being brought down and completely rebuilt just like histoeic buildings were after the Second Works War. That way they won’t collapse on some diners ten years from now. Im sure they’ll look like that rebuilt walkup in Batteries Not Included when they’re finished. The purists that would rather patch and tape together these ancient buildings instead of taking the opportunity to completely renew their structure inside and out need to have their heads examined.
even tho it seems it will be disney fakey i have to admit it will look a heck of a lot better.