New office buildings are a rarity in SoHo, because a combination of landmarking and incredibly high property values normally push developers to build condos if they want a return on their investment. But one builder has bucked the trend and filed plans for a seven-story office building at 134 Wooster Street, between Houston and Prince Streets.
The New York City landmarks law was signed 50 years ago this year. So, what better time to talk about some of its successes? Plenty of great structures, such as the Empire State Building, completed in 1931 as a multi-tenant office building, are easy to keep relevant and functioning. Others, however, become obsolete and can no longer perform their originally intended purpose. That’s where adaptive reuse comes in. If you haven’t heard the term, it’s when an old structure is adapted for a new use. It’s often how we are saving our great city.
The Gural family is planning to reconfigure and make upgrades to their six-story, 122,454 square-foot commercial property at 560 Broadway, in SoHo, according to Crain’s. The building, built in 1890 and located within the SoHo-Cast Iron Historic District, will have its main entrance moved to Crosby Street. In the process, Converse – one of two ground-floor retail tenants – will gain 1,500 square feet of space and 30 feet of street frontage. In addition, two of the building’s four stairwells will be removed in exchange for elevators and 8,000 square feet of extra office space. The Landmarks Preservation Commission would have to approve the project, which would also rename the building to 100 Crosby Street. Rosen Johnson Architects is designing.
The residential high-rise at 23-10 Queens Plaza South in Long Island City, also known as 23-01 42nd Road, has reached its final height of 481 feet, beating the 429-foot-tall Linc LIC for the title of the second tallest skyscraper in Queens.
The Ford Foundation Building, located at 320 East 43rd Street, in Midtown East, will be getting a $190 million renovation, according to the New York Times. The 12-story, 287,500 square-foot office building, a city individual and interior landmark, was designed by Kevin Roche John Dinkello and Associates (KRJDA) and completed in 1968. It does not meet current-day building codes and the city is requiring its owners to install updates before 2019. In addition, the building’s office floors and suites will be modernized, and an art gallery, visitors’ center, and a 10th floor assembly space will be added. Gensler is designing the two-year renovation, and Raymond Jungles will be incorporating new indoor landscaping. The property is known for its unique 174-foot-high atrium and elaborate garden terraces.
