The New York office Perkins Eastman joins developer/builder Caro Enterprises in celebrating the completion of the unique 69-unit Wythe Confectionery apartments at 390 Wythe Avenue in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. The conversion has restored the building’s original beauty, with plentiful exposed brick, original wooden beams, and wooden ceilings.
Principal in Charge Shawn Basler AIA says of the building’s transformation, “It has been very gratifying to be part of the effort to retain the architectural heritage in such a vibrant and diverse neighborhood.”
Originally built to house the Matchett Candy factory at the turn of the 19th century, the pine framed brick building was one of the few candy factories in Williamsburg. The building is a testament to the area’s flourishing industrial past, and as a physical example of the commitment to the preservation of the neighborhood character and our vital connections to its heritage. As a piece of Brooklyn history, Perkins Eastman and the developer went to great lengths to preserve and restore original architectural features, while reclaiming and reusing materials when possible in the studio, one- and two-bedroom loft apartments.
The team retained architectural features like the brick barrel-hinge corner, a corbelled brick cornice, arched windows, massively scaled ground floor openings, and decorative brickwork punctuated with unique decorative iron ties across the facade. Brick and timber columns have once again been exposed and highlighted, cast iron column straps and capitals have been brought back to life, and the original heavy-timbered plank flooring was restored and retained as ceilings--all combined with modern fixtures and finishes throughout. Other native materials, including extra timbers and slate flooring that were not used during the restoration, were reclaimed for reuse in the public and shared spaces of the building, designed by Visconti Architecture.
Related Stories
| Jun 30, 2014
Work starts on Jean Nouvel-designed European Patent Office in the Netherlands [slideshow]
With around 80,000 sm and a budget of €205 million self-financed by the EPO, the complex will be one of the biggest office construction sites ever in the Netherlands.
| Jun 30, 2014
Growth of crowdfunding, public-private partnerships among top trends in architecture marketplace
A new report by the American Institute of Architects highlights several emerging trends in the architecture marketplace, including the growth of the P3 project delivery model and designing for health.
| Jun 30, 2014
Report recommends making infrastructure upgrades a cabinet-level priority
The ASCE estimates that $3.6 trillion must be invested by 2020 to make critically needed upgrades and expansions of national infrastructure—and avoid trillions of dollars in lost business sales, exports, disposable income, and GDP.
| Jun 30, 2014
Gen X, not Baby Boomers, spending the most money on homes [infographic]
It turns out that Generation X, who have the highest incomes of the three generations surveyed, are paying the highest home payments and tend to have the largest households.
| Jun 30, 2014
Zaha Hadid's Iraq Parliament complex design marred with controversy
Zaha Hadid's design for the Iraq Parliament was selected, despite placing third in the original RIBA-organized competition.
Sponsored | | Jun 27, 2014
SAFTI FIRST Now Offers GPX Framing with Sunshade Connectors
For the Doolittle Maintenance Facility, SAFTI FIRST provided 60 minute, fire resistive wall openings in the exterior using SuperLite II-XL 60 insulated with low-e glazing in GPX Framing with a clear anodized finish.
| Jun 26, 2014
Glazing offers peace-of-mind for hurricane season
SPONSORED CONTENT As hurricane season kicks into high gear, it reinforces the importance of balancing the aesthetic and daylight enhancements of glazing with the safety requirements to protect people and structures from hurricane-force winds.
| Jun 26, 2014
Plans for Britain’s newest landmark brings in international cooperation
Designers of the London Eye will team up with companies from France, the Netherlands and the United States to construct i360 Brighton, the U.K.'s newest observation tower.
| Jun 25, 2014
The best tall buildings of 2014
Four high-rise buildings from multiple continents have been selected as the best of their region. The best worldwide tall building will be announced November 6.
| Jun 25, 2014
AIA Foundation launches Regional Resilient Design Studio
The Studio is the first to be launched as part of the AIA Foundation’s National Resilience Program, which plans to open a total of five Regional Resilience Design Studios nationwide in collaboration with Architecture for Humanity, and Public Architecture.