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 13, 2012
Is it time to stop building convention centers?
Over the last 20 years, convention space in the United States has increased by 50%; since 2005, 44 new convention spaces have been planned or constructed in this country alone.
| Jun 13, 2012
Steven L. Newman Real Estate Institute to hold energy asset conference for property owners, senior real estate managers
Top-level real estate professionals have been ignored as the industry has pushed to get sustainability measures in place.
| Jun 12, 2012
SAC Federal Credit Union selects LEO A DALY to design corporate headquarters
LEO A DALY also provided site selection, programming and master planning services for the project over the past year.
| Jun 12, 2012
Restoration Millwork exterior trim achieves GreenCircle certification
Made from cellular polyvinyl chloride, the full line of Restoration Millwork trim, beadboard and accessories is engineered to look, feel and work like top-grade lumber.
| Jun 12, 2012
Piché joins C.W. Driver as director of business development
Piché will expand upon project opportunities for firm’s Southern California operations.
| Jun 12, 2012
BCA Architects transforms Anaheim schools into dynamic learning environments
BCA Architects was selected to update the district's long-range master plan.
| Jun 11, 2012
Survey reveals emerging trends in parking
Industry-transforming innovations are changing the way we park.
| Jun 11, 2012
Buro Hapold hires new principal Neil Porto
Porto brings a broad depth of expertise in civil and structural engineering to new and existing projects.
| Jun 11, 2012
Historic church gains energy efficiency, retains aesthetics with architecturally rated windows
New windows would need to not only stand the test of time, but also accommodate the aesthetics of an architecturally historic church.
| Jun 11, 2012
Genivar and WSP Group join forces
Genivar concurrently announces a $225 million public bought deal of subscription receipts, a $197 million private placement of subscription receipts and new credit facilities.