After patiently evolving the design of 837 Washington Street, the Meatpacking District’s newest addition, New York-based Morris Adjmi Architects are happy to announce the project’s recent approval from the Landmarks Preservation Commission. The new office and retail building, which will rise from a 1930s warehouse, will be Adjmi’s fourth building in the Meatpacking District. The project has been struggling to gain approval, primarily due to its height, as the building was originally conceived to stand 100 feet tall; however, the most recent design scheme shows the building measuring just below 80 feet, allowing it to blend more graciously with its surroundings.
More about the project after the break.
The project marks Adjmi’s fourth Meatpacking District contribution, and its sensitivity toward the 1930s warehouse, upon which it is perched, serves as testament to the firm’s commitment to fuse the existing contextual fabric with contemporary functional needs.
The building sits opposite Polshek Partnership Architects’ Standard Hotel and will create an interesting dialogue with the hotel’s minimalistic concrete and glass scheme. Inspired by area’s industrial history, 837 Washington Street will feature a four-story glass and steel addition which gently twists away from the streetwall – a move that contextually relates the form to Gehry’s IAC building and “echoes the way the streets come together in the neighborhood.”
Partner Jess Walker explained,“The dynamic, twisting shape of the addition is generated by the sits unique location, marking the position where the angular street grid of the Meatpacking District interlocks with the more regular urban grid of upper Manhattan.”
As for the warehouse, the existing 2 storeys will be restored, connecting the streetfront with the other historic warehouses found sprinkled throughout the Meatpacking District.
“We are pleased with the Landmarks Preservation Commission’s approval of our design for 837 Washington Street, which we believe fits in with the fabric of the neighborhood while also helping forge a new architectural identity for the Meatpacking District,” explained Adjmi.
