Problem:
Join two low ceiling dark contiguous floors in a pre-war New York apartment building that has the potential to have a view of Central Park and light on four sides.
Solution:
The floor slab is removed in three places to provide a sense of the park, light and air. In the living room, a two-story salon with new double ceiling height exposes two story windows with a view of Central Park and a sculptural stair contained in a limestone vertical element. The Master Bedroom on the second level opens onto the salon and the view. The two other punches include a dining room overlook and the back stair. All openings reinforce the verticality and allow glimpses of the two-story limestone surface.
Service areas are located in a two-story limestone clad element that runs the full length of the apartment, linking the front stair at the park to the back stair in the kitchen. In addition to the stairs, entries, bathrooms, maple storage, circulation and a portion of the kitchen are contained within the service bar. The pre-war shell of the existing building is articulated by a white millwork raised paneling system incorporating all of the old and new landmark specified traditional windows. The modernist insertion is clearly articulated through the plaster flush walls, limestone and birch service bar. A bronze trapezoidal window appears to sit on a bronze fireplace mantle reminiscent of Marcel Breurs Whitney window, just two blocks south of the building.
Through the creation of a series of double height spaces, the organization of services in a limestone clad service bar and the clear articulation of new and old, a seamless integration of spaces incorporates light, air and the city.
