Photo credit: 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge
Hotel Brooklyn Bridge will have you booking a room for the views of the eponymous man-made wonder yet reveling in the amenities upon your arrival. Billed as a hotel of “sustainable luxury,” the five-star hotel was designed by location artists using reclaimed materials and native greenery, lending to the tranquility of the space.
Source: 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge Is Secretly One of NYC’s Most Wellness-Focused Retreats
The Singer building was one of the worlds most beautiful examples of urban architecture – now it is an example of poor historic preservation.
A demolition crew tore down 184 W. Utica St. on Feb. 27. The green light by the city came two days after the Buffalo Preservation Board voted unanimously to landmark the 1907 building designed by Albert Schallmo, an architect who worked on the acclaimed Blessed Trinity Church on the East Side. (John Hickey/Buffalo News)
“The irony here is while the demolition was happening on West Utica, on the front page of the Buffalo paper that day was a quote from director Guillermo Del Toro saying that the whole reason he selected Buffalo to film ‘Nightmare Alley’ was because of the quality of the architecture in our city,” Howard said.
Source: Once demolition permit is sought, it may be too late to stop wrecking ball – The Buffalo News
Flushing Town Hall’s deputy director Sami Abu Shumays will be giving our Insiders a virtual tour of the historic building, revealing many of the secrets we discovered including a former jail cell that is now a dressing room!
Source: Join a Virtual Tour and Violin Performance at Flushing Town Hall – Untapped New York
“We are already selling pieces from the hotel’s interior on our website. Items for sale include light fixtures fashioned from Venetian glass and French crystal, along with more than 40 marble mantels carved in a variety of styles, including a $40,000 inlaid marble mantel from the US Ambassadors Suite. More affordable items include steak knives ($25), polished bronze swan hook ($45), stainless steel slotted egg spoon ($20), and a steel ice scoop ($10),” added Browne.
Source: Deconstructing the Legendary New York Waldorf Astoria Hotel
For the first six months of 2018, Holiber worked on the flock’s wooden frames, using reclaimed lumber from Big Reuse, a surplus salvage vendor in Brooklyn, and scraps he collected from the streets.
A trove of original architectural ornaments is being offered by the dealer, including “magnificent complete paneled rooms, finely carved marble mantels, elegant stair railings in iron or carved wood, leaded glass windows, parquet flooring, and so on.”
Source: Architectural artifacts from two demolished 1909 Upper East Side mansions will be for sale | 6sqft
Dating back to 1910, the building rises 12 storeys and encompasses just over 126,000 square feet (11,706 square metres).
The team sought to preserve original elements where possible, such as high ceilings, wooden flooring and ornate detailing.
Source: Fogarty Finger revamps New York office with glass and cosy wood
This space was originally outfitted by acclaimed Parisian industrial designer Raymond Loewy, the mind behind the 1955 Coca-Cola contour bottle, the 1959 TWA twin globes logo, the 1963 Studebaker Avanti, and the 1962 Air Force One livery. Max Touhey
To access the guest rooms, patrons enter through space-age flight tubes—which you may remember from the film Catch Me If You Can. Clean lines meet a touch of glam in the rooms, which feature leather upholstery; a pop of primary color; Hollywood-style vanities; and custom walnut, brass, and glass details.
Source: The TWA Hotel Turns an Abandoned Airport Terminal Into a Midcentury Dream – Dwell
The wood he uses is white pine, is all reclaimed from buildings around the city — some famous, like the Chelsea Hotel, legendary speakeasy Chumley’s, even McSorley’s Bar. Kelly gets most of it for free. He calls the wood, the bones of old New York.”It came from those 300-year-old giant trees and now it’s been indoors for 160, 170 years, so it’s super dry and really resonant and makes a great guitar.”
The home’s wooden floors are made from reclaimed barn floors, giving the space a farmhouse vibe.
Source: Bradley Cooper celebrates ‘A Star is Born’ with new townhouse
Although Stickbulb, the lighting brand that creates modular fixtures from recycled lumber, has received lots of attention in the design world (even winning “Best in Show” at NYC x Design in 2017), the company has never had a proper showroom until now.
Source: Stickbulb’s First Showroom in Long Island City | Architectural Digest
“The individuals and companies arrested in connection with this alleged illegal dumping scheme put the health of Suffolk County residents at risk out of pure greed,” Sini said. “These defendants are alleged to have knowingly dumped solid waste and potentially hazardous materials into our residents’ backyards and parks just to line their pockets.”
Gov. Andrew Cuomo estimated 5 million tons of construction and demolition debris is generated annually in the New York metro area. Much of it ends up in the mid-Hudson.“Due to the rural nature of the mid-Hudson Valley area and its proximity to New York City, illegal dumping has been an especially difficult problem through the region,” Cuomo said in February 2017. “Haulers see an easy way to cut costs by dumping loads of waste sourced from New York City in the mid-Hudson Valley.”
Domino Park – Designed by James Corner Field Operations, Domino Park will open June 10.
Set to open to the public on June 10, the park — which was installed with reclaimed relics from the former Domino Sugar Refinery — has been converted into a quarter-mile long stretch of open green space running along the Williamsburg waterfront.
Inspired by the imperative weight reduction in airplane construction, Bench32 was chosen for its use of Fusion 360’s simulation capabilities to both ideate and render the design. The repetition of 32 wooden spars forms the seating surface, which is held together by 80 metal parts. Reusing parts multiple times and aligning the elements with ample negative space creates a lightweight appearance that results in a sturdy yet lightweight bench comprised of FSC-certified wood or Cradle to Cradle Certified Accoya wood.
Source: Designers, Students Get Creative for Cradle to Cradle Design Challenge
Looking at its desolate, skeletal frame now, it’s difficult to imagine its backstory as one of the largest public health undertakings in American history.
Source: Behind-the-Scenes Hard Hat Tour of the Abandoned Ellis Island Hospital | Untapped Cities
The Sea View Hospital first opened in 1913 and was once the largest and most renown tuberculosis sanatoriums in the country. Having evolved over the past century into a unique blend of active hospital (operated by NYC Health + Hospitals) and adaptive reuse of many buildings, the facility is poised to become the city’s first planned Wellness Community in Staten Island.
Big Reuse employees picking up construction materials slated to be thrown away.
“Salvage warehouses should be increasing, not decreasing with what we know about climate change and knowing that building materials make up the largest portion of our material waste,” she said.She said that the company is “really proud of the work we’re doing” and made great strides in terms of diverting waste from landfills and encouraging Queens residents to channel their “inner sustainable-ist.”
Source: Astoria nonprofit Big Reuse will close after 12 years due to rising rents – QNS.com
Buildin' Manhattan from Gideon Camera Crew | Cowboyfilm on Vimeo.
Months and months of long working days… over 6000 pieces sawn to perfection. BUILDIN’ MANHATTAN Dutch artist Diederick Kraaijeveld created a 10 feet long Manhattan in wood, special wood: red cedar from Manhattan water towers. Shipped in a sea freight container from New York City to The Netherlands. One day the piece will be back in New York.
The Park Avenue Armory
Today, the well-regarded cultural venue offers season tickets to its cultural events which range from music to architecture and the celebrated Winter Antiques Show. Several recent renovations have kept the historic building in ship shape. But many more armories remain in a state of limbo.
Source: Redeveloping NYC’s armories: When adaptive reuse and community building bring controversy | 6sqft
Ryan says the properties the company wants to tear down are salvageable. “Remember, these buildings have been held for 30 years by three different sets of millionaire developers,” Ryan said. “They’ve never been owned by people who couldn’t afford to do repairs, or absentee landlords.”
Source: Reuse vs. Demolition: Debate Wages Over Elmwood-Forest Intersection
Evan Blum, 59, has filled a complex of buildings in Ivoryton, Conn., with architectural artifacts, many of them recovered from New York City buildings. Credit Christopher Capozziello for The New York Times.
Mr. Blum has been filling the buildings over the past few years with newly rescued items as well as overflow from an inventory acquired over the decades. Inside is a sea of ornamental fixtures and furnishings that have been pulled from buildings being demolished or renovated — and most of it is for sale.
Source: A Haven for New York Relics Saved From the Trash Heap. In Connecticut. – The New York Times
Schumer said this project is widely supported by the community because it would preserve significant and distinctive history, while complementing the surrounding neighborhoods. Without these tax credits, the adaptive reuse costs could be prohibitive. Schumer therefore urged NPS to expedite the developer’s application to list the “Nipper Building” on the National Register of Historic Places so that the beloved statue can be preserved for future generations. …
Source: Making Nipper a landmark — officially | All Over Albany
Located on Jamaica Avenue, the climate-controlled greenhouse is on the roof of a four-story manufacturing building that formerly housed the Ideal Toy Company. Slated to produce over 5 million heads of pesticide-free leafy greens each year for the New York market, the urban farm was installed with advanced automated greenhouse technologies using various efficient and renewable energy components.
Source: Gotham Greens opens massive rooftop greenhouse in Hollis, Queens | Inhabitat New York City
“It wasn’t like the buildings were falling down,” said Bankston, who noted that demolition needs to be done carefully to avoid creating risks of collapse, such as by overloading floors with heavy debris.
He said his company left the project about a month ago amid a financial disagreement with the general contractor.
At least 60 firefighters responded to the collapse.
via Building Under Demolition Partially Collapses in NYC; 1 Dead – ABC News.
A seniors housing facility, Livingston School Apartments offers 12 studio units, 76 one-bedroom apartments and 15 two-bedroom apartments.
ALBANY, N.Y. — Winn Companies, in partnership with Albany Housing Authority, has opened Livingston School Apartments in Albany after a $20.7 million adaptive reuse project. The company converted the four-story, 230,000-square-foot historic building into 103 units of mixed-income housing for seniors.
George Apfel, left, and Kevin Hayes arrange recycled art and furniture created by artisan Shawn Faulkner at the new ReUse Action store at 980 Northampton St. in the city’s Fillmore section, near the Milk-Bone factory. It’s being called Guild @ 980. Robert Kirkham/Buffalo News
“I want this place to be a service to the community,” Gainer said. “I can’t just have old expensive stuff.”
In addition to the reclaimed products, the store sells consignment antiques, as well as artwork, refinished furniture and home products made using reclaimed materials by local artists.
Gainer expects to begin filling the second floor with inventory soon, and has plans to turn the third floor into an incubator of relevant workshops – affordable space where glazers, reupholsterers and other artisans can open up shop and offer compatible services to the store’s customers.
via ReUse in the Milk-Bone district – Business – The Buffalo News.
The material was sourced from Geneva Middle School, just 55 miles from Ashley McGraw and 28 miles from Pioneer Millworks. “Sourcing this so close to our headquarters, from a school I attended and specifically from a gym I played sports in, was remarkable,” shares Jered Slusser, reclaimed wood expert at Pioneer Millworks. “When Ashley McGraw reached out looking for reclaimed wood for their office remodel, I knew immediately that we had the right product. It is a great fit and it feels good when a local company gives reclaimed wood a second life.”
The alderpersons write, “Reusing the existing building is the most sustainable option,” adding, “Reuse also will be the least disruptive to the surrounding neighbors, including several historic properties that could be impacted negatively by pile driving.”
via Common Council Weighs in on Old Library – Ithaca Times : News.
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has named Finger Lakes ReUse (ReUse) as a recipient of its 2015 Environmental Champion Award. ReUse was nominated for this award, the highest honor presented to the public by EPA, by Tompkins County Solid Waste Manager Barbara Eckstrom, in recognition of its accomplishments in transforming waste into jobs and job skills training opportunities for the community.
via Finger Lakes ReUse Wins EPA Award – Ithaca Times : News.
Pier A after restoration. Photograph by Edward Hueber/archphoto
“This structure, the oldest functioning pier in New York City, sat vacant and deteriorating for three decades,” said Jay DiLorenzo, President of the Preservation League. “Built in 1886 at the tip of Lower Manhattan, it was once a command center for the bustling harbor traffic on the Hudson River. But its floor plan, based on its original use as administrative offices for government agencies, presented significant challenges for adaptive reuse as a public gathering space. As so much of New York’s maritime heritage is threatened, this rehabilitation demonstrates how the city can both embrace the historic waterfront’s history and give it new life, while preparing for the challenges of a changing coastal environment.”
via Pier A Restoration and Adaptive Reuse in NYC to be honored.
The former Tilley Ladder factory, right, on Second St. Friday Jan. 16, 2015, in Watervliet, NY. (John Carl D’Annibale / Times Union)
“This adaptive reuse of a former industrial facility is not only a perfect example of historic preservation, it goes above and beyond by incorporating solar power and other ‘green’ elements that will make this early 20th century building LEED certified” he said in a prepared statement. “The city will continue to work with the developers to bring this project to fruition as soon as possible.”
Franz infused the former 19th century Manhattan soap factory with his signature nature-filled aesthetic, choreographing a delicate dance between old and new.
via Andrew Franz’s Verdant Retreat Rises Above The Manhattan Skyline | Inhabitat New York City.
Wilderstein Historic Site, Rhinebeck, announces the completion of phase one of the restoration and adaptive reuse of the estate’s 1888 Carriage House. Thanks to the generous support of the community in raising over $500,000 for this important effort, the Wilderstein Carriage House is now structurally sound and no longer endangered.
Sean builds furniture and fixtures from reclaimed wood and used to work as a finish carpenter, so he used his vast tool collection to make the most of the wealth of inexpensive (and free) salvage materials and furniture the couple was able to gather around Buffalo. Sean explained, “We would literally look at Pinterest and then go pull wood out of dumpsters and vacant lots and try to recreate things that we liked.”
via Design*Sponge |http://www.designsponge.com/2014/10/sneak-peek-sean.html#more-205710.
Stump stool made from Hurricane Sandy storm debris
Woodworker Stefan Rurak salvaged wood from Brooklyn created by Hurricane Sandy to create the Sandy Project – a collection that includes furniture and jewellery.
via Designers Salvage Wood to Tell Furniture Stories (07.08.14).
“The demolition contractors wanted to kill me because I kept finding things I wanted to keep,” said Lisa Switkin, a landscape architect with James Corner Field Operations. The firm has been tapped by developer Two Trees Management Company to design the park.
The salvage operation is now more important than ever, as Two Trees prepares to raze the majority of the factory buildings. And the salvation efforts may help assuage the anger of some neighborhood residents, who have long opposed the redevelopment of the site on the grounds of historical significance.
“A lot of these buildings don’t make the cut because they are just so old and so dilapidated that the numbers don’t work without this revolving loan fund that we’ve put together. It’s a perfect example of a public-private partnership,” Cohen said Friday.
The Buffalo Building Reuse Project provides gap financing of up to $750,000.
via More funding available for downtown housing projects | WBFO.
We reclaim our wood and steel from local farms and construction projects. Using non-toxic finishes like tung oil and milk paint, we create modern farm raised furniture and jewelry with a style we like to call Farmpunk.
Since publishing the book, however, its creators have revisited their subjects and documented the amazing rate of change as “luxury condos and artisanal cupcake boutiques uproot local delis and dive bars.”
via Vanishing Vernacular: NYC Storefront Gentrification in Action | Urbanist.
Instead of simply taking a sledgehammer to their old kitchen and heaping the remnants into a landfill, the Walmsleys carefully deconstructed the space in order to reuse the cabinets, the cabinet doors and other features of the kitchen.
“Getting our countertops off was just horrible, but it was definitely worth reusing the cabinets,” Walmsley said. “A few coats of paint and some polyurethane, and it’s in good shape now.”
Rewind the clock Deconstruction is an antidote to remodeling demolition. Instead of throwing away materials like cabinetry and lumber, they are reused or recycled. “Deconstruction is basically construction in reverse,” said Max Rubinstein, deconstruction manager at Build It Green!, New York City. “Basically we’re doing everything that was done originally except we’re doing it in rewind.”
Jesus, get this guy to Portland!
Or, just go see Justin Blinder’s amazing work here.
Vacated reverse engineers Google Street View to highlight the changing landscape of various neighborhoods throughout Manhattan and Brooklyn. The project finds buildings constructed in the past four years using the NYC Department of City Planning’s PLUTO dataset, and it leverages Google Street View’s cache to visualize absent lots just before new buildings were constructed. For Envision 2017’s website, the ages of other buildings on these same blocks are also shown in each scene.
“I haven’t lost,” Woods said Wednesday from his home in Beacon, where he now runs a small studio and gallery. “I’m preparing to go to Washington as soon as I’m notified.”
For more than three decades, Wood, 82, lived in the four-story Downing St. structure, all the while creating a landmark of metal, glass and mirrors that was featured in a 2005 documentary featuring the comedian Dave Chappelle.
But after a fire that led to numerous building violations, Wood was forced to default on a mortgage. He lost the asset in a hotly contested foreclosure and was evicted last May.
via Condos planned for Broken Angel building as old owner continues fight – NY Daily News.
With few exceptions, conversions are among the coolest spaces in the city. This 1900-built school, located at Saint Nicholas Avenue between 126th and 127th streets, is no exception. Renaissance Revival-style P.S. 157 was converted to apartments in 1993.
via Live In A Historic Converted Harlem School For $2,300/Month – Adaptive Reuse – Curbed NY.
The Living
The Hy-Fi is, FastCoExist reports, a “giant circular tower” that will go up over the summer in Queens, New York, and be built out of “bricks biologically engineered to grow themselves from plant waste and fungal cells.”
via This tower is made out of self-growing mushroom bricks | Grist.
OH DEAR LORD – this is causing deep unbridled pain!!
(All images by Chris Seward (Google Plus), cc-nc-nd-4.0)
According to photographer Chris Seward, this extensive motorcycle graveyard lingered in an abandoned building near the Erie Canal in Western New York, long after the structure itself had been condemned. The owner of the building reportedly died in the 1970s and the bikes – some of them antiques – remained on site until recently, when the place was finally cleared.
via Motorbike Graveyard in Western New York | Urban Ghosts |.
When the crumbling World’s Fair relic was under threat of demolition, activists and longtime fans Matthew Silva, Christian Doran, and Salmaan Khan founded People For The Pavilion to drum up support for the iconic structure.
via Queens Community Helps Save Iconic New York State Pavilion from Demolition | Inhabitat New York City.
The exhibits rotate, however, between temporary pieces and a permanent collection featuring some seriously unique and one-off objects. The latter includes the shoe infamously thrown at President George W. Bush during a televised 2008 press conference.
via Deserted Elevator Shaft Hides Single-Room Street Museum | Urbanist.
The technique of demolition under cover of night has to stop. It is common practice to bulldoze community sensitive places, like historical buildings or in this example – gardens with animals.
It is unethical for developers to demolish buildings and raze structures under cover of darkness without advanced notification to the community.
We really need to address the permitting processes at the government level if we are going to change this grievous practice. Then make it punishable by law and preferable jail-time for developer perpetrators.
Community activists told the NY Post that construction workers waited until 5 a.m. on the morning of December 28th to begin the abrupt demolition. According to witnesses, work crews first gathered and moved the 20 chickens living in the garden to pet carriers outside the plot, however it seems that dozens of cats, rabbits, and pigeons fled before the machines moved in. Soon after, backhoes and bulldozers rolled in, tearing apart plots that have grown everything from hundreds of pounds of tomatoes, cabbage, zucchinis, and other vegetables.
