242 South 1st
This project is an adaptive reuse and gut renovation of an existing abandoned cheesecake factory in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn. It is situated among two and three-story buildings. The mustard-yellow cast-stone and concrete-framed structure is in excellent shape and lends itself to a simple residential conversion with large windows and 11-foot ceilings. The scope of work includes relocating the existing stair core, adding a public stair, and opening previously closed masonry openings.
A new glass-and-steel penthouse floor shall be added to the roof to create top-floor duplex apartments, providing access to large private terraces and magnificent views of Brooklyn.
Our design retains the building’s original industrial character, dating back to 1911, but gives it a residential edge with transparent glass railings on new, discrete balconies and the substitution of the existing loading docks with an access ramp at street level.
The building shall remain in its existing color, and the cast iron cornice and first floor façade shall be dark grey.
The alteration of the building in compliance with Article 7B of the New York Multiple Dwelling Law permits a new penthouse addition on the roof, which redefines the base and main portion of the building as a three-part façade and completes the building visually by creating a new addition that echoes the classical first floor façade in color and massing but uses glass and steel as a modern renovation expression.
