Architect plans 2nd rehab in Tribeca historic district.

Architect plans 2nd rehab in Tribeca historic district

Steven P. Papadatos P.C. Associates, has been retained to design/renovate and restore a six-story landmark commercial building at 179 Franklin Street which is being converted into a modern state-of-the-art office building with retail space on the first floor.

The interior of the 179 Franklin Street Building has been designed to accommodate one or multi tenants on each floor and the interior finishes will include the existing exposed wood girders and cast iron columns and exposed brick surfaces on the interior side of the exterior walls. The first floor retail space will be designed to take advantage of a split-level space, affording utilization of part of the cellar, thereby, maximizing the existing space to its fullest. According to its owner, Fantis Foods, 179 Franklin Street will be ready for occupancy in December of this year.

This month the same firm has been awarded the architectural and interior design contracts to convert this landmark structure located at 36 Laight Street and 15 Vestry a thru-block, seven- story building. The building, 175 feet long by 20 feet by six feet-wide, will be converted to residential condominiums.

Each floor consisting of 3,500 square feet will be divided into two units, some units will be 1,750 square feet and others will be duplexes consisting of 3,500 square feet.

The roof will be converted into a health spa with an indoor/outdoor swimming pool.

Entrances will be on both Laight and Vestry Streets, and the plan will incorporate two private elevators in existing shafts which will open into each unit. The total area of the building excluding basement area is 24,500 square feet. According to Papadatos "This building because of its unusual proportions, length versus width, will create the ingredients for an unusual and unique design. It's just like when we design a building, from start I look for the unusual site, I just found the unusual interior, and its going to be spectacular."

The 179 Franklin Street project is located in the West Tribeca Historic District, which contains the largest collection of late 19th Century warehouse buildings, dedicated, for the most part, to the wholesale food industry. In the same landmark historic district are the former New York Mercantile Exchange, the former New York Hospital and several buildings with municipal functions.

The Vestry and Laight Street condominium project is located adjacent, in the North Tribeca Historic District which boasts early storage warehouses many of them built in the 1880's and of Renaissance revival style brick facades. Many of these landmark structures are of the designs of Charles Coolidge Haight, a prominent Tribeca architect. In the same area the American Express Company built its stable building in 1905 on a T-shaped lot on Collister Street between Hubert and Laight Streets.

"The district is a museum on to itself," says Papadatos, "we're proud we re involved in a small way."

PHOTO : 15 Vestry Street

PHOTO : 179 Franklin Street