This new commercial building establishes a significant presence in the heart of the Fulton Ferry Historic District. For the last 100 years the site, located on a main thoroughfare, sat empty and fenced off by a 10’ concrete wall from its surroundings. The last structure to stand in the site was a brick building which was demolished sometime in the early 1900s. Fulton Ferry District lacks one predominant architectural style, scale or use. It is composed of an eclectic mix of buildings and structures which reflect the successive stylistic phases of American Architecture in a period of about 60 years.
The wedge shape of the building's massing is largely defined by a restrictive covenant associated with the neighboring condominium to the south which limited the height of the development to maintain views of the Brooklyn Bridge which towers over the neighborhood. The site faces north towards the bridge across the wedge-shaped open space of Fulton Ferry Landing that connects what was the historic ferry terminal to downtown Brooklyn. The terminal is still active with passenger ferries and is a major entrance to Brooklyn Bridge Park.
The vast roadway has been re-designed with a new plaza that limits vehicular traffic and encourages pedestrian access to Brooklyn Bridge Park, the ferry terminal, and the redeveloped historic warehouses in the DUMBO waterfront. The new building plays an important role on the south side of the plaza, re-connecting the building; restoring continuity to the street wall and activating it with new retail space.
The building is defined by a series of large brick arches that relate to the neighboring pre-civil war warehouses and the arcaded stone approach to the Brooklyn Bridge within the historic district. Standing on its own block, the building aims to be harmonious to its immediate context with its materiality and scale while establishing a sense of strength, movement and openness to the street. A pair of folded arches wrap the building’s corners and accentuate the pedestrian and vehicular movement up and down Old Fulton Street. The elongated roman brick module further emphasizes the motion on the street. The expansive windows within the large archways maximize the visibility of the commercial interiors and frame the street views for the patrons within.
Team:
Lead Architects: NV/design.architecture PLLC
Team: Tom van den Bout, Arturo Bárcenas, Kim Letven, and Richard Stora
Client: Avdoo & Partners
AoR: Koo Koo Design
Photography: Bilyana Dimitrova Photography
