Mar. 20, 2009 - gutting Broome Street for $160/ft

bringing light but hiding windows?
Yesterday's New York Times On Location Home & Garden feature Bringing Light to a New York Loft profiled a Broome Street total renovation ("gutted to its floor joists and beams and totally rebuilt -- with plumbing, electricity and other systems"). The loft is a classically Long-and-Narrow with ceilings high enough to stack guest rooms over the kitchen and baths. The Times headline is a play off the fact that the space had been very dark (with a rabbit warren of rooms and black paint) but is a weird angle to take about a renovation project that essentially cuts off a lot of light.

The architect's website has another set of photos, the soho loft residential project, with this description of the project:

A "functional wall" was created along one side of the 16' high ceilinged space to house the bathrooms, laundry room and kitchen below and the guest rooms and extra storage above. The layout included new landmarks approved windows, plumbing, electrical, finishes, etc. Walnut panels and blackened steel windows and doors delineate the different spaces and create the new rooms.

© Sandy Mattingly 2009  

Mar. 20, 2009 - RE: gutting Broome Street for $160/ft

reply: It took me a while in reading the pictures in the Times and on the architect's website before I realized where the long wall of windows that is evidentfrom the building photo (#2 of 11 in the Times slide show) is. Perhaps distracted by the Times headline, I assumed that part of the architect's challenge was to bring light into the space from the narrow ends...

You assumed right. I do live in the building (which is actually 2 buildings) and the exterior shot is somewhat misleading. The loft has 3 windows in the front, and another 3 in the rear. The functional wall is along the interior building wall, so no windws were covered for it.

Mar. 20, 2009 - RE: gutting Broome Street for $160/ft

THX for stopping by, Friend. But look again at NYT pic #10 ... isn't that behind that functional wall??

And why did the coop allow the 'renting' of rooms?

Mar. 21, 2009 - RE: gutting Broome Street for $160/ft

thanks Sandy. the room proportions seem a bit off on that picture.  but the window in it faces actually broome street, so it the faces south. so, no, it's not behind the functional wall, it's in the front, before the wall even starts it's. the wall is perpendicular to it.

so far as I know, the coop doesn't allow the renting of rooms. maybe that was the issue here...?

:)