New York, New York, USA
Morris Adjmi Architects have completed the renovation of this new commercial office building for Elijah Equities comprised of an existing four-story brick warehouse, built-in 1914, as well as inserted a new cantilevered overbuild that increases three stories to the building appearing to float above the existing structure.
Located just off the High Line, 520 West 20th Street won a 2020 American Architecture Award from The Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design and The European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies.
Rather than compete with the high-profile architectural spectacles that have recently risen along the High Line, one of the key objectives of the adaptive reuse project was to rehabilitate the old manufacturing warehouse, one of the few remaining vestiges of Chelsea’s industrial past, as a reminder of the neighborhood’s history.
Hovering above it, however, the sleek glass and steel addition reflects more contemporary values to bridge the past and the present.
The original warehouse, more recently used as a parking garage, is undisturbed—its exterior preserved exactly as found, with patches of discolored brick and faded advertisements left intact.
Inside, the generous ceiling heights of the original building remain, as do original concrete, brick, and timber elements that imbue the office space with warmth and historic resonance.
These same materials reappear in the new lobby, alongside board-formed concrete walls.
The lobby also showcases a custom reception desk and large feature wall that was inspired by the linear- and grid-format sculptural work of Carl Andre—built using repurposed railroad ties that recall the nearby High Line.
These details were intentionally selected to instill an artistic sensibility fitting the gallery-dense neighborhood.
The historic integrity of the warehouse is preserved through two new vertical cores that independently support the glass and steel addition above.
Originally inspired by the car elevators that anchored the building’s east and west sides, these cores carry vertical circulation and mechanical systems through both structures, emerging like masts to support the glass-and-steel volume spanning between them.
The new three-story structure doesn’t just look like a bridge; it also acts as a bridge.
The cantilevered overbuild provides brand new, Class-A office spaces that contrast with the raw, post-industrial spaces inside the preserved warehouse.
Massive windows to the west offer views over the Hudson River, while windows at the east look back over the High Line, the historic High Line Hotel built-in 1895, and the dynamic Chelsea neighborhood and Empire State Building beyond.
While the new addition and the old warehouse may appear to be completely unrelated, they are in fact shaped by their relationship with each other.
The original building inspired the design of the addition, which, in turn, made it possible to fully appreciate the features of the historic warehouse.
Project: 520 West 20th Street
Architects: Morris Adjmi Architects
Client: Elijah Equities
General Contractor: Omnibuild
Photographers: Selvon Ramsawak
