News: Morris Adjmi Architects approved by Landmarks Preservation Commission for Design of 837 Washington Street

Morris Adjmi Architects announces to have received approval from the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission for its design of 837 Washington Street in the Meatpacking Districk.

Located just of the High Line and across from the Standard Hotel, the six-story office and retail building at 837 Washington Street will feature a four-story glass and steel addition built atop an existing two-story 1938 Moderne style warehouse. The project is being developed by Taconic Investment Partners and Square Mile Capital.

"We are pleased with the Landmarks Preservation Commission's approval of our design for 837 Washington Street, which we believe fits in with the fabric of the neighborhood while also helping forge a new architectural identity for the Meatpacking District,' states Morris Adjmi, Founder and Principal of Morris Adjmi Architects.

837 Washington Street, New York City, USA © Morris Adjmi Architects

The building will feature a metal and glass window wall set within a twisting framework of dark grey steel beams that rotate slightly around a taller  brick core, echoing the way the streets come together in the neighborhood.

"The dynamic, twisting shape of the addition is generated by the site's unique location, marking the position where the angular street grid of the Meatpacking District interlocks with the more regular urban grid of upper Manhattan," explains Jess Walker, a Partner at Morris Adjmi Architects.

The two-story existing building, while maintaining its historic streetfront presence, serves as a spring point for the new structure, which torques up to continue the momentum generated by the adjacent turn of Washington Street. The addition, while minimally visible from historic Gansevoort Market Historic District to the east, rises to face the High Line and views of the Hudson River beyond.

The steel frame of the addition also reflects the industrial history of the neighborhood and the High Line, while in counterpoint, the brick core and restored existing building blend with the historic warehouses found throughout the Meatpacking District. Integrated planting beds along the edge of the building's floor slabs help mediate rainwater runoff and provide a link to the creeping perennials and grasses atop the High Line.

837 Washington Street © Morris Adjmi Architects