Fotografiska New York
RETROFIT TEAM
ARCHITECT AND INTERIOR DESIGNER: CetraRuddy
RESTAURANT DESIGNER: Roman and Williams
LIGHTING CONSULTANT: Kugler Ning Lighting Design
ACOUSTICAL AND AUDIOVISUAL CONSULTANT: 6Sides
RESTORATION CONSULTANT: Higgins Quasebarth & Partners LLC
STRUCTURAL ENGINEER: Gilsanz Murray Steficek
MEP ENGINEER: MGE/MG Engineering
GENERAL CONTRACTOR: Tri-Star Construction
WOODWORK: Gala Architectural Woodworking
GLASSWORK AND METALWORK: Certified Metal & Glass Corp.
MATERIALS
The following is a sampling of materials used in the project:
EXTERIOR LIGHTING: ACDC
TRACK LIGHTING: ETC
GALLERY FLOORING: BOLON
OAK FLOORING: Admonter
WALL VINYL: Duggal
METAL LAMINATE: Octopus Products
COLUMN COVERS: Rimex
CUSTOM SIGNAGE: Sign Design Group of NY
GLASS DOORS: Technical Glass Products
CUSTOM STOREFRONT SYSTEM: Certified Metal & Glass Corp.
EXTERIOR DOORS: C.R. Laurence Co. Inc.
THE RETROFIT
As the first U.S. location for international photography organization Fotografiska, Fotografiska New York reinvigorates a historic landmark former church mission building at 281 Park Avenue South in Manhattan, inviting visitors into the 40,655-square-foot cultural venue with world-class photography exhibitions, restaurants and culturally eclectic event programming. The project, which debuted in December 2019, offers a welcoming visitor experience, three floors of new exhibition space, and a versatile event venue on the top floor with vaulted ceilings and skylights.
“Fotografiska New York encapsulates our approach to historic adaptive reuse, which is about respecting the original building and helping people find joy in its authenticity and new purpose,” says CetraRuddy Principal Theresa M. Genovese, AIA. “We stabilized the original structure and created innovative, flexible gallery spaces inside while minimally impacting the building’s character and finding exciting ways to let that character shine through. We’re proud of newly foregrounded historic elements, such as an original stained-glass window long hidden behind mechanical equipment and now center stage in one of Fotografiska’s restaurant spaces.”
Fotografiska New York recently won a 30th annual Lucy G. Moses Preservation Award from the New York Landmarks Conservancy. The awards are given to “projects that demonstrate excellence in the restoration, preservation, or adaptive use of historic buildings, streetscapes, and landscapes that preserve commercial, residential, institutional, religious, and public buildings.”
PHOTOS: David Sundberg/ESTO