Despite its glorious beginnings - originally four contiguous 5-story brownstones constructed in the 1880s, and ultimately reconfigured into one interconnected apartment building in the 1920s - the facility did not succeed in the long run and ultimately deteriorated. In 2004, the American Development Group (ADG) purchased the building and began renovations - an extraordinary series of feats of construction and design that have ultimately transformed a distressed, 34-unit walk-up building into a high-end, 7-story luxury condominium.
Today, 120 years later and after major capital improvements and overall redesign, the building now has finally experienced a renaissance.
Special Design Features
All units benefit from indoor/outdoor terraces. In those facing the street, the glass, Juliet-like balconies are contiguous with a covered terrace that was actually carved out of the existing buildings.
Characteristic of all ADG projects, M at Beekman offers the company's trademark high-end finishes and high-quality construction. All units feature impressive 8-foot entry doors; 8-foot interior solid-wood doors and jams complement the imported ebony-stained Ibek wide-plank wood floors. All walls are made with special high-density sheetrock, giving the feel and strength of plaster. Kitchens are the focal point within all apartments, featuring a U-shaped layout, state-of-the-art cooking appliances, and finishes that give these interior core areas an open, spacious feel.
The building lobby was designed to create a warm, inviting, and gracious portal to the building, reflecting both the glamour of New York style with interesting new materials. A dominant design element is the wall of textured wood panels (constructed of teak veneer, farmed in an environmentally sustainable way, and formed into panels of undulating, diagonal ribbons) behind the reception desk.
Design/Construction Challenge
Because the original 1880 structure was actually four separate (but contiguous) buildings, the construction team needed to address two major obstacles: the original bearing walls dividing the buildings and the poured-concrete structure of the common staircases and light well.
Special equipment was acquired to saw-cut through the cast-concrete walls. The result was that the interior spaces were not only cleared and connected, but existing passageways were also expanded to recreate the scale and feel of pre-war construction.