The Potter Building Restoration: Bringing History into the Present

We are thrilled to be working with Thor Equities on the restoration of this historic landmark at 2 Beekman Street in downtown Manhattan.  We will preserve the original architecture, protecting the history of this beautiful building while restoring features of the historic fabric that have been lost over time.  With 12,000 square feet to manage, we have been working on the design since February and expect construction to begin shortly.

The Potter Building is a full-block building just south of the Manhattan landing of the Brooklyn Bridge.  It is an individually designated New York City Landmark, designed by N.G. Starkweather in the late 1800s.  The building is noted for its richly ornamented terracotta detailing.  Over time, the storefronts had become a mishmash of styles and materials, and all historic cast iron had been destroyed. Different businesses moving in and out changed the cohesive look of the exterior.

Our project is an historic restoration of the retail storefront, including extensive recreation and reconstruction of original cast iron detailing.  This cast Iron detailing is blended with traditional aluminum storefront window systems to substantially return the streetscape to the original historic design.  Working together with Thor Equities, the Landmarks Preservation Commission staff and community representatives, we developed a design approach for the restoration which was unanimously approved by the Commissioners on the first presentation.