118-120 Hudson Street

This pair of 6-story store and loft buildings was erected in the Renaissance revival style in 1893-95. They were ostensibly used as warehouses and cold-storage space through the 1970s, with subsequent partial residential conversions. Through this time period holes were cut in an inconsistent pattern in the masonry facades for through-wall HVAC unit sleeves, and the facades had also become soiled from pollution deposits and staining from acid rain. The loading dock was papered over with diamond plate sheeting, obstructing the street-level elevator loading bay, and the remains of the wood windows had deteriorated.

Totaling 20,000 sf at 6-stories with a penthouse, ABA designed the restoration and an adaptive re-use program to convert the remaining non-residential spaces to residential, combining the two building interiors into one. The HVAC sleeves were removed and the holes infilled with matching yellow iron spot brick. The bricks were keyed-in to the existing facade so the end result is as if the holes were never cut. All windows were replaced with new wood windows duplicating the historic sash types and profiles.

In order to determine the original colors applied to wood elements, windows, and storefront infill during the nineteenth century, our office commissioned a historic paint analysis and the colors were restored. A similar analysis for mortar content was performed to determine the masonry repointing mix. The restoration of the loading dock brought back its original shape, and the street-level elevator loading bay was restored and made functional allowing wheelchair accessibility to all floors of the building. The new rooftop penthouse addition design keeps a safe setback distance, preserving the historic integrity of the original building massing from public viewpoints.