Sunday, August 16, 2015

Sleek New Commercial, Gallery Building to Rise near High Line

Construction is now underway on a spectacular, nine-story commercial and gallery building in the center of Manhattan’s trendy West Chelsea neighborhood.  Savanna, a New York-based real estate firm, will develop 540 West 26th Street into a state-of-the art, 160,000 square foot boutique building for offices and the arts. Plans call for gallery space on the first two levels, and 29,000 square feet for a community facility.
 
540 West 26th Street is located in the vibrant neighborhood of West Chelsea, home to world-renowned art galleries, fashion designers, media and technology companies and hotels. Steps from the High Line and immediately south of Hudson Yards, the new development will be a unique addition to the rapidly evolving neighborhood.

The West Chelsea neighborhood has grown exponentially in recent years and continues to flourish as new high-rise condominiums and commercial developments are built and international corporations and retailers expand their operations in the neighborhood.

Located just half a block from the High Line, the 159-foot-tall project replaces a parking lot and a two-story commercial building once home to the Lehmann Maupin Gallery.

The façade of factory-sash, floor-to-ceiling windows in a bead blasted aluminum frame pays homage to the neighborhood’s warehouses while opening the building to the street.


Inside, the interiors will be detailed with blackened steel, finished concrete and salvaged wood. The lower level will house gallery spaces, while the floors above will provide full-floor commercial offices with generous floor-to-ceiling heights.

The setback of the upper two floors allow for a spacious landscaped terrace with views of the Hudson River.

Designed by Morris Adjmi Architects, the shiny, new 9-story building will cater to office, gallery and community facility tenants.

Office construction in the area is unusual, as new development in the neighborhood has been heavily skewed towards residential projects.

To retain the gallery district’s liveliness, 2003 rezoning of West Chelsea preserved the M1-5 zoning designation for the mid-blocks -- which includes 540 West 26th Street -- to prevent the gallery district from being squeezed out by residential developers.

In 2014, Savanna paid $24.7 million to acquire and redevelop the West Chelsea art gallery site.


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