Guastavino Tile --Beautiful & Functional

Guastavino structural tile vaults: the technique was patented in 1885 by Spanish architect & builder Rafael Guastavino, who then worked with his son after the turn of last century. Examples are found in several hundred buildings in NYC; there are a thousand installations in the United States. On the left is Wolfgang's Steakhouse at 4 Park Avenue, Manhattan.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guastavino_tile

Cityscape: View From The Water

Now that Spring has sprung, we are looking forward to outdoor adventures in the built environment.  One event on our "must-do" list is the architecture cruise offered by AIA NY and Classic Harbor Line. There are several tours offered including Infrastructure, Lower Manhattan or Around Manhattan, which circumnavigates the entire island.

See the sights while earning AIA credits, or just go for the fun of it, either way you are sure to learn a lot about New York City and its history. For more information: http://www.sail-nyc.com

 

(above) 1937 Travelogue documentary distributed by RKO Radio Pictures and produced by the Van Beuren Corporation. Part of the World on Parade series. Courtesy archive.org. To watch, click here: https://archive.org/details/ManhattanWat

Maisonettes: Little Homes in the Big City

Have you ever strolled by a doctor's office on the ground floor of a brownstone, or in a regal building on Park Avenue, and been nostalgic for days when using local businesses was the norm?

Considering how intimidating hospitals and medical complexes can be, we appreciate smaller ground-floor offices integrated into neighborhoods, which can often be found in historic districts. These ground floor spaces are called "masionettes", or "little home" in French.  Masionettes often have high ceilings, private yards, access to building amenities and sometimes a private entrance.

  

Today we are mulling over an article written by Amy Zimmer, who has identified a trend in the NYC real estate market, in which these spaces are being reclaimed for residential use. Read her full article here: www.dnainfo.com We noticed that 998 Fifth Avenue, designed by McKim, Mead & White has undergone such a transformation.  Another, according to Curbed, was proposed as a triplex conversion at 830 Park Avenue. Check it out at: www.curbed.com

Contrary to Zimmer's observation, over the last decade LFA's clients on the UES and UWS of Manhattan have converted ground floor residential apartments into doctors' offices, though we can see that in a thriving estate market, these unique units have a lot of appeal as residential spaces, too.  Although ground floor spaces are closer to traffic, they are  often easier to access without taking the stairs.  Working with new clients, LFA Architects is incorporating design choices that allow "Aging in Place", working with specialist Stacey Kmetyk (loveyourplace.com).  

We enjoy spotting ground floor maisonettes on Sunday jaunts in neighborhoods like Park Slope and Brooklyn Heights.  If you have an unusual project or architectural challenge, look us up at LFAArchitecture.com.

Photo 1: streetview of an oral surgery practice in Park Slope, Brooklyn
Photo 2: as found on Curbed.com July 31, 2012  attributed to Corcoran Group Real Estate