Exposed brick, full-length windows, and open floor plans are common denominators among the trendiest apartments in New York City right now. Residents can also find these characteristics in just about any pre-war factory scattered throughout the city, so the current craze of renovating these warehouses into luxury lofts and condos makes a certain sense. However, NYC’s journey toward adaptive reuse of its industrial infrastructure is complex and multifaceted.
What exactly is “adaptive reuse”?
As American society becomes more preoccupied with conserving resources in the face of the impending climate crisis, developers focus more on maximizing the utility of available buildings. Even as recently as fifty years ago, operating large factory buildings within New York City limits made economic and practical sense. Considering the city’s population growth of over a million people Ksince 1970, it now seems more constructive to turn these large spaces into residential living. This principle, known as “adaptive reuse,” intelligently uses resources to repurpose an existing building rather than tear it down to build a new one.
What are the benefits of living in a converted factory?
With thousands of sleek, modern cookie-cutter units on the market, there is great value in an apartment with a bit more personality. Owners appreciate that they can dwell within a little piece of history. There’s something profoundly moving about sipping coffee in your kitchen and knowing that over a century ago, hundreds of workers were bustling around on the floorboards. These factories’ open spaces and massive windows make for spacious, light-filled homes.
What to know about renting or buying old New York apartment buildings
Above all else, be sure that reputable contractors have conducted all environmental tests throughout the building. The last thing you want is to find that your new apartment’s rusty pipes and asbestos-filled insulation are a little more “vintage” than you bargained for. The business of converting industrial spaces for residential use has taken off in the last decade, and professionals have thoroughly retrofitted most units you will find on the market.
Examples of Converted Apartments in NYC
The following list examines the city’s converted apartments.
536 West 29th Street
This sprawling four-story, 6,400-square-foot former artist’s studio in West Chelsea was claimed by Broadway set designer John H. Young as his main workspace in 1904. With its lofty 34-foot-high ceilings, Young’s studio served as the perfect workshop to construct the massive, detailed backdrops he created for the Ziegfeld Follies and other early 20th-century Broadway productions.
Today, the building boasts a luxury townhouse with a wide-open floor plan, vaulting central atrium, copper skylights, a top-floor library, and a charming outdoor courtyard. Whimsical wooden bridges crisscross the lofted layout of the upper stories, and the ground floor provides large studio space for any modern-day artists and designers wishing to follow in the footsteps of the building’s famous former inhabitants. If an ambitious new resident dream of upward expansion, current zoning laws permit someone to double the building’s height.
The Chocolate Factory
Erected in 1947, the Chocolate Factory lofts at 275 Park Avenue in Cobble Hill began as a Tootsie Roll factory, and the building’s delightfully sweet history is a significant selling point for potential residents seeking an apartment with a bit of character. Original hardwood floors, brick walls, and restored ceiling beams remain as relics of the factory’s structure, while all other elements have undergone complete renovations to provide maximum comfort to the building’s occupants. Developers divided the factory interior into lofts of varying sizes and shapes: studio, one-bedroom, and two-bedroom units are available for rent, almost all of which feature twelve-foot ceilings. Building amenities include a green roof deck, a part-time doorman, a common courtyard, on-site laundry, and access to garage parking.
The Library at 61 Rivington
Unlike many other converted spaces, 61 Rivington Street in the Bowery never served as a factory. However, it was a “book warehouse” of sorts: 61 Rivington is the former home of the New York Public Library’s downtown branch. McKim, Mead & White, the urban architectural firm behind Penn Station, the Brooklyn Museum, and Columbia University’s main campus, designed the building. Sponsored by Andrew Carnegie, the library boasted the city’s first rooftop reading room and a modest collection of 6,500 books when it opened its doors in 1905.
Today, after The Horizon Group purchased and renovated the space in 2018, 61 Rivington still bears the façade of the New York Public Library building. However, it has also expanded vertically with the addition of three new glass-walled stories. Living spaces throughout the building consist of one- to three-bedroom units, including thirteen-foot ceilings, open-concept layouts, natural stone countertops, and heated bathroom floors.
Glassworks Bushwick
German glassworkers John and Nicholas Dannenhoffer, early specialists in the manufacturing of opaque tinted glass, emblazoned the exterior of 336 Himrod Street with their surname when they opened the newest branch of Dannenhoffer Opalescent Glassworks in 1912. The building changed hands several times between then and now, at one point even serving as the headquarters for Howard Lomazow’s Security Bag Company, “Dannenhoffer Opalescent” can still be seen printed on the brickwork. Alongside this original integrated façade, residents at Glassworks Bushwick also enjoy a common roof deck, private balconies, white oak flooring, and original light fixtures designed by ASH NYC, the Brooklyn-based developers behind the building’s renovation. Glassworks also now includes glass-walled extensions on both sides of the building, a choice of building material that feels only appropriate given the factory’s original purpose.
90 Morton Street
After construction wrapped up in 1912, the warehouse located at 90 Morton Street in the West Village filled its units with various manufacturers and printmakers; its longest residents were the Hort family, who operated a printing press in the building for 35 years between 1972 and 2007. Its industrial background has equipped the building with several traits desirable to renters and owners. For example, the thick floors required to support the weight of heavy printing equipment also insulate each apartment against noise from upstairs and downstairs neighbors. After expanding 90 Morton Street upwards an additional four floors from its initial eight stories, Gottesman Szmelcman Architecture divided the structure into penthouses and 2- to 5-bedroom apartments. Each features distinct elements of the original architecture, including concrete beams and cast-iron columns, that were preserved to maintain the essence of the historic building.
The Residences at Prince
While it currently houses two townhouses and seven condos, 34 Prince Street in Nolita once had a more ecclesiastical designation: between 1886 and 2010, it served as the Old St. Patrick’s School and Convent. Before 1826, the land housed a wooden building for the Roman Catholic Orphan Asylum. Community members then built the convent to replace the old wooden structure.
The Old St. Patrick’s School was designated as a New York City Landmark in 1966, in part because it represents a remarkable authentic example of the Federal architectural style. Therefore, its renovators had to take great pains to preserve and restore its exterior structure as they renovated its interior for residential living. The condos and townhouses include private outdoor space, splendid views of the nearby churchyard, private storage, and a climate-controlled wine cellar.
MilkFactory
For several decades throughout the 19th century, The Borden Dairy Company ran a distribution facility out of 850 Metropolitan Avenue in East Williamsburg. At the time, Borden held the exclusive patent for their newly-invented condensed milk, and they utilized the broad brick building to stable the horses that they used to deliver the product across the city.
In 2019, the building reopened under MilkFactory, a collection of luxury condos that retain the oversized windows and essential charm of the structure’s dairy-peddling days. Residents can take advantage of plenty of amenities like the lobby lounge with a fireplace, second and third-story communal terraces, and a central outdoor courtyard complete with a hand-painted floral mural.
111 Fourth Avenue
Constructed in 1920 at 111 Fourth Avenue in Greenwich Village, the International Tailoring Company building initially housed the New York headquarters of the Chicago-based International Tailoring Company. Over the next sixty years, the headquarters manufactured some of the finest custom-made menswear found in cities, from topcoats to tuxedos. In 1980, the International Tailoring Company closed its New York outpost.
Shortly after, contractors remodeled the building into co-op apartments. These coveted units rarely hit the market, and eager potential residents jump at the opportunity to claim them. Each apartment features ten-foot windows, thirteen-foot ceilings, and cozy loft bedrooms. The developers prioritized making each apartment unique, resulting in eleven apartment layouts found throughout the building’s thirteen floors.
Conclusion
Throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, many buildings across New York City houses factories, manufacturing plants, and other businesses. When companies closed or relocated, developers eagerly converted the large and spacious buildings into highly sought-after residence units. Complete with the charm and character of their original architectural components, many potential residents enjoy converted spaces due to their unique features. What once served as an old factory can now host a collection of residents willing to pay top dollar for their slice of history.
