28 Old Fulton Street

28 Old Fulton Street

Project location: Brooklyn, NY
Client: Private
Design/ Construction: 2013-2014
Project Cost: $800,000

The Eagle Warehouse at 28 Old Fulton Street in Brooklyn Heights is a nineteenth century loft building that was converted to residential use in the 1970s. It has an interesting mix of floor plans including duplexes and triplexes. This 3500 sf duplex combines two of the original duplexes laid out into conventional bedroom and living/dining spaces. The new owner wanted an open floor plan with a stair as the focal point connecting the main level entered directly from the building lobby, and the level below.

The formal strategy is based on the interplay of solid and void. The demolition of the nonbearing interior walls revealed the structural shell, and the design was conceived as an intervention within this existing structure. The floor was removed from one of the structural bays, creating a void defined by concrete encased steel columns at the corners and glass railings. A counterpoint to the negative space is provided by a built volume, inserted into the structural shell, housing kitchen and bathroom spaces and separating the public and private areas of the apartment. The void connects the two floors of the duplex with a sculptural steel stair and brings light to the recreational spaces on the level below.