66 READE STREET

​"Working with an existing building always feels to me like meeting a good old friend. 
You each tell your story. 
You listen carefully, you learn and respect from the past you missed. 
You slowly open up. 
Then at one moment you feel like you never left, both in sync and are growing together again.
You are able to get the best out of each other.
So much that one just wants to stay and live in the space forever."

– Ran Oron

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Located in downtown Manhattan’s Tribeca district, this historic landmarked building from the 1870’s has been transformed into six modern homes. The 50-foot wide facade features the neighborhood’s characteristic cast iron ground floor columns supporting four stories of original marble block masonry above. A sixth floor was added to accommodate two duplex penthouses, each with outdoor terraces, a private elevator, and southern views of downtown Manhattan. 
 
The two below-grade floors bring in natural light through an excavated rear yard, accommodating a tenant gym and living spaces used directly with the penthouses above.  
 
The second through fourth floors each have a four-bedroom unit organized around a circulation core with the elevator opening directly into each apartment. With ceilings up to thirteen feet high, daylight from the continuous line of six tall windows connects the open living and dining spaces on the south face of the building, while the bedrooms are located along the quieter rear facade. 
 
In contrast to the lower units which occupy a full floor each, the duplexes, located in the new vertical addition to the building, occupy half a floor of each of the top two floors. The top level is an open floor plan with an open kitchen and terraces on both sides. Stairs lead to the lower level which consists of bedrooms facing both the front and rear of the building. 
 
Efforts were made throughout the project to preserve key elements of the original building. The stone façade was restored to its original condition. The building’s foundations of schist arches forming large open bays were exposed and preserved, adding their character to the newly designed spaces. In the lobby and in each apartment above, original structural columns and old growth pine beams have been highlighted to complement a new palette of modern materials. 

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