Long-Vacant Ludlow Street Lot Popularized by Banksy to Sprout 2-Story Glass Box Retail Space
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The dormant Ludlow Street lot made famous by Banksy two years ago will soon receive a glitzy makeover. New construction, that is.
Property owner 159 Ludlow LLC (aka Hesky Haim/Continental Worsteds) filed plans back in September to redevelop the 1,063 square-foot Hell Square parcel into a soulless two-story glass building. These new plans – currently labeled as “disapproved” by the Department of Buildings – call for 2,126 square-feet of commercial space as a retail/event space.
DXA Studio is the architect of record for the new “glass box” project. A familiar name. These guys are also behind the forthcoming copper tower eyesore coming soon to 57 Orchard Street. The design includes lots of glass in flooring and siding for “maximum penetration of light.”
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Photo: DXA Studio
Here is some additional background babble per DXA:
This new ground-up retail/event space is situated in a vibrant and rapidly changing patch of Manhattan’s Lower East Side. Designed in response to the client’s desire to create a ‘glass box,’ the facade is composed of continuous horizontal channel glass members spanning the width of the site. The interior is designed to be minimal and highly flexible, with integrated moveable clothing racks that can be stowed-away to create a dramatic, cathedral-like ground floor event space.
To allow for maximum penetration of light, the design employs glass flooring and skylights at the building’s perimeter and an interior staircase encased entirely in fire-rated glass, transforming the building’s one egress stair into an expressive and theatrical fixture within the space.
If they hype is to be believed, expect construction to commence in 2016.
Hesky Haim and Continental Worsteds acquired the lot in 2007 for a paltry $1.5 million. Three years later, the firm unsuccessfully attempted to double its money by putting the property on the market. They’ve since been sitting silent without much to show for it. Except, of course, leasing the gated parcel to Banksy in 2013 as part of said October New York City residence.
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Banksy in 2013, Photo via Andrew Bloch
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