Landmarks Approves ODA’s Wall Replacement for Former DUMBO Sugar Factory Building
Last summer, the Landmark Preservation Commission approved ODA Architecture‘s sugar crystal-inspired vision for a DUMBO commercial loft building at 10 Jay Street. Today the team went back before the LPC and received approvals to replace the building’s deteriorated east wall that has been covered in stucco since the 1970s and is in dire need of structural repair. Developer Glacier Global Partners previously fancied condos for the 19th century sugar factory building, but the robust Brooklyn office market led the developers to a change of heart, envisioning 200,000 square feet of class-A office space instead.
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Situated within the DUMBO Historic District, 10 Jay was built in 1897 as a sugar refinery for the Arbuckle Brothers. The LPC previously approved the restoration of of the building’s three remaining original facades (east, south, and west) that are currently covered under layers of 1970s stucco. As for the northern East River-facing elevation, last July, the Commission approved its complete replacement with a contemporary prismatic design inspired by sugar crystals, the Manhattan Bridge, and the existing steel and brick fronts found throughout the neighborhood. After an official Department of Buildings’ examination, it was determined that very little to nothing of the east wall could be saved, and the team will now completely replace it with a new one whose brick and mortar facade will be as close in appearance to the original design as possible. The commission noted that they typically recommend salvaged brick for reconstructed facades, but understood the hardship for a project of this size.
The wall is structural, and steel framing will be constructed behind the new brickwork and will not be visible from the outside. Cornices throughout the exterior will also be replaced, and the team has already provided temporary shoring for the wall to prevent further damage and hazards to passersby.
To show how much landmarking improves the quality of our built environment and summons sensitivity for our historic structures, here are two proposals for 10 Jay Street penned a decade or so ago, before the DUMBO Historic District was approved — a balconied block propping up a radioactive crystal and a giant water cooler.
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