Each year, the prestigious American Institute of Architects (AIA) celebrates the most innovative and spectacular interior spaces that have made a mark on the cities, places and spaces, internationally, where we live and work.
Nine sites were chosen this year and include the cities of San Francisco, two in Chicago, Austin, Texas, Seoul, South Korea, Los Angeles, California, Copenhagen, Denmark, New Orleans, and New York’s Upper East Side Apple Store, located at 940 Madison Avenue at 74th Street, interior designed by architect Bohlin Cywinski Jackson.
The project is an adaptive reuse of the 1922 U.S. Mortgage & Trust building designed by Henry Otis Chapman, and is now home to one of Apple’s Manhattan retail stores. The neighborhood is characterized by a mixture of luxury-brand retail shops and several notable landmarks, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Whitney Museum designed by Marcel Breuer.
Apple collaborated with Bohlin Cywinski Jackson and its consultant team to restore the building’s general ambiance and grandeur. The project included exterior restoration that required significant repair to many of the original windows; exterior paint, stone, and grout were also reconditioned. The interior finishes, such as the marble entry, plaster coffered ceilings, and chandeliers, were reconstructed with the help of historic photographs and blueprints.
Sensitive alterations were made to the original banking hall, which now serves as the store’s main sales floor. To recover the light and airy qualities of the space, partitions and mezzanines were recreated, and columns and thick bearing walls were removed. The original vault room, repurposed as a private sales space, allows for a more personal customer experience. In addition to careful restorations and modifications, many upgrades to building services were made during the renovation.
“To become a recognizable and active Apple retail environment, while respecting the original design, this project required dedicated focus to reinterpret and recreate the spatial qualities and the unique architectural detailing of the interior,” said Karl Backus, design principal from Bohlin Cywinski Jackson’s San Francisco office. “We’re thrilled with the outcome and proud of the team’s work in restoring the grandeur of the space. We are honored to receive this recognition.”
AIA, headquartered in Washington D.C. (with more than 200 chapters around the world) was founded by 13 architects in 1857. The New York Chapter, The Center for Architecture, is located at 536 LaGUardia Place in Greenwich Village, with a full calendar of events and exhibits throughout the year.
Congratulations to all the winners!