brick-screen facade highlights leica store & gallery in revitalized 1950s NYC meat market

Format Architecture Office renovates 1950s building in nyc

Format Architecture Office completes a renovation project for Leica, the renowned camera and sports optics manufacturer, in New York. The project transforms a former 1950s meat market in the city’s Meatpacking District into the Leica Store & Gallery. The original two-story building, modest in size and street frontage, is expanded to 372 square meters. A new steel and glass storefront, along with a brick screen volume above, connects the building to its industrial past while providing modern retail visibility. Key design elements include the retention of the original timber-framed ceiling, the creation of a double-height mezzanine at the front, and the installation of new skylights to enhance natural light. The addition of a steel bifold glass door at the rear opens onto a 90-square-meter outdoor terrace. 

all images by Nick Glimenakis, courtesy of Format Architecture Office

Leica Store & Gallery features a brick-screen facade

The brick screen above the Leica Store & Gallery storefront stands out as a modern interpretation of the district’s decorative brickwork, creating dynamic light effects inside during the day and projecting light and activity onto the street at night. An integrated lighting system with customizable illumination enhances the building’s street presence. The project required planning and collaboration with engineering and construction teams to balance structural integrity with the desired delicate appearance. ‘Balancing structural integrity while still appearing as delicate as possible required meticulous planning and collaboration with engineering and construction teams,’ says Andrew McGee, principal and co-founder of Format. ‘The balance between simple and complex can quickly lurch into banal or complicated, and the whole composition falls apart. Keeping this dial at the right level was our charge for the project.’ 

The project preserves the Meatpacking District’s history and future, honoring the building’s industrial heritage while incorporating modern design features. ‘A big challenge on any landmarked project is acknowledging and respecting the history of the building and neighborhood while also finding a place within that for something new or innovative,’ says Matthew Hettler, principal and co-founder of the New York-based practice. ‘To overcome this, we worked from early on with community board members and the Landmarks Preservation Commission staff to make sure that the story we wanted to tell about the building and its new chapter did not feel incongruous with its past.’

the original 1950s meat market building in New York’s Meatpacking District

a steel and glass storefront connects the building to its industrial past

the brick screen above the Leica Store & Gallery storefront pays homage to the district’s decorative brickwork

key design elements include the retention of the original timber-framed ceiling

the brick screen creates dynamic light effects inside during the day  

within the district, the facade is contextual and novel at the same time

interior gallery spaces are supported by a series of new skylights

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simple repetition of the modular brick screen creates a dynamic visual pattern

the exposed joist ceiling reveals the history of the structure

balancing structural integrity while still appearing as delicate as possible

drawing natural light in, the screen sits above a double height interior cutaway

the original two-story building is expanded to 372 square meters.

a modern interpretation of the district's decorative brickwork

project info:

name: Leica Store & Gallery
architect: Format Architecture Office | @format.nyc
lead architects: Andrew McGee and Matthew Hettler
interior design: Holzrausch & OHA
client: Aurora Capital Associates
construction: Beacon and LTM
structural engineer: Silman MEP
engineer: EP Engineering
area: 372 square meters (4,000 square feet)
location: New York, NY, USA
photography: Nick Glimenakis | @nickglimenakis

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edited by: thomai tsimpou | designboom