Art

Built in 1932, the grand Beaux-Arts-style limestone townhouse on Manhattan’s Upper East Side is the new headquarters for the LGDR. HS2 Architecture, working with Bill Katz Studios, reworked the interiors to meet the needs of the gallery. The main exhibition spaces, on the first and second floors are connected by the original circular staircase with the private viewing rooms and staff spaces are on the third, fourth and fifth floor. 

Two years after we completed James Cohan’s 48 Walker Street gallery and with the Tribeca art scene continuing to grow, the gallery asked us to design a new space next door on the second floor at 52 Walker Street.  In contrast to 48 Walker, the three large gallery spaces at 52 Walker maintain the original 15-foot-tall tin ceilings, while reception, offices and viewing room have new lowered ten- and twelve-foot ceilings.  Six tall, street-facing windows flood the initial gallery spaces with natural light. The loft building’s original maple floors have been preserved and restored throughout.  A viewing room with a 10-foot-high art storage screen system completes the program.  This is the fifth gallery HS2 Architecture has designed for James Cohan.

More than 20 years after HS2 designed the Barnes and Noble executive offices, B&N founder Leonard Riggio returned to us to design the offices of his family foundation. The client’s priority was to showcase a museum-quality art collection in a workspace with the warmth of a private residence.

We organized the space around a large, central gallery, which opens to offices, a library and a meeting room. The blend of walnut, bronze and travertine finishes is both elegant and inviting. All furnishings are custom designed.

One of the first major galleries to relocate from Chelsea to the new Tribeca art scene, this street level space is the fourth gallery HS2 Architecture has designed for James Cohan. The new gallery is the combination of two former retail spaces and great effort was made to design clean modern exhibition spaces that contrast with the original details of this Soho loft building. Entering the reception space from the street, you pass through a small gallery and the main gallery. Off of the main gallery is a lounge with library, executive staff area highlighted by an exposed brick building wall, original skylight and tin ceilings, and an intimate viewing room. A steel stair leads to the lower-level office and art storage spaces, which have been stripped back to expose the original brick arches.

This one-story gut renovation transformed a derelict automotive garage into a sleek, minimal Chelsea art gallery. With 20-foot ceilings and four new skylights, we introduced plentiful but controlled diffuse daylight throughout the large exhibition space.

Construction began with a completely unfinished floor plate and involved all new infrastructure, mechanical, electrical, lighting and fire protection. We outfitted the gallery with custom workstations and carefully selected furniture to complement the minimalist aesthetic.