Morris Adjmi Architects

The Austin Nichols House project restores and revitalizes a turn-of-the-century concrete warehouse originally designed by Cass Gilbert for the Austin, Nichols & Co., the one-time largest wholesale grocery business in the world and distributors of Wild Turkey bourbon. The clean, contemporary design of the 338 high-end apartments complements Gilbert’s surprisingly modern 1915 building, which is notable not only for its elegant proportions but for being one of the first reinforced concrete buildings in New York, which secures its listing on the National Register of Historic Places.

The interior design celebrates the structure’s history by preserving the concrete finishes on the massive interior columns and using concrete countertops and honed Carrera stone finishes that evoke the original materials. Custom cabinetry, featuring thin Shaker-inspired profiles, echoes Gilbert’s original tall, narrow windows, while the tall 12-foot-high ceilings and herringbone oak floors recall its industrial past. The amenity-rich building also offers residents a waterfront fitness center, café, theater space, and music rehearsal rooms, as well as multiple landscaped courtyards and terraces.