Morris Adjmi Architects

Traditionally, Italianate tenement buildings featured a tripartite façade that consisted of a base, middle, and top with differing details and brickwork used for each portion. Emulating this tradition, The Grand Mulberry’s façade pattern consists of banding at the building’s base on floors 1-2, pediment windows at the middle on floors 3-5, and arched windows and a cornice at the top portion on floor 6. Quoining details define the bays.

Given the project’s setting, the objective from the onset was to design a building that was contextual yet unmistakably contemporary. While the façade pattern is traditional, the application of the hand-molded domed bricks is very modern—each brick was carefully positioned within the double-stacked running bond coursing to present the illusion of an Italianate façade. The red-orange color pays further homage to the red brick buildings found in the neighborhood.

At the rear of the building, the 7th floor steps back to create a gracious terrace for the penthouse unit that faces both Grand and Mulberry Streets. The penthouse and the building’s bulkhead are wrapped in medium gray standing seam metal panels that create a subtle contrast of material and color. This allows these elements to stand alone but not detract from the brick façade below.