Entrance and Lobby at
54 West 21st Street

Location: New York, NY

Area: 600 sq. ft.

This office building required a new entrance to appeal to potential office tenants. Upgrading the exterior entrance and lobby would improve a visitor’s first impression of the building.

The building is located in the heart of the Chelsea neighborhood of New York City. The surrounding area has had a resurgence of new office spaces. The appeal of this type of building is the old warehouse loft construction. Original wood plank floors, exposed brick walls, and plaster columns with flared capitals are typical elements on tenant floors of these buildings.

It was required that solutions were practical as well as appealing. The entry doors would need to withstand heavy traffic. The interior walls would need to be impervious to graffiti. Flooring would need to withstand heavy foot traffic. Lighting would need to be bright in all areas for security.

When the old finishes were removed, original plaster detailing, marble walls, and terrazzo flooring were uncovered. It was decided that the plasterwork would be restored and painted in various colors to highlight the details. The terrazzo floor and marble wall panels were restored to their original condition. Special wall panels were added around the elevators for their beauty and cleanability. A faux green marble cornice molding was added above the wall panels to cap the stone wall finishes.

The glass entrance was reproportioned so that the interior architecture could be seen from the outside. New graphic numbers were etched in the transom for building identity. A new tenant directory was built into the new wall panels.