Good things come to those who wait, and the adage rings true for a tight site just north of Old St. Patrick's Cathedral in NoLita. Though plans for 277 Mott Street have been floated around for at least a decade, its final appearance comes as a refreshing surprise. Previous plans drafted by Diller Scofidio + Renfro, designers behind The Shed and Fifteen Hudson Yards, called for a glowing mixed-use building of sliding exterior panels composed of glass blocks. Now lo and behold, the designer at the helm is the acclaimed Toshiko Mori who has her office nearby in the neighborhood. For the 20-foot-wide lot, he conceived a twisting street facade composed of torqued glass and CNC milled stone. The photo above, posted on the Instagram stream of photoblogger Field Condition, gives us our first look at the fabulous front.
277 Mott Street (Field Condition)
Rendering credit of Toshiko Mori and photo credit of Field Condition
Developed by Karl Kopp, creator of Bar 89 in SoHo, the project stands seven floors, 75 feet high. The program will be entirely composed of retail space — roughly 7,000 square feet. The local historic district mandates that building's street facade be at least 50 percent masonry. According to Toshiko Mori's page on the project, the facade appears to shift from opaque to transparent depending on the point of view. "This configuration allows the building to attract pedestrians to its ground floor while allowing desired northern light as the building increases in height." says the firm. The rear facade, overlooking a garden and visible from Mulberry Street, is completely glazed and encases a monumental staircase — the building's primary means of vertical circulation.
The tiny neighborhood north of Little Italy has been rife with high-end residential activity. Forthcoming condo developments include 260 Bowery, 210 Bowery, 75 Kenmare, 152 Elizabeth and the conversion Residences at Prince. A paltry 55 condos are for sale in the neighborhood with an average price per square foot of $2,477. Available one-bedrooms come in at a median price of $1.695 million.
New Developments Editor
Ondel Hylton
Ondel is a lifelong New Yorker and comprehensive assessor of the city's dynamic urban landscape.
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