Rendering of Austell Place (Renderings courtesy ofNormandy Real Estate Partners and Drake Street Partners)
Manhattan is vomiting, judging by all the new offices and residential developments springing up in western Brooklyn and Queens. Better here than Jersey, right? This next commercial venture, called Austell Place, is taking shape at 47-11 Austell within Long Island City’s industrial section between Sunnyside Yards and Dutch Kills (the waterway, not the sub-neighborhood).
47-11 Austell prior to conversion (Photo via Jattuso.com)
The project's scope entails the reinvention of a 1916 printing plant into roughly 170,000 square feet of gleaming new offices and amenities. Spearheading the overhaul are developers Normandy Real Estate Partners and Drake Street Partners. They tasked the Kimmerle Newman Architects to introduce new systems such as elevators, MEP and HVAC; to replace and enlarge pre-existing windows, and to add on two glass-clad floors to the robust structure.
Architecture Plus Information (A+I) is handling the design of the lobby lounge, whose renderings show rounded mushroom-cap columns are reflected into curved ramps, lighting, a reception desk and seating. Also planned at ground level is a wet bar, communal work areas, backyard outdoor space, bike room and showers Perfect for the hyperactive millennial.
New lobby by Architecture Plus Information
While Austell Place’s lightly-trafficked location feels remote, the building is a short hike to the 7 train which yields seven-minute rides into Grand Central. There is also the Q67 on 49th Avenue (yes, one day taking the bus will not be infuriating) and the nearby Long Island Expressway which provides easy access to the city’s airports (when it's moving).
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Normandy is also steering another warehouse conversion and topper at 49-11 49th Avenue. Called Gantry Point, the project will bring 150,000 square feet of office space and amenities to the area by 2019. Other similar office reinventions nearby include Related Companies and GreenOak’s conversion of two loft buildings near the base of the Pulaski Bridge. Jointly known as The Point, The Blanchard and Paragon buildings are being rehabbed into office hubs whose amenities are to include a cafe, beer hall, and terraces.
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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