In the shadow of what will be the tallest office building in the Meatpacking District, the Rockpoint Group plans to build a barely-there rooftop office.
The 2,300-square foot penthouse will be plopped on top of 413-419 West 14th Street, a four-story stucco-clad market building that is owned by Meilman Family Real Estate but is being redeveloped by the Rockpoint Group [TRDataCustom] through a ground lease. The small box-like addition will be a mix of dark metal and glass, a sort of tiny companion to the 18-story giant across the way at 412 West 15th Street.
Charles Thomson, an associate at CetraRuddy, the firm designing both structures, said the penthouse will serve as a subtle transition from the historic building it tops to the office building behind it.
“It’s set back from the street to the point where you won’t see it,” he said. “It’s subdued.”
Renderings of 413-435 West 14th Street and 412 West 15th Street (credit: CetraRuddy)
The design for the building must receive approval from the Landmarks Preservation Commission, since the site is part of the Gansevoort Historic Market District. The office building behind it, however, is being built as-of-right. Rockpoint initially planned to build a hotel on that property but changed course earlier this year, opting instead to erect a 140,000-square-foot boutique office building. The developer told BisNow in June that the decision to revert to office was a result of fears of oversupply in Manhattan’s hotel market. Rockpoint is developing the property through a 99-year ground lease with the Meilman family. The building on 15th Street, which is already under construction, doesn’t have to adhere to a recent zoning change that limits building heights in the Meatpacking District to 130 feet, since plans for the project were filed prior to the change.
Representatives for Rockpoint were not immediately available to comment.
In additional to the rooftop space, Rockpoint is renovating the storefronts at the 14th Street building, as well as at the three-story building next to it at 421-435 14th Street. The developer signed a ground lease for the 14th Street property in January.
Redevelopment in the Meatpacking District has been a touchy subject, at least when it comes to Aurora Capital Associates’ and William Gottlieb Real Estate’s project to the south. The developers are planning to redevelop five buildings along the landmarked Gansevoort Street, a plan that has face some fierce community opposition over the propose height of the buildings. In June, Landmarks approved plans to renovate and rebuild 46-74 Gansevoort Street, to the chagrin of an opposition group that argued the building designs were too tall for the neighborhood.