Industry City
NEW YORK, NY
At 16 separate buildings totaling 6 million SF, Industry City in Sunset Park is poised to define or redefine industrial redevelopment in New York City. In 2013, Jamestown, Angelo Gordon and Belvedere Capital, along with Cammeby’s International and FBE Limited, began to transform Industry City into a vibrant center for tech innovators, start-ups, manufacturers, and artists, with plenty of retail, commercial, and public space. As part of this larger development, KPA is designing the ground and second floors of Building 1 for multi-tenant retail.
The main challenge of this project was to convert a portion of a historic industrial site, whose purpose was manufacturing, warehousing, and distribution, into a dynamic retail experience. Building 1 had been specifically designed and built for distribution, with the ground floor of the building raised approximately 3 feet higher than the sidewalk, so that freight vehicles could pull up and easily load and unload merchandise.
More than 100 years later, there are no trains rolling into or out of Industry City, just the thunderous feet of visitors and tenants. In order to ensure that ground floor retail is at eye level for pedestrians, KPA has pulled back the facade of the building 10 feet, to create a covered and elevated arcade on the ground floor. The arcade will be accessible by steps or ramps, and from there pedestrians can enter the interior retail space on the ground and second floor.