Photo: AIA
The Apple Upper East Side Store in New York, has won one of the nine awards that the American Institute of Architects awards each year. The design of this Apple Store was carried out by the architectural firm Bohlin Cywinski Jackson in 2013 and practically maintained the same design of the building where it is located.
Located at 74th Street and Madison Avenue in New York City, the Upper East Side Apple Store opened its doors in 2013 in a neoclassical building of the US Mortage & Trust Company Building originally designed by Henry Otis Chapman in 1922.
Photo: AIA
Described by AIA as "a beautifully proportioned space, highlighted by tall windows, elegant details, and airy majesty." The hall of this place had deteriorated considerably in recent years due to lack of maintenance and a large part of the structure was propped up. Over the years, partitions and a hanging ceiling were installed and the important architectural elements that it originally had had been removed.
The architectural firm Bohlin Cywinski Jackson (BCJ) was in charge of the conservation and restoration not only of the exterior of the building, but also of its interior, including new spaces in a basement that is described as "a labyrinth of vaults and load-bearing walls" . The designers restored and preserved the original features wherever possible Although some pieces were missing or their restoration was very complicated, but thanks to the photographs and drawings of the property, it was possible to restore the original aesthetics, including the lamps that hang from the ceiling.
Photo: AIA
AIA highlights the work of the BCJ studio as a "mixture of old and new, combining typical wooden furniture with consumer electronic devices in an environment that is almost 100 years old." This Apple Store, along with those in Soho, the one located in West Street and the one in the Grand Central station allowed the company to obtain an award from the city for preserve and restore historic structures in New York City.
