SkyHouse is a private residence constructed within the previously unoccupied four-story penthouse structure at the summit of one of the earliest surviving skyscrapers in New York City.
When architect David Hotson first encountered the penthouse, over twelve decades after its completion, the interior was a raw shell, with oddly configured partial floors and no services other than an industrial gas heater and the minimal bathroom and kitchenette required for it to be sold as a residential condominium unit. Only the original riveted steel structural frame, the arched windows and the upward tapering volume of space under the enormous roof provided evidence of the late 19th century when the building was built.
These few elements from another era established one pole for a residential interior otherwise anchored unmistakably in the present. The owners wanted a residence that was rigorous yet playful, uncompromising in the precision of its conception and execution, multi-level spaces and oblique vista into the surrounding cityscape that continually refresh the experience of living at the summit of a skyscraper, surrounded -above and below- by the skyline of Lower Manhattan.
This penthouse was the recipient of a Best of Year Award from editors of Interior Design Magazine, and was later selected as the most extraordinary apartment of the first decade of the Best of Year Awards. The penthouse was also awarded the Jury Prize by the international Architizer A+ Awards program, as the most extraordinary apartment of the year worldwide.
Photography by Dean Kaufman
For more on SkyHouse please see the links below:
chapter one: introduction