Known until recently as the Clock Tower Building, and long before that as the 1898-built headquarters of the New York Life Insurance Company, 108 Leonard Street is today in the midst of a massive restoration and redevelopment effort. Conducted by a team that includes the C3BG, Elad Group, Beyer Blinder Belle Architects & Planners, SLCE Architects, and Jeffrey Beers International, the work now underway will see the magnificent, marble-clad, Beaux-Arts pile fully restored and transformed into luxury condos.
Faced in white marble, the intricate facade and interior of the structure are currently undergoing a comprehensive, highly-sensitive restoration effort, with nylon scrubbers now hard at work removing more than a century of grit and grime from ever column, corbel, and crevice. Extensive repair work has also been conducted upon the roof, including the restoration of a collection of impressive, 7,000-pound decorative eagles which are perched atop the base of the iconic Clock Tower.
Inside, owing to the structure's interior landmark status, great pains are being made to restore much of the principal rooms of the former lobby, banking hall, stairwells, and numerous other public spaces that are as rich in detail as the exterior. Decades of paint have been stripped from countless marble columns and wall panels, beautifully-detailed coffered ceilings have been restored to their former glory, and windows, balustrades, and light fixtures have been all lovingly brought back to life.
The redeveloped 108 Leonard Street will soon become home for 150 private suites, each of which will be wholly unique owing to the inherent historic charms and quirks that will remain within each unit. Prices will range dramatically from $1.5 million to $20 million depending on size and configuration.
Located near TriBeCa within the heart of Lower Manhattan, the development will be a prime address for those in the market for a historic landmark home within easy striking distance of the Financial District. Once complete, 108 Leonard Street will remain as an excellent example of historic adaptive reuse done correctly.
SkyriseCities will be sure to return to this project as progress continues. For more information, check out the associated Database file and Forum thread, and as always, feel free to join the conversation in the comments section below.