Oculus - Fall 2016 - 25

OPENER Authenticity and Innovation BY DONALD ALBRECHT ©LEESER Architecture T Coworkrs, page 30 FEATURES 26 Civic Purpose Repurposed: Brooklyn 28 Civic Purpose Repurposed: Bronx 30 A Study in Contrasts 32 WeLive on Wall Street 35 A Preservation Paradox 38 Industrial Strength 42 Innovation Rooted in History his issue of Oculus explores preservation in contemporary New York City, a particularly relevant topic for a metropolis characterized by perennial change. Here, old buildings embody cultural memory and moor a rapidly transforming cityscape as it is continually reshaped by development pressures and evolving architectural taste. How these historic buildings respond to the fast pace around them - how they can be both preserved and innovatively repurposed for our times - is the focus of this issue. Two of the featured projects, a WPA-era post office and a block of 19th-century tenements, are being given new life under the guidelines of the Landmarks Preservation Commission. This municipal agency was established 51 years ago to save New York's architectural patrimony. Today it is responsible for protecting more than 35,000 designated landmark properties, most of which sit in 139 historic districts throughout the city. The magazine's other four projects - a mid-century modern skyscraper and an underutilized industrial building turned into an of-the-moment shared work environment, an armory transformed into housing and recreation center, and a waterfront "Industry City" that's now a community of artisans and cutting-edge companies - are not officially designated as "significant" by the commission, but their reuse represents a phenomenon that can be called "preservation beyond the preservation law." These four projects are among 24 others that are showcased in a new exhibition, "Authenticity and Innovation," being presented at the Center for Architecture through January 14, 2017. The reclamation of these 28 structures acknowledges their valued role in communities and shows appreciation for their time-honored materials and craftsmanship, durability, and generous scale. Creative developers, owners, tenants, and architects recognize the potential of the buildings to house new uses never imagined by their original designers and builders. These structures accommodate contemporary patterns of living, working, and playing; help transform neighborhoods; and support the city's capacity to embrace new and vibrant industries. The projects in "Authenticity and Innovation" prompt questions about the role of preservation in New York City. How can we balance increasing density and interest in sustainability with valuing the city's historic character? What is the relationship between preservation and gentrification, as new uses displace both people and traditional industries? What is stylistically appropriate when adapting old buildings for new functions? While demonstrating a variety of strategies for balancing change and preservation, the projects in the exhibition and this issue of Oculus also represent the dynamic fusion of old and new that is at the core of what is authentically New York City. DONALD ALBRECHT, guest curator of the Center for Architecture's "Authenticity and Innovation" exhibition, is the Museum of the City of New York's curator of architecture and design, and an independent curator. His exhibitions and books include retrospectives on the work of Charles and Ray Eames and Eero Saarinen. His next exhibition at the Museum of the City of New York, "Gay Gotham: Art and Underground Culture in New York," opens on October 7, 2016. Fall 2016 Oculus 25

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Oculus - Fall 2016