Chelsea Market

The client here was a true entrepreneurial visionary who saw the potential in the property, believed in his concept, knew how to market an exciting new use, and assembled a team to realize it. The project’s success speaks for itself: it’s a vibrant destination that draws shoppers from the neighborhood, the city, the whole world, and continues to influence projects today.

Chelsea Market was Streetwood’s first project. I had a great client in Irwin Cohen, and working with him I learned things about flexibility, responding quickly to changing circumstances and doing things economically that I use today. Like jazz musicians, we improvised as we worked; all of the things you see today, that make this project so great, are the result of that process: the entry sequence, the arches, the illuminated floor, the fountain, and the way the spaces change as you walk through the concourse. Irwin loved art, and we incorporated it in the project all over the place. We also saved a lot of the old industrial infrastructure; you know the minute you walk into the building that it was once a factory, and that it has this great new life. I’m especially fond of the fountain in the center of the concourse: we knocked it out in a week with our mason, our sculptor, and a little help from our neighbors. It’s a very successful project and one that I am very proud to have been a part of.