New
York, New York
The American Thread Building was originally
constructed in 1893 as the Wool Exchange Building. The
Tipitina Group, an affiliate of Jonathan Rose Companies, renovated the
building, located in Tribeca, into live/work lofts in the
1980’s. Due to the extraordinary design, which attracted an
artistic group of early residents, the residential condominiums
initially sold for 30% above market and continue to lead the market two
decades later. Designed as a place to live and work, the
building initially was the home to recording studios,
artists, film directors, actors and actresses, entertainment
executives, and increasingly to lawyers, financiers and young
families.
The American Thread Building was the first residential community in the
world to provide a computer terminal and access to on-line services
with every unit. This project anticipated how work would be
done from home before the invention of the Macintosh and PC, when the
latest in word processing was the IBM Selectric III memory
typewriter! In 1981, the fastest consumer modem was 400
baud! Internet access was provided by The Source, a
pre-curser to America On-line. Other amenities include a roof
garden, a health club, dry cleaners, a restaurant, a common copying
machine, and commercial spaces, which primarily house not-for-profit
offices.
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Firm Role
Developer
Project Description
Rehabilitated in 1981, this cutting-edge project was the first in the
United States to offer networked computer terminals in each apartment
unit.
Construction Type
Rehabilitation
Architect
Stephen B. Jacobs Group
Development Profile
132,000 square feet
Total Development Budget
$14,000,000
Status
Completed in 1981
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