Sensitivity and an eye for possibilities is required when renovating a landmark such as mid-century architect Wallace K. Harrison’s 1936 apartment building, which the New York Times called ‘the first real high-end architectural statement in Manhattan during the Depression.’

Many of the prized original details had been stripped away during a 1960s conversion to a dental office, thus the goal was to update the layout, lighting, and finishes to suit a contemporary lifestyle, but in the spirit of the original. We turned the public areas into a loftlike great room, merged with a once-cramped kitchen that was used only by day, help when the building was designed.