Kushner Studios / Minetta Lane Townhouse Presentation

16 Minetta Lane: This is a private townhouse located in the historic section of Greenwich Village, Manhattan. This is a milestone project for Owner/Architect/Contractor Adam Kushner and his firms, as it represents the realization of his long held goal: to provide a holistic design paradigm for creating the full integration of a design-build-develop model for architecture.

Its deeply philosophical narrative draws from its historical context of being located at the head of Minetta Street, which infilled the legendary Minetta Brook [reportedly harbouring the best trout fishing in colonial New York]. In fact, the site history and its context are revealed throughout the design of this gut renovation/new addition, a process born from the site inspiring choices of materiality and form.

The unique pattern of oak trees along Minetta Street for example, form the gothic arches and comprise the defining narrative for the building’s newly inserted steel façade, respecting at the same time, the original shell from previous owner: noted Interior Designer and Florist, Mr. Robert Isabell. These Great Oaks, for instance, not only become re-integrated again as a way of iconically filtering light through the façade but also are found within as moments of stacked-cordwood piles seen throughout the home, referencing its original fuel source. Large scale wood elements are woven into other interior finishes and are found in flooring, counters and other detailing. It should be noted that most of this wood was hand cut and on site hewn and air dried on property owned by Mr. Kushner in the Hudson Valley furthering a secondary goal of continuing the cycle of sustainable resources and connection to its rural routes.

The inceptive design moment for 16 Minetta Lane occurred as the principal was cutting away a tree that had fallen post-superstorm Sandy combined with an ad hoc game of hide-and-seek he had with his children. As his daughter used a tree to hide herself from view it hit him that using a tree as a shelter and protective device made sense. Heavy handed narratives aside, somewhere in all this, he provided a wonderful place to shelter his family for the foreseeable future.

Learn more at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/16-minetta-lane-lecture-by-adam-kushner-tickets-171352518997.