Anagram, also known as 1 W 60th Street at Broadway and Columbus Circle, presents a robust, expressionist, streamlined form to one of New York City's most iconic public spaces. It finds its place in the city's fabric with attention to old-world craft and a dramatic, urban form that recalls the heroic character of the Flatiron Building. The building is conceived of as an Uptown Flatiron for the 21st century, consisting of a grand gesture and exquisitely considered details. The structure’s powerful profile was rendered with meticulous attention to materiality, profile, and proportion to evoke a softly modern and classically iconic form.
Broadway, the oldest north-south thoroughfare in New York City, became the first source of inspiration with its diagonal traverse across the island leaving some remarkable triangular and trapezoidal buildings and public spaces, the most famous being the Flatiron Building. The architectural and interior detailing of 1 W 60th Street supports the softening of the sharp corners of the building’s design, while hand-laid bricks in algorithmic rotation constitute the building's base. Materials throughout were selected for their soft tactility and depth. The design team specified a wire-cut, warm charcoal-colored Norman brick with a velvet finish and weathered mortar joints as the primary facade material. The interior completes the warm and inviting atmosphere, incorporating cerused white oak, raw linen, silver pewter metals, satin concrete plaster, lush wool mohair, and low-luster concrete floors.