Salem House is a seven-story, mixed use project in central Harlem that combines commercial and community facilities with a variety of residential unit types. The project was built on a site originally owned by the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD). Our client is a joint venture of Phipps Houses and the United Methodist City Society.
The ground floor of the building includes two commercial spaces and a community facility space. Residential amenities such as a laundry room facing a landscaped rear yard are also located on the base of the building. A variety of one-, two- and three-bedroom residential units are located above the commercial base.
The primary facade is treated to reduce the overall scale of the building by dividing what is a wide street wall into smaller sections that reflect the narrow buildings along Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard. Alternating red brick panels with punched window openings and aluminum and glass window wall panels accentuate the narrow adjacent structures while reflecting the nature of the spaces behind them. Living room spaces sit behind the more open window walls while the more private bedrooms are located behind the smaller punched openings.