Property of the Month: Morgan North - the redevelopment and adaptive reuse of the largest USPS postal distribution center in NYC

Manhattan, NY The expansive, 645,000 s/f Morgan North redevelopment by Tishman Speyer transforms what was once New York City’s largest postal distribution center into a multi-use, sustainable property housing creative office space, a multilevel rooftop park and street-level retail.

Located at 351 9^th Ave., the body of the building encompasses an entire city block between 9th and 10^th Aves. from West 29^th to West 30^th Sts. The building varies from a six-story to a ten-story structure along its West 30^th St. frontage. The site originally served as a rail yard for the Hudson River Railroad and then as a United States Post Office distribution center, erected in 1933. Rail tracks previously extended from the adjacent High Line spur into the second floor, resulting in a building with large footprints and increased structural capacities. The USPS continues to operate a mail distribution facility on the cellar level and four lower levels of the building.

Tishman Speyer’s intense focus on occupant health and well being is exemplified by Morgan North’s new, two-acre rooftop park, the largest intensive green roof atop a commercial building in New York City. This expansive customer amenity is an integral part of the comprehensive adaptive reuse of the building into a visionary 21^st century commercial office building. The building has received a LEED Gold certification.

Tishman Speyer and the architecture team of lead architect Montroy DeMarco Architecture and vision plan and design architect Shimoda Design Group took advantage of these features to enable the creation of new ground floor retail and lobby spaces, multi-tenant cores, a rooftop pavilion addition as well as multiple outdoor terraces, designed by landscape architect HMWhite.

The historic 9^th Ave. lobby has been meticulously restored, bringing its brass-framed entrance doors with an ornamental, double-height transom grille to its original beauty. In addition, Tishman Speyer and its architectural team created two new lobbies, one mid-block on West 30^th St. and the other on the corner of 10^th Ave. and West 30^th St. 

The two new lobbies feature oversized 14” wide by 22’ long Douglas fir wood planks that provide a striking, continuous wall surface. Douglas fir planks are also applied to the ceiling, creating a warm, seamless look to enhance the architecture and lighting design. The 10^th Ave. lobby ties itself visually to the adjacent High Line spur by celebrating four large openings where the trains used to access the building. It features a work/lounge area and an intimate lounge room reminiscent of a vintage railroad café car. These hospitality elements promote the lobby space as a place of social gathering, introducing hospitality concepts into a commercial workplace environment.

The 10^th Avenue lobby features a work/lounge area and an intimate lounge room reminiscent of a vintage railroad café car, introducing hospitality concepts into a commercial workplace environment.

The levels five through ten have been renovated with new lobbies, core support rooms, restrooms, stairs and eleven new elevators. The 5^th and 6^th floors boast floor plates of approx. 160,000 s/f each.

The 7^th floor’s new 22,000 s/f pavilion features two 60-ft. wide clear span bays, a 17-foot tall steel frame structure and a monumental skylight system. It is the anchor access point to the massive Rooftop Park amenity space. The pavilion includes a fully occupiable roof structure of 22,000 s/f, which can serve as a private urban garden. 

The two-acre rooftop park features a natural feeling, meandering landscape with a planting scheme representative of the distinct planting regions of New York State. Coniferous hedgerows mitigate prevailing winds and are combined with groves of canopy trees to soften and cool harsh sunrays. An elevated walkway at perimeter allows views over parapet, while a variety of raised and sunken areas create a feeling of natural topography.

A variety of spaces are designed for collaborative work, recreation, and quiet inspiration. The ground plane is infused with areas for field games, nature walks, food, beverage, and covered gathering areas for work and play.

Additional team members included construction manager Urban Atelier Group, structural engineer Active Design Group Engineering, MEP engineer and lighting designer Cosentini Associates, LEED consultant: Vidaris/SOCOTEC and historic preservation consultant Higgins Quasebarth & Partners.