Prospect Heights Studio

Brooklyn, New York
2026

This rectangular two-story masonry building was constructed for food warehousing at the turn of the century. In the 1960s the building was converted into a printing house, during which time the second floor and roof were removed and replaced with a concrete structure to support the craning of printing inks. The studio houses two main programmatic functions: display and creation/production. A gallery is located adjacent to the sidewalk and entry. A studio space is located at the rear and connects to a rock garden and newly planted hedge. A three-level volume was inserted between these two spaces and contains a kitchenette, stair to the roof, and library. Five large openings were cut into the concrete roof structure, allowing skylights to daylight the spaces below. The garden is viewed from the studio through an enlarged opening. Hedged European hornbeam trees provide year round visual interest.

New skylights were cut into the existing concrete roof structure, bringing ample daylight deep into the studio interior. New structural elements and integrated shades were carefully detailed to recede into the ensemble, allowing the openings to feel as though they had always been part of the building.

The new concrete slab was ground down to reveal the aggregate within the mix, transforming a utilitarian surface into a finished floor. In the rear garden, gravel extends this material language outward, linking the interior to the exterior. Custom handles, designed and fabricated for doors throughout the studio, add a tactile layer of craft at the scale of the hand.

During excavation for the new cellar, large boulders were uncovered. One was preserved and relocated to the rear yard, where it now serves as a quiet point of contemplation within the garden. Tool marks, left mid-process from the initial attempt to break the stone, remain visible on its surface, recording the moment of its discovery and salvage.