Project Description
The unassuming hipped roof of the former headquarters of Tammany Hall on Union Square will soon turn to glass and terra cotta and grow to support an unconventional shell-like dome, as approved—unanimously—by the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission. BKSK conceived this expansion to be deeply respectful, and expect it to be applauded by many as both reverent and intriguing. As a preservation approach, it is designed to yield unexpected insight about the building’s hidden social history. It seeks to reframe the tainted legacy of the defunct Tammany political organization by recalling symbols from its inception as a social club that promoted nation-building ideals of the Revolutionary War period. The dome is meant to be both evocative and respectful of the building’s past while also bringing architectural spectacle to this rather staid corner of Union Square.