Project Description
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.