Condo conversions are turning New York City’s most treasured architectural gems into unique places for its residents to live.
Among the recent examples are a 1908 Beaux-Arts school on the Upper West Side and a three-story, 1899 firehouse in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, both transformed into luxury apartments.
In several restoration projects, the grandeur starts at the building entrances, evident from a glance up at their lobby ceilings. From gold leaf accents to celestial configurations, the canopies in some of the city’s oldest buildings offer glimpses into the detail and craftsmanship of the past. Here are some of the Big Apple’s most ornate ceilings currently receiving special attention:
One Wall Street
At the bottom of Manhattan lies One Wall Street, another one of Walker’s prized art deco creations.
The building was constructed in 1929 to house the Irving Trust Company and later served as the headquarters for the Bank Of New York.
The conversion of the skyscraper at the corner of Wall Street and Broadway into 55 stories of condos and retail was one of the biggest in Manhattan history, with Macklowe Properties reportedly paying more than $1.6 billion to acquire it.
The historic building features a dwarfing two-story lobby, which formerly served as the Banking Room. It was designed in 1931 by muralist Hildreth Meière, who covered its walls and ceiling in an oxblood, orange and gold glass tile mosaic.