The Artisan at Essex Crossing
The Artisan is visually defined by large expanses of glass within oversized frames, inspired by the Williamsburg Bridge nearby.
The Artisan sits at the Manhattan entrance to the Williamsburg Bridge, anchoring the connection between the historic Lower East Side of Manhattan and Brooklyn’s Williamsburg neighborhood. The building includes a 19-story residential tower rising above a 5-story commercial podium that occupies a full New York City block. The tower includes 263 residential apartments with 121 of the units designated as affordable. The base of the building, at 75 feet in height, transitions the scale of the tower and connects it to the 60- to 80-foot residential buildings of the Lower East Side.
The Artisan is part of Essex Crossing, a new 1.9-million-square-foot development that includes market and affordable housing, senior affordable housing, a 15,000 sq. ft. urban park, a new and expanded Essex Street Market, community facilities, a rooftop urban farm, 350,000 sq. ft. of office space and a diverse mix of retail components.
The design inspiration for The Artisan was driven by the building’s proximity to the Williamsburg Bridge. Oversized frames define the building façade, reinterpreting the trussed structure within the bridge and framing a pattern of large windows that provide unobstructed, panoramic views from the interior of the office space and the residential tower.
The Artisan's commercial podium includes 140,000 sq. ft. of office space and a soaring two-story concourse.
The ground floor features a diverse array of storefronts on all four sides of the building that provide multiple access points to the residential tower, office space and ground floor retail.
The full height glazing of the ground floor establishes visual connections between interior and exterior greenscape.
The natural elements of the new Essex Crossing Park to the south are drawn into the building via green walls, stepped interior gardens and planted trellises. Illuminated totems of glass from within the office lobby draw workers from the busy urban plaza into the core of the building.
The roof of the office space supports an elevated park-like terrace.
The terrace spans nearly 1/3 of an acre and offers views of the Lower East Side and greater New York City.
Handel Architects also designed The Essex at Essex Crossing.
The Essex is composed of folded metal panels and includes the largest urban farm in Manhattan.
