A penthouse and townhouse meet within the corbeled brick facade of an intimate, distinct rowhouse on Leonard Street in Greenpoint. On the exterior, a simple modular brick unit is transformed and welcomes people into a warm wood threshold – a material found repeatedly inside that unites the interior and exterior. Both the penthouse and townhouse support family living, and articulate recognizable New York City typologies – the “penthouse”, with its vast views and connection to the sky – the “townhouse”, rooted in the ground, with opportunities for integrating with nature and landscape. The exterior mass subtly defines these two homes with a gentle push and pull of masonry, relief, and shadow.

Located on a quiet street behind the bustle of Manhattan Ave in Greenpoint, the two apartments in our Leonard St Rowhouse were conceived with families in mind. A residential street with access to amenities and cultural hubs, this infill site allowed us to reimagine the Brooklyn apartment as a lush, private, and welcoming oasis. The building borrows from the residential vernacular of Brooklyn homes from the past two centuries –masonry façade, punched openings, a shared stoop, wood accents, and planters create a façade that is both contemporary and familiar, affording two families a home that is distinct and integrates into its context.

The two units, each with four bedrooms, have unique layouts to create different opportunities to meet varying needs of families. The townhouse features a separate bedroom on the ground floor that can be cordoned off from the rest of the house, which can serve as an office, a clinic, or a unit for a grandparent. The remainder of the ground floor has an open plan kitchen, dining, and living area with has a 20’ wide floor-to-ceiling sliding glass wall to a private garden. The unit’s 2nd floor has 3 bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a shared family area, while the cellar features a large, multi-level recreation space.

The penthouse, complete with a private elevator, spans the 3rd, 4th, and roof levels – with a skylight over the apartment stair bathing all floors with natural light throughout the day. The kitchen, living, and dining areas face the tree lined street on the 3rd floor, with the primary suite occupying the rear portion of the floor with large windows towards the rear yard. The 4th floor has 3 additional bedrooms, a family room, and dedicated terrace, with a stair connecting to a massive private roof deck, complete with an outdoor kitchen and views of north Brooklyn and lower Manhattan.

PROJECT TEAM

Developer – LTNG
Architecture – Pliskin Architecture / Nishant Jacob, Samuel Warden-Hertz, Barak Pliskin
Structural Engineering/MEP Engineering – Sharon Engineering
Styling – Monomid Design Studio
Expediter – KM Associates 

Photography – David Mitchell, Evan Joseph, Barak Pliskin
Axonometric Drawing – Emma Fernandes-Santinho