Award of Merit - Renovation

Wave Hill Visitor and Horticultural Center

The $4.8 million project to convert a brick garage into the Wave Hill Visitor and Horticultural Center is "a fine example of what adaptive reuse can accomplish," said one judge.

The intricate renovation project involved turning the existing garage that had served as a work and storage area for the horticultural staff into a new visitor orientation and information center.

Located on 28 acres in the Riverdale section of the Bronx, Wave Hill is a nonprofit cultural institution that maintains gardens and greenhouses, manages urban woodlands, offers environmental education programs, and presents exhibitions, concerts, lectures, and workshops. The site is in a natural historic district with broad views overlooking the Hudson River and the New Jersey Palisades.

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The original garage structure has 3,524 sq. ft. of preserved brick masonry. The addition of new program spaces in the renovation upped the size of the entire structure to approximately 7,230 sq. ft. The institution remained open during the job, which meant the project team worked hard to create as little disruption as possible to the tranquil setting of Wave Hill as it constructed the new visitor center.

The new building's design aims to both respect the continuity of tradition and strive to capture the spirit of its historic environs. The project team cleaned and repointed the existing building's brick masonry, while also repairing exterior architectural details. The team also refurbished the entry with a new elegant pergola planted with vines. The roof is slate-hipped, and a copper-clad skylight filters natural light into the main orientation space.

Timber trusses, custom cabinets, and lighting fixtures that take their cue from 19th Century carriage-house design define the interior. The new northern addition has a slate and copper roof, while the exterior cladding for the structure is board and batten. Other details evoke historic inspiration as well. The fieldstone piers and foundation that complement the construction relate to the fieldstone façade of the property's Wave Hill House, which has landmark designation from New York City.

The project equipped the visitor center to accommodate cultural programming space, a gift shop, and restrooms compliant with the federal Americans with Disabilities Act. The horticultural workspace contains a potting room, root cellar, plant and tool storage areas, compost space, and a vehicle courtyard.

"It's an exquisitely detailed result," said one judge. "This was a really nice piece of workmanship."