TYPE: ADAPTIVE REUSE, SUPERMARKET

PROGRAM: BAR, CAFE, GROCERY & PARKING

AREA: 18,500 SF

STATUS: COMPLETE

Old Flint Street in DUMBO was a serendipitous by-product of the BQE’s eminent domain in the 1950s and the one block street was a commercial parking lot for generations thereafter. Flint Street had a tremendous elevation change as it connected to the low-lying Front Street on the North and elevated York Street to the South. When dencityworks was commissioned to design an adaptive reuse for the site, this steel & concrete structure was a massive ramped parking as wide as its original right of way.

Adaptation of this 18,000sft sloped slab into a food store presented some unique opportunities. The higher grade provided a convenient service access from York Street and the lower grade on Front Street provides tall ceiling heights for the retail portion of the grocery store. The 20 feet tall storefront panels in low-iron low-e glass showcase the animation of grab-n-go & café customer traffic on Front Street. The façade is a field of laser cut blackened steel letters comprising of the tenant’s brand identity. The letters were carefully placed to blur any recognition alluding to the words DUMBO MARKET, at the same time coordinated to dematerialize the seams & joint lines between the subsequent panels. Inspired by the work of artist Jaume Plensa, the façade of the building is an homage to DUMBO, the artistic capital of New York City.