What’s Old Is New: Redeveloping St. John’s Terminal

NEW YORK CITY—Downtown has done it again—bringing home the hip factor. In building upon the past, Oxford Properties Group is creating a space for the future. It hired COOKFOX Architects who designed re-use plans to convert St. John’s Terminal into 1.3 million square feet of contemporary office space. Adamson Associates is the executive architect with Gensler handling architectural interiors.

Located at 550 Washington St. at the corner of Houston and West streets in Hudson Square, the building spans two full Manhattan blocks. Next to Hudson River Park, the property enjoys a prime, trendy location. It’s in the West Village, near Pier 40, at the intersection of SoHo and Tribeca.

COOKFOX’s plans breathe life into the industrial bones of the warehouse. Built in the 1930s, the building lay mostly vacant for decades. Adding greenery, outdoor space and open space where people can interact, the architecture shows responsiveness to current real estate trends, aesthetics and tenant preferences.

The freight terminal for the High Line, well before Amazon, the warehouse was an architectural ancestor of today’s in demand “fulfillment center.” It served as a distribution hub for daily goods. (Sound familiar/?) The rail beds will remain visible as a central design feature in the massive building that was constructed to hold up to 227 train cars. The first renderings of the plan depict a 12-story structure with 100,000 square-foot floor plates.

“We felt a tremendous responsibility to re-imagine St. John’s Terminal in an authentic yet modern way,” says Dean Shapiro, head of US developments at Oxford Properties. He notes the terminal had a long history of innovation and productivity. He points out that its large floor plates allow for more flexible workspaces which can accommodate company expansions and changes over time.

The development will preserve three stories of the existing structure. Oxford will add nine stories on top, with a glass façade allowing 400 linear feet of west-facing views of the waterfront and sunset. The complex will feature a green landscaped rooftop and terraces overlooking the river. The overpass covering Houston Street will be removed. This will expose the original railroad tracks and connect the development to the waterfront and Hudson River Park.

“St. John’s Terminal once formed the end of The High Line and our design will preserve the history and authenticity of this important piece of rail infrastructure that once connected the world to New York City,” says Rick Cook, founding partner of COOKFOX. “This building will be the next generation of high-performance, biophilic workplaces to support wellness and productivity for occupants, with access to outdoor gardens.”

Although Oxford has 30 active development projects underway around the world, this is their first project in the US as the lead developer. In January 2018, Oxford and Canada Pension Plan Investment Board purchased the south portion of the St. John’s Terminal site for $700 million. The sellers were Westbrook Partners and Atlas Capital Group. Oxford owns a 52.5% stake and serves as the property manager. CPPIB owns the remaining 47.5% interest.