Peterson Rich Office’s first public art gallery — the New York flagship for Perrotin — involves the complete adaptive reuse and redesign of The Beckenstein Building. Constructed in 1890 and located at 130 Orchard Street on the Lower East Side, the building has evolved from residential lofts to commercial use, and now functions as an open, flexible contemporary art gallery and workspace. Because of its scale and varied uses, the building functions more like an institution than a commercial art gallery.

Over the past decade, art galleries have played a central role in the changing character of the Lower East Side. There are fifteen times as many galleries in the neighborhood today as there were ten years ago. Whereas the vast majority of these spaces occupy small 300-500sf tenement storefronts, Perrotin has the largest exhibition space, representing a dramatic shift in the neighborhood from small storefront exhibitions, to museum scale, multi-programmed, mega-galleries.

Although it is a private art gallery, Perrotin is a very public building — unlike many museums, it is free and open to all. A radical transformation of the existing flat terracotta arch structural system was required to maximize open floor space, connect all three floors of exhibition space, and take advantage of the unusually high ceilings.

There are five exhibition spaces, and more than 20,000sf of public space. A dedicated stair built from half-inch blackened steel plate provides continuity and circulation and features a three-story atrium for sculpture display. A bookstore on the ground floor addresses the street and engages different markets than a typical art gallery, while a rooftop garden is used for events.

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