The recently completed redevelopment project at 50 Hudson Street in Tribeca marks a distinctive first for the New York real estate landscape. The six-storey mixed-use property, comprising commercial units for boutique offices and a luxurious residential penthouse, features a glass block façade. This was designed by the late Thierry Despont, a long-time Tribeca resident and designer particularly known for his involvement in the restoration of the Statue of Liberty.
Such a feature is unprecedented in the city and sets 50 Hudson apart, according to developer Eric Schlagman. Schlagman stated that light passes through with such ease. He described how the building brightens despite the size of 60 Hudson Street to the north, and the sun makes the façade shine, creating a very beautiful image.
The Project's History and Challenges
Originally three storeys, 50 Hudson was built in 1925 on the corner of Duane Park as a paper factory and office building for the John F. Sarle Company. It was later used by a forensic engineering firm for approximately 50 years. In 1991, the property was designated as part of the Tribeca West Historic District. In 2006, Schlagman and his partner Miriam Rothstein acquired the plot with the intention of restoring it and adding additional floors. The two-decade long project proved to be extremely challenging.
Schlagman reported that the building was in a desolate state when they first acquired it. Structurally it was intact, but that was all. Every surface was dirty and had to be removed or replaced. The lift had stood in 1.80 metres of water, and the building needed a fundamental overhaul. Schlagman and Rothstein completed their first renovation of 50 Hudson in 2008, restoring the exterior and interior of the original three-storey property and adding a luxurious penthouse floor with an outdoor terrace, as well as a new lift, new windows and a new roof.
Subsequently, Schlagman decided on an extension. He applied for approval from the city's Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) to extend the property to six storeys, as the site's zoning permitted a building twice its original size. To convince the LPC, he needed an extraordinary idea. The commission members, Schlagman explained, did not want to see a matching design. They wanted something complementary, bold and exciting that would create a clear distinction from the original building, which was to stand prominently as the original, while the addition served as a secondary, but fitting, component.
At this point, Schlagman recruited Despont, who, together with structural engineer Anthony Gennaro and Jacobson Shinoda Architects, designed the three-storey addition to 50 Hudson and its distinctive glass block façade. Schlagman drew inspiration for the glass block façade from Bar Cyrk, a former cocktail bar and restaurant he opened in the retail spaces of 50 Hudson in 2014. The same glass block used there became the defining element of 50 Hudson. Schlagman described Despont's reaction upon first seeing the glass block, which matched the physical dimensions of the building's original bricks, as “hideously beautiful”. Both Despont and Gennaro passed away in 2023.
Construction work and the final details of 50 Hudson were completed last summer. The building now extends over 26,500 square feet and is 59 feet high. In April 2025, Schlagman sold almost the entire building for 32.2 million US dollars to biotech company founder George Yancopoulos. Current tenants of the Tribeca property include the jewellery store Frank Darling and the fitness programme The Lotus Method.
