The award-winning architecture and interior design firm CetraRuddy has unveiled its original concept designs for Wrey, their newest office-to-residential luxury rental in New York City. Reimagining the 32-story former Western Electric Building, the design team has crafted interiors rich in curated detail, layering warm, natural materials with the vibrancy and attitude inspired by Tribeca’s artistic legacy.
In their second collaboration, CetraRuddy is shaping Wrey’s experience for vertically integrated owner, operator, property manager, and development firm GFP Development, following their landmark success together creating SoMA at 25 Water Street. With that major office-to-residential conversion, whose honors include Urban Land Institute (ULI) New York’s award for excellence in development, the team of GFP and CetraRuddy has brought to market more than 2,000 new homes, reshaping Lower Manhattan’s residential future.
“As the Financial District cements itself as one of New York’s most coveted living destinations, Wrey transforms a 1960s-era downtown tower into a defining new benchmark for luxury living
with elevated design, members’ club sophistication, and seamless connectivity,” according to Brian Steinwurtzel, Co-CEO of GFP Development.
Image Courtesy of: CetraRuddy
Where Tribeca Meets Financial District, a New Home
Wrey at 222 Broadway is a large-scale adaptive reuse transforming the 1961 former commercial office tower into an aspirational residential destination with a five-floor amenity collection, according to CetraRuddy. “The redevelopment transforms the deep-floor-plate office building through a comprehensive interior renovation and selective architectural interventions maximizing planning efficiency and access to light and air,” says Principal Eugene Flotteron, AIA. “Our architectural work is carefully targeted to unlock a premium residential experience and elevate the building’s identity, including a south-side vertical addition, the creation of new penthouse opportunities, and a rooftop amenity level with an outdoor pool.”
Image Courtesy of: CetraRuddy
Discerning, Sophisticated Interiors
A brand-new residential entrance, now separated from the ground-floor retail offerings, adds a sense of arrival and welcome for residents and guests. Partner and Director of Interior Design
Ximena Rodriguez highlights “the generous lobby program, marked by a sculptural, curved wood ceiling and a midcentury terrazzo floor.”Inside, former corner offices and open floor plates give way to generously proportioned, light filled residences finished with a high degree of sophistication and framing the tower’s mostn irreplaceable asset: its panoramic vistas. Each window offers a one-of-a-kind glimpse of New York’s different eras: from the spire of St. Paul’s Chapel to the geometries of the iconic World Trade Center transit hub. “From the moment we identified 222 Broadway, the opportunity was clear: a singular site at the intersection of Tribeca and Lower Manhattan, with views that cannot be replicated and a location that connects residents to the best the city has to offer,”
said GFP Development’s Steinwurtzel.
In all, Wrey at 222 Broadway offers 798 residential units, one-quarter designated affordable under the local 467-m program. Interior design is central to repositioning the building, drawing inspiration from Tribeca’s artistic legacy and history of transformative building adaptations, adds Ximena Rodriguez. “All interior spaces are reimagined with warm materials, rich detailing and finishes, fitted with custom artwork and furniture for a curated residential aesthetic,” says Rodriguez. “Residential units include kitchens with micro-Shaker detailing and white oak finishes, serene bathrooms, and apartment interiors that emphasize warmth and material quality.” “Artwork is an important part of Wrey’s elevated design language, starting with the custom art installation by the front door: it enhances the streetscape while setting a refined residential tone that feels like home,” emphasizes Rodriguez.
Image Courtesy of: CetraRuddy
Wellness and Enjoyment
Descending from the lobby, the rich offerings of Wrey’s amenities unfold across three floors, a world apart from the busy street above. A playroom for young children sports a circus theme inspired by a former historic neighbor, the Barnum & Bailey’s Museum of Curiosities. The Fitness Club, a state-of-the-art facility, offers two private training studios and a dedicated yoga studio. The water feature in the tranquil lounge of The Wellness, an artfully designed spa, sets the mood for residents to relax, recover, and recharge. The high-design spaces are centered around a 75-foot lap pool with an adjacent hot spa and cold plunge.
The 19th floor offers a setback terrace with indoor-outdoor coworking lounges, meeting rooms, and private dining on a marble tabletop connected to the outdoors. The 32nd floor’s indoor lounge The Penthouse opens onto The Sundeck and its outdoor pool with panoramic views of Manhattan’s City Hall Park, Broadway stretching northward, the Hudson River and an iconic skyline.
“This complex all-electric conversion and redevelopment was guided by our experience transforming dozens of FiDi’s legacy commercial buildings,” says Eugene Flotteron. “We took advantage of reimagined mechanical space to create a large portion of the 30,000 square feet of luxury amenities for residents to enjoy.”
Image Courtesy of: CetraRuddy
About CetraRuddy
Founded in 1987, CetraRuddy is an award-winning international architecture, planning and interior design firm driven by design excellence and the creating of one-of-a-kind experiences. For four decades, the firm has led with a guiding principle that architecture and design must engage context and enrich the human spirit. The 140-person firm’s thought leadership stems from shared passion and spirit of creating, as well as the firm’s diversity of backgrounds and cultures. CetraRuddy’s core beliefs begin with the idea that Architecture Is Home, always seeking out the story behind each building site, their deep historical context, and fresh opportunities to craft innovative solutions and lead clients on their journeys toward building a new legacy. Led by nine partners including John Cetra, Nancy Ruddy, Eugene Flotteron, and Ximena Rodriguez as well as eight principals, the firm works throughout the United States and abroad at varied scales and across typologies including multifamily housing, hospitality, education, cultural and commercial projects. CetraRuddy’s portfolio of distinguished work — defined by analytic problem solving, contextual sensitivity, crafted details and innovative use of materials — reflects an underlying commitment to the human experience.
More at www.cetraruddy.com.
