Preservation School – Terminal Warehouse and Adaptive Reuse

Join Charu Chaudhry, HDC Board Member and Principal at Thornton Tomasetti, for an inside look at the restoration and adaptive reuse of Terminal Warehouse. Originally constructed between 1890 and 1891 and expanded over the following decades, the massive waterfront warehouse served as a critical hub for the storage and movement of freight along Manhattan’s west side. Chaudhry led Thornton Tomasetti’s historic preservation team, working in collaboration with COOKFOX Architects and the broader project team to help transform this industrial landmark into an award-winning mixed-use destination.

Participants will explore the technical and preservation challenges involved in rehabilitating a severely deteriorated landmark while adapting it for contemporary office, retail, and public use. The seminar will examine how the project balanced historic integrity with structural innovation and sustainability through the retention of the historic building fabric, the reuse of original timber to reduce embodied carbon, the creation of New York City’s largest fully interior park, and the restoration of the warehouse’s remarkable 670-foot rail tunnel. Through this case study, attendees will gain insight into how interdisciplinary collaboration can successfully reconcile preservation goals with the demands of twenty-first-century development.