Imaginative and historically-faithful adaptive reuse of Manhattan Landmark

Conversion to a buddhist temple of a landmark 19th century Romanesque Revival building designed by Robert H. Robertson, architect of several notable New York buildings including the Corn Exchange and the Park Row Building. Originally the first Young Womens Christian Association. Design focused on preserving and restoring the façade, critically praised from the outset as “an exemplary street front.” (Montgomery Schuyler, Architectural Record, 1896); as well as restoration, replacement, and reconstruction of the original finishes that had been almost totally destroyed by prior owners. The building had been used by various entities since the YWCA moved in 1917, first as a school and then for office space—and in recent years carelessly altered.