Related Companies announced new artistic lighting installations and commercial additions at The Point, its commercial and retail community in Long Island City.
Already home to VaynerMedia’s 43,000s/f production house and office space. The Point will also house Coffee Project NY.
The New York City-based roastery will open its first location in Queens at The Blanchard Building, signing a lease for 3,725 s/f for a café at the base of the building to open in November.
Starbucks recently opened a new café at the base of The Paragon on the south east corner of 49th Avenue and 21st Street. Two colorful lighting displays designed by local artists and fabricators have also been installed around the walkway that connects the two marquee commercial buildings, The Paragon and The Blanchard.
The installations were designed to transform the daily commute for the growing number of people who live and work in the Hunter’s Point corridor.
They feature a projection illumination on the pedestrian bridge at 21st Street between 50th and 51st Avenues and a LED display on a 140-foot-long fence that runs beneath the LIE.
“The community surrounding the workplace has become increasingly important to the growing number of forward-thinking
companies calling Long Island City home. The walk to the office and afternoon coffee run are central to the workplace experience, and we’re thrilled to be able to enhance those moments for the Hunter’s Point corridor through the lighting revitalization of a highly trafficked pedestrian passageway and the addition of both Coffee Project NY and Starbucks — which will quickly become part of the daily fabric for those who live and work in the neighborhood,” said Patrick Sweeney, Managing Director of Related Fund Management.
The lighting project was led by urban design and real estate development firm Totem known for large-scale design installations across New York City including the holiday light displays in Downtown Brooklyn and Long Island City, public furniture designs in DUMBO heights and Manhattan’s Lower East Side, and the pop-up art wall in Jamaica, Queens.
Totem collaborated with the Long Island City Partnership, New York City Department of Transportation, LIRR, Con Edison and local artists and fabricators to bring the project to life.
Elizabeth Lusskin, President, Long Island City Partnership, commented, “We applaud Related and Totem for working with the community to improve the public realm for the entire neighborhood, and thank our public partners at NYC DOT for supporting the project as part of their Artervention initiative. We will continue to work with the community and partners to deliver more exciting public art projects through our LIC Arts Connection in the year ahead.”
Coffee Project NY will operate a cafe with 1,600 s/f of indoor and courtyard seating at the base of The Blanchard building.
The cafe will serve as both a special amenity to the building and be open to public. The remainder of the space will be dedicated to a roasting facility, as well as a “coffee lab” and tasting room where customers will be able to taste and discover coffee from different regions.
Winick Realty Group and Related Companies oversaw the leasing of the space.
Located at 2110 51st Avenue at the heart of the Hunter’s Point section of Long Island City, The Blanchard is a seven-story, 220,000 s/f former warehouse.
