LEICA store by Format Architecture Office

Almost twelve years after first opening up shop in Soho, LEICA has inaugurated a second store and gallery in the Meatpacking District in New York City. The store occupies a former 1950s meat market, the original building had fallen into disrepair due to years of neglect. Redeveloped by local practice Format Architecture Office, the building has been entirely redeveloped and modernised, featuring 4,000 sq.ft. (372 sqm.) spread across two floors. The renovation has been executed with respect of the building’s architectural legacy. The new façade of the LEICA store includes a steel and glass storefront and entrance, connecting the building to its industrial past while also opening up the street level for visibility and access to natural light. The façade’s main feature is a brick screen volume and banded frame, which is a nod to the decorative brickwork reliefs found throughout the neighbourhood.

And that’s not all. An embedded light system gives the design an additional visual edge. The interior design, created by Munich-based design practices Holzrausch and OHA, has retained the original timber-framed ceiling as another reminder of the building’s industrial past. The second-floor plate was cut back to create a sizeable double-height mezzanine at the front of the space. At the back of this floor, a newly installed glass door opens onto a 1,000 sq.ft. ((93 sqm.) outdoor terrace can be found. The new LEICA store carries the brand’s full range of cameras, lenses and accessories in an immersive setting. Additionally, the premises offers ample space to exhibit work of both local and globally acclaimed photographers, and also hosts a wide variety of workshops under its Akademie programme.