Space is always an issue in New York City; the Third Street Music Settlement faces this issue constantly with its expanding programs, Pre-School classes, and concert venues. Since expanding the building was not an option, the school looked internally and found a large studio on the Third Floor which had evolved for use by Pre-School programs, student music lessons and a Conference Room.
We were tasked to convert the room into a beautiful space that would house the current programs, but also could be used as a concert venue. The challenge was to house all of the current instruments, sheet music, and pianos so that they could be easily accessed by each group and then hidden away when a performance was taking place. We undertook this challenge by trying to give every element multiple purposes.
Our design solution was to create a curved wall of cabinets that could house instruments of various sizes, shapes and use. This helped maximize space but also create definitive areas for use. For instance, the ends of the cabinets would remain open so that drums and heavy guitar amps could be placed behind the wall, while the middle section of the curve would hide small items like cow bells, drum sticks, blocks, etc. We applied a graphic on the wall to help hide the lines of the cabinet doors. This graphic was inspired by Claude Debussy’s Clair de lune. This was James Vincent Czajka’s (the previous building architect) favorite piece of music. James passed away a few years ago and introduced us to the Third Street Music School.
Additional multi-purpose items include a bench opposite the curved wall that has drawers underneath which can hold sheet music and recording equipment.
The lighting was designed to allow for three areas of control: the stage area, the middle of the room and the rear of the room. This allowed for various uses of the room, such as a traditional through stage set, a central orchestra or chorus. The lights were placed in ceiling niches to help hide them and keep a clean ceiling look.
We carried the school’s color and brand into the room by creating panels which cover the radiators while helping to brighten the room with color. Each floor of the school has a specific color coating, so we carried the blue of that floor into the room as the flooring. One other touch was to bring the clear maple flooring that is used in the existing larger Auditorium and Recital Hall into this room to help theme it as a concert venue. We feel that we were able to pack a lot of elements into a small space and maximize every inch.
