Development—New York, New York

American Thread Building

The American Thread Building was originally constructed in 1893 as the Wool Exchange Building. The Tipitina Group, an affiliate of Jonathan Rose Companies, renovated the building into live/work lofts in the 1980's. Due to the extraordinary design, which attracted an artistic group of early residents, the residential condominiums initially sold for 30% above market and continue to lead the market two decades later. Located in Tribeca, the building became home to recording studios, artists, film directors, actors and actresses, entertainment executives, and increasingly to lawyers, financiers and young families.

The American Thread Building was the first residential community in the world to provide a computer terminal and access to on-line services in every unit. This project anticipated how work would be done from home before the invention of the Macintosh and PC, when the latest in word processing was the IBM Selectric III memory typewriter. In 1981, the fastest consumer modem was 400 band. Internet access was provided by The Source, a pre-curser to America Online.

Other amenities include a roof garden, a health club, dry cleaners, a restaurant and a common copying machine, and commercial spaces, which primarily houses not-forprofit offices.

Learn more
Project Profile

Rehabilitated in 1981, this cuttingedge live/work condominium project was the first in the United States to offer networked computer terminals in each apartment unit

Download Project PDF
Project Team
Architect:
Stephen B. Jacobs Group
Project Status

Completion: 1981

Total Project Size / Budget
132,000 sq ft
$14 million