“New York is a city layered with extraordinary history, and there’s a growing desire to acknowledge what makes New York feel like New York,” says Danielle Naftali, executive vice president of marketing and design at Naftali Group.
When her firm launched work on The Willow. A 19-story boutique condominium at 201 East 23rd Street in Manhattan’s Gramercy-Kips Bay district, Naftali discovered and decided to preserve a mermaid medallion attached to the original structure.
She brought the medallion to Rick Cook, founding partner at architectural firm COOKFOX, as well as her Rockwell Group interior design partners. Her intention: To learn how the piece might be thoughtfully reborn as a touchpoint in The Willow’s history.
Ultimately the team created a complete “Mermaid Room” amenity around the relic.
“In neighborhoods as storied as Gramercy, these kinds of rare details create a deeper connection between the building and its surroundings, allowing the past to inform the present in a way that feels intentional and respectful,” Naftali says.
“Looking ahead, we see this more nuanced approach to restoration becoming a more considered part of how projects engage with the history of their sites . . . Grounding a new residential building in its history gives it an authenticity that can’t be manufactured. It creates a true sense of place.”
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