Once Abandoned 5 Beekman in NYC Meticulously Restored in Partnership with Caoba

An empty, abandoned historical building in downtown Manhattan — it's more likely than you might think. 

The building at 5 Beekman Street in New York City sat empty for years following September 11, 2001. But, in recent years, it's been restored and converted into a high-end hotel — The Beekman, a Thompson Hotel. And craftspeople like those at Caoba helped preserve the building's historical architectural features.

First built in 1883, 5 Beekman's 10 stories meant it was considered a skyscraper at the time. The Victorian-style building is one of the few left preserved in New York, featuring an awe-inspiring nine-story Victorian atrium and a pyramidal skylight.

Located just a block from City Hall, 5 Beekman was first constructed to hold a theater. Through the decades, the brick and terra cotta building housed various businesses, including publishing and legal firms. 

The building was purchased in 2013 by GFI Capital Resources Group, Inc. for $86 million, who then commissioned Gerner Kronick + Valcarcel (GKV) Architects to adapt the historic structure into a hotel and to build a 51-story condo building on the adjacent lot.

The condo tower's first 10 floors were joined to the existing historical building and hold much of the hotel’s state-of-the-art heating, ventilating, and fire suppression infrastructure.

The project's restoration team meticulously preserved and restored the building's historical features like the central atrium, the grand skylight, the cast iron balustrades, and the period wood arched doors and windows.

The expert engineers at Caoba, which handcrafts windows, doors, and millwork with exceptional craftsmanship, matched the arched historical profile windows to maintain the building's original charm.

For the project, Caoba supplied single hung windows with concealed balances, single hung windows with weights and chains, fixed windows, inswing casement windows, and awnings. 

Rooted in the craftsmanship traditions of Antigua, Guatemala, Caoba is a multi-generational family business that's been the premier destination for handcrafted windows, doors, and millwork since 1983.

Caoba sources only top-notch materials, and everything they produce is handcrafted by skilled artisans. Aiming to preserve the essence of traditional craftsmanship, Caoba is meticulous about creating products designed to stand the test of time — both from their physical durability and the timelessness of their designs.