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Partner-in-Charge: David Sherman
Photographer: Catherine Tighe
Completed: 1995
Corner Billiards is a highly successful business venture which consists of a 28-table billiard parlor and cafe serving beer in New York?s East Village. Due to the cultural context in which the owners found themselves, near Cooper Union, Webster Hall, etc., they commissioned the Architects to remake the image of the club. With the intention of becoming more attractive and comfortable for the young people of the neighborhood, it was decided to transform the space by making it dimmer and more tactile. A separate lounge was designed with a seating area and working bar, but was not realized due to State Liquor Authority regulations for billiard parlors. The existing ceiling of the club consists of a cotton candy-like acoustical substance, which appeared odious and was quite visible due to its low height and the existing sconces which tended to feature it. The full 12,000 sf ceiling was sprayed with a warm gray paint, and new vaportight light fixtures were selected to be less directional and more decorative (as well as impact resistant). In this way, the ceiling was effectively made to disappear. The perimeter walls and freestanding columns in the space were painted a deep ochre, establishing the new color palette of saturated tones. Cold-rolled steel shelves were located throughout, for beverages and food from the cafe, and all of the existing brass railings were stripped of their polished finish and treated with chemicals to achieve a dark patina. The front desk area was clad with sheet steel of various alloys and finishes, and new galvanized decorative fixtures replaced the traditional pendants above the desk. A corner display cabinet for souvenirs was also installed. The area behind the desk was painted with solid hues of saturated green and red, lit by a new shrouded cove light. The overall ambiance of the billiard hall was thus successfully transformed, without any ?structural? changes, at a cost of about $ 50,000.
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