Location
Historic Front Street / South Street Seaport
Completion
2005
Client
Yarrow LLC
Square Footage
160,000 SF
Architect
Cook + Fox
Historic Front Street Residences
Sciame was the Construction Manager responsible for renovation of the buildings, which line both sides of Front Street and the southern edge of Peck Slip, exhibited various states of advanced decay, with one facade having collapsed. The fourteen properties are owned by Yarrow LLC, a group comprised of Zuberry Associates and Sciame Development Inc. An important milestone in this venture was reached on April 1, 2003 when the Landmarks Preservation Commission voted unanimously to approve Yarrow’s development proposal.
Hidden below the Belgian block, ten geothermal wells, eight inches in diameter, drive more than a quarter mile into the Manhattan bedrock. By utilizing the mass of the earth to modulate heating and cooling cycles, these wells streamline building electrical consumption by roughly a third. An eclectic collection of small-scale independent shops animate the street level of both new and old structures, with nearly one hundred new loft apartments, ranging from studios to three-bedrooms populating the upper floors. The three new buildings draw inspiration from both tangible and intangible aspects of the seaport. Careful analysis of the surrounding neighborhood influenced overall massing as well as brick detailing, while other aspects of the design invoke artifacts, such as whale skeletons and ship rigging, which are no longer present, yet still critical to the heritage of the site.
Project Awards
American Institute of Architects
AIA National Housing Award: Multifamily Housing
AIANY/Boston Society of Architects (BSA)
Honor Award for Housing Design
Congress for the New Urbanism
Charter Award
Preservation League of New York State
Excellence in Preservation Award
New York Landmarks Conservancy
Lucy G. Moses Preservation Award
Municipal Art Society of New York
MASterworks Residential Restoration Award
What a night! A huge thank you to everyone who came out on Wednesday to represent Team Sciame at the 2025 J.P. Morgan Corporate Challenge in Central Park!
Despite the weather, the Sciame team showed up strong, lacing up and powering through the 3½-mile course!
We’re proud of the determination, camaraderie, and good humor everyone brought to a soggy evening in the park.
#jpmcc
New York Construction’s Contractor of the Year – Looking back, 2006 was a standout year for Sciame Construction. We were honored as Contractor of the Year, a testament to our growing reputation for delivering some of New York City’s most architecturally daring and culturally significant projects.
In April 2006, Sciame Construction completed the Morgan Library and Museum Expansion, designed by Renzo Piano Building Workshop and BBB Architects. The project was led by then EVP/Division Head Joseph Mizzi, who began his career at Sciame 11 years earlier in 1995.
The following month, our founder, Frank Sciame, passed the torch of day-to-day leadership by promoting Joseph Mizzi to President of Sciame Construction, while continuing to serve as Chairman and CEO.
This leadership transition helped shape the next chapter of our story, and was memorialized in the cover photo of New York Construction, and the firm’s Contractor of the Year honor.
Thanks a Half-Billion! – At Sciame Construction, we proudly led the effort to reimagine the WTC Memorial and Museum, a project of national significance. Frank Sciame, our founder, was tasked with creating a design that honored the original vision while staying within a $500 million budget. Working closely with Mayor Bloomberg, Governor Pataki, and a team of 13 advisers, including notable figures like Jack Rudin and Robert Douglass, we developed cost-effective design options, ultimately reducing the budget from nearly $1 billion to $510 million. Our approach preserved key elements like the voids, waterfalls, and pools while optimizing infrastructure and resizing the museum. Sciame’s commitment to excellence ensured a memorial that balances beauty, dignity, and sustainability.
Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center – Though relatively small in size, the Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center was a technically complex project successfully constructed and delivered by Sciame Construction. This groundbreaking laboratory made an outsized impact on global health. It was here that Dr. David Ho pioneered the development of the revolutionary “AIDS cocktail,” a combination therapy that transformed HIV from a fatal diagnosis into a manageable condition. His groundbreaking work earned him the title of TIME magazine’s Man of the Year, underscoring the center’s profound contribution to the fight against the AIDS epidemic.
