Metropolis: Inside Google’s New York HQ in Historic St. John’s Terminal

“New York’s tall buildings typically steal the spotlight, but the unsung prime real estate in the city is actually the groundscraper—a building with an unusually broad footprint. These wide and long structures are rarities, prized for their tremendous flexibility inside. One of them is St. John’s Terminal, the last stop for the freight trains that rumbled along the High Line. When it was built in the 1930s, the three-story building had the largest floors in Manhattan. Miraculously, the hulking building, which straddled two city blocks, managed to survive even as the area around it, now named Hudson Square, shifted from heavy industry into a blue-chip district. After a $2 billion renovation, St. John’s Terminal now stands as one of the finest examples of how to recycle a building thoughtfully—and ensure that it never becomes obsolete.”

Read the full article here: Inside Google’s New York HQ in Historic St. John’s Terminal