SPITZER’S CORNER & GRÜNHAUS
New York, NY
Spitzer's Corner is an American bar and restaurant in New York's Lower East Side. It was one of the earliest to feature an extensive and varied selection of beers on tap. Entered appropriately at the corner of Ludlow and Rivington, the main communal dining room and bar are situated in the front of the establishment, while a second bar and private event space are in the rear. Large garage-style bifold windows and perimeter seating in both spaces open up the entire interior to the vibrant street scene. Walls, ceilings, and niches are executed in cypress wood reclaimed from antique pickle barrels. The reclaimed wood possesses a beautifully varied and aged patina with distinctive random rust marks from the steel strapping used to hold the barrels together. The use of this wood also serves as a historical reference to the pickle barrels that were present on almost every corner of the lower east side a century ago, and certainly at Spitzer's very corner. Exposed round concrete columns, polished aluminum pendant fixtures, zinc bar counters, and aluminum stools complete the industrial-inspired interior that is at home in this neighborhood.
After ten years of operation Guzy Architects transformed Spitzer's Corner into a new concept - Grünhaus. The variety of beers on tap remain, with the addition of healthier cuisine choices, to join the more traditional pub fare. The bifolding doors afforded an extension of nature into restaurant spaces, as delineated by the vine covered trellis structures added to the ceiling, the addition of numerous plants, painting non wood surfaces white, and by using the technique of pickling on all the cypress wood from the pickle barrels, a lighter effect was achieved while preserving its textural qualities.
Project by Asfour Guzy Architects.