la ripaille

architect: reenie (karin) elliott and francois girardin
building type+location: french restaurant / bar in a pair of former tenement buildings, near greenwich village, manhattan, new york, usa
invisible elements:

1. demolition revealed that the original building was equipped with invisible light wells, one metre square in area, and 5 storeys high. these provided the only source of light for some of the citys poorest tenement dwellers in the 19th century.
2. architects fees were paid in kind – evening meals in one of manhattans best french restaurants.

client: serious marcel, the owner and chef
completion date: ongoing