The eight-story loft building was erected in 1891, a classic example of Romanesque Revival architecture. It was designed by the renowned architect George B. Post, whose other works included the Williamsburg Bank Building in Brooklyn, and the New York Stock Exchange, a Neoclassical masterpiece. The building served as home to a department store as well as other retail and office establishments over its long history. The Herculean effort was made possible with the generous support of more than 15,000 Audubon donors. Throughout nine floors are 98,000 square feet of office space.
Green architecture is affordable.
Where conventional office buildings use 2.4 watts of electricity per square foot of lighting, Audubon House was designed to reduce that figure to 0.6-0.7. Natural and recycled materials were used widely in renovating and furnishing Audubon House. Rugs and padding, wood and fabric, tiles and countertops were all selected to minimize off-gassing and combined with a high efficiency ventilation system, make Audubon House an exceptionally healthy indoor environment. By recycling an existing structure, the national Audubon Society saved not only the existing resources of the Schermerhorn Building part of New York City's historic urban fabric. Clerestory windows in perimeter offices ensure that walls or corridors do not block daylight, so even the most interior workstations are illuminated by natural light.