The Bayard-Condit Building completed in 1898, is the only work by Louis Sullivan in New York City. Commissioned by the United Loan and Investment Company, the ornate terra cotta facade is a historic landmark.

The intention was to preserve the historic character of the space, and to retain an openness for both the flow of creative interaction, and natural light passing through the large windows of the industrial loft.

In the tradition of Sullivan, and the materials and details existing within the space, stationary walls with metal egg and dart cornices with wood bases, were constructed of metal wire lathe over exposed studs at an eight foot height.

These scrim-like walls function as an evolutionary or 'living' wall system. The blurred images of objects and motion of people as they pass behind the walls, fuse with the wall surfaces. This visual effect, combined with the varying densities as the walls transform from transparent to semi-opaque, responding to the changing light conditions, and conveying a mysterious dimension animating the space.

A monochrome of white over the wood floors, plaster and lathe walls, in a ‘ghosting’ effect, revealed the textures of the past.