Spaced Agency treats expansion of Chinatown restaurant as "architectural archaeology"
US studio Spaced Agency has built out the street level of the nearly 90-year-old restaurant Wo Hop in New York City, using the building's basement dining room and facade as references.
Located off Mott Street in Chinatown, Wo Hop was opened in 1938, and has been serving dishes such as chow mein and egg foo young out of its "no frills" basement eatery for decades, which is outfitted with colourful tables and walls covered in memorabilia from diners.
Wo Hop Upstairs marks the first time in the restaurant's history that it has expanded to street level.
Spaced Agency director Justin Ng said the project was informed by the building's pre-existing character and materials, such as its bright red entrance.
"Spaced Agency approached the expansion as an act of architectural archaeology," said the studio. "Rather than introducing new elements, the design emerged by extending what was already there."
Major elements include a line of bright-red tiled booths that hug the wall and a strip of illuminated shelving running above it.
The shelving is seen as an interior extension of the "iconic" boxed awning that hangs above the building's basement entrance, while the tiled booth seating mirrors the red of its guardrails.
A thin strip of the same red tile also runs along the bottom of a large picture window that looks into the space from the street.
Other elements include a red-and-white rope placed between red wainscotting and the drywall, and a teal and white-checked floor underneath the booths.
The studio explained the walls were left intentionally blank to collect future memorabilia from diners and "to invite the restaurant's legacy to continue growing above ground".
Likewise, the owners filled the shelving unit with 'lucky cat' figurines towards the front, framed photography of staff towards the middle, and their own collectibles at the back.
Diners move between the two spaces via the street-facing entrances, while the restaurant's staff uses a back-of-house staircase and dumbwaiter to navigate the two levels.
The single kitchen is located in the basement.
Overall, Wo Hop Upstairs was designed as one long "train-like" volume that sits perpendicular to Mott Street, according to the studio.
The project also included structural upgrades to the basement space and restoration to the restaurant's 1900s brick facade.
"Wo Hop remained mostly open throughout, in keeping with its legacy of round-the-clock service," said Spaced Agency.
Spaced Agency recently completed a community centre in Chinatown just down the street.
Residents of the neighbourhood are continuing to fight for the preservation of its Chinese American roots, as development projects such as a nearly 300-foot tall jail is under development for the neighbourhood.
The photography is by Ines Leong
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