The Hudson River Valley is rapidly becoming home to both arts institutions and artist studios. Successful artists drawn to large spaces, and the small town culture of Peekskill, Hudson, and Cold Spring are reclaiming formerly industrial spaces for art production.

The painter Nina Chanel Abney recently commissioned Peterson Rich Office to convert a dilapidated garage building in Cold Spring, NY into a live/work studio space. The design is an adaptive reuse of the existing structure, strategically re-purposing concrete block walls for a new layout and building structure. A new sawtooth roof will transform the interior space into a bright, daylit studio space while redefining the building exterior with a bold graphic form that references the industrial vernacular of the region. Selective new openings in the walls frame views of the Hudson River, while creating a private building that is screened from a popular pedestrian pathway at the street.

The building will contain space for production, commerce, and living. A generous painting studio, spray booth, and office will provide daily workspace for Ms Abney and her assistants. She plans to sell merchandise and artist multiples from a small commercial space on the street. Ms. Abney will live in a two bedroom apartment separated from the studio by a shared corridor.