Manhattan Pet Adoption Center

The Pet Adoption Center is an adaptive reuse of a 1930s garage. This sustainable gesture not only retains the historic scale of this residential area by bringing light and air but also enhances the safety and life of the neighborhood. A cat colony is at the front, which encourages pedestrian life. The work included extensive repair to the 109th Street façade and installing a metal "rain screen." This lightweight armature creates a playful lenticular effect with changing colors as one walks east or west. Abstract graphic color is rare in the architectural realm but is a strong community signifier related to the facility's playful nature. Twenty-six colors slide from warm yellow tones to green to cooler blue on the perpendicular-facing 4-inch steel fins. The rear area and front of the fins are gray. The effect is that the colors flicker softly in the daylight when viewed from across the street.



Interior

The interior welcoming area for onboarding represents an entirely new way of thinking about client and staff interface. The lobby encourages conversation and easy discussion as a shared table is accessible and adaptable. The lobby's main feature is the spirited 3D mural that utilizes a custom graphic of a cat when seen from the north and a dog from the south. This fosters a relaxed sense of community. The plan is based on animal and human safety, with cats in the front and dogs in the rear. Glass partitions with a graphic frit pattern ensure visibility to the animals while reducing aggressive behavior due to direct animal-to-animal eye contact. All pet areas have access to skylight, which helps with their circadian rhythms. There was also a large scope of work to stabilize the original brick walls and wood beam roof structure.



Impact

Since opening in the Fall of 2024, animal adoptions have increased dramatically, and animals spend 50% less time in the facility before finding new homes. The staff loves having meet-and-greet spaces for the animals, so clients don't feel rushed or interrupted. Staff feel that the new space fosters better pairings between the dogs/cats and families.