Fire Island Pines Pavilion

September 9th, 2013 - Living in New York City is likely to cause bouts of cabin fever. When the constant buzz of the city won't ease up, New Yorkers are lucky to be only a short car ride away from a variety of beautiful weekend destinations, one of which is Fire Island. Following a devastating fire in November 2011, New York architects HWKN (Hollwich Kushner) were commissioned by FIP Ventures to redesign the legendary Pavilion dance club of Fire Island Pines.

The wooden pavilion is again the harbor’s main attraction, welcoming visitors as they arrive by ferry with two, lively stories of outdoor terrace and a “Welcome Bar”.“Although the new building has the same envelope and mix of uses as its predecessor, the similarities end there,” says Matthew Blesso, developer and managing partner of FIP Ventures. “The Pavilion is in context with other Pines architecture. It is made of wood and be modern and casual, yet bold and iconic. It is the first thing visitors see when getting off the ferry, and we’ve envisioned it to be the heart of the Pines community.” By 'visitors', Blesso means over 800,000 people who arrive via ferry to Fire Island Pines every summer.The dynamic façade creates a three-dimensional experience by incorporating the public boardwalk up into the building facade. Benches, wide staircases and storefronts will activate the base while an entrance, formed by a set of bleachers, will provide a viewing platform, stage, wedding chapel and extended dance floor. The ground floor “Welcome Bar”, the high-tea terrace and the Pavilion Club will all be connected by an internal loop of stairs.“We designed the new Pavilion around the community and experiences at Fire Island,” says Matthias Hollwich, co-founder of HWKN. “The building forms intimate public spaces out of a single volume. It is carved and rutted like a piece of driftwood washed ashore by the sea.”

Photography Courtesy of HWKN