Perhaps the most fashionable coffee shop chain in New York City today has opened a new location. WatchHouse Park Ave South offers exceptional coffee in a distinctive setting just minutes from Madison Square Park.
This time, the aesthetics were handled by the British firm Thomas-McBrien Architects, who, in turn, were inspired by New York art critic and artist Donald Judd:
“Cherry wood, terrazzo, and hand-finished steel are used sparingly, allowing proportions and surfaces to shape the atmosphere of the space. […] The result is an environment where the art of coffee is elevated through architecture,” comments firm co-founder Barry McBrien.
I’ve already written about the coffee shop’s location in the Chrysler Building in this blog:
I can only add that WH consistently breaks records for service (the barista recently gave me a free croissant), coffee flavor, and, of course, price (the menu includes items for $30-$50 for a pour-over), turning it into a living experiment: what if you take a coffee shop to the extreme?
Among the inevitable downsides: the high price creates prestige, which attracts, like locusts on wheat, a horde of Instagram-TikTok content makers who distill the coffee shop’s brand into likes and other engagement, turning even WH paper bags into content attributes.
But I hope this will help the English coffee shop chain open more locations and maintain the high bar it has already successfully reached.
📍WatchHouse Park Ave South / 287 Park Ave S, New York, NY 10010
Hours: Weekdays 6:30 AM (7 AM on weekends) to 5 PM
