Coincidentally, the Metropolitan Building is located about two blocks from the Foundry. It is owned by Eleanor, an elderly German lady whose mission, it appears, is to save the world one wedding at a time. (You can read a NY Times biography of her, here.)
The building is a four story converted warehouse. On the first floor is an antiques shop, which Eleanor blithely admits does not sell anything because no one is ever home to staff it. The second floor is the smaller party space:
Two views of the "Foyer."
Typical ceremony set-up.
Detail shot of the floor.
Typical ceremony set-up. The columns are lit from within.
Area in front of the bathrooms.
The third floor is a "prop" warehouse, where Eleanor stores her "antiques." These include any type of chair imaginable, side tables, dresses, seashells, cigar boxes, vases, birdcages...all of which you can remove and use in the space you rent. Eleanor's offices are on the third floor, and it appears she also lives there.
The fourth floor has more of a Moroccan-theme, and is the top floor of the building. We were fortunate enough to see a wedding being set-up, and so the next few photos are a mix of pictures that Tom and I took, and ones provided by the florist, Melarosa, working the wedding (and whom I called and had a lovely chat with last week). These photos were provided by Gustavo Campos.
The ceremony is arranged in the center of the room, under a giant skylight (= free chuppah).
As you can see in this picture, the floor is a great room with smaller little "vignettes" carved out of the space. (The second floor is arranged in the same way.) Tom had a really good point about this lay-out. Sometimes, parties can be overwhelming, and it's nice to have little corners where guests can hide or socialize in smaller groups.
It breaks my heart to know how much this wedding decoration cost (I called the florist specifically to ask), because it is such a dream, it is so exquisite...
Mom thought you could use the brass bathtub (located right next to the bathrooms) for chilling wine or beer, but I also love how they floated candles.
By far, this is my favorite detail. This is the elevator - a true "lift" - in which they strung test tubes filled with tulips from the ceiling. Absolutely divine.
This site is a true knock-out, but I found it a bit dusty. I could absolutely see myself the day before the wedding with a bucket of Murphy's oil soap scrubbing each piece of furniture I would use in the space. I was surprised at how responsive Mom and Tom were to the space. Tom liked it because he said it reminded him of his uncle's suit shop in St. Louis, and I love the idea of something that feels like it's been in the "family." Mom liked the site because of its oddity, and the fact that her friends might say that she's really outdone herself. The place is shabby - frayed wires here and there, creaky staircases - in an ethereal, belle epoque-kind-of-way. It's almost like stepping into a fairy tale.
Eleanor, the proprietor, has set up the business as a catering company. For a flat price (Which appears to change based on how much she likes you, but is reasonable), you get catering, tables, linens, chairs, etc... I hear the catering is quite good. You provide cake, alcohol, music, flowers, and photography. It's very "analog" - business is conducted over the phone or via letter. My main fear is whether Eleanor will sell the building before our date (she was offered $19 million last year - not a typo), and whether she will live that long. But oh, what a night it would be! Perfect for the "science"-themed wedding...
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