With the fire safety problem solved, the tower's 15 office levels were converted to 33 studios in all -- two or three per floor, most containing roughly 145 to 220 square feet apiece. Designers saved space by putting bathrooms and break rooms on alternating floors, so they can be shared. The first two levels were left for a coffee shop, gallery, meeting space and office for superintendent Kristin Grey. The general contractor, Azola and Associates, saved as many original details as possible, from oak doors that were found up in the tower to bronze floor indicators and moving hands for the elevator, while adding a sprinkler system, backup generator and other mechanical upgrades. As a result, occupants and visitors can still get a good sense of what the building was like in Emerson's day.
The studios are small but attractive, with high ceilings. Large windows let in plenty of natural light and feature sweeping city views. What the studios lack in square footage, they make up for in privacy, since there are so few per floor. At the same time, tenants are only a stairway or elevator ride away from others in the building when they want company.
