45-14 Skillman Ave., future architecture firm site. (Queens Post)
Jan. 17, 2018 By Nathaly Pesantez
An architecture firm will be occupying a space on Skillman Avenue that was once the site of the long-standing Marcel’s Cabinet Shop, which closed in 2016.
Laura Heim, a local architect and Sunnyside Gardens resident, bought the cabinet maker’s 45-14 Skillman Avenue building last April and plans to move her firm into the ground floor space next month.
Heim currently works out of an office around the corner at 41-03 46th St.
“We are expanding and we needed more space,” Heim said. “We are very excited.”
Laura Heim’s current offices at 41-03 46th St. (Queens Post)
The new office space is three times larger than Heim’s current location, and she is currently wrapping up renovation work to the site.
“We repaired the floors, reserved as much of the ceiling as we can, and we’re restoring the store front to glass,” she said.
Heim, whose award-winning firm specializes in historic preservation, said photos of the location from the 1940s show a glass store front, a contrast to the brick layer that has stood over the years.
The new office space will essentially be divided into a meeting area toward the front, a working space toward the middle, and a space for exhibits and talks toward the back.
The 1,100 square-foot space also has a garden in the back, which was cleared of debris after Heim purchased the building.
The building, which includes upstairs apartments, was purchased by Heim for $925,000 from Marcel Didiot, who built custom-made furniture for nearly 40 years at the site. Didiot had occupied the Skillman Avenue store since 1980.
Heim plans on moving into the new office space in mid-February to coincide with the 12-year-anniversary of her firm in Sunnyside the following month.
“I’ve been here for 12 years and I’ve enjoyed this location,” she said.
8 Comments
I hope she doesn’t evict Consuela, the tenant upstairs. She’s a very sweet 78 yr old woman who’s been living there for 30+ years. Odds are, she’s not paying much, but hopefully Laura can work something out with her.
Who did Marcel make cabinets for? Never saw anything going on there all these years.
He’s we’ll in to his 80s now. He made plenty of cabinets, don’t worry.
Nice to know that something nice is going in on Skillman. Skillman is a beautiful avenue with a lot of potential. Good luck!
Congratulations, hope to attend the group events you envision.
Hope she beautifies that ugly building.
Wishing Laura much happiness and success in her new location.
I hope she has permits