Rockwell Group and Shawmut partner in pro-bono design for Melba’s outdoor seating in Harlem

Manhattan, NY As New York City officially entered Phase 2 of reopening, the restaurant Melba’s in Harlem debuted outdoor dining designed pro-bono by Rockwell Group and executed in partnership with NYC-based construction management firm Shawmut Design and Construction, who also donated their services.

Rockwell Group, the architecture and design firm led by David Rockwell, redesigned Melba’s outdoor dining that utilizes the sidewalk and the open streets on Frederick Douglass Blvd. and 114^th St. to maximize capacity while keeping in mind the need for seating at a social distance. In addition to Shawmut, Rockwell Group partnered with Empire Technical Fabrication to create the millwork fixtures for Melba’s, the first DineOut NYC design to be constructed. West Elm, the Brooklyn-based, global design company and its parent company Williams-Sonoma, Inc. Business to Business have provided furniture, string lighting, umbrellas and planters. The Work Room, Inc. donated awnings and the plants came from Sweetbrook Nursery & Garden Center.  

Rockwell Group conceived the DineOut NYC program in coordination with the NYC Hospitality Alliance to help enable neighborhood restaurants to safely reopen, and is creating other pilot sites in all five boroughs. 

In addition to the pilot sites, Rockwell Group will be making DineOut NYC design templates available to the public on their website.