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Now a good example of the natural lines favored in ’70s aesthetics, Arcturus and the other homes Rick would build in the area were unique at the time. “I freaked out some of the neighbors intially,” he says, “who were not so comfortable with a bunch of, you know, pot-smoking hippies.”

In a bedroom suite, a frosted glass panel allows light to flow into the adjoining bathroom’s shower.

Blue de Savoie marble tops a custom vanity.

Eight-inch-wide, white oak planks bring warmth to the bedrooms and consistency with the public areas of the loft.

A white lilac marble backsplash is a voluptuous touch in the otherwise minimalist kitchen, where the appliances are concealed behind the oak paneling—here detailed with solid oak battens.

The terrazzo at the floor rises up to cover the island. "It's kind of this monolithic, terrazzo element extruded from the floor," says Worrell.

The firm stripped the loft down to its concrete underpinnings to reveal the structure and reference its history. "This building is one of the first reinforced concrete buildings, and was even the tallest of its kind at the time, so we wanted to expose and highlight the concrete texture of the beams and columns, and complement and contrast with finer and richer materials," says Yeung.

Before: A wall with a pocket door haphazardly separated the master bedroom from the living areas, yet still tried to make the views from the window available.

In the powder bath within the central volume, red marble encases the sink.

Black Nero Marquina marble makes for a sculptural entry bench.

A bar is concealed behind the white oak paneling.

According to Yeung, in order to create an experience that didn't "give everything up at once," the firm shrouded the entry foyer in rich, dark materials, which inspires entrants to pause before stepping inside the apartment and catching sight of the skyline. "We wanted to take advantage of the explosion of light and view," says Yeung.

The architects defined the new entry sequence with black-stained paneling, inserted within a white oak volume that has a vertical-raked pattern to the wood.

Before: An elevator deposited occupants directly into the loft, and the former galley kitchen is to the right. "We didn't have much control, like a lot of apartment designs, with how you enter the space because the elevator basically dumps you where you are and that's a given," says Yeung.

The firm relocated the bedroom and removed the wall in order to cluster all the living areas together. Black-framed windows emphasize the stunning views.

Before: The loft’s wraparound views were obscured by a wall enclosing the master bedroom.

The Stewart-Schafer team hand-selected each slab of Calacatta Vagli marble to be book-matched. "We love the beautiful natural veining and imperfections of marble against the clean lines of the kitchen design," noted Stucker. To protect the marble, they used a trade secret sealing product that comes with a lifetime guarantee, which, according to Stucker "helps alleviate the hesitations some clients have with marble."

A mirrored-glass backsplash plays up the feeling of space.