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Best of 2003 Awards: Restoration Project of the Year, presented by New York Construction News.

We provided Architectural Conservator work to Graciano Corporation, historic stone restoration experts, to anchor and shore Brooklyn Academy of Music’s brick and terracotta façade, part of the award-winning work to restore the entire landmarked structure’s exterior.

Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) is America's oldest, continuously operating performing arts center. Built in 1906 to replace the original opera house, its marquee façade features decorative detail in brick, terra cotta, granite and marble.

Corners and parapets required extensive repairs. We stripped the cladding down to the structural steel frame and rebuilt the exterior. We replicated, damaged brick, which had been discontinued, removing and resetting terracotta course panels, and replacing damaged tiles with historically correct reproductions. We created a new glass-fiber, reinforced- concrete cornice and parapet with balustrade to replace the unstable originals.

As Architectural Conservator, we provided observation, analysis, monitoring and inspections for the following:

• Dismantling, numbering and marking of façade elements to be removed and re-installed;
• Removal, building and rebuilding of face brick, stone, and architectural terra cotta wall construction and all restoration and conservation measures for these elements;
• Composite patching and pinning of stone;
• Replacement of damaged stone units;
• Cleaning face brick, tile, stone, architectural terra cotta and terrazzo;
• Metal restoration and cleaning;
• Masonry repointing.

We ensured all preservation and restoration work was completed in compliance with Federal, State and local Historic Preservation Standards.

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1996 Heritage Award for Best Adaptive Re-Use of an Historic Building, presented by the Mahwah Historic Preservation Commission

We designed the new addition to harmonize with the complex’s existing Dutch Colonial style architecture. The design goal was to retain the period charm integral to the serene and contemplative Carmel Retreat House experience.

Originally built in 1906-11, the center evokes the locale’s typical ‘New Amsterdam’ heritage. Our innovative design for the extensive interior renovation and modernization did not alter the historic structure’s exterior.

The design program for the existing house included sleeping quarters for five permanent religious residents, and lodging for as many as 55 visitors. Requirements included group classrooms, a larger kitchen, new dining area and lounge spaces. The addition included private bathrooms in all sleeping areas, counseling areas, a new office and gift shop. Upgrades included accessibility compliance and life-safety improvements.

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Award of Merit: Restoration, presented by New York Construction News for the Exterior Restoration of the Metlife Tower, New York, 2002.

We completed architectural conservator services for restoration of the clock tower, part of the historical exterior restoration of the landmarked Metlife Tower, built in 1909.  Working for the restoration contractor, we prepared historical restoration-compliant shop drawings for the tower’s four clock faces.

Each of the four, 26½ -foot-diameter clocks features a turquoise and white mosaic tile background with bronze numerals backlit with fiber optics. Constructed of limestone and Tuckahoe marble the tower features a newly restored gold-leaf dome at top.

The scope of work included replacing damaged Tuckahoe marble lintels with new cast stone lintels; cleaning, pointing, replacement, patching, and stabilization of limestone and marble, and cleaning and resetting of mosaic tile in the clock faces.

We ensured all preservation and restoration work was completed in compliance with Federal, State and local Historic Preservation Standards.

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We provided architectural design services for historic renovation and served as historian of record for the restoration of The Radburn Plaza Building, built in 1929. Part of the original design for the planned community in Radburn, NJ, the building originally housed Fair Lawn’s municipal offices.

Previous users and various owners of the ground floor retail and office space led to haphazard care and patchy sensitivity to the buildings historic significance.  Many architectural elements that had given the building its period character were missing entirely from the overall structure.

The design for historic renovation included replacing architectural elements and details, fittings, and removing tar coating from the original copper roof. Inconsistent signage was standardized to match original signage shown in 1929 photographs. Our design replaces arched leaded glass over the doorways and reconstructed details which were totally missing.

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We provided full architectural design services for the restoration of this Norman-Romanesque-style church after a fire gutted the building. The congregation considered abandoning the site or razing the remaining shell, which survived the fire. Our design combined a sensitive, historic and contextual restoration with a contemporary design for a new addition, accommodating much needed educational and administrative space.

The sanctuary’s exterior appears much as it did in 1870, when it was built, with its two distinctive towers and stone-clad exterior fronting the town’s Green.  By contrast, inside, the redesigned sanctuary turns 90 degrees to accommodate a new, larger Narthex and Fellowship hall. A new courtyard eases the transition between the old and new building elements. Our restoration and design for new space allowed the congregation to remain a vital part of Morristown’s downtown, and its community.

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We documented existing conditions for 275 units of the Historic Family Housing Quarters housing military personnel, as architectural subconsultant to Balfour Beatty Communities Inc., (formerly GMH Military Housing). The earliest residences date to the 1850s; others were built between 1900-1940. Units include a mix of housing types, from single-family houses, for generals and officers, to duplex, triplex, four- and five-plexes, and two-family apartment buildings.

Our surveys followed the methodology developed by the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties and National Park Service Guidelines for Preservation, Rehabilitation, Restoration and Reconstruction of Historic Buildings.

Surveys focused on identifying the contributing historic elements, building materials, form and conditions. Work included:

• Photographic documentation of the site and landscaping details;
• Photographic and graphic documentation of each residence highlighting historic details, building materials, form and condition;
• Notation of damage to architectural details and elements, structural and mechanical system deficiencies;
• Written assessments of exterior and interior building conditions;
• Verification of each building's dimensions and re-calculation of each building's area;
• Cataloguing photos and assessments

The surveys were used to identify architectural elements unique to each historic house and to catalog common elements. We then developed recommended treatments to meet SHPO standards and current building code requirements.

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Our scope of work included developing documentation to identify time period of historic theaters, one facet of the $3 billion project for the Times Square Redevelopment Corporation, under the auspices of the Urban Development Corporation. Nine historic theaters located mid-block on 42nd Street were restored to their original grandeur to house repertory, non-profit and for-profit theatre productions. Redevelopment plans included high-rise office buildings, a hotel complex and a shopping mall.

We identified historical elements for preservation, provided historic preservation specification services, oversaw scheduling of construction and approvals for the 15-year planning process. Our specifications for historic renovations were incorporated into the developers’ requests for proposals. We were responsible for developing a critical path method (CPM) construction schedule.

The site’s location on a major cross-town thoroughfare, the convergence of four major subway lines under 42^nd Street, and the New York Times’ 24-hour trucking distribution operations on 43^rd Street complicated the logistics. We successfully negotiated these unique urban challenges to coordinate construction deliveries and scheduling.

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We provided Architectural Conservator services to Graciano Corporation, historic stone restoration experts, to restore the west face of the Federal Office Building.  Located north of the World Trade Center site, the building sustained substantial damage on September 11, 2001. Airplane wreckage punctured its roof, more than 800 windows were broken, and interiors sustained fire damage. The first four floors had been occupied by the United States Postal Service.

Completed in 1935, the 15-story building was designed by Cross & Cross. The Federal-style building is listed in the National Historic Register. Its limestone facade features a distinctive, granite base, decorative stonework eagles on the cornice, and articulated vertical cast aluminum spandrels and stars.

We provided on-site technical analysis for the restoration and cleaning of this building, prior to and during construction. Our responsibilities included hands-on observation, analysis, monitoring and inspections. We supervised and coordinated work with the construction contractor and design professional for the following:

• Dismantling, numbering and marking of façade elements scheduled to be removed and re-installed;
• Removal, building and rebuilding of face brick, stone, and architectural terra cotta wall construction and all restoration and conservation measures for these elements;
• Composite patching and pinning of stone;
• Replacement of damaged stone units;
• Cleaning of face brick, tile, stone, architectural terra cotta and terrazzo;
• Metal restoration and cleaning;
• Masonry repointing.

We ensured all preservation and restoration work was completed in compliance with Federal, State and local Historic Preservation Standards.

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Presidential Design Award, administered jointly by the U.S. General Services Administration and the National Endowment for the Arts, 2000

Our work on this renovation and restoration project included historic restoration design reviews constructability analysis, construction oversight report & conflict resolution,

We completed several assignments for Grand Central Terminal’s multi-phase renovation project, including historic restoration design reviews on contract documents for Metro-North. We completed the 30%, 60% and 100% reviews, commenting on historic restorative adequacy of methods specified as well as regulation compliance with NY City Landmarks Preservation Commission.

We completed construction oversight reports for nine construction contracts, some in construction and some under design. We analyzed the interface among these contracts to eliminate conflicting uses for common space. In addition, we recommended construction efficiencies by removing duplications of construction preparation and public protection.

We performed a constructability analysis, for part of the North End Access Plan. This plan relocated and consolidated retail shops, expanded existing corridors, and added an arcade to develop the North End as a destination in its own right. Adding the originally-designed East grand staircase at the end of this concourse, mirroring the West staircase, is the plan’s most dramatic element.

Our responsibilities also included construction conflict coordination services for miscellaneous projects, for various electrical utility installations, transformer replacement, feeder replacement, maintenance shop restorations, track repairs and welfare facility relocation.

We ensured all preservation and restoration work was completed in compliance with Federal, State and local Historic Preservation Standards.

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We provided as planning and architectural design services to evaluate the feasibility of integrating the landmarked pumping station structures in a park scheme. The Waterworks is the oldest example of a drinking water supply and purification plant in New Jersey. The facility’s Old Pump Building, Filter Building, Pump House and Boiler House were constructed between 1882 and 1914.

Current conditions at the site cause periodic flooding to heights of 12 feet, submerging the historic buildings and causing irreversible deterioration to their foundations. We evaluated the historic buildings’ conditions to develop three design concepts for re-use.

• Scheme A retained all existing buildings and proposed basic repairs to stabilize them for a 5- to 10-year period, anticipating future adaptive re-use;

• Scheme B proposed a 10 foot high flood wall with gates and berms to protect the buildings from flooding, anticipating future re-use;
• Scheme C, chosen as the preferred scheme, retained historically significant parts of the existing buildings, creating a park on the balance of the site.

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We designed the exterior and interior restoration, including a new roof, new windows, painting, brickwork repointing, and platform resurfacing. We also repaired the ADA-compliant ramp and replaced railings to conform to new U.S. Postal Service standards. Interior work included replacement of workroom lights and refinishing of wood floors.

We completed all work under an IDIQ contract for retail postal centers in New York and New Jersey.

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We completed a comprehensive restoration of the U.S. Post Office and Court House, a five-story limestone and brick clad structure that houses the Federal District Courts and serves as Newark’s main post office and distribution center. This historic building, built in 1934, is listed on New Jersey’s State Register of Historic Places and with Newark’s Historic Landmarks Commission.

AWARDS

• The New York Construction News Award, Presented by
  New York Construction News Magazine, December 1998
• Honorable Mention A/E Expo ’98 Design Competition Historic Preservation,
  Presented by the U.S. Postal Service/New York Facilities Office, 1998
• Bronze Award for Excellence in Architecture,
  Presented by the American Institute of Architects, October 1997
• New Jersey Golden Trowel Masonry Award,
  Presented by the International Masonry Institute, October 1996

Repairs included window replacement, using over 100 different styles, shapes and sizes to maintain the building’s historic integrity, masonry and stone repair, interior and exterior door replacement, historic lobby repainting, historic lighting fixture restoration, and marble and aluminum repair. Whenever possible, work was performed by hand, employing traditional methods to ensure compatibility with the original workmanship.

Sustainable methods included re-using existing door hardware, refurbishing and retrofitting lighting fixtures with energy efficient bulbs.