Woolworth Building gets a 21st century face-lift.Seaboard Weatherproofing and Restoration has been retained to rehabilitate the decorative terra-cotta facade of the Woolworth Building Woolworth Building in New York City; erected by Frank Woolworth in 1913; tallest building until Empire State Building (1930-1931). [Architecture: NCE, 3004] See : Tallness in lower Manhattan Lower Manhattan is the southernmost part of the island of Manhattan, the main island and center of business and government of the City of New York. Lower Manhattan is generally defined as the area delineated on the north by Chambers Street, on the west by the Hudson River (North . Construction recently commenced on the project. The 60-story landmark building, completed in 1913, is a neo-Gothic masterpiece designed by Cass Gilbert Noun 1. Cass Gilbert - United States architect who influenced the development of the skyscraper (1859-1934) Gilbert . The scope of the project includes restoring damaged limestone on the first four floors, replacement and repair of over 400 decorative terra cotta cot·ta n. pl. cot·tae or cot·tas A short surplice. [Medieval Latin, of Germanic origin.] stones, and resealing the joints of all copper mansard roofs. "It is an honor to work on such a classic structure," said Michael Y. Ahearn, President of Seaboard Weatherproofing and Restoration. "Historical restoration is one of our specialties and it doesn't get much better than this." Called the "Cathedral of Commerce," the Woolworth Building stood as the world's tallest until the Chrysler Building surpassed it in 1930. The building served as the Woolworth Company's headquarters until the retailer declared bankruptcy in 1997. Architect Cass Gilbert also constructed 90 West Street which was heavily damaged in the 9-11 attack. Seaboard is in the final stages of restoring 90 West which was recently ranked number 14 by New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of Construction Magazine's Top 20 projects 2004-05. The Woolworth Building is a New York City New York City: see New York, city. New York City City (pop., 2000: 8,008,278), southeastern New York, at the mouth of the Hudson River. The largest city in the U.S. Landmark and all work must be approved by the Landmarks Preservation Commission, which ensures that exterior alterations are historically accurate. Seaboard takes great care in creating a watertight and sound facade for the future while respecting the history of every stone being repaired. Seaboard is currently assisting the architect in facade inspections of the entire building envelope. Several new conditions are being uncovered, which Seaboard is working to resolve in consultation with the architect and the terra cotta manufacturer. Work on the building is expected to be completed by the end of 2005. |
|
||||||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion