It isn’t cheap to restore a nearly century-old building. But the team in charge of restoring 26 Court St. in Brooklyn, New York, found a way to save money in a way that it says creates a new paradigm for complex, often cost-prohibitive exterior restorations.
Kamen Tall Architects P.C. (KTA), an award-winning specialist in restoration, historic preservation and architectural design, in conjunction with Central Construction Management LLC, developed a plan for the multi-faceted Façade Inspection and Safety Program (FISP) project that entailed the fabrication of 1,000 perfectly aligned, pre-cast genuine, historic and ornate terra cotta stones for the 28-story, circa 1927 office tower.
“Rather than taking a piecemeal approach using such materials as GFRC [glass fiber reinforced concrete], cast stone or archi- tectural fiberglass, which can never match the patina of the originals, we made a nimble pivot that will achieve better results,” said KTA Principal Scott Kamen, R.A., AIA. “And because the work is being done in a cohesive way with the same team, our client is saving hundreds of thousands of dollars on the project.”
With each stone meticulously numbered for installation and stored in a warehouse over the winter months, the work will begin on the substrate of the 298,000-square-foot landmark building to ensure it is repaired and well-protected throughout the construction process. In addition, base building repairs are ongoing as an extra measure to shorten the construction schedule and maintain the integrity of the façade before installation of the historic fabric.
“Scott and his team have produced a truly innovative solution for this massive undertaking, which already entailed the replacement of 10,000 pieces of die-cast copper on the roof,” said Michael DiFonzo, president, Central Construction Management. “Although KTA bid out different materials for the tiles, their decision to work with the original materials and order everything at one time is far more cost-efficient and the visual results will be superior.”
The highly intricate project, anticipated for completion in 2025, exceeds Landmark Preservation Commission (LPC) façade requirements, which only mandate original terra cotta be replaced on the first seven floors. Instead, 26 Court St. will be brought back to its original condition with terra cotta stones installed along all 28 floors.
“Natural terra cotta can add 30% or more to project costs. But by ordering the materials at one time, our client will see dramatic savings,” said KTA Project Manager Melissa Doherty. “This strategy additionally eliminates costly downtimes waiting for materials to arrive, along with the inevitable work stoppages.”
Central Construction Management methodically extracted the stones necessary for the preparation of the molds for the terra cotta installation, which were sourced and fabricated by Gladding, McBean, a 150-year-old company based in Sacramento, California. Representing the building owner on the project is JPS Management Corp.
