Renovation and Adaptive Re-use of 19th Century School Building.

This Community Center located in the Greenwich Village Historic District is to provide meeting/classroom and office space for Gay and Lesbian organizations as well as a setting for social events. The existing building has an Italianate façade made of Philadelphia pressed brick and sandstone crowned by a formed galvanized steel cornice. The brick and sandstone were painted in the 1940s. In order to restore the facade it was necessary to strip the paint entirely, to reconstruct the sandstone elements (window pediments and rusticated building base) which had deteriorated, to re-point the fine brick joints, and to restructure & repair the cornice.

Shortly after the completion of the façade restoration, we designed a barrier free access and the design is especially noted in the Landmarks Preservation Commission's Certificate of Merit

PROJECT DATA
Owner: The Lesbian and Gay Community Services Center
Area: 58,000 square feet
Budget: $265,000 (1990) for façade restoration & HC ramp

Scope of Services: Complete Architectural Services through all phases of the project including Landmarks and New York State Historic Preservation Office approvals.
Status: Completed on budget.
Funding: New York State Environmental Quality Bond Fund. The Stanley and Rita Kaplan Foundation.

AWARDS
LANDMARKS PRESERVATION COMMISSION: Certificate of Merit
VICTORIAN SOCIETY: 1991 Citation of Merit
NYC LANDMARKS CONSERVANCY: 1991 Lucy Moses Award
GREENWICH VILLAGE SOCIETY FOR HISTORIC PRESERVATION:
1994 Village Award.

PROJECT TEAM
Structural Engineer: Robert Silman Associates.
Historic Preservation Consultant: Mary B. Dierickx

PUBLICATION
The New York Times