Cast-Iron Gem in NoHo Wins Preservation Award

The elaborate facade preservation and restoration project at 54 Bond Street in Manhattan has received a 2018 Lucy G. Moses Preservation Award, the New York Landmarks Conservancy’s highest honor. The international project team included CTA Architects; D+DS Architecture Office; Traditional Waterproofing and Restoration; the Belgium-based cast-iron fabricator Van Cronenburg Architectural Hardware; and structural engineer GACE Consulting Engineers. Andrews Building Corporation manages the building, which is an individual city landmark and also on the National Register of Historic Places. 

“The $4.5 million project was phased, with the first phase being the facade restoration, and the second, final phase being the reconstruction of the sidewalk, which is currently being completed,” says Christa Waring, a principal at CTA. “It was an extremely involved, painstaking process involving extensive restoration as well as the replication of over 1,000 incredibly intricate cast-iron units, including formed metal cornices and pediments. In addition to the extensive cast iron, there is sheet metal ornamentation on the facade, on elements such as the cornices.” 

When completed, the sidewalk on the Bond Street side of the building will remain treeless. The condo board had hoped to cut a tree pit and plant a tree there, but red tape caused the cost to spiral until the board decided to abandon the project. The building, nonetheless, is gem.