In addition, there were multiple security restrictions; the building remained a working courthouse that required heightened security. Security personnel constantly monitored each entrance. There also was an increased need for noise control; the construction team had to carefully coordinate their work with tenants.
Because of the grandeur of the atrium, the interior is often used as the backdrop for the filming of movies and commercials, and it is frequently rented out as an event space. The television show “Law and Order” and movies “The Devil Wears Prada” and “Great Expectations”, as well as many other productions feature scenes shot within the building. Construction could not commence until such pre-booked shoots and events taking place immediately below the skylight were completed. No events were scheduled during the construction period.
PROJECT ELEMENTS
Based on Urbahn Architects’ design, the renovation team removed the entire outer monitor system and replaced it with a new copper-anodized aluminum frame to emulate the original copper frame cladding. The team oversaw the fabrication of a new aluminum frame to hold the glass panels. Several new copper elements were fabricated to match the originals, including leaders, gutters and a ridge vent replicating the original ornate rope motif.
The leaded-glass laylight panels were removed and crated for restoration by Bovard Studio. The lead cames were heavily fatigued and failing, having exceeded their practical life span. New reinforcement and new lead caming were installed. The team carefully selected new etched glass to match the texture and translucency of the original.
The design team addressed the inherent vulnerability of the glass block walkway to water infiltration by designing a new protective assembly, including laminated glass protecting the glass blocks with new durable aluminum panels as a walking surface, all within a new metal frame system.
Although the original intent was to salvage as many glass block units as possible and install replica units to replace damaged ones, extensive corrosion of the cast-iron frames made it impossible to remove any units without breaking them. Instead, molds for new glass blocks were taken from castings of existing blocks. New hexagonal glass blocks were casted by Gillinder Brothers to match the original hexagonal glass blocks, which are 1 1/2-inches thick and 3 1/2-inches wide, with groups of blocks forming a total of 24 glass panels running on two sides of the skylight. The new glass blocks include the original embossed snowflake pattern on the surface. Meanwhile, Wemco Casting fabricated new cast-iron frames.
Based on historic photographs, Jablonski Building Conservation determined initially the plaster was unfinished. Then it had been painted a pale yellow overlaid with a simple, light stencil pattern. It was subsequently painted with a faux-Siena marble finish in 1933, signed by the artist, Luka Jolis. The team decided to replicate this most recent finish, to match the Siena walls and columns. The lunettes were heavily cracked and the painted finish was actively flaking from the surface. EverGreene Architectural Arts repaired the flat plaster using a mesh-and-skim coat system before the lunettes were repainted. The ornamental plaster border was repaired and missing plaster elements were recast before repainting to match the adjacent fire-gilt-bronze finish. The painstaking paint detailing included elaborate veining and faux joint lines.
The bronze enclosures were stripped of all finishes and cleaned by EverGreene Architectural Arts. To access these enclosures, the team first removed several large bronze garland elements that were bolted to the enclosures. EverGreene Architectural Arts cleaned the surfaces with solvents, fire-gilded them and then coated them with Permalac. According to Jablonski, fire-gilding, also known as ormolu, is a process by which an amalgam of gold and mercury is applied to a metallic surface. The surface is heated, which causes the mercury to evaporate and leave the gold particles behind. The surface is then burnished or treated with waxes. The waxes may have additives, such as ochres or verdigris, which, when the wax is fired and melted from the surface, leave behind a slightly tinted finish with highlights on the surface.
“The overall effect is a rich golden color, chemically bonded to the metal surface and, therefore, more durable than a traditional gilded finish. The restored fire-gilt-bronze surfaces were monitored throughout construction for any signs of corrosion or deterioration of the finish,” Jablonski states.
“Working within a cherished historic edifice, such as Surrogate’s Court, required a team that is attuned to the aesthetics, materials and building practices of another age, as well as well-versed in both the limitations and advances of modern construction technologies,” explains Rafael Stein, AIA, an Urbahn Architects principal. “For example, the two lunettes on either end of the atrium had been so damaged that it was nearly impossible to understand what they had once looked like. Our research revealed there had, in fact, been different decorative layers over time. We selected
the most recent iteration and developed a restoration approach based on review of archival photographs and an analysis of multiple paint and plaster coats. We then carefully specified the design so that the lunettes could be lovingly restored by experienced artisans.”
SURROGATE’S COURTHOUSE SKYLIGHT RECEIVES ACCOLADES
The replacement and restoration of the historic skylight within the landmark Manhattan Surrogate’s Courthouse received a 2020 Lucy G. Moses Preservation Award from the New York Landmarks Conservancy and 2020 AIA New York State Design Merit Award.
Retrofit Team
ARCHITECT: Urbahn Architects
PROGRAM MANAGER: New York City Department of Design and Construction
OWNER: New York City Department of Citywide Administrative Services
HISTORIC CONSERVATOR: Jablonski Building Conservation Inc.
CONSTRUCTION MANAGER: The LiRo Group
GENERAL CONTRACTOR: BQE Industries Inc., (718) 429-1648
STRUCTURAL ENGINEER: Ysrael A. Seinuk P.C.
LAYLIGHT RESTORATION: Bovard Studio Inc.
CAST-IRON FRAMES: Wemco Casting LLC
GLASS BLOCK CASTING: Gillinder Brothers Inc.
SKYLIGHT INSTALLER: Linel
LUNETTES AND ORNAMENTAL BRONZE CLADDING: EverGreene Architectural Arts
PHOTOS: OLA WILK/WILK MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS unless otherwise noted