Founded in 1846, this landmark building is an elite social club with a membership of over two thousand authors and members of the arts. The Century Association owns a distinguished art collection, including several important works by Hudson River School painters. The Century Association has occupied its current location since 1981 and, in June 2008, EW Howell Construction Group was selected to renovate and expand its facilities.

Completed in April 2009, the Century Association project included a 5,000-square-foot rooftop addition with all new utilities, infrastructure, and custom finishes. The second phase included elevator upgrades and masonry restoration. New fifth floor additions, including the terrace, serve as spaces for dining, lectures, musical events and meetings. Elements of the new construction include a full building-wide terrace, a skylight, 3 major public rooms, a large lobby, and compatibility with the original architecture of the building designed by McKim, Mead and White in 1889.

This project posed challenges from logistical and scheduling standpoints. The design was constantly tweaked and perfected by EW Howell and the design team. Additionally, since the existing roof was penetrated to access structural walls necessary to build the new fifth floor, the team had to be careful to not prevent water infiltration into the occupied building.

This All Souls Church project consisted of the total renovation and restoration to both the interior and exterior of the already existing Sanctuary. Work included the replacement of the roof and windows, renovation of the memorial garden and main entrance, new AC and improvement of the HVAC system, repairing and repainting the Sanctuary’s interior, cleaning of altarpiece, pews and cushions, and installing new elevators.

The renovation of the West 61st Street comfort station consisted of brand new Men’s and Women’s restrooms. Built into a slope inside the perimeter wall of the park, the building’s roof is a plaza off Central Park West. It has not been renovated since 1980 and is closed in the Winter because it is unheated.

Work included upgrading mechanical, plumbing, and electrical infrastructure, permitting it to be open year-round, repairing water damage and installing new waterproofing, making the restroom ADA-accessible, replacing doors and windows, restoring the stone exterior, and reconstructing the roof and plaza including refurbishing lights and replacing benches.

The 55,000-square-foot Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, an acre under glass, is one of the nation’s preeminent examples of Victorian-era glasshouses, was designated a New York City Landmark in 1973, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1967. The Conservatory has undergone renovations throughout its 118-year history, but the current Palm Dome restoration project focused on the central dome atop the Palms of the World Gallery. It comprises the cupola, an upper dome, a drum which includes the compression ring, and a lower dome. Interior scaffolding with a temporary horizontal work surface erected below the dome drum and an enclosed cylinder around the exterior of the drum (including portions of the lower and upper domes) enabled the work to take place efficiently while safeguarding the laborers and plant specimens. The work surface and enclosure acted as a weatherproof barrier ensuring the tropical collection below remained protected and properly climatized throughout the seasonal environmental changes encountered.

Additional building scope included upgrades to the heating system and lighting by using leading-edge materials and technologies, which made the building more energy efficient while also respecting its landmark status. Metal coating system upgrades, reflecting pool waterproofing, paving, planting, and restroom renovations were also included.

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View these related articles, which cover specific details about preforming the complex renovations to the Conservatory: NYLC Moses Award, Constructioneer, and Retrofit.

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RESTORATION

The structural restoration of the Palm Dome required overcoming many challenges. The compression ring, the main structural element, was partially accessible during design. Utilizing an aggressive schedule due to limited time allowed for affecting the plant collection, the construction had to be sequenced in a way that allowed for removals and observation of existing conditions to happen concurrently. Additionally, modifications to specified repairs based on on-site conditions needed to be expedited. Actual repairs affected the global stability of the structure and required shoring, which then affected the scaffold footprint and the plantings. Solving all of these constraints required a multi-disciplinary approach of close coordination between owner, designers, and construction from design through construction.