HPCS Fibrous/Coffered Plaster Conservation Projects
Ottawa, Ontario (1868) The Building:The house at 24 Sussex Drive is the official residence of the Prime Minister of Canada during his or her term of office. The house has been renovated many times with unsympathetic alterations prevailing in most cases. The oldest part of the house dates from the 1830s. It is a national … Read more
HPCS designed and oversaw the execution of stabilization and conservation treatments for the 12,000 sq ft. fibrous plaster panel ceiling.
Bronx, New York (1899) The Building:National Historic Site designed by Stanford White. The Issue of Concern:There was serious concern for public safety after a cast plaster ornament (rosette) fell off the ceiling of the Guastovino tiled dome. In addition, the large cast plaster figures were severely damaged by vandalism during student demonstrations. Project Synopsis:Historic Plaster … Read more
New York City, New York (1904) The Building:A monumental edifice on the northwest corner of Central Park West and 96th Street in Manhattan. The Problem:The deterioration of plaster encasing the huge glass skylight presented a potentially serious safety problem. The Solution:Mark Anderson, senior heritage architect with Façade MD, asked Historic Plaster Conservation Services to assess … Read more
Brighton, Massachussets (1929) The Building: St. Gabriel’s Monastery, built in the Mission style in 1909, is a Boston Landmark, surrounded by historic structures and landscape features. The entire 11.6-acre site had been abandoned for about 30 years until 2016 when Cabot, Cabot, and Forbes proposed a bold redevelopment, which includes the construction of four new residential … Read more
Brooklyn, New York (1929) The Building: Formerly Loew’s Kings Theater, Kings Theater is a movie-palace type theater in the Flatbush neighborhood of Brooklyn. The theatre was designed by the architectural firm of Rapp and Rapp, with the interior decor designed by Harold Rambusch. The massive structure has 3,676 seats and was closed in 1977, eventually suffering extensive … Read more
New York City, New York (1920) The Building: Times Square Theater was built in 1920 by the Selwyn Brothers based on a design by Eugene De Rosa. The theater has been vacant since 1990. For its centennial celebration, Stillman Development International (Developer) began the adaptive reuse development of the landmark-quality historic theater in the heart of … Read more
Toronto, Ontario (1927) The Building:Canada’s largest and busiest train station. Project Synopsis:Union Station is undergoing a $250 million renovation scheduled to be completed in 2020. Historic Plaster Conservation Services is the project’s plaster conservator, working with a large team, including Dima Cook the lead heritage architect for FGM Architects (FGMDA). One of the principle issues … Read more
New York, New York (1912) The Building: The historic landmark Woolworth Building in New York City is undergoing a major renovation to convert the top 20 floors into high-end condominiums. Project manager, Alchemy Properties, came up with the highly commendable idea to not only preserve the extraordinarily beautiful fibrous plaster coffered ceiling in the 40th floor … Read more