Obsidian House

A full façade restoration of 1867 cast iron building in Tribeca, NYC. This Daniel Badger building is both a National Landmark and NYC Landmark. The restoration of 93 Reade Street involved the removal all the cast iron façade elements. These pieces were tagged and then sent to the shop in Alabama. Once in the shop, the pieces were divided into two categories – A) elements that could be repaired and reinstalled or B) elements that were beyond repair and in need of replacement. Restored and replicated cast elements were then painted with a 3 coat Tnemec paint system and reinstalled in their original configuration with new stainless steel hardware. In addition, rough carpentry and sheet metal flashing was added at all the window openings. At the ground level, the original glass eye sidewalk vault lights were recreated and installed. An artist was selected to create a custom design for the missing column capitals for the facade. When the organic design proved to be too challenging for traditional casting methods, Allen utilized 3D printing to produce the complex parts.

The project was completed using the requirements from the New York Landmarks commission and demonstrates qualitative standards A. 1-3.

DESCRIPTION OF MATERIALS AND METHODS USED TO PERFORM THE WORK

93 Reade Street Project was a full cast-iron façade restoration which involved replicating cast iron components from original material. Full removal and re-installation was performed by AAM. Also, the entire building was finished painted by AAM.

List of Materials:

– Raw materials (steel, stainless steel, and cast iron)
– Replication of Original Cast Iron Parts
– Stainless Steel Framing for installation of Cast-Iron Façade