OWNER: Harlem Community Development Corp., NYC
ARCHITECT, STRUCTURAL, MECHANICAL, ELECTRICAL & PLUMBING ENGINEER: Danois Architects, NYC
MASONRY & FACADE RESTORER: Falco Construction of New York Inc., Brooklyn, NY
STRUCTURAL STEEL &MISCELLANEOUS IRONWORK CONTRACTOR: Martin & Paul Steel Fabricators, Brooklyn, NY
GENERAL CONTRACTOR: Resheff Inc., NYC
COMMUNITY SPONSOR: Harlem Community Development Corp., NYC
DEVELOPER: Community Preservation Corp. Resources, NYC and Resheff Management Inc., a joint venture, NYC

Mount Morris West Condominium is the triumphant tale of nine Victorian brownstones that were once the centerpiece of the Mount Morris Park area. The site, at 120th St. and Mount Morris Park in Central Harlem, is part of an historic district.

The brownstones were considered ruins, challenging the project team to repair, reconstruct and restore the existing facades, construct contextual infill facades where existing facades had been demolished, installation of landmark-quality wood windows, replacement of metal cornices, repair, replacement and/or restoration of decorative brownstone cornice details and reconstruction of the brownstone front stops and yards.

The project team was also faced with community outreach, vacating homeless squatters, meeting the requirements of different city agencies, cutting stair openings in a structural steel skeleton that spanned all nine buildings, finding a solution to lateral load conditions that evolved over the years of abandonment, dealing field conditions regarding an existing rubble wall and removing and replacing existing shear walls.

Solutions for this $6 million project, included a team effort to adjust vestibule entry heights and interior window guard designs that would be approved by the New York City Department of Buildings; steel bracing to improve lateral load conditions and improve structural stability and replacing the rear wall by constructing it on top of the existing rubble wall foundation.

In addition, new demising walls and additional steel that was not in the project's original scope of work need to be put in place before the exterior rear wall was constructed. In order to offset the additional consists, the engineers and architect proposed prefabricate areaways and a slight redesign of the front wall that did not compromise the structural or aesthetic character of the project.

The project plan, with its solutions, was presented to the surrounding community, in particular, the Mount Morris Park Improvement Association. The design was approved, in part, because of its sensitivity to the environment.

The jury called the Mount Morris West Condominium "an extraordinary project. The team preserved parts of an existing building and used green design. The project epitomizes the continuing need for quality affordable housing."