Best of 2005 Awards

Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church Renovation & Addition

Project of the Year: Renovation

For the congregants of the Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church, last Easter was a season of renewal in both the physical and spiritual sense. A $28 million expansion and renovation of their historic church finished in March, allowing the faithful to again celebrate in their own sanctuary.

"This was a lovely restoration, requiring the collaborative efforts of skilled craftspersons, artisans, and constructors," said one of the Best of 2005 jurors.

Constructed in 1875, the Gothic Revival-style church was once the tallest structure in New York, holding that title for eight years until the Brooklyn Bridge surpassed it. The church now sits among high-rises in its commercial setting at Fifth Avenue and 55th Street in Midtown.

The building had not had major modifications or renovations since its initial construction, and it needed many 21st Century improvements, such as the complete modernization of electrical, HVAC, fire, and security systems as well as accessibility improvements.

In addition, the church has a thriving congregation and needed to add administrative and program space to respond to increased demand on the facility.

The project, which began in June 2004, took place on a tight site in a building that required significant preservation efforts. The project team - led by two New York-based firms, Goshow Architects and Structure Tone as the construction manager - determined that the only way to add another 13,000 sq. ft. to house new educational, conference, and meeting facilities was to dig into the Manhattan schist below the fragile, 130-year-old sanctuary, without harming its all-wood interior and dramatic vaulted ceiling.

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The team managed the task by transferring loads from the church's existing footings to a temporary steel support structure. Within that framework, contractors removed more than 7,000 cu. yd. of stone and dirt to accommodate the two floors of new space, where it built the below-grade Christian Education Center and a passageway from the structure upstairs.

The team also shored the sanctuary to add air conditioning for the first time by reconfiguring the original convection heating system, which distributes heat through slots behind each pew. Developed in part by Goldman Copeland Associates of New York, the reconfigured system pushes cold air through the slots at low velocities - a solution that avoided the need to install mechanical equipment and ductwork in the attic or to disturb the carved Gothic ceiling.

In addition, the team widened and revitalized the Grand Hall in the original structure. The design incorporates a mosaic tile motif from another part of the church into the Grand Hall floor and a similar pattern in the new education center's bathrooms, providing continuity between the old and new spaces. The design also features darkly stained oak panel walls and lead-pane rippled glass windows in the new space to match the originals in the sanctuary, Grand Hall, and library.

To find space for expanded administrative offices, the project team turned to the 10-story, 38,000-sq.-ft. brownstone Church House, built next door in 1925. The team built two floors at the top of the existing building, moving mechanical equipment to the newly constructed 12th floor.

Key Players

Owner: Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church

Architect: Goshow Architects

Structural Engineer: Robert Silman Associates

Construction Manager: StructureTone

Excavation Contractor: Urban Foundation/Engineering

M-E-P, FP Engineer: Goldman Copeland Associates

Geotechnical Engineer: Mueser Rutledge Consulting Engineers

Excavation Contractor: Urban Foundation/Engineering

Steel Contractor: Empire City Iron Works

Plumbing Contractor: Laboratory Plumbing & Heating

Electrical Contractor: Unity Electric

HVAC: JDP Mechanical