Best of 2005 Awards

East 54th Street Recreation Center

Award of Merit: Rehabilitation and Restoration

The restoration and rehabilitation of the 24,000-sq.-ft., four-story East 54th Street

Recreation Center in Manhattan got the attention of the Best of 2005 judges for an extensive reworking of the historic building.

One judge called it "wonderful."

The $53 million project - completed in March on behalf of the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation - required collaboration between the project team and parks department staff because the scope shifted from a federal Americans with Disabilities Act upgrade into a full restoration and modernization.

Although the team conducted extensive research, it found little information about the mechanical, architectural, and structural features of the center, built in 1911.

The team had to develop base drawings and undertake exploratory probes and onsite dimensioning of most interior spaces. Among the few historical features it could precisely identify was a Guastavino structural tile vault system, which consists of interlocking terra cotta tiles reminiscent of vaults in Gothic cathedrals.

The scope eventually involved work around the building. In the ground-level lobby, the team installed paneling and a central desk, while reorganizing the space to provide an overlook of the pool below it. The team also rebuilt the pool and its mechanical systems. In the same area, it replaced marble wainscot panels, installed new windows to bring more light into the space, and provided handicapped access.

The project also involved removing, refinishing, and reinstalling the windows on the front façade, while replacing windows on the other three sides. The team also cleaned and restored the building's façade.

advertisement

Other project elements included installation of new lighting, finishes and fixtures throughout the building, and a complete ADA upgrade of toilet, shower, and locker facilities. The team installed two new entrances from the street, a new custom-roped hydraulic elevator, fire egress stairs, and pool access for the disabled. It also replaced the HVAC system.

The team's careful collaboration allowed for completion of difficult tasks, including snaking the new HVAC ductwork through tight spaces, across long span girders above the pool, and beneath the Guastavino groin and barrel vaults.

The structure's lack of empty vertical and horizontal spaces also made it harder for the designers to integrate new mechanical, air supply, and exhaust facilities.

The team addressed this difficulty by identifying unused mechanical and plumbing systems and demolishing them to make room in the basement for new boiler and humidity control equipment.

Key Players

Owner: New York City Department of Parks and Recreation

Architect: Vollmer Associates

Mechanical and Electrical Engineer: Chu & Gassman Consulting Engineers

General Contractor: Sandhu Contracting

Historic Preservation Consultant: Jablonski Berkowitz Conservation