Posts Tagged ‘Architectural’
New York Architectural Treasure
Wednesday, January 4th, 2012
A couple of weeks ago I had to go to a meeting on Layfayette Street in Lower Manhattan. I was a bit early so I looked for a place to have a cup of tea and found Le Pain Quotidian. Only when I was leaving and looked up did I realize that I was in a very special building disguised by huge scaffolding. I poked around a bit and found the entrance at 65 Bleecker Street and was I surprised!!
Out came my phone to record the extraordinary architecture and interior decoration. The receptionist was happy to tell me it was called the Bayard-Condict Building and the only building in New York designed by the famous Chicago architect, Louis Sullivan. It was built between 1897-1899 and despite its outstanding architectural characteristics it had little influence on other New York buildings because it was built in an industrial area. It was one of the first steel skeleton frame buildings in the city, an innovation, but what you see is incredible white terra cotta over masonry and an exuberant amount of decoration.
When the scaffolding finally comes down, what you will see is a building constructed in three sections. There is an ornamented base (which is what caught my eye first), a shaft of identical floors with a lighter style of embellishment and a heavily decorated crown. It is 13 stories high but seems taller because the windows are relatively undecorated, accentuating its height.
The restoration began in 2000. All of the 7,000 glazed architectural terra cotta pieces were inspected and, fortunately, only 30 were damaged beyond repair and had to be replicated. The building today looks very close to the original intent of the famous architect. Lost column capitals have been replicated and insensitive storefronts have been replaced. It is quite a sight and worth the trip to inspect the wonderful remnant of old New York.
This is a great example of my “you never know” theory. Something inspirational may be right in front of your eyes!!
Barbara Sallick
Tags: Architectural, Treasure, York
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Architectural Salvage
Wednesday, November 10th, 2010
I just love architectural salvage. I adore old doors, windows and hardware. Vintage bath fixtures and fittings are always inspirational for the quality of materials and the integrity of the design and craftsmanship.
On a recent trip to Maine, we spotted a very small sign pointing towards a salvage yard. We flipped the car around and drove in to explore The Old House Parts Company in Kennebunk.
First, we had to meet the resident cat named Napoleon. And, what a cat! Bigger than Lulu by far, but very sweet and welcoming. After a proper greeting and tummy rub, she let us wander the space.
A well organized salvage yard can yield so many treasures. I have been in yards where there were boxes and boxes of door knobs and after 10 minutes digging in a nasty crate, I would be frustrated and done! Somehow I would have to find another way to secure the perfect match for an existing knob. The artistic display of possibilities here was so helpful.
For the purposes of The Perfect Bath, I wanted to share my photos of vintage bathtubs and pedestal lavs. As you can see, many are in poor condition. However, the exteriors are easy to repair. The interior of the tub is more difficult to bring back to its original condition. Visible rust is not a good sign as it is nearly impossible to remove. So, be sure to check its condition before you fall in love with the size, shape and feet. The same is true for a pedestal lav. Make sure the interior is in good condition before you fall in love with the shape. The ones in the photos are mostly cast iron from the 20’s and 30’s.
In this golden age of recycling, I can think of no better way to reuse perfectly good salvaged building materials than in a renovation or new house. Some forty or more years ago Robert and I built a new house from 18th century materials spending countless hours rummaging around old barns seeking the perfect window or molding. We used old floor boards, some as wide as 20″, old doors, fireplace wall ends, bricks and nails and more. Perhaps we went to the extreme, but it was so much fun to uncover great panels under 10 layers of paint or the beautiful shape of a corner cupboard disguised in orange.
A salvage yard is like Pandora’s box. You never know what you will find around the corner or on a shelf. But, there is always something to remember and save as inspiration for the next project.
The Waterworks Empire and Beaumont bathtubs were both inspired by vintage baths and bring a sense of nostalgia to any space.
To read more about my home, the Wall Street Journal wrote an article about the process Robert and I went through in recreating an 18th century home.
Installation images from Remodelista and Design Sponge.
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Napoleon showing off.
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A great assortment of vintage door knobs.
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Organized bins of door knobs so easy for finding just the right design.
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Shutters galore, take your pick.
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Many styles of windows mostly from houses in Maine where the style was quite simple.
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Lots of claw foot tubs, some with unusual feet, all in need of work.
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A corner fire clay tub similar to the Empire corner tub we developed for Waterworks.
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Several styles of pedestal sinks as well as some pedestals only. This is the inspiration we needed to get to the drawing board and design some new sinks for our market.
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I have always loved porcelain accessories from the 20′s and 30′s.
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Fully restored and functional!
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Tags: Architectural, Salvage
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