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The Algonquin Hotel
Exterior Repairs and Plumbing Upgrade


The Beaux Arts-inspired Algonquin Hotel, where literary legends once gathered at the famed Round Table, opened its doors in 1902.


Refurbishing the bay windows, including scraping, priming, and repainting, restored them to their early glory.


Lion's share: All terra cotta elements were sounded out, and mortar joints re-pointed where needed.
Property:
The Algonquin Hotel
59 West 44th Street
13-story, 174-room hotel in midtown Manhattan, a designated landmark building by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission.
Project Scope:
Local Law 10/80 inspection: September 2000
Exterior Repairs:
September 2000 to November 2001
Plumbing Upgrade:
November 2001 to February 2002
Engineer: Rand Engineering, New York, N.Y.
Contractors: Arrow Restoration, Long Island City, N.Y., $189,000 contract price (exterior repairs).
  Plumbing Solutions, Inc., Paterson, N.J., $140,000 contract price (plumbing upgrade).
Property Manager: Geoffrey Mills (now Managing Director, Melrose Hotel, New York)
Highlights:
Exterior Repairs:
  • Replaced defective brickwork along facades and parapet walls; repointed brickwork mortar joints and terra cotta mortar joints.
 
  • Recaulked cross joints between terra cotta ledge and sill segments and between coping covers.
 
  • Scraped, primed, and repainted the entire exterior bay-window metalwork assemblies, including replacing all caulking within and around the windows.
 
  • Installed five new through-wall flashing systems atop bay windows.
 
  • Replaced pre-cast windowsill segments.
 
  • Repaired deffective terra cotta segments.
 
  • Repaired interior of parapet brickwork and reattached and recaulked aluminum siding panels.
 
  • Scraped brickwork to remove damaged waterproofing materials, mortar segments, and brick pieces; applied weather-resistant sealant to newly exposed brick areas.
 
  • Obtained Department of Buildings and Landmarks Preservation Commission work permits.
Plumbing Upgrade:
  • Installed a new four-inch domestic water service main from the city main; connected new main to existing domestic water piping.
 
  • Eliminated existing water leak by disconnecting previously abandoned domestic service main.
 
  • Installed a new eight-inch combined sanitary/storm water sewer main from the city main.
 
  • Connected/re-routed all existing sanitary and storm water drainage lines to the new combined main.
 
  • Installed a new duplex suspended wet-pit sewage ejector pump system and associated equipment to discharge sanitary waste and storm water.
 
  • Rebuilt sidewalk and roadway locations disrupted by new plumbing installations.
 
  • Obtained Department of Buildings and Landmarks Perservation Commission work permits.
     
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