Brooklyn Historical Society
All Work | Brooklyn Historical Society
Brooklyn Historical Society
Brooklyn, New York
Scope
George B. Post’s 1881 headquarters for the Long Island Historical Society was at the forefront of design and technology. The building’s exterior construction represents one of the first substantial uses of architectural terra-cotta in the United States. The interior contains a five-story lobby/staircase topped by a glass skylight, a double-height library and a novel roof truss system permitting pen spaces below. Both the exterior and interior are designated New York City landmarks.
JHPA provided the Society with a full range of services, including a master plan for interior restoration and rehabilitation, an Historic Structure Report, an exterior conditions survey, and construction documents for the full building restoration.
The restoration included integrating adaptive re-use of the buildings cellar space as a “History Discovery” center with multi-purpose classrooms and upgrades to the climate control systems, archival storage spaces, and full ADA compliance. The project garnered multiple preservation awards and was featured in several trade publications.