Governors Island Admiral’s House
All Work | Governors Island Admiral’s House
Governors Island Admiral’s House
Governors Island, New York
Scope
Constructed in 1843 in the Greek Revival style by renowned architect Martin Thompson, The Admiral’s House underwent a series of alterations between 1886 and 1937. Serving as the residence for the Commanding Officer for the both the Army and the Coast Guard of Governors Island, the structure was an active residence until 1996. The building is individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places and was designated a New York City landmark in 1967.
JHPA, as part of the Alexander Gorlin design team, was tasked with performing an existing conditions assessment of the historic residence as part of a larger adaptive re-use plan for the building. All interior and exterior spaces were evaluated and a baseline set of conditions were identified. The team developed a prioritized scope of remedial interventions, as well as working with LiRo to develop preliminary cost estimates.
Deterioration issues identified were related to failure of specific elements of the exterior envelope. Delamination of face-bedded brownstone, water infiltration through deteriorated mortar joints in the masonry, and failed metal flashings were the primary contributing factor in ongoing water-related deterioration; some select elements were solely related to deferred maintenance. A logical plan to address these was the critical first step in introducing new programming into the building.