The Hadrian
All Work | The Hadrian
The Hadrian
New York, New York
Scope
The Hadrian exemplifies the “City Beautiful” apartment buildings popular in New York City at the time of its construction in 1903. The building is a surviving example of cast iron cage construction, with a monochromatic brick, limestone, and terra cotta-clad façade and ornate copper cornice. Although neither a designated New York City landmark nor located within a designated historic district, the building owner, desiring the highest quality restoration for the building engaged JHPA to restore the masonry façade and meticulously replicate the original cornice.
Following a thorough survey of the cornice and masonry conditions, JHPArchitects, PC prepared construction documents, and oversaw restoration work. JHPA carefully scrutinized historic photos and existing physical evidence to replicate missing decorative elements of the cornice and the balcony brackets. The replica cornice, over nine feet tall, was designed to faithfully replicate in durable sheet copper the original galvanized sheet steel cornice, which had deteriorated beyond repair. Crudely formed, non-original, stucco balcony brackets were replaced with new brackets with scrollwork design and floral and leaf motifs to match the original. The masonry work included cleaning, painstaking removal of an unsightly non-original coating, extensive limestone repairs, replacement of damaged bricks, and full repointing with a carefully selected mortar.
The completed project was presented with the Lucy G. Moses Award for Excellence in Preservation by the New York Landmarks Conservancy, and the North American Copper in Architecture Restoration Award by the Copper Development Association.