Seaboard Weatherproofing & Restoration completes renovation

Seaboard Weatherproofing and Restoration Co. recently finished its two-year exterior renovation of the legendary 282-unit Plaza Hotel, located at Fifth Ave. and Central Park South in New York City. The Plaza's co-owners, Elad Properties and Kingdom Holdings, commissioned the exterior work from Seaboard as part of a lobby-to-roof renovation of the 101 year old landmark. Working in conjunction with the Plaza's facade restoration architect, David Abramson of Newark, N.J., and construction manager Tishman Construction Corp. of New York City, Seaboard had the task of maintaining the integrity of the original architecture while restoring the building to its original pristine condition. Since the hotel was designated a New York City Landmark in 1969 - the only New York City hotel ever to receive this distinction - The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission oversaw the entire process. The exterior restoration consisted of many different efforts. New white-glazed brick, provided by Belden Brick in Canton, Ohio, was installed to match the historic white-glazed brick on the street facade. Loading bays at the hotel's southeast corner were rebuilt with limestone to match the original design. The Plaza boasts four marquees, one on each side of the building. Seaboard rebuilt the southeast marquee, which was damaged by a truck many years ago, and restored the other marquees with new cast iron pieces, adorned with ornamental birds and faces, using supplies from Allen Architectural metals of Talladega, Alabama. The base of The Plaza is constructed with limestone, and Old World Stone in Burlington, Ontario supplied Seaboard with the new limestone needed to replace the old. The Plaza required replacement of its terra cotta stone exterior on the 16th, 17th, and 18th floors. Seaboard is well known for their restoration of historic buildings with terra cotta facades.