Skyline Restoration receives 2014 North American Copper Award

Skyline Restoration, Inc. has received a North American Copper Award from the Copper Development Association for its historic restoration of a copper clad and slate cupola and roof and newly created copper spire crowning a landmark site in TriBeCa. Formerly known as The NYMEX, the headquarters of the NY Mercantile Exchange at 6 Harrison St., the c. 1884 building was originally designed by Thomas R. Jackson in the Romanesque Revival style and now houses office space. B&B Sheet Metal fabricated the copper and steel components that Skyline installed; all parties collaborated on the designs of Howard L. Zimmerman Architects (HLZA); Alexei Tajzler, project manager of HLZA, created the overall renovation design for the building and oversaw the project in conjunction with the Landmarks Preservation Commission. A focal point was the installation of a new 21-ft. high, 350 lb. copper spire placed atop a domed cupola, occupying the space where a flagpole once rose. Skyline first installed steel framework to encase and support the ornamental element. On the day of the installation, Skyline project manager Pete Rose and superintendent and roofing specialist Jim Kessler closed off the street for several hours on a weekend and used a crane to hoist the specially designed, needle-tipped piece. The crew then bolted the structure securely in place. Tajzler said, "Skyline Restoration, in particular Pete Rose and Jim Kessler, were instrumental in working with B+B and our office in order to ensure the copper work, especially the 21-ft. spire which sits nearly 150 ft. up, was safely hoisted up, installed, and secured at the job site. While aesthetically pleasing, the copper dormers, skylights, flashing and gutters, also needed to be functional in directing and shedding away rain from the building. This copper work, along with the remainder of the façade and roof restoration project, was expertly performed by Skyline Restoration and I believe the work speaks for itself." Lillian Li, design director of B&B Sheet Metal, who worked "in close collaboration" with Skyline and all parties throughout the project, said, "Ensuring that the historic integrity of the landmark building was maintained was of paramount importance. The quality craftsmanship of B&B along with the knowledge and experience of the Skyline crew made the installation process virtually seamless. What could have been a formidable task was achieved with great efficiency and seeming ease." Skyline also installed the steel framing members welded to a massive new 40 ft. long by 20 ft. wide glass skylight as well as the copper framing for the piece that replaced the existing one. New steel framing members were also welded to the dormers. Skyline replaced all the deteriorated copper elements with new ones throughout the roof. The copper flashing had to be fitted into the new slate roofing which Skyline installed as well as the steel frameworks supporting the materials. Skyline also replaced the entire slate portion of the roof. Skyline completed a full façade restoration of the five-story brick building before beginning work on the roof. The building restoration was commissioned by the New York Mercantile Exchange Building Condominium managed by ABC Realty. The project was necessitated, in part, by water damage and NYC maintenance mandates derived from Local Law 11. Each segment of the restoration adhered not only to stringent City safety and other requirements, but also to finely detailed landmarks guidelines to ensure that the beauty, style and spirit of the building would be retained. New mortar had to match the old; patching materials on the terracotta had to blend seamlessly. Windows, dormers and column capitals had to respect and reflect the original. Masonry and granite were cleaned and restored. Skyline even created a new copper gutter on site to prevent leaks.