Stalco Construction's renovation earns 2011 Building Brooklyn Award

According to The Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce, the Erasmus Hall High School renovation was the winner of the 2011 Building Brooklyn Award in the Historic Preservation category. Stalco Construction served as general contractor and BJLJ Engineers & Architects, P.C. were the architect for the restoration of the landmark school. "We are honored by the recognition of our renovation work at the Erasmus Hall High School by the Brooklyn Chambers of Commerce and the members of the jury," said Stalco principal Kevin Harney. "This $11.4 million undertaking restored the oldest high school in NYC, the sixth oldest existing public high school in the nation, and one of the largest at 500,000 s/f." "The 2011 Building Brooklyn Awards nominations represent an exciting project pool. We saw a number of applications this year offering new and innovative open space options to Brooklyn residents and visitors and a great deal of historic restoration and adaptive reuse," said Brooklyn Chamber president Carl Hum. Located at 899-925 Flatbush Ave., the school complex is a designated New York City Landmark. The team erected 45,000 s/f of scaffolding on the inner courtyard side and utilized five hanging scaffoldings for repairs to the outside facades. 1,600 linear feet of sidewalk bridges protected pedestrians. According to Stalco vice president and senior project manager Robert Isbit, "The project encompassed replacement of 50 different roofs and 2,000 linear feet of coping stones on six elevations, repointing of 40% of the brick façades, brick repairs, replacement of 240 windows and 30 exterior doors, waterproofing of cellar vaults extending below Flatbush Ave., and interior renovations and water damage repairs to selected areas, including the historic auditorium." "The vast masonry and exterior restoration of an occupied, landmarked, six-building school complex required an enormous amount of pre-construction and logistical planning, scheduling, staging, coordination, and permitting," said Stalco Superintendent Keith Ward. The interior renovations encompassed 30 spaces totaling 25,000 s/f, including classrooms and the 35-foot-high, 8,600 s/f auditorium, which originally served as the school's chapel. The renovation work in the auditorium included extensive plaster repairs, water damage removal, repair to plaster ornaments, and painting. Stalco erected an elaborate scaffolding system that allowed artisans to access the ceiling, walls, balcony, and clerestory windows.