Copper adds crowning touch to Plaza Hotel restoration
When it was announced that New York City’s famed Plaza Hotel would close its doors forever, travelers from around the globe mourned the passing of an era.
Built in 1907 and situated like a cornerstone at the southeast tip of Central Park, facing the posh boutiques along Fifth Avenue, the Plaza had been the hotel destination of choice for dignitaries, celebrities and well-heeled visitors for close to 100 years.
But a century of weather and wear had taken its toll. To preserve the building’s landmark status, and A-list reputation, new owners decided to fund a top-to-bottom restoration and reopen the Plaza as a luxury apartment complex. The three-year project, costing nearly $400 million, will be completed by the end of this year. It includes new retail shops on the ground floor and 182 apartments and condominiums overlooking Central Park, including 14 penthouses nestled into the reconstructed roofline.
Some parts of the building were beyond restoration and needed replacement. Even the hand-wrought copper that crowned the building’s French chateau-style roof had succumbed to the accelerated effects of acid rain, pigeon droppings and vehicle air pollution in heavily trafficked midtown Manhattan.
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For Fire Safety—Copper, Steel or Plastic?
New Building Codes to Require Fire Sprinkler Systems in Homes
All newly constructed one- and two-family homes will soon have to include automatic fire sprinkler systems, according to a recent ruling by the International Code Council, which develops model building codes and standards in the U.S.
The “burning” question for builders and buyers of those homes, beginning in January 2011, is whether they would rFire Safetyather be protected by plastic, steel or copper—the three principal piping materials used in today’s sprinkler systems. All are approved for use in both commercial and residential structures.
Threaded steel pipe was for many years preferred for sprinkler systems in commercial facilities. Steel pipe is inexpensive and easy to install in open, accessible areas, and where its bulky, rough-looking appearance is not objectionable to occupants.
But appearance matters to homeowners, and rigid steel pipe is hard to work with in confined spaces and especially difficult to accommodate in design-conscious residential interiors. Another drawback is that in “wet” (water-filled) fire sprinkler systems, rusted or discolored discharge water from steel pipe can multiply the damage caused by fire.
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Landmark Seagram Building Celebrates 50 Years
One of New York City’s biggest celebrities—38 stories tall and a city block wide—has celebrated its 50th anniversary.
The Seagram Building, looking every bit as elegant and refined as the day it opened in 1958, remains the embodiment of its architect’s famous observation that “less is more.” Also known for its supporting roles in major movies and television shows over the last half-century, this svelte, bronze beauty ranks at the top of Manhattan’s architectural Pantheon along with other monumental icons like the Empire State Building, Flatiron Building and Chrysler Building.
Every day, camera-toting “archi-tourists” mingle with crowds of sun worshippers on the plaza outside the building, fashionably located on Park Avenue at 52nd Street. Designed by renowned German architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe in collaboration with Pritzker Architecture Prize Laureate Philip Johnson, its construction took nearly 4 years. The structure’s sleek design and classic, understated elegance brought a European influence to the United States and forever changed the landscape of architecture.
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