U.S. Post Office and Courthouse Façade Repair and Slate Roof Replacement Project

The Brooklyn General Post Office and Courthouse consists of two buildings. The main façade of the original 1892 portion of the building facing Johnston Street was designed in the Romanesque Revival style and is clad entirely in Bodwell Blue (ME) granite. The seven- story Romanesque Revival 1933 addition fills the rest of the city block bordered by Tillary Street to the north, Adams Street to the east and Cadman Plaza to the west.

The large 1933 addition is constructed of three different façade configurations. The basement and first floor of the building are steel framed and clad in granite (from Deer Isle, Maine) matching the façade of the original 1892 Building. Typically, the second floor is a steel framework with terra cotta ashlar cladding and granite window surrounds. Above the second story windows, the façade is clad entirely in terra cotta, with piers of ashlar at the columns and recessed window bays with ornamental window surrounds and decorative spandrel elements. The terra cotta ornament and glaze finish was manufactured to match the granite of the 1892 Building.

In the role of exterior envelope consultant, VA completed iterative investigations of the building façades and provided documentation of the existing gutter configurations. VA's first investigations, carried out in the schematic design phase, focused on documenting the existing conditions of deterioration. As the scope of the repair work became clear, the inspections became more tailored to the goal of creating a thorough set of repair documents. VA worked closely with Goody Clancy throughout the design phase to customize the block library input for TPAS, allowing direct take-offs of repair and replacement quantities to be part of the final deliverable.

The steep mansard roofs of both buildings made access to the corners of the façades particularly difficult. Given that most of the problems of these (and many) façades are at the corners, a hands-on inspection was important. Because street closure restrictions precluded the use of aerial platforms and the roof layout made swing stage access at many parts of the façades excessively cumbersome, rope access techniques became imperative. To access the corenrs, VA technicians constructed rope access "bridle" anchors, descended the mansard roof, being careful not to loosen existing slates, and then completes a rope-to-rope transfer to traverse out to the corner where the drop could continue.

Nicholson and Galloway, Inc was awarded the construction project and a notice to proceed was given on August 25^th. The façade repair and slate roof replacement work is expected to take three years. VA's role in the construction phase will be to monitor the fabrication and installation of the custom maintenance access and fall protection system that it designed as part of the design phase.

"Vertical Access was an integral part of the Goody Clancy team for the Brooklyn Post Office and Courthouse Façade Repair and Slate Roof Replacement project from the proposal stage, during the interview, and most importantly through the design phase. Their ingenious TPAS system and knowledgeable team of riggers, engineers and conservators, combined with the unobtrusive inspection techniques necessary for a fully occupied building, made them the only choice for the project.

Vertical Access provided a detailed existing conditions survey of all façades of the building. The building is only 8 stories tall (not a typical Vertical Access project), but is surrounded by sidewalks and ringed by extremely high traffic roads, making a lift survey impossible. The success of the project, and the accuracy of the construction documents are due in large part to VA's attention to detail. VA worked collaboratively with Goody Clancy to develop notations that were easily transferable from existing conditions notes to treatment notes. An important element for me is to be able to see the building first hand. After attending a training session, they allowed me to be out on the ropes alongside their technicians." – Lisa Howe, Director of Preservation, Goody Clancy

See the US Post Office and Courthouse project profile.