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| Big
News at 3 Times Square |
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How
does and international news and financial services
company maintain its dignity surrounded by such
neighbors as Bugs Bunny and Mickey Mouse? It partners
with one of the oldest and most respected real
estate families in New York City, the Rudins.
3 Times is the address of the 855,000-square-foot
building 42nd and 43rd Streets on Seventh Avenue.
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| Reuter
will occupy 506,000-square feet, approximately 60
percent of the building, where it will house a broad
spectrum of operations, including a securities trading
floor and television studios. Occupancy is expected
for spring 2001. |
| Financing
for the project was in place by 1998 and the previous
owner of the site, Prudential Insurance Company,
provided both the construction loan and the 20-year
long-term financing. Moreover, Prudential has retained
the right to place signs on the 42nd Street side
of the building. |
| Designed
by Fox & Fowle Architects, the same firm responsible
fro 4 Times Square, the building has energy efficient
walls and advanced methods of bringing in interior
lighting to conserve energy. The building also includes
filters to improve indoor air quality and glass
that resists ultra violet rays. Moreover, 3 Times
Square has two 7,000-gallon cedar tanks designed
and installed by Rosenwach Tack Co., Inc. |
| Finally,
as required by zoning in the area, there will be
ample signage on the building. But on e of the most
important signs will not be in neon. Instead it
is both a sign of the times and of history because
the Rosenwach family of companies is once again
installing a water tank high atop a premier building
being built by the Rudin family. |
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| A
Landmark Installation |
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The
multimillion-dollar restoration of Lever House
began shortly after RFR Holding, L.L.C. signed
a 99-year lease on the property. One of the most
dramatic aspects of the retrofit is the replacement
of the glass curtain wall, for which the building
is identified worldwide. Lever House, which was
designated a landmark in 1982, was built for soap
and detergent manufacturer Lever Brothers in 1952
and was designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill.
RFR holding's vision for the property is expansive.
With the original tenant, Unilever Home and Personal
Care, U.S.A (formerly Lever Brothers), occupying
only four floors, the new leaseholders announced
their plans to spend between $30 million to $40
million for renovations. In early 1999, leasing
agent Cushman & Wadefield was already seeking
$75 a square foot for the 10,200-square-foot floors.
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addition to the replacement of the curtain wall,
such upgrades as electrical and plumbing and the
restoration of public areas are being completed
to accommodate a new group of Park Avenue tenants.
An integral component of the massive renovation
has been the design and installation of an elliptical
19,000-gallon redwood water tank by Rosenwach Tank
Co., Inc. to meet the building's sprinkler requirements. |
| Before
installing the massive tank, however, it had to
be carried to the roof. Moreover, the only possible
way to implement this task was by rigging the parts
and carefully hoisting them up against the glass
exterior of the building! Then adding another challenge
to the project was completed without any problems
and on schedule. |
| "We
appreciate the extra effort that Rosenwach made
on our behalf," says a spokesman for RFR Realty,
LLC. "Not only did they use redwood instead of cedar,
the retrofit went very well and we were up and running
for Monday." Manhattan's first glass box, originally
built for a single occupant, is now open to any
number of successful tenants-all of whom will benefit
from the mammoth, state-of-the-art redwood tank
built and installed by Rosenwach Tank Co., Inc.
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| Various
Office Buildings |
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Installation
of new stainless steel casing, cold water basin,
and structural support extensions.
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| Multi-Tasking
on Fifth Avenue |
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"For
the last 15 years I've managed this building,"
says Peter Brandt of the 17-unit self-managed
condop, where he lives, works, and serves as Vice-President
of the Board, "and Herbert Rose is the best contractor
I've ever had on site!" When the 11 story
building did their Local Law 11 work on its back
wall this past year, Herbert Rose, Inc. was chosen
to re-point, caulk windows and sills and repair
lintels. In addition, the company power-washed
the back wall and coated it with a Sonnenborn
cementitious coating, providing up to ten years
of protection. The Herbert Rose team also had
to rip up the bulkhead roof to remove, and then
install a new 7500-gallon sprinkler pressure tank
supplied by Rosenwach Tank Co., Inc.
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| Masonry
and structural steel repair |
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| Facade
restoration at 73 Fifth Ave |
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| "A
crane was used to get the larger parts to and from
the roof," says a spokesman from Herbert Rose. The
crew "had to be exceptionally careful of the landmark
property next door that houses a Buddhist temple
with a beautiful, detailed tile roof, and other
delicate appointments." "Plans were implemented
for the protective system which included complex
netting in addition to the usual plastic and other
roofing protections." Antontucci & Associates was
the engineer of record. |
| Mr.
Brandt confirms that he is very happy with the completed
work the Rosenwach group produced. "Some of the
shareholders have mentioned how well-behaved and
cooperative all of the workers were," he adds. "They
were a happy crew and when you have happy campers,
they put in the extra effort." Brandt, a professional
photographer, has recorded this effort with these
photographs. |
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| New
ASME 7,500 gallon pressure tank manufactured by
Rosenwach for 73 fifth |
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| A
Garden in the Sky
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Doubleclick
is one of one world's foremost providers of Internet
advertising solutions. When the firm outgrew its
Madison Avenue facility, it moved to what had been
Skyrink- a huge ice -skating facility on the tope
floors of 450 West 33rd Street. The rink was transformed
into office space and the top of the building was
converted into a basketball court with an adjacent
garden terrace. |
| "We
provided 72 cured bench pieces and 55 planters for
the terrace," says a spokesman for Sitecraft, Inc.
the arm of The Rosenwach Group that supplies architectural
woodworking furnishings, manufactures and installs
decking, planters, benches, trash receptacles, and
plans site layouts for parks and roof gardens. Everything
was delivered in a short turn-around time, the lucky
DoubleClick employees now enjoy the full views of
the Hudson River and New Jersey from the basketball
court and an amazing panorama of the Empire State
Building and midtown Manhattan from the roof garden." |
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| Good
Medicine |
| Kings
County Hospital, a major provider of health
care for Brooklyn residents, had a real problem
when their two-compartment steel house and
standpipe tank needed replacement this past
year. The 12,000-gallon tank serves as a main
source of water fro the majority of the hospital
and is a critical supply for the care of patients
and the on going functioning of the entire
medical center. |
| Enter
Rosenwach Tank Co., to perform the job without
disturbing the all-important water supply.
In addition to the pressure of keeping the
water flowing, this job was made even more
complicated due to the inaccessibility of
the tank. Located on the highest point of
a peaked roof, Rosenwach's skilled workers
were able to reach the tanks and change the
compartments one at a time. The ½ inch carbon
steel tanks were then coated with an epoxy
tank lining. A tremendous plumbing job also
faced Rosenwach as all fire and domestic piping
needed to be replaced, as well. 5-inch and
6-inch heavy-duty piping with welded connections
were used to complete this facet of the project. |
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| Repiping |
Tank
Installation |
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| Interior
reinforcement |
Epoxy
coated finish |
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job was successfully finished without any interruption
of services to Kings County Hospital. A spokesman
from the hospital referred to Rosenwach as the "King
of Tanks." |
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| A
Tree Grows in Brooklyn |
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"
I contacted Herbert Rose, Inc. because the number
one thing we are about as designers is doing it
right the first time," says designer Kari Katzander
of the Brooklyn Heights ground floor garden project
she has been working on this year. "I'd heard
they were the 'best' through the landscaping grapevine
and I can absolutely, 100 percent say that I want
another job with them."
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| Mingo
Design, LLC, NY, NY |
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| At
the outset the designer Ms.Katzander faced
a monumental challenge. Trees needed pruning,
the existing brick wall needed to be reworked,
and blue stone slabs in the ground were broken."
The owner had seen Katzander's work on a Fisher's
Island residence and contacted the designer
and co-owner of Mingo Design to restore her
Brooklyn garden. "Although the interior of
the residence was formal, the sitting area
overlooking the garden had a more relaxed
feel. The idea was to extend a calm, soothing
Zen-like aura to the outdoor property." |
| Features
of the new landscape include a 2'x7' tiled
wall plaque constructed in various shades
of red and yellow tile, large red containers
for trees, and a solar foundation. Arrow bamboo,
ferns, and the East Asian perennials hosta
and liriope decorate the premises in clean,
Japanese-style lines. "This was not an easy
job for any contractor to do," exudes Ms.Katzander.
"A designer has a high penchant for detail
and the Herbert Rose workers knew exactly
how to anticipate my perfectionism. They made
sure the out come was fantastic!" |
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| Clean
Water at Last! |
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The
73-unit co-op had been complaining of "brown water
for years," according to the building manager
of ABC Realty. "The City kept telling us that
the water was result of antiquated piping. City
officials also insisted that construction in the
neighborhood jarred the pipes and caused residue
to flake off into the drinking water."
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| The
shareholders finally had enough and decided to purchase
a water filtration system to clean the water coming
in from the street. In addition to the purchase
of the water filtration system, the installation
included plumbing and electrical work. |
| AMR
Mechanical, Inc. performed the job in September.
"The company was always prompt, responsive and courteous,"
adds the agent from ABC realty. "Since the installation
was performed, we have had no complaints about the
water." AMR did a wonderful job. I have only the
nicest things to say about them and all of the Rosenwach
companies." |
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| A
Church's Dry Tale |
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Stopping
a leak can sometimes unplug an interesting story,
as the building restoration experts at Herbert
Rose, Inc. recently found. The Lafayette Avenue
Presbyterian Church, located at 85 Oxford Street
in the Fort Greene area of Brooklyn, has been
suffering from water damage both inside and outside
the cut-ashlar brownstone church, which was built
between 1860-1862. Leaking has caused substantial
damage to the church's numerous Tiffany windows,
interior plaster and the original slate roof.
"The first phase of restoring the church," says
architect Lawrence Toby of Walter Sedovic Architects,
"is to rectify the water damage." The restoration
of a wood cornice, and sandstone patching have
been under the direction of Herbert Rose's Jay
Petrie.
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| Rendering:
Walter Sedovic Architects |
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| The
Lafayette Avenue Presbyterian Church serves as a
"main cultural venue and community center for this
part of Brooklyn," says its pastor, David Dyson.
The history of the church, situated in a Historic
Landmark District, overflows with both a political
and artistic genesis. |
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original pastor, Dr. Theodore L. Cuyler, a renowned
preacher, was active in political sparring with
Abraham Lincoln over the Emancipation Proclamation.
Both the draft and political to that document were
worked on in what is currently the pastor's office.
The church was an emergency stop on the Underground
Railroad and, on at least two occasions, families
were hidden in the heating tunnel, which is a "rare,
intact underground site," according to Pastor Dyson.
During the 19th century, Charles Dickens, P.T. Barnum,
and Mark Twain gave lectures at the church. 21st
century offerings at the house of worship include
jazz, gospel and chamber music concerts and community
and political meetings for both congregants and
the North Brooklyn community. |
| With
such a rich past and present and a "progressive
and active congregation," says Pastor Dyson, "a
major capital campaign is underway." "Once the water
damage is rectified," states Toby, "we will bring
back the original design of the church." |
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| Industrial
Complex |
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Atlas
Terminal is a 45-building, 1,00,00 square foot
industrial, commercial, and retail park covering
25 acres in Glendale Queens. A water tower rising
100 feet in the air holds 50,000 gallons of water
and supplements the city in feeding the entire
sprinkler system for the complex. The lower 33
feet of the three-foot diameter pipe of the tower
was in disrepair and replacement of the section
was required. Rosenwach Tank Co,. Inc. Was called
in to make the necessary repairs.
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| "This
was a very difficult job," states George Rozansky,
vice-president of Industrial Properties for Atco
Property and Management, the owner and operator
of the complex. "The upper two-thirds of the stem
of the tank had to be secured and immobilized, while
the bottom third was cut and replaced. The tank
was then filled and tested for leaks." According
to Mr.Rozansky, the job took about six weeks to
complete and "went smoothly because Rosenwach cooperated
with my crew and made an easy job of it." |
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| Antique
Gallery Gets Old Fashioned Tank |
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Eight
floors of the 18th and 19th century antiques displayed
in period pine-paneled Georgian rooms is what
greeted the Rosenwach Tank Co., Inc. as it set
out to replace Kentshire Galleries' 5,000 gallon
house and standpipe tank this summer. The project
was successfully completed in the family-owned
and managed gallery, which occupies the entire
landmark-protected building at 37 East 12th Street.
The building's decorative features are extensive
and include "Italianate arcades and elaborately
fitted details," According to one of its co-owners,
Federic Imberman.
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| Imberman
and his partner, Robert Israel, have amassed an
amazing collection of furniture, paintings, porcelains
and accessories. "Kentshire Galleries," says Mr.Imberman,
"does business with the world's leading interior
designers, architects, museums and private collectors."
Among Kentshire's regular clients are Oscar de la
Renta, Bill Blass, Ralph Lauren, Barbra Streisand,
and the royal families of Moracco and Saudi Arabia. |
| Brothers-in-law
Imberman and Israel continue the business started
by Imberman's father in 1940. "The firm had a modest
beginning as the United States Silver Company of
47th Street and moved to its present location "about
25 years ago," remembers Mr. Imberman. In 1986,
the business expanded to the first and seventh floors
of Bergdorf Goodman, where Marcie Imberman and Ellen
Israel, wives of the principals of Kentshire Galleries,
Ltd. And sisters-in-law "to boot," house a collection
of antique and estate jewelry and antique gift items. |
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