Restoration
Tishman Realty & Construction, which had been planning work on the building prior to 9/11, did a quick assessment of the building in the days after 9/11. William F. Collins AIA Architects was the lead architectural firm working on the restoration, while Tishman Interiors managed the project. Restoration of the building took three years, at a cost of $1.4 billion.
The Excalibur Bronze Foundry and Petrillo Stone were hired as specialists for restoring intricate ornamental detail in the facade and in the lobby. This part of the restoration accounted for a significant portion of restoration costs. Facade restoration involved carving motif designs in the ornamental limestone, and restoring the 10 frescoes in the lobby. For the murals in the lobby, hypodermic needles were used to inject acrylic resin to restore the paint and plaster.
On the executive office floors, barrel-vaulted ceilings were restored, restoring plaster friezes, and other work. Restoration of the building also involved replacing a corner column; A+ Construction of Rye, New York was responsible for this work. The building's 23 elevators were also upgraded, new fire alarms, building command systems, and chillers installed, and restrooms made accessible to those with disabilities.
In 2004, the New York Landmarks Conservancy awarded Tishman Interiors the Lucy G. Moses Preservation Award for its work on restoring the Verizon Building. By late 2005, the restoration was complete. In December 2005, Verizon, at the time headquartered in midtown Manhattan, announced it would move its headquarters downtown into the building, with space for 1,500 employees. The building also continues to serve as a telephone switching center.
Read more about this topic: Verizon Building
Famous quotes containing the word restoration:
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—Voltaire [François Marie Arouet] (1694–1778)
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—Mohandas K. Gandhi (1869–1948)