Falk and Fine Building

Address: New York, New York
Role: Project & Preservation Architect
Architect: Unknown
Year Built: 1900
Completed: 2005
Project Status: Completed

Henson was retained to perform an exterior conditions assessment of the building at 241 Eldridge Street, a condominium originally built in 1900. In addition to determining that the building needed a new roof, new windows, and terra cotta repairs, it was discovered that the original mortar in the brick masonry walls had almost completely disintegrated, leaving massive cavities filled only with dust. The cost of re-building the walls was prohibitive, so after extensive research, Henson provided the board with an alternative. Henson’s proposal utilized a mortar injection technology never used before in the US but common in Europe. The new mortar was injected into the voids through holes drilled into the brickwork, stabilizing the wall from the inside out. The contractor worked for two months drilling the 1435 holes necessary to pump 128 gallons of mortar into the deteriorated walls, saving the condominium both the time and exorbitant cost of reconstruction. The restoration was a success and was featured in the New York Times as well as Habitat Magazine.

Date:

November 4, 2019

Category:

Historic Preservation