It was bound to happen: Your building, in its heyday an architectural gem, has started to show its age. The facade, with ornate details that were once a striking accent to the neighborhood, is beginning to deteriorate. If it's been years s…
New York City is known for many things beautiful—architecture, a rainbow of diverse cultures, and its fabulous skyline, but let's face it, outside of Central and Prospect Parks, most people aren't aware of how much park land actually exi…
No matter how conscientious your residents, no matter how dedicated your super and support staff, it’s inevitable: your building’s common areas are going to take a beating. Foot traffic can damage flooring, and everything from luggage to…
No matter how conscientious your residents, no matter how dedicated your super and support staff, it’s inevitable: your building’s common areas are going to take a beating. Foot traffic can damage flooring, and everything from luggage to pe…
Falling bricks. Rickety scaffolding. An errant nail and an unsuspecting foot. Things can go wrong during renovation and restoration projects no matter what the size and scale of the work at hand. Whether the job is tackling a new façade…
If you want to tour some of Manhattan’s most impressive apartment house architechture, a trip to the Upper West side is a no-brainer. There, you can view such buildings as The Osborne, the Beresford and the Van Corlear, all known for t…
Located on the luxurious Upper West Side along breathtaking Central Park West, the San Remo is one of the premier luxury apartment buildings in New York City. The first to incorporate the twin tower concept, this building’s addition to New …
A good redesign of an outdated, obsolete, or run-down common area in your co-op or condo building can be a thing of beauty. Spiffing up a lobby, hallway or elevator can not only inspire residents to take more pride in where they live, bu…
In the legendary musical Anything Goes , the character Reno wants to be taken back to Manhattan or as she calls it "my dear old dirty town." In the last decade, New York has cleaned up its act, but Reno had it right - it's still a d…
Local Law 10 of 1980 was enacted shortly after a piece of terra cotta masonry fell from the facade of an Upper West Side building and killed a passing college student. The New York City Council, in an effort to minimize the chances of …
Outdoor spaces like balconies, terraces, and roof decks can add a lot of charm and value to your building, as well as providing pleasant spots for residents and their families and guests to take the air and relax. It's just about now - as …
Replacing a boiler, renovating a lobby or repairing a façade, can create problems that one might not anticipate or expect. Embarking upon major building projects can turn into a major headache if not done properly and with the help of lic…
Winter is the harshest season when it comes to wear-and-tear on residential buildings. Not only does ice collect in cracks and spaces between bricks and masonry, contributing to façade deterioration, but salt also erodes surfaces, boile…
For many New Yorkers one of the high points of city living is the urban vista they enjoy from their building's communal rooftop deck. Even when the view's not the greatest, just being able to enjoy the outdoors in a relatively private s…
Just as the entrance hall of an apartment welcomes and sets the tone for the rooms beyond, a lobby creates an instant impression for anyone who enters, including guests and potential buyers. A lobby is a building's best foot forward and mus…
Nothing communicates the character of a building like a well-designed lobby area. In just the time it takes for a resident or visitor to glance around and take in the visual impact of your building's "front room," as it were, an opinion…
In many ways, a building is like the human body: If you want it to function properly over the long haul, you have to take care of it with clean fuel, regular maintenance, and the occasional visit to a specialist. And like a body's vital or…
The past year has seen a lot of changes in the codes governing New York City's buildings, both inside and out. Rules covering lead paint, carbon monoxide detection, and construction permits have been introduced or revised, and it's up to bo…