H.S. 615 Chelsea Vocational High School

Owner

New York City School Construction Authority
Long Island City, New York

General Contractor

Technico Construction Services Inc.
Long Island City, New York

Roofing Contractor

R. Smith Restoration Inc.
Huntington Station, New York

Sheet Metal Contractor

B&B Sheet Metal Inc.
Long Island City, New York

Chelsea High School is a Beaux-Arts style public school building, completed in 1905 as P.S. 38 under the architect Charles B.J. Snyder, then Superintendent of Buildings for the Board of Education. This 100-plus year-old landmark building was exhibiting significant exterior damage resulting from years of water infiltration. It became apparent that a cornice had been removed during a prior rehabilitation. The original design drawings revealed that the cornice was to be pitched towards the façade rather than away, with no method to shed water. This was likely an originating source of trouble for the building. However, when the cornice was removed, the supporting steel embedded in the masonry was abandoned and the area was covered in stucco. This allowed water to penetrate over time, greatly diminishing the structural integrity.

The only viable solution was to remove and reconstruct the tall parapet entirely to match the original condition. With the support of the SCA, OMNI Architects, P.C. was able to reintroduce the original detailing of the cornice to restore the historical integrity of this public school building. To reproduce the original copper detailing, they undertook substantial research to recover both the original 1905 design drawings, and archival photographs dating from 1906 and 1929. Cornice profiles were carefully recreated primarily from the high-quality archival photograph from 1929. Researching traditional methods of detailing and supporting copper cornices, they integrated historical techniques with contemporary practice, providing structural steel framing and allowing for internal weeping, dielectric separation of materials, and designing to accommodate complex installation issues. The detailed copper work included 14,000 square feet of 20 oz. copper in the cornices, integrated gutters and downspouts, vertical standing seam panels on the interior face of the parapets, flashing, snow guards, water tables coping, profiled ridge caps and epaulets and scuppers.

The copper cornice and gutter system not only provides additional protection for the façade, but returns grace and beauty to an inner-city public school that was in urgent need of attention.

Architectural Category: Exotic or Unusual Applications