Paint Stripper Leads to Discovery on Historic Manhattan Hotel
A wise decision was made to expose the various stone types and colors for their aesthetic and historical value, and not use whitewash stain.
In 1883, Thomas Osborne built the St. George Residence, known today as Hotel 17, located in lower Manhattan. Not only was Osborne a developer and architect, he was also the owner of the stoneworks that supplied the stone for the building. Earlier this year, a facade restoration for the building kicked off. That’s where the discovery begins.
Epstein Engineering called on Cathedral Stone early in the restoration project, beginning with the building’s first-story façade. The original construction included a whitewash mineral-based stain on the façade, but, at some point in its history, someone elected to use an elastomeric paint on the first floor only. Elastomeric paints are not breathable enough to allow moisture and salt to pass through as they naturally would with stone. Therefore, years of moisture and salt were damaging the original substrate. Now Epstein Engineering sought a recommendation for a paint stripper to remove that non-breathable coating. Our Heavy Duty Paint Remover was specified.
Atlas Construction of New York was brought on to do the restoration. After removing the elastomeric paint, they uncovered beautiful brownstone, sandstone, and precast stone—all with natural hues of red, green, and blue. This was the mark of a talented mason and was possibly Osborne’s original artistic vision. It deserved to be preserved as designed.
Decades-old elastomeric paint on the façade of Lower Manhattan’s Hotel 17 trapped moisture and damaged the beautiful brownstone, sandstone, and precast stone underneath.
The NYC Landmarks Preservation Committee originally authorized using a lime whitewash stain to cover the restored facade, but the project’s restoration team recognized the aesthetic and historical value of exposing the various stone types and colors. And so the decision was made to not use the whitewash stain on the first floor of the facade.
Abandoning the plan to whitewash the stone also allowed the detailing of the entryway’s ornamental carvings to appear in their full glory. These intricate carvings were likely a key feature in Osborne’s marketing.
At the time, it was uncommon for anyone of wealth to live in an apartment rather than a private residence. It was a risk he was willing to take. He cleverly appealed to high society by advertising the spacious apartments as “French flats,” and the French Renaissance-inspired panels carved with flowers, faces, and animals helped to make his case.
Today, anyone walking past Hotel 17 will take a second look at the unique variety of stone types and intricate carvings, attracting the attention that Osborne desired with his daring endeavor and investment.
If you’d like guidance in selecting products manufactured and tested for use in historic structures, contact me at tech@cathedralstone.com.
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