Old Structures Engineering

We use Slack for intraoffice communication. Even before Covid, when we were not working hybrid, people were often on site, away from their desks, so asynchronous communication was absolutely necessary. That does not mean that everything in our Slack discussion is life-and-death engineering… Two takes on the same topic, yesterday: exactly how self-absorbed are New […]

A circa-1811 postcard named after the Ansonia, one of the nicest apartment houses on the Upper West Side: The flip side extolls the virtues of a high-end apartment living: The only problem is that I can’t find the Ansonia in the photo. It’s a very large building, but it looks nothing like the only large […]

I will be taking part in a panel discussion this evening organized by the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission and the Structural Engineers Association of New York. Details: here. For the link-phobic, the title is “SEAoNY and Landmarks Preservation Commission – Panelist Discussion: Saving Historic Buildings: Strategies for Remediating Structural Deterioration” and the description at the SEAoNY […]

I’m almost done with the photos of the construction of the original IRT subway. This barely suburban scene is Broadway and 139th Street in 1901. The wood used in stabilizing the edges of the excavation – what we call “support of excavation” today – and the horses, and the wood-frame buildings, make this view look […]

We have been asked, many times, if it’s possible to reduce the noise from facade repair. The answer, in general, is not really. There’s no quiet way to remove masonry from a facade, or drill holes in it. The installation of new masonry is relatively quiet, but getting to the point where we’re ready to […]

There is a lot going on in this February 1, 1956, photo from Max Hubacher, titled “The Third Avenue Elevated being dismantled:” First, in the center middle distance is the title event: there’s a crane being used to remove the steel deck of what’s left of the el. We’re looking north on Third from just […]

From October 2018, as I was taking a train to Albany, the demolition of the old Tappan Zee Bridge, with the new bridge behind it: That’s a big floating crane because disassembling cantilever trusses needs both careful sequencing and the ability carry off big pieces. The truss portion of the old bridge is, of course, […]

In Ellie’s words, “Bumped into some old friends” on the way to the doc”: Our work as part of the team that restored the Nivola horses was not heavy engineering, but it’s still nice to see these little guys.

From 1908, a German postcard titled “New York From Hoboken”: The only buildings on the New York skyline that I’m entirely sure of are the Park Row Building (two spires, left and down from the car’s front right tire) and the St. Paul Building to its right. The photo that served as the basis for […]

I came across a source that may well have supplied some of the iron for the stoops I’ve been featuring: They have castings that look like some of the iron newel posts: And cast-iron handrails in case a wrought-iron handrail isn’t fancy enough for you: Random ornament: And balusters specifically called out as for stoops, […]

One block form last week’s IRT subway construction photo, we have Broadway and 135th Street in 1900: For some reason, there are relatively few construction photos at this stage. The trench has been dug, the foundation constructed, and the steel framing for the tunnel was erected, at least for about 75 feet of tunnel, but […]

From a factory converted to apartments forty years ago, a sign uncovered by interior removals: It used to be required to post such signs in industrial buildings, the same way we still post such signs in elevators. Whether or not we can believe the sign is another matter… Let’s start with the magnitude of load. […]