131 Duane Street – The Hope Building
Location: Broome Street between Church Street and West Broadway, New York, NY
Landmark Status: Tribeca South Historic District
Date of Construction: 1861-1862
Date of Restoration: 2017-2022
Scope of Work: Marble Cleaning & Restoration, Sheet-Metal Cornice Restoration, Cast-Iron Storefront Restoration, Wood Window Replacement
Awards: Lucy G. Moses Award (New York Landmarks Conservancy), Preservation Award (Victorian Society in America)
Originally known as the Hope Building, 131 Duane Street is a 6-story loft building now located in the Tribeca South Historic District. The Italianate style building was constructed in 1861-62 for owner Thomas Hope, president of a dry goods wholesaling firm. The street façade is clad in carved white Tuckahoe marble and crowned by a sheet-metal cornice with segmental-arch gable. Various commercial tenants occupied the building until the 1970s, when artists began to take residency in the upper floors.
As part of the building’s conversion into luxury mixed-use space, Walter B. Melvin Architects, LLC was engaged to oversee the exterior restoration in coordination with Jonathan Schloss, design architect. The comprehensive program included marble, sheet metal cornice, and cast-iron storefront restoration, as well as wood window replacement.
An initial up-close survey informed the development of a scope of work to return the street façade to its original appearance. The careful removal of layers of non original coatings and atmospheric soiling from the materials allowed for the condition of each to be assessed.
A key challenge and focus of the project was the preservation of the Tuckahoe marble, particularly the hand-carved elements, which had experienced significant loss of detail due to sugaring. A variety of restorative treatments were utilized, from the use of marble consolidant, to custom-color restoration patching mortar, to unit replacement with white Georgia marble that was color-matched, profiled, and finished to match the original.
A particularly noteworthy moment of the restoration involved the removal of the non-original wooden signboard that covered the segmental-arch gable. Large stylistic marble letters revealed the original name of the building that had been hidden and likely forgotten over the decades of the building’s varied tenancy. The surrounding sheet-metal cornice, which was in irreparable condition, was also replaced in-kind.
The project was undertaken through the challenges of the global Covid-19 pandemic. Nevertheless, the dedicated project team and ownership successfully restored and expanded the presence of this elegant Tribeca landmark.
