This project included renovating two historic downtown retail stores, one of which had never been renovated and had been used for decades as a warehouse, and combining them into one retail business.
Besides reworking the first floor and basement spaces to serve the retail and storage needs, there were renovations to bring the building up to current codes for egress and accessibility, particularly so the second floor spaces could be used for two residences down the road.
The historic stair in 23 Broadway required significant repair to make safe and usable. In order to provide safe egress to the rear of the building, the stair was rotated and reinstalled in the same location. This allowed us to create a single fire-rated exit for both second floor spaces as well as the basement storage areas, providing also the second means of egress for both structures.
The tin ceiling in 23 Broadway was in almost perfect condition; however, it was attached directly to the joists. In addition, the wood floor above and below were also nailed directly to the joists and not to any decking. To provide the required 1-hour rating at the floor-ceiling assemblies we had to install gypsum board. Fearful that we would severely damage the tin, we requested compliance with the fire-rating through the use of an intumescent coating on the tin that provided a 1-hour fire-rating. This was then painted with silver paint.
23 Broadway has a step up to the front entrance, but 25 Broadway allowed us to have an accessible entry. We were able to maintain the two narrow existing entry doors by providing a push-button door opener on each side to allow a full width opening for handicapped access. In 25, a ramp was also added to provide access up to the floor level of 23 Broadway through a new, wide, cased opening in the brick party wall between the two buildings.
Original construction consists of load-bearing exterior brick walls, wood joists and single layer of wood decking. Efforts were made to work with existing finishes and materials. Original windows, tin ceiling, light fixtures, and stair were repaired, recycled, reinstalled or reused. The buildings had no working HVAC systems and a new high-efficiency system was added.
Mathews Architecture
