Restoring a Landmark on Ladies’ Mile


Built in 1870, the landmark building at 901 Broadway was originally home to the Lord & Taylor Dry Goods Store.

Rand was recently hired to oversee an exterior restoration and roof replacement program at 901 Broadway, which the New York Observer called “one of the most architecturally unique buildings still standing in Manhattan.”

Built in 1870, the five-story building—the first iron-framed building in New York City—has an ornate cast-iron facade, a turret, and a slate mansard roof. It was originally home to the Lord & Taylor Dry Goods store, which had moved from its downtown location at Broadway and Grand Street in 1860. In 1872 the store opened its new location at 901 Broadway, at the southwest corner of 20th Street, and soon became a tourist attraction for its elaborate steam elevator.

In 1914, Lord & Taylor moved to its current flagship store on Fifth Avenue between 38th and 39th Streets. 901 Broadway, now part of the Ladies’ Mile Historic District, was designated a New York City landmark in 1977. Last month, Brooks Brothers opened a concept store on the ground floor, a nod to its storied retail history.

The restoration project that Rand is designing and administering, scheduled to begin in the spring, will entail manufacturing and installing many decorative cast-iron elements that have been lost over the years. The mansard roof will be temporarily removed to waterproof the underlying wood deck. The existing slate shingles will then be re-installed, following the green principle of reusing materials whenever possible.

As members of the project team who will be working on the building, my Rand colleagues and I are looking forward to returning this Flatiron gem to its original glory. Even if the long-gone steam elevator is not part of the scope.

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