Met History wrote: > To refabricate the theater's original missing elements (some of which > are 15 or more feet in one dimension) out of newly quarried brownstone > is commonly described as "unrealistic". Christopher, At the time that the steps were done I believe the only known source for brownstone was either salvage, or from Germany. The German brownstone, as I recall, was darker than Portland brownstone, which is prevalent in NYC. Since then the Portland brownstone quarry has sort of been opened, but on an odd basis and the stone is not of the same aesthetic quality -- being quarried at a higher level -- above the flood line. The shipment of the German brownstone may have been considered prohibitive in cost... and I'm not aware if it would be available in sizes required for the steps, or not. The steps were not there when the precast work was done... as I recall. I do not know why the steps were removed, but if they were brownstone it could possibly have not been a durable use for the stone. Sometimes I suspect people forget that there may be a few reasons why something is missing, or painted over. Use of any material is dependent on availability and market demand. Market demand has increased and there are more choices available now for a variety of brownstones... but none of them to the exacting eye match to the historic material. So sometimes it is a toss up between one almost matching deception and another. There has also been a sharper interest in the stone industry on salvage... but not as noticeable an interest in the demolition industry. Stone for building, quality building stone is not a renewable resource. When it is gone it is gone. When there is no market demand then there is no incentive to quarry. When there is no quarry there is not awareness of an alternative other than faux materials. Faux materials begin to be developed to meet a market demand, with an uptake of interest in heritage conservation (or as in this case the brownstone revival), and as the faux materials begin to refine their aesthetic qualities to meet increased levels of quality expectations (more conservators with a discerning eye graduated) a market is developed that encourages quarry of brownstone... but not such a large market that the quarry can afford to pump the CT river out of the hole so that they can go back down to reach the old stone. At the R&R I was told by Judy Hayward about a Chinese grad student at Columbia that I remember having spent three hours with her and two of her friends when I was at Apple with me going on and on describing the network and webs of where resources, craft skills and such come from to fuel the histo presto industy in NY. Twybil sent them to me -- I think they were in Urban studies. They giggled a lot. I gave them a long list of people to talk to and suggestions of what questions to ask. This one young woman, I do not remember her name and she probably has no way to find me, I encouraged her to consider it as a thesis subject... which she did think about and now several years later I hear that she has completed her work on just these sorts of connections. I'm hoping somehow that I will get to see her paper. ][<en -- To terminate puerile preservation prattling among pals and the uncoffee-ed, or to change your settings, go to: <http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/bullamanka-pinheads.html>