They converted it to apartments in the late 80’s.  They stripped everything..  little bull dozers on every floor;  stripped it to the bone.  The exterior is still fairly intact and the three stories below street level that used to house shops and a huge shop where much of the woodwork in the building was made, is still mostly in tact.  The bridge to the Shubert theatre is a goner.  The huge chandelier that used to stand in the lobby was auctioned off, as were all the tools in the shop and anything of value – sinks, antique furniture, etc.  The work bench in my shop is made from salvaged bed boards – two inch laminated oak with 1/8 inch mahogany veneer.  I carved some jewelry boxes from some of them.  The only untouched and used portion is the tap bar, which is now Richter’s Café.  Famous authors like Ken Follet, Michael Davidson and John Leeke have been known to quaff a beer  with a shot of Jack.  As a matter of fact Kerouac used to hang out there when he was buying drugs from the Panthers.

Best,

Leland

 

Leland R. S. Torrence

Leland Torrence Enterprises and the Guild

17 Vernon Court, Woodbridge, CT  06525

Office:  203-397-8505

Fax:  203-389-7516

Pager:  860-340-2174

Mobile:  203-981-4004

E-mail:  [log in to unmask]

www.LelandTorrenceEnterprises.com

 


From: His reply: “No. Have you read The Lazy Teenager by Virtual Reality?” [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Jim Follett
Sent: Wednesday, January 03, 2007 1:44 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [BP] cornice restoration

 

I’ve been to the Taft, is it still in existence?

 


From: His reply: “No. Have you read The Lazy Teenager by Virtual Reality?” [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Leland Torrence
Sent: Tuesday, January 02, 2007 6:16 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [BP] cornice restoration

 

Famous Historic Structures in New Haven with fiberglass (dates are my best recollection as I was a witness not participant):  Cornice of the Taft Hotel (1992),  Steeple of St Mary’s Church (1986), Tower and gargoyles on Bingham Hall (originally brownstone).

Best,

Leland

 

Leland R. S. Torrence

Leland Torrence Enterprises and the Guild

17 Vernon Court, Woodbridge, CT  06525

Office:  203-397-8505

Fax:  203-389-7516

Pager:  860-340-2174

Mobile:  203-981-4004

E-mail:  [log in to unmask]

www.LelandTorrenceEnterprises.com

 


From: His reply: “No. Have you read The Lazy Teenager by Virtual Reality?” [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Jim Follett
Sent: Tuesday, January 02, 2007 9:46 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [BP] cornice restoration

 

piece o'shit plastic.

 

A technical term?

 


From: His reply: “No. Have you read The Lazy Teenager by Virtual Reality?” [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of [log in to unmask]
Sent: Thursday, December 28, 2006 9:27 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [BP] cornice restoration

 

In a message dated 12/28/2006 10:09:23 A.M. Eastern Standard Time, johnleeke@HISTORICHOMEWORKS.COM writes:

>>Anyone care to dissent from substitution of fiberglass for either
copper or
galvanized, in reproducing a lost cornice from a 1910s-1920s building?<<

Well, would you rather support the traditional metal-working trades and
crafts for today and into the future, or would you rather give the work
away to the plastics industry? Oh yeah, plastic moulding IS the NEW
traditional craft--like black is the new white.

For the entire 20th century the building industry was sastified with a
10% profit margin for buildings made of wood, stone and metal that would
last a century. Now they want and get 23% profit for buildings that last
27 years. How do they do that? They build out of cardboard and plastic.

 

We've done several cornice restorations and heartily shy away from the use of fiberglass cladding, a material that is very susceptible to UV deterioration. Why? Because the likelihood that any cornice is going to receive the required attention and be repainted on a cyclical basis is very slim, and metal, even galvanized, is going to be more durable than piece o'shit plastic. Most of the failures that we've seen are principally related to fastener corrosion - a result of inadequate metals separation and subsequent galvanic corrosion, and water infiltration into the cornice because no one wants to perform proper maintenance. 

 

Also the crappy appearance of 3/4" sealant joints between pieces of plastic on cornices makes me want to puke.

 

Twybil

 

 

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