Dear Mo,

I will vote, One Mo Time, for the galvanized cornice needing replacement
before the fiberglass one (are you sure it's GFRC and not just fiberglass--I
bet fiberglass).  The boys at PRESERV are replacing a TC cornice with a
fiberglass one for us (FKC, your esteemed client) at the Ajello building at
108/RSD, and rebuilding parapets there.  The F'glass looks pretty good at 360
RSD; the TC was in BAD shape.  The RSD cornice comes from Arch'l F'glass on
LI; I don't believe they make GFRC, and I know PRESERV has done several
projects with them (but don't know  whether 79/Amst is one of AF's or not).

Can't claim to have seen the 79/Amst cornice, but I would expect that the
chances that the original galv portion will suddenly get adequate care from
here to eternity are small; maintenance just isn't sexy; and the chances that
"new" maintenance will make up for "old" neglect are small, too.  I wouldn't
expect the galvanized section to be in too-good shape in the first place (it
was a cheap imitation when it was new, after all); the chances that 92 year
old sheet metal has a whole lot of life left in it, and that the wood or
steel framing behind it are good seem even slimmer.   Then again, one is
sometimes pleasantly surprised, but it isn't a common occurrence.

Fiberglass boats have been around--in harsh marine environments, too-- for 50
years or so, and seem to be doing well for the most part.  I remember
worrying about the durability of fiberglass boats in my yout' (I was building
one), and as far as I know, the wood rotted out long before there was any
sort of damage to the f'glass.

Let's see what our esteemed colleagues have to add.

Ralph