LIBRARY NOTES
Building Renovation
Restoring the Skylight
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
It is hard to believe that until quite recently, the dropped ceiling above the main staircase of the Library hid one of the building's most spectacular features, a leaded skylight. An original feature of the John Rogers House, which was built in 1917 by the architectural firm of Trowbridge and Livingston and converted to use as a library in 1937, the skylight was covered in the 1940s. According to our records, the skylight was damaged and leaking, so rather than engage in costly repair work that the Library could not afford at the time, the decision was made to cover and protect the skylight until some later date. A March 2010 New York Times column (Streetscapes: Where Fusty is Fabulous) by former Library Trustee Christopher Gray was instrumental in bringing attention to this hidden treasure.
The skylight in its pre-restoration state.
Given that we were going to be expanding the building eastward into the lightwell, which is directly above the skylight, we decided to take this opportunity to restore this beautiful feature to as close to its original state as possible. Of course, after having been covered up for over sixty years, the skylight looked far from glorious - panes were missing or cracked, and everything was covered in a thick layer of grime.
The plasterwork in May 2010, pre-restoration.
The real surprise, however, was the wonderfully detailed plaster molding framing the skylight, which, because we had only seen the skylight from above, we were not fully aware of until the dropped ceiling beneath it had been removed.
Restored and repaired panes of glass.
Note the hint of yellow in the border -
it is repeated in the centerpiece of the skylight.
The Library engaged the services of
Rohlf's Stained and Leaded Glass Studio in Mount Vernon, New York, to restore the skylight and replace the damaged or missing glass panes (which amounted to roughly 40% of the skylight). This turned out to be surprisingly difficult: we were able to find glass that was the same color and we were able to find glass that had the same seeding (an interior pattern of bubbles and streaks), but it ultimately proved impossible to find glass that had both qualities. Fortunately, Rohlf's Studio came up with an ingenious solution. Using an age-old technique known as "plating," whereby two plates of glass are leaded together, one behind the other, to combine their qualities, they were able to recreate the appearance of the original glass. When the glass was returned, it was close to impossible to tell what was new and what was original.
It was nerve-wracking to see the restored panels of glass being returned and reinstalled, especially when we realized hammers would be involved, but it all went exceptionally smoothly.
When the final panel of glass (the rectangular, slightly tinted centerpiece) was settled into place, we all breathed an enormous sigh of relief.
Once the panes of glass were back in place, the artisans from Ernest Neumann Studios could really get to work restoring the decorative plaster frame. This involved a great deal of cleaning, repairing, painting, and glazing. The result is splendid.
Details of the molding's exquisite garland of fruits and vegetables
and the stenciled panels.
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