1501 Broadway Best Project 2018

1501 Broadway-Lobby Positioning: Interior/Tenant Best Project 2018
New York City

Owner: Paramount Leasehold LP
Lead Design Firm: FifieldPiakerElmanArchitects PC
General Contractor/Construction Manager: Shawmut Design and Construction
StructuralEngineer: EipelEngineering
MEP Engineer: MG Engineering
Owner’sRepresentatives: Levin Management Corp., NorthStarOwnersRepresentation
Interior Design: TobinParnes Design
Marble Supplier: TIA Marble & Granite SRL

The iconic Paramount Building’s new lobby requiredrenovation and repositioningthroughout 50,000 sqft and multiple floors.Thespaceconsists of a double-heightescalatorfoyerleading to a third-floorsky lobby, wheretenants and visitorsaccesselevators. Twelveoriginalelevatorswereraisedfrom the first floor of the olddecommissionedlobby.The scope of work includedinstallinganother elevator and a two-story escalator; building new structuralsteelsupportinto the 100-year-old steelthatwas in place; and installing new mechanical, electrical and plumbingsystems.Workwasperformedat night as the building remainedoccupied, and large holeswerecutinto the waffleslabs to create the two-story entrance and three-story escalatoratrium. The holescompromised the entirestructureso a speciallydesigned carbon reinforcementwasused.Judgessurmisedthat the greatestchallenge of the projectwasthattherewere no as-builtdrawings from which to work. Unexpected and unforeseenconditionsarose, suchashiddenbeams inside the masonrythatforced the team to redesignas the projectwasunderway.Thematching of materials and replication of detail to the original building was “verywelldone,” judgessaid. “The contractorclearlyexceededexpectations in the craftsmanship of the new floor and finishesthatblendwell with the historic and relocatedelements, suchas the elevator doors,” onesaid.Plastermoldingswererequired to replicate landmarkfeatures. Custom cast bronze metal, originally from the 1920s, required a specialtycontractor. The originalornatedetails in the lobby wererepurposed and relocated to 43rd Street. Cast bronze elevator doorswerealsorelocated to the lobby. Stone wassourced from Italy. Numerousotherfeatureswerereplicated or relocated—suchas the original Paramount Theatre’sstainedglasswindow.The lobby wasone of the first suchprojects to be part of the repositioning trend in New York City.