Building, Restoring, Training

Local 7 New York/New Jersey and Local 1 New York

JOURNAL: ISSUE 3 - 2014

Jim Gensheimer The exterior of the women’s hospital building at UCSF Medical Center.

If, as Frank Lloyd Wright once said, “Every great architect is – necessarily – a great poet,” then the true wordsmiths are the skilled craftworkers who bring blueprints to life in a language and artistry all their own. Nowhere is this more evident than throughout the rich architectural tapestry of New York City. On July 22nd, BAC Secretary-Treasurer Henry Kramer and Executive Vice Presidents Gerard Scarano and Tim Driscoll visited several representative projects where work was being performed by members of Locals 1 New York and 7 New York/New Jersey. Among those projects – new construction at the World Trade Center complex, One57 condominium tower, the Metropolitan Art Museum, and the restoration of St. Patrick’s Cathedral.

As the day drew to a close, Local 1 NY President Jerry Sullivan commented, “The work performed on the projects we saw today is world-class caliber – first-rate all the way. Although my fellow Local 1 officers and I would expect nothing less from our membership on projects of this historical and cultural significance, the outstanding skill and craftsmanship displayed by our members is still a source of overwhelming pride for all of us.”

Local 7 NY/NJ President Tom Lane expressed a similar sentiment. “These jobs are an example of the finest BAC union artisan work – and the training that makes that possible – so that our work and these structures will be enjoyed by future generations to come,” said Lane.

Remarking on “New York’s thriving restoration market,” Secretary-Treasurer Henry Kramer noted, “The driving forces behind it vary from an owner’s desire to preserve the historic architecture to the need for energy improvements to cost savings associated with restoration compared to new construction, or a combination of those. The PCC members and restoration specialists we spoke with were extremely pleased at the level of work opportunities over the past few years.”

BAC Executive Vice President Tim Driscoll adds, “The work in New York City, from the perspective of restoration and the new work we saw, including tile, marble, and terrazzo workers, bricklayers, plasterers, tuck pointers, all of them, not only sustains the heritage but allows us to  build a new architectural vision for the city.”

World Trade Center Site

From the 80th floor of the Freedom Tower, Local 7 NY/NJ President Tom Lane, center, points out the reflecting pools of the 9/11 Memorial Plaza below to BAC Executive Vice Presidents Tim Driscoll, right, and Gerard Scarano.

Once the site of untold death and destruction, the new World Trade Center complex and its varied structures are breathing fresh life and vitality into lower Manhattan. The 9/11 Museum and Memorial are a stirring homage to those who perished in terrorist attacks in 1993 and 2001. The area’s commercial, financial and retail activities will be housed across a dozen gleaming towers and new transportation hub, anchored by the 104-story One World Trade Center, also known as the Freedom Tower.

At the invitation of the NY/NJ Port Authority, BAC Secretary-Treasurer Henry Kramer signs a concrete wall on the 80th floor of the Freedom Tower.

Members were close to finishing their work at One World Trade Center, when Local and IU officers visited the jobsite on the 80th floor in July.  

“It was moving to view Ground Zero from the Freedom Tower and the opportunity to see the overall design and the way the water fell down the reflecting pools, also knowing that our members are the ones who built it,” says BAC Secretary-Treasurer Henry Kramer. “I don’t know how many millions of visitors will see this over the next 200 years or so and know that our Union craftworkers did all the work.”

At the edge of one of the  9/11 Memorial Plaza’s reflecting pool, from left, Local 1 NY Field Representative Larry Crovatto, Secretary-Treasurer Jack Argilla, Field Representative Howie Carr, President Jerry Sullivan, and BAC Executive Vice President Gerald Scarano, Secretary-Treasurer Henry Kramer and Executive Vice President Tim Driscoll.

By the end of this August, more than 900 Local 1 NY and Local 7 NY/NJ members have worked on construction associated with the complex, employed by at least 10 BAC signatory contractors, and accumulating more than 311,000 work hours. A partial list of those BAC contractors includes: Port Morris Tile and Marble Corp (Bronx, NY); Miller Druck Specialty Contracting, Inc. (New York, NY); Gem Roofing and Waterproofing Corp (Union City, NJ); Wilkstone LLC (Paterson, NJ); Atlantic Exterior Wall Systems LLC (Wayne, NJ); Paul J. Scariano, Inc. (Yonkers, NY);  Oliveira Contracting, Inc. (Albertson, NY); Navillus Contracting (New York, NY); and Rad & D’Aprile (Bellmore, NY).

“With several towers yet to be constructed, those numbers will increase,” says Local 1 NY President Jerry Sullivan. Local 7 President Tom Lane looks forward “to additional work at One World Trade Center when it opens in late 2014 and tenant build out occurs.”

In the footprint of the original Twin Towers, visitors now see two reflecting pools with interior waterfalls. BAC members installed more than 200,000 square feet of Verde Fountain granite that was fabricated into pavers, benches and solid steps. Members of Local 1 NY and Local 7 NY/NJ installed close to 8,000 pieces of Jet Mist granite on the reflecting pools.

BAC Executive Vice President Tim Driscoll, left, and Jimmy Bellesheim, Local 1 NY member and foreman for Freedom Tower mason contractor Rad & D’Aprile (Bellmore, NY).

 

St. Patrick’s Cathedral 

At St. Patrick’s Cathedral: first row from left, Local 1 NY Secretary-Treasurer Jack Argila; BAC Secretary-Treasurer Henry Kramer; Local 1 NY President Jerry Sullivan; and BAC Executive Vice Presidents Gerard Scarano and Tim Driscoll. Second row, from left: Local 1 Field Representative Howie Carr; members Luis Rivera and Ming Chan; Local 1 Field Representative Larry Crovatto; member Axel Morales; and BAC Northeast Regional Director Al Catalano and Regional Representative Tom McIntyre. Third row, from left: Local 1 members Brandon Moye; John Stanton; Mark Smith; Danny Dehaseth; and Roberto Cortes. Fourth row, from left: Local 1 members Luis Rivera Jr.; Dave Mercer; Jose Rodriquez; and Brian Zwingman. Fifth row, from left: Local 1 members Owen Stanton, John Hovanec, Mark Richmond, Edwin Ramirez, and Frank Emeric. Back row, from left: Local 1 members Raymond Crovatto, Zygi Siekiera, and Gerard Dowd.

Scaffolding covers the exterior of St. Patrick’s Cathedral during its restoration.

Local 1 NY member Gerard Dowd using the ROTEC® VORTEX Cleaning System to clean the columns.

In the heart of Manhattan, across the street from Rockefeller Center, St. Patrick’s Cathedral is an example par excellence of American Gothic Revival architecture and a defining national landmark that attracts more than five million visitors each year.

Since March 2012, the 135-year old church has been undergoing a three-year, three-phase, $175 million restoration due to crumbling bricks, faulty heating, and acid rain and pollution that have eroded its white marble. Local 1 NY members, employed by Deerpath Construction Company (Union, NJ) and Port Morris Tile and Marble Corp (Bronx, NY), are repairing, restoring and cleaning both the exterior and the interior of the church.

BAC Executive Vice President Gerard Scarano says, “St. Patrick’s was constructed over a 30-year period using various types of stones – Tahoe, Georgia, Vermont. Looking at the work now with the benefit of our professional craftworkers’ expertise – examining the original materials and what our members need to do to pay respect to the materials they are working with – is very impressive.”

Besides patching, replacing and carving marble stones, Local 1 NY members are responsible for cleaning the structure, which involves extracting all the joints from the building using an electric grinding machine with a diamond blade and cleaning the surface of all the walls and columns using the ROTEC® VORTEX Cleaning System, a low-pressure micro-abrasive cleaning technology designed for the sensitive restoration. Members then apply a mixture of sand and lime to all the joints after cleaning.

“The Cathedral work is a striking demonstration of our members’ skills from the restoration perspective as well as the structural perspective. The fact that the church has been in continuous service over so many decades represents a commitment to the work and to the church itself. To some of our members, the project is their second home. One member told me that this is his 4th year working here. It’s something he will pass on to his children and grandchildren,” adds Executive Vice President Tim Driscoll.

One57

The grand hallway of a condo unit at One57 features floors, stairs, and walls of polished Italian Covelano Silvergold marble.

BAC Executive Board members and Local officers talk with members about the project. From left, Local 1 NY President Jerry Sullivan and Secretary-Treasurer Jack Argila, BAC Executive Vice President Tim Driscoll and Secretary-Treasurer Henry Kramer, Local 7 member Bill DiMartini, Local 7 NY/NJ President Tom Lane, and a Local 7 member Luis Gomez. 

Local 7 Secretary-Treasurer Chris Guy, left, with Local 7 member Luis Gomez, center, and BAC Executive Vice President Gerard Scarano.

Local 7 NY members Luis Gomez, front, and Rob Moreno confer on this marble installation.

One57, located at 157 W 57th Street, is a 75-story luxury residential building with 92 condominium units atop a new 210-room Park Hyatt Hotel. The new landmark provides residents with breathtaking, unobstructed views of Central Park to the north, Midtown Manhattan to the south, and both the Hudson and East Rivers. Upon completion this summer, it has become the tallest residential building in the city.

Members of Local 7 NY/NJ employed by Port Morris Tile and Marble Corp (Bronx, NY) and Val Floors (Teteboro, NJ) installed polished Italian Covelano Silvergold marble to the floors and walls, stone countertops and backsplash in polished Black Absolute and Diamond Fall granite, and super-sized soaking tubs. By the end of August, the project had already generated 130,000 work hours for Local 7 members with an additional 15,000 hours anticipated over the next six months. 

Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Metropolitan Museum of Art will soon feature a new four-block-long outdoor plaza to frame the landmark Fifth Avenue façade from 80th to 84th Streets to be completed this fall. The project is comprised of a pair of contemporary stone dome fountains built by Local 1 NY members employed by Port Morris Tile and Marble Corp (Bronx, NY). By the end of August, the project had generated nearly 12,000 hours.

“The fountains are made of granite and the dome design makes them look like the top of a globe,” says Local 1 NY member Giovanni Giglio, pointing out the uniqueness of the project. “The dome is very difficult to set because it sits on a 2.5-inch dry pat, but everything matches beautifully. Our members are setting both the side and top granite and when it’s completed, it’s going to look nice. I am very proud of it.”

Local 1 NY member Giovanni Giglio, far right, talks with BAC Executive Board members and Local officers during a break. From left, BAC Executive Vice Presidents Gerard Scarano and Tim Driscoll, Local 1 NY member Paul Burns, Local 1 President Jerry Sullivan, and  Local 7 NY/NJ Secretary-Treasurer Chris Guy and President Tom Lane.

Local 1 NY member Mike Labarbera installing side stones.

From left, Local 1 NY members Josh Mardis and Marcello Vespa with BAC Secretary-Treasurer Henry Kramer and Executive Vice President Tim Driscoll.