ROCKEFELLER APARTMENTS

17 West 54th Street & 24 West 55th Street

The Rockefeller Apartments are no ordinary residential building but one that is extremely rich in history and considered one of the most prestigious pre-war buildings in NYC. This iconic apartment complex was constructed in the mid-1930s and designated a city landmark in 1984 by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission.

Commissioned by Nelson Rockefeller and designed by Wallace Harrison and J. Andrew Fouilhouz, the space was owned by the prominent Rockefeller family and designed to complement Rockefeller Center. About a decade later in 1945 it was sold to the Astor family and subsequently purchased by Henry Goelet in 1953. The following year the building transitioned into cooperative apartments. The complex consists of two towers, located on 54th and 55th Streets respectively, and are adjoined by a private ground floor garden.

Skyline Windows was brought aboard to participate in a building-wide renovation which consisted of replacing around 630 openings. All of the building’s windows were original steel casements from the 1930s so it was no surprise they were performing at a very low level that was far beyond repair. In addition, the masonry openings were compromised with a myriad of waterproofing issues.

Considering Rockefeller Apartments have been a New York City Landmark for decades, it was imperative for Skyline Windows to design products that preserved the classic architectural features the original windows encompassed, while adhering to modern performance standards. This required Skyline to produce custom hardware that was specially designed for this project, as well as custom window profiles. Skyline’s in-house Sales and Engineering teams worked closely with the Preservation Commission and building architects to meet the criteria for a replacement window and door project.

Working in a pre-war Landmark building that has undergone minimal updates is no easy feat. This project came with a plethora of obstacles that Skyline had to individually address and required meticulous preparation and coordination from multiple trades. One major obstacle was the asbestos abatement that had to be conducted which required all occupied apartments to be vacated. This involved apartment protection, demolition, abatement, waterproofing, and masonry work, all of which had to be completed before the new Skyline windows were installed.

To achieve this in the safest and most efficient way possible, apartment owners were required to vacate floor-by-floor so the sequence of work could be conducted. Skyline created a strict schedule and worked hand in hand with building management to coordinate these logistics months in advance to ensure all of the work would meet this schedule. The logistics of the removal and replacement of units required multiple design phases from our engineering team which spanned many months, as well as months of preparation from our sales team.

Additionally, windows located in the rear facade of both buildings required a mastclimber to assist in the mobilization and installation of windows. Skyline Windows was successful not only in accomplishing our portion of work, but also working around the various trades involved in the project.

Skyline Windows’ role in the renovation and restoration of Rockefeller Apartments was demanding and the work was extremely detail-oriented, however, the outcome has been incredibly rewarding. Skyline managed to retain the buildings original charm and preserve many of the classic architectural features, while bringing the quality and operability into the 21st century. Ease of operation and improved thermal and acoustical performance are just a few of the benefits that have come along with the custom Skyline products installed throughout the building.

As a company that has been in business for over a century, Skyline Windows has had opportunities to work in some of New York’s most noteworthy and iconic buildings. We are happy to add Rockefeller Apartments to that list.