The Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) is one of the oldest and most storied performing arts institutions in the United States, established in 1861 and occupying its current home at 30 Lafayette Avenue in Fort Greene, Brooklyn since 1908. The building, designed in the Romanesque Revival style by the architecture firm Herts and Tallant, features a richly detailed facade of brick, limestone, and terra cotta that reflects the architectural ambitions of Brooklyn at the turn of the twentieth century.
Graciano Corporation performed masonry restoration at the Brooklyn Academy of Music complex, including the BAM Opera House. The project addressed the condition of the building's exterior masonry and facade elements, preserving the landmark character of the structure while restoring performance and protection to its envelope.
The Building
The BAM Peter Jay Sharp Building at 30 Lafayette Avenue is a six-story Beaux-Arts and Romanesque Revival structure completed in 1908. Its exterior incorporates brick, limestone details, and ornamental terra cotta elements characteristic of the period. The facade has been subject to the full range of conditions that affect urban masonry: freeze-thaw cycling, atmospheric soiling, joint deterioration, and periodic water infiltration.
The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is a New York City Landmark, meaning any restoration work must adhere to established preservation standards and receive appropriate review and approvals.
Scope of Work
Services Performed
- Exterior masonry restoration and repointing
- Terra cotta cleaning and repair
- Limestone cleaning and joint restoration
- Brick masonry repair at deteriorated locations
- Facade inspection and condition documentation
- Sealant and caulking replacement at window perimeters and transitions
Masonry Restoration at Performing Arts Venues
Cultural institutions present particular demands for a restoration contractor. Work schedules must accommodate performance calendars, and access must be planned around the ongoing use of the building by the public and by resident companies. Graciano has long experience managing restoration programs at active civic and cultural landmarks, coordinating access, scaffolding, and noise-producing work to minimize disruption to building occupants and visitors.
BAM is a working institution, and maintaining the schedule integrity of its programming while restoring the building's envelope requires the kind of coordination and craft experience that Graciano has built over more than a century in the field.
About Graciano Corporation
Founded in 1916, Graciano Corporation is one of the oldest and most experienced masonry and concrete restoration firms in the United States. With offices in Pittsburgh, PA, New York, NY, and Florida, and approximately 90% of all labor self-performed, Graciano has the depth and geographic reach to manage projects of any scale from start to finish. Graciano is a WBENC-certified Woman Business Enterprise.