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A Tale of Two Domes
The Restoration of Domes at The Cathedral of St. John the Divine and Gould Memorial Library in New York City

Virtual Event

Thursday, May 20, 2021
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM ET

The Cathedral of St. John the Divine, Manhattan (left) and Gould Memorial Library, Bronx (right). Image courtesy of Nicholson & Galloway

Please join APTNE for a unique bird’s eye perspective of two of NYC’s most iconic buildings from the turn of the 20th century! The domes at The Cathedral of St. John the Divine in Morningside Heights and Gould Memorial Library at Bronx Community College were constructed within ten years of each other, 1909 and 1899 respectively, and were both built with laminated clay tile by The Guastavino Fireproof Construction Company, but the similarities end there. While the Library dome was meticulously designed in the Beaux-Arts style down to the smallest detail by the pre-eminent architecture firm of the day, McKim, Mead & White, the Cathedral dome was quickly installed over the crossing as a temporary measure until the planned stone tower could be financed and constructed. The Library dome was clad with gorgeous, pressed copper shingles and ornaments while the Cathedral dome was waterproofed with roofing tar.

In 2020, Nicholson & Galloway was fortunate enough to be awarded the replacement of both dome roofs. When completed, one project will be an exact replica of all details of a historic landmark while the other will be a contemporary design of a new copper roof over a once temporary, now permanent dome. Currently about halfway through both projects, the presentation will provide a summary of the work to date and the plans for completion.

Event Leaders: Andrew Wilson, Van Hemsley, and Robert Lata are Nicholson & Galloway’s managers for the Dome Projects and have 65 years of combined experience in the restoration industry. They have been privileged to manage and coordinate some of the most important restoration projects in NYC including The Chrysler Building, The New York Stock Exchange, One Wall Street, The P.S. 1 Museum, City Center Theater, The Cathedral of St. John the Divine, The Guggenheim Museum, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Fire Watchtower, The Peninsula Hotel, The Dakota Apartments, The New York Public Library Main Branch, The Metropolitan Opera, and Grand Central Terminal. Their specialties include masonry restoration, roofing, ornamental sheet metal, metal restoration, and complex scaffolding and hoisting.

Andrew Wilson, Co-President, grew up in NYC, graduated from Cooper Union with an architecture degree in 1988, and immediately began working as a restoration architect developing construction documents and performing construction administration for exterior restoration projects all over NYC. In 1992, he started with Nicholson & Galloway as an assistant project manager and over the years has progressed to Co-President, a position he shares with his partner Mark Haynes. He is a NYC Licensed Rigger and former Licensed Architect.

Van Hemsley, Senior Project Manager (St. John the Divine Dome), grew up in Long Island and graduated from New York Institute of Technology Old Westbury in 2010 with a Bachelor of Architecture, after which he immediately started with Nicholson and Galloway as an Assistant PM. Since that time, he has become an expert in restoration and scaffolding and rigging and has advanced to Sr. Project Manager.

Robert Lata, Project Manager (Gould Memorial Library Dome), was born and raised in Poland and graduated from the Krasnik Technical High School in Poland. In 1996, he emigrated to the U.S. and in 1997 he started as a restoration mechanic in NYC, working his way up to a Rigging Foreman for Nicholson & Galloway. In 2015, Robert moved from field supervision to project management where his vast field experience has quickly propelled him to expert management on complex projects.

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Additional Details & Logistics

Cost:

Members & Students*: Complimentary
Non-Members: $10
*Non-member students are complimentary provided that you register with a valid university email address.

Continuing Education: This event is eligible for 1.0 AIA LU/HSW.

Membership and Sponsorship:  For more information about becoming an APTNE member or sponsor, please visit our website here 

Thank you to our sponsors, Nicholson & Galloway and Gladding McBean!