Two years ago, a five-story townhouse in the historic district of Manhattan’s East Side suffered a fire on its upper floors. Built in 1917, the building’s reported original architect was Cass Gilbert, who also designed the New York City Public Library and the United States Custom House in lower Manhattan. Its owner wanted to put the heating system back into operation and arranged for an inspection.
Despite fire and smoke damage on the top three floors and water damage throughout, the building could be rehabilitated and put back to use. The building’s original design was intact, supplemented by an addition to the rear. The style of radiators used on the addition dates the addition project to sometime in the 1950s.