“Harlem Hellfighters” Fifth Avenue Armory, New York Army National Guard
PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS
Market Sector — Federal/State/Municipal
Project Dates — 2013-2016
NAICS — 541611
Client — New York Army National Guard
Contract Value — $46M
Services
✓ Commissioning/Decommissioning/Retro-Commissioning
✓ Program & Project Management
For this military construction project, M-B managed and oversaw major restoration and historic preservation of the celebrated Administration Building of the Fifth Avenue Armory, which along with a Drill Shed, is a 115,000 sq. ft. Armory built in 1933 in Harlem. The armory was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1994. Home of the New York Army National Guard’s highly decorated 369th Infantry Regiment, known as the Harlem Hellfighters, the 3½ story Armory, built in the Art Deco style, was created to honor the Regiment for its service in World War I. The Drill Shed has been converted to use for city athletic facilities. A major challenge of the project involved efforts to restore and maintain corridors containing terrazzo tile floors, a regimental meeting room includes parquet floors, a fireplace with a carved mantel, and throughout the Armory, plaster walls, some with walnut-wood paneling, and plaster ceilings.
M-B, providing architectural and engineering technical support with a full-time project manager, conducted preliminary investigations, reviewed drafts and conceptual design, estimated costs, developed a scope of work, and provided design guidance. The PM maintained project book documentation, conducted code compliance evaluations, oversaw commissioning activities, and monitored day-to-day construction including compliance with Anti-Terrorism/Force Protection security elements, fire protection systems, and State Historic Preservation requirements. M-B identified and analyzed problematic issues (both design and construction), developed and suggested appropriate courses of action, and oversaw the timely execution of the same in a clear, accurate, and professional manner.
