Restoration of the Eldridge Street Synagogue in New York City with Ecologic® Mortar

In the heart of what is now Chinatown on the Lower East Side in Manhattan lives the Eldridge Street Synagogue. A very important Jewish Synagogue built in the late 1800s, it was the first synagogue to be built by the Eastern European Jews emigrating from Russia, Romania and Poland. The synagogue flourished for its first 50 years and was revered for its gorgeous vaulted ceilings and stained glass windows. But the membership began to dwindle following the great depression and was abandoned in the 1950s. Harsh city life ate away at the building, it became home to flocks of pigeons and other critters. Leaks developed and the stairs became unstable, the remaining members retreated to the basement where they remained for almost half a century.

The rescue effort of the Eldridge Street Synagogue began in the late 70s when volunteers and the Friends of the Eldridge Street Synagogue initiated efforts that led to an $18.5 million dollar repair campaign. This campaign included repointing work of the facade using Ecologic® Mortar from LimeWorks.us Additional repairs to the ceiling, wallpaper, paint and almost every aspect of the central room was restored returning it to its original glory. The final element was set during the fall of 2010, the stained-glass window commissioned by Kiki Smith and Deborah Gans is the only 21st century element inside the historic space.

More details of the Eldridge Street Synagogue restoration can be found in the latest issue of Traditional Building Magazine

-LimeWorks.us (Linked-in : Blog : Facebook : Twitter)

Facade after restoration, photo credit: Kate Milford

All Photos Copyright Sean K Maxwell

Historic Fabric melded with Traditional Mortar at the Irish Hunger Memorial in New York City

Blocks from the World Trade Center Memorial and the construction site of the new World Trade Center sits a half acre patch grass dedicated to raising awareness of the Great Irish Famine. This memorial was under construction on September 11, 2011 when the Twin Towers fell. The memorial saved that day, simply because of the direction the wind was blowing. The plume of dust blew from 1 World Trade Center in just a way that it didn’t touch a single stone, all of which were donated from each county throughout Ireland. Even a 19th century cottage was disassembled in the County of Mayo and re-laid in Manhattan using a lime mortar that was determined to most closely match that of the original. The memorial was dedicated in 2002 by former New York mayor Ed Koch.

A team from LimeWorks.us recently visited the site and put together a collection of images seen below. The names carved in the stones represent the counties of Ireland. St. Astier Natural Hydraulic Lime was used throughout the memorial walls and cottage, supplied by LimeWorks.us. The structure has been holding up very well and we are very proud to have been part of this important piece of built heritage.

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All photos Copyright Sean K Maxwell

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LimeWorks.us in the Big Apple, our recent visit to NYC

This week, some of the team members from LimeWorks.us ventured up to the Big Apple to take a look at a few places that have used our materials over the years and connect with other like-minded folks in an effort to help do what’s right for our historic built heritage and preserve in-kind. Here is a peek at some of the photos from our trip. Check back in the coming weeks to see some more great photos from New York City and read some stories about our visit.

All Photos Copyright: Sean K Maxwell

-LimeWorks.us (Linked-in : Blog : Facebook : Twitter)