Mount Morris Park Fire Watch Tower
Thornton Tomasetti completed field documentation, investigation, and construction documents for the restoration of this designated landmark. Erected in East Harlem in the mid-1850s, it is the last remaining fire watch tower in New York City.
Our design for a full restoration included an overall structural assessment, historical documentation, paint coating analysis, and a finite element analysis of the entire cast iron structure. We also developed temporary stabilization to supplement existing temporary stabilization measures that were installed in the early 1990s.
Even if the watch tower were a brand new structure without 150 years of deterioration, it would still not meet today’s standards. One of the main challenges we faced was retaining as much of the historic material as possible while stabilizing the tower. Original cast iron elements, too deteriorated to be reused, will be replicated in new cast iron. The salvaged pieces from the corroded vertical wrought iron baluster railing system will be coupled with new pieces and materials to work together with the original structure. When you look at the tower it will be clear what is original and what has been added for stabilization.
Project Stats
Location: New York, New York
Owner: Historic House Trust of New York City, Inc.
Completion Date: 2009
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