Governor’s Island Vent Building
Façade Rehabilitation and Emergency Egress System
The Brooklyn Battery Tunnel opened in 1950 after nearly a decade of construction. It is the longest continuous underwater vehicular tunnel in North America. The facility is ventilated by equipment housed in four buildings – two located in lower Manhattan, one near the Brooklyn portal, and one just off Governor’s Island. When operating at full capacity, these ventilation stations facilitate complete air change within the tunnel every one-and-a-half minutes.
In October of 2003, Graciano began a full-scale restoration on the 55-year-old façade of the Governor’s Island building. Access to the structure had to be made by barge or through the tunnel itself, and all restoration activities had to be staged to allow the facility to continue operating at full capacity.
The company’s artisans restored the building’s granite and terra cotta features, removed an existing acrylic stucco cladding system, and waterproof the facility’s brick subsurface to accommodate the installation of a granite cladding system by another contractor. Graciano also completed repairs to the building’s seawall, as well as repairs to expansion joints and other masonry features. The assignment was completed in the fall of 2004.
Project Portfolio Images
Project Details
- Completion Date: 11/30/2003
- Owner: Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority
- General Contractor: Kiewit Constructors
- Masonry Contractor: Graciano Corporation