The New York City Housing Authority has called on STV to perform design and construction phase services for major exterior improvements at the Bronx River Houses and Eastchester Gardens in the Bronx, NY, and General Ulysses S. Grant Houses in Manhattan. The work, based on the firm’s designs, will improve energy costs and safety while helping to preserve the tower complexes, its parks, and community centers.

STV initially surveyed the buildings to determine the condition of exterior masonry, asphalt roofing, and drainage before developing final plans, specifications and cost estimates for a major rehabilitation program that includes asbestos abatement and full-scale replacement of the roofing layer and metal flashing on the main buildings, bulkhead stairs, machine and elevator rooms and entrance canopies. Repairs were also designed for exterior brick and concrete masonry, window lintels and roof parapets.

In addition to improving the buildings for the 9,500 residents at the complexes, the program will also help preserve the two Bronx complexes for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places. Bronx River specifically is the home to past and present pop music stars, including several hip-hop pioneers who held their first performances at the community center in the early 1970s.