Location: 155 Hill Street, Southampton, NY
Landmark Status: National Register Of Historic Places
Original Architect: Mckim Mead & White
Date of Construction: 1906
Date of Restoration: 2009-2010
Scope of Work: Cedar Roof Replacement, EPDM Roof Replacement, Gutter Replacement, Widow’s Walk Reconstruction
The Whitefield Condominium is an important landmark in Southampton Village. Completed in 1906, this rambling Colonial Revival house built for James L. Breese was among the last commissions by Stanford White before his death. Originally known as The Orchard, the house is the centerpiece of a 30-acre estate on which several newer residences have been constructed.
WBMA was retained to survey existing roofing conditions and make recommendations for long-term improvements to the extensive, circa-1980 roofs of the main house, which now contains five condominiums. A study of the skip-lath sheathing in the attic revealed that the existing 15” shingles were much smaller than the original shingles, which had a 10-1/2” exposure and were 34” long. Historic photographs of the house were located by WBMA which shed light on long-gone details of the roof. The existing wood shingles were found to be nearing the end of their expected life and a decision was made to restore the roof to its original appearance, including the reconstruction of the decaying wood widow’s walk railing and replication of the curved, steam-bent shingles on the two round-headed dormers at the front of the building.
In order to complete the project on schedule, WBMA located a shingle mill in Washington State that could mill custom-cut 34” red cedar logs into 170 squares of random-width taper-sawn shakes with ¾” thick butt ends. This jumbo shingle would replicate the scale of the original roof and restore the balance of the large-exposure shingle-clad walls to the roof. The condominium bought the singles directly from the mill, which had experience with custom shingles for historic preservation projects.
A local roofer was awarded the work, which involved removing the existing shingle roofs and flashings and installing a waterproof membrane, a ventilation layer, the new shingles, coated copper flashings and half-round gutters. The widow’s walk railing components were carefully replicated in red cedar. WBMA made weekly inspections of the work during construction, and the house is now protected with a durable and appropriate roof which will last for decades.
Principal Martin has worked in the architecture and construction industry for over 30 years, including 26 years at WBMA specializing in the assessment and repair of exterior envelopes. He has overseen several award-winning restoration projects including St. Paul’s Chapel – Columbia University, 451 Broome Street, Liberty Tower and Alwyn Court, as well as restoration projects at Louis Sullivan’s Bayard-Condict Building, the Cosmopolitan Club, several City parks and residential cooperatives. Martin is well versed in the myriad building materials that have been used in the northeast and has extensive experience assessing and restoring a variety of masonry and roofing systems. He is a graduate of the University of Southern California and is a Registered Architect in New York State.
Education
University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
Bachelor of Architecture
Professional Registration
Registered Architect in the State of New York
Principal Martin has worked in the architecture and construction industry for over 30 years, including 26 years at WBMA specializing in the assessment and repair of exterior envelopes. He has overseen several award-winning restoration projects including St. Paul’s Chapel – Columbia University, 451 Broome Street, Liberty Tower and Alwyn Court, as well as restoration projects at Louis Sullivan’s Bayard-Condict Building, the Cosmopolitan Club, several City parks and residential cooperatives. Martin is well versed in the myriad building materials that have been used in the northeast and has extensive experience assessing and restoring a variety of masonry and roofing systems. He is a graduate of the University of Southern California and is a Registered Architect in New York State.
Education
University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
Bachelor of Architecture
Professional Registration
Registered Architect in the State of New York
With over 19 years of experience in the field, Sergio has been instrumental in the successful restoration, repair, and continued maintenance of numerous historic structures in New York City and beyond. 13 of those years have been at WBMA, where he has taken a detailed and methodical approach to his projects. Some of his noteworthy ongoing projects include Casa Italiana, Columbia University; The Osborne; 100 Hudson Street; 525 Park Avenue; 130 East End Avenue; and 300 West 108th Street. Previous award-winning projects include 131 Duane Steet – the Hope Building, 451 Broome Street, Donald Judd Home & Studio, and Marymount School of New York. He is a Registered Architect in the States of New York and New Jersey. Originally from Puerto Rico, Sergio received his Master of Science in Historic Preservation from the University of Pennsylvania and Bachelor of Architecture with a Minor in Architectural History from Carnegie Mellon University.
University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
Master of Science in Historic Preservation
Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA
Bachelor of Architecture
Minor in Architectural History
Registered Architect in the States of New York and New Jersey
Principal Martin has worked in the architecture and construction industry for over 30 years, including 26 years at WBMA specializing in the assessment and repair of exterior envelopes. He has overseen several award-winning restoration projects including St. Paul’s Chapel – Columbia University, 451 Broome Street, Liberty Tower and Alwyn Court, as well as restoration projects at Louis Sullivan’s Bayard-Condict Building, the Cosmopolitan Club, several City parks and residential cooperatives. Martin is well versed in the myriad building materials that have been used in the northeast and has extensive experience assessing and restoring a variety of masonry and roofing systems. He is a graduate of the University of Southern California and is a Registered Architect in New York State.
Education
University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
Bachelor of Architecture
Professional Registration
Registered Architect in the State of New York
With 35 years of professional experience at WBMA, Robert has overseen restoration projects at many of New York City’s premier institutions, including The Met Cloisters, Donald Judd Home and Studio, Green-Wood Cemetery and Riverside Church, as well as McKim Mead and White’s 998 Fifth Avenue and William Tuthill’s Schinasi Mansion at 351 Riverside Drive. A graduate of Lehigh University, Robert is a Registered Architect in the States of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, as well as a member of the American Institute of Architects. He has a strong understanding of traditional building materials and has developed many new restoration techniques over the years. Robert has published articles on waterproofing of historic masonry walls, restoration of cast iron, and roofing replacement.
Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA
Bachelor of Art in Architecture
Registered Architect in the States of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut
