Park Avenue Entranceway Restoration ProjectThe Park Avenue Armory’s first restoration project, restoration of the building’s front entrance has been completed, revealing much about the building’s original design and character. It was discovered during conservation that the 1,600 lbs., six-inch thick wooden entryway doors were not made of a dark finish as they appeared, but rather a light blond oak finish. Similarly, the building’s soiled granite trim was cleaned and restored to its original creamy white. The cleaning of the historic gates restored their original bronze surface and uncovered the prominent copper plaque signature of Mitchell Vance and Co., one of the premier manufacturers of ornamental metalwork at the turn of the century.In January 2007, the wooden entryway doors were removed to be studied and conserved. A slow and painstaking process removed over 25 layers of stain, varnish, dirt and grime to uncover the original blond oak finish. As there were no archival records to indicate the original appearance of the doors, conservators had to rely on physical evidence to uncover the original surface.The front entrance restoration was made possible by the generous support of the Susan and Elihu Rose Foundation, the American Express Historic Preservation Fund, the Achelis & Bodman Foundations and Enid and Lester S. Morse, Jr.

Additional support was provided by contributions through The Avenue Association, The Felicia Fund, Milton & Sally Avery Arts Foundation, Inc. and Edith C. Blum Foundation, Inc.

Mary Divver Room ExhibitionThe Park Avenue Armory has also mounted its first exhibition entitled The Park Avenue Armory: A Century of Culture, Competition, and Ceremony. The exhibition highlights the remarkable events that have taken place in the Armory over the last 128 years. These events included concerts by the New York Philharmonic, benefits, galas, art and antique fairs, exhibitions, tennis matches and theatrical events.Located in the Mary Divver Room, one of Armory’s landmark interiors designed by the Herter Brothers, the show is open during show hours.The exhibition was made possible by the generous support of the American Express Historic Preservation Fund and the Achelis & Bodman Foundations.

Additional support was provided by The Felicia Fund, Milton & Sally Avery Arts Foundation, Inc. and Edith C. Blum Foundation, Inc.

Restroom RenovationIf you’ve ever had the misfortune to visit the Armory’s basement restrooms before now, you know exactly why we put the project at the top of our “to-do list.” Dark, dank, dirty and depressing were words that best described the encounter. After a full renovation of the stairs, hallway and the restrooms, the experience couldn’t be more different. A color palate of aqua and cream, tan carpeting and brushed nickel fixtures greets the eye. New lighting and decorative photographs line the walls. While this was a small project in the larger scheme of things, its seems to be the most commented on and welcome change to date.

HVAC Project During the summer and fall of 2007, the Conservancy began to install a permanent air conditioning system in the Drill Hall. This project was conceived in part to respond to the community concern about the unsightly air conditioning trucks that sit on Lexington Avenue for four months each year. The new air conditioning system has been designed with the community in mind; all project components will be hidden from sight and acoustically sealed in order to ensure no noise disturbance for our neighbors. The completion date for this project is May 15, 2008.