BAM Harvey Theater: Reviving a 100-year old window

BAM’s Harvey Theater is a prominent feature in Fort Greene, Brooklyn with a history steeped in revival and rebirth in the Fort Greene community. Historical Windows created a custom replica for the centerpiece semi-circular window. 

The Majestic Theater before it closed.

The curtains rise

Built in 1904 by Leopold Eidlitz, the New York State Capitol architect, the space opened as the Majestic Theater. Its architectural details paired well with its variety of dramas, operas, and Broadway test productions. 

In 1942, the Theater was converted into a first-run European-style movie house by a Parisian fleeing the Nazis. It was a bustling part of Brooklyn’s entertainment district until the 1960s, when the television industry redefined the show experience and the building was abandoned. 

The old Majestic Theater was in rough shape before BAM rescued it.

It stood empty and in a state of disuse and disrepair until 1987 when BAM’s then-President Harvey Lichenstein rediscovered it in a quest for finding a home for their upcoming production of Mahabharata.

A revival

BAM rescued the space and breathed new life into the structure and renamed it the BAM Majestic. The seven-month, five million dollar renovation intertwined many of the original architectural details, the spirit of the found location by retaining distressed elements, and then-modern theater technology. 

In 1999, BAM renamed the theater in honor of Harvey Lichtenstein’s retirement and legacy.

Dry-fitting the new window in Honduras.

A second act

BAM undertook a second renovation at the Harvey as part of BAM Strong, which unites BAM venues along Fulton Street. BAM Strong created The Rudin Family Gallery and Robert W. Wilson Sculpture Terrace (both accessible from the Harvey), a new elevator to the Harvey’s balcony level, and new ground-level space at 230 Ashland Place. The renovations extended over a period of seven years, starting in 2012 and drawing to a conclusion in 2019.  

The HWNY Team working on the installation.

The heart of the renovation was the more than 100-year old 20-foot semi-circular window that graces the new second floor Patron’s Lounge. The window was largely untouched in the 1987 renovation.  

BAM’s challenge was how to restore a massive and key architectural feature of the front façade, improve the structural integrity of the Theater, integrate modern materials and design with a nod to the original history, and improve interior comfort and energy efficiency. 

A closer look at the detailed craftsmanship from the interior of the new Patron’s Lounge at BAM Harvey.

Enter stage left: Historical Windows

The Historical Windows team investigation revealed, like many windows of its time, that the 20-foot window was held in place by only a few nails, hollow mull posts, and completely lacking framing, anchors, and insulation. The window was beyond repair. Creating a replica was the only option. 

The exterior boasts just as many fine details, all painstakingly replicated in mahogany from the original Majestic window.

The window was painstakingly removed and the pieces shipped to Honduras, where a complete replica was hand-carved, matching every curve and every detail in Honduran mahogany (Swietenia macrophilia). It took 13 weeks to finish. 

While the new window was being carved, Historical Windows installed fire-treated lumber around the opening at the Harvey Theater, along with new mull posts and anchor points to ensure structural integrity. Engineering pull tests at the curve and sill verified the new framing could handle the load of the new window. 

Restored to perfection.

The hand-carved pieces were dry fit and shipped back to New York in sections to be built within the opening. Historic Windows expertly reassembled each section one by one to ensure a perfect installation and exact replica of the original window.

While not in a Landmark district, the new window in the Patron’s Lounge meets all Landmark standards. 

A standing ovation

The Harvey Theater reopened October 15, 2019 and kicked off the Next Wave Festival. The finished window stands as a beautiful testament to the Harvey’s rebirth and BAM’s goal to bridge the past and future.

Historical Windows Turns 50 Years Old

This year we’re celebrating 50 years of providing New York City with custom window and door solutions! In half of a century, we’ve replaced tens of thousands of windows and doors in residential, commercial, and educational and institutional structures.

Whether landmark or high performance, or both, our windows and doors meld cutting edge technology, fine craftsmanship, and the beauty of New York City architecture.

We’re looking forward to another 50 years of supporting the City’s architects and designers, building owners, and residents and patrons.   

Product Highlight: Custom Wood Double Hung Windows

The building owner chose a custom exterior color for this Landmark renovation.

Jeld-Wen’s custom wood double hung windows give building owners a nearly unlimited number of options to choose from. There are nine wood options available in 27 stock exterior colors and 63 stock interior finishes with some reduced VOC options. Custom paint colors can be added in the field.

There are also ten different hardware finishes.

The tilt-sash windows come in high performance, tinted, textured, or protective options and three different options for divided lites.

This homeowner-friendly product has a 20-year warranty and is suitable for both replacements and new construction.

The project to the right utilized 17 custom wood double hungs with high performance glass and simulated divided lights.

Grilles between the glass are a low-maintenance.

Full surround removable grilles gives the look of divided glass.

Simulated divided lites are permanent grilles on both the interior and exterior, for the most authentic look.

Historical Windows Partners with Norwood Windows & Doors

Norwood is a family-owned Canadian window and door manufacturer, specializing in finely crafted and custom wood products. With their commitment to using only the finest materials and building to exacting standards, Historical Windows is excited to add Norwood to our roster of partners.

Norwood’s windows and doors are made of only sustainably harvested lumber and offer many high performance products that meet or exceed Energy Star requirements. They recycle all paper and cardboard waste, and sawdust and wood scraps that cannot be used in their premium products are used to heat their dry lumber kilns and New Brunswick manufacturing facility.

Norwood. Never ordinary.

Case Study: Two Projects, One Block

High performance and high style combine to make this Landmarked brick beauty shine.

We like to think our work speaks for itself— and it does when we get a call to work on a second project on the same block.

In 2015, we replaced 21 windows at a Landmarked home on St. Luke’s Place. Our work included Landmark filing and securing the Landmark Preservation Commission permit to ensure a smooth renovation.

Both the front façade as well as the garden side of this beautiful brick residence received new windows. We utilized LePage Millwork XL double hung windows and their French inswing casements.

The windows are constructed of mahogany and high performance argon-filled and low-e coated glass. We created a custom beaded profile casing for the exterior to finish the look.

This handsome brownstone now boasts architecturally accurate and high performance windows.

A year later, we received a call from a neighbor three doors down to replace 11 of their front façade windows.

A combination of double hung and spiral balance Parrett Windows & Doors, these windows are constructed of mahogany and fitted with individually glazed lites of high performance argon-filled and low-e coating glass. The handsome brownstone also received custom beaded profile casings on the exterior.

The end results?

Two gorgeous installations.

Two different brands.

High style and high performance.

A unified look on a single block.

Case Study: Parrett High Performance Windows & Stained Glass Restoration

The fully restored stained glass windows are the crown jewels on the facade of this Brooklyn Brownstone.

Brooklyn is known for its Brownstones. But it’s also home to the most Landmark districts in New York City. Tree-lined streets are filled with young families taking on the maintenance that comes with a Landmark Brownstone. The owners of this Park Slope Brownstone were drawn to the stained glass windows adorning the signature three-floor 1901 home. But many of the windows were in bad shape, and some were barely or totally non-operational. Worse yet, some of the stained glass windows were missing entirely.  

Details are everything when it comes to Landmark homes.

A Landmark expert, Historical Window’s team assessed the condition of the existing windows along the front façade, with the goal of restoring wherever possible and replacing when necessary. For operational clear-glass windows, Historical Windows installed high performance (argon-filled and low-e coated) Parrett spiral balance wood hung windows on the parlor, second, and third stories. Historical Windows removed the stained glass transoms and panels, including a 72-inch wide arched window, and either completely restored or replaced with salvaged period colored glass, and reinstalled. Additionally, Historical Windows restored or created replicas of original carved mahogany columns and custom mouldings on the parlor and second levels.  

The final result was a full restoration and replacement package that brought back functionality, matched historic profiles, and custom manufactured replica stained glass windows, while improving the energy efficiency and interior comfort for the family. Historical Windows maintained the original architect’s design intent for this home and the neighborhood: from the street it is impossible to tell the difference between the original leaded glass windows and the replicas.

A restored three-panel stained glass transom sits above high performance spiral balance wood hung windows during the re-installation process.