Leading the Way with Virtual Reality

We are excited to announce that we’re leading the architectural window and door industry by deploying virtual reality in the design process.

Virtual reality immerses our clients in their projects in a transformative manner, going a step beyond the typical 3-D model. It allows architects and designers, developers, and other professionals in the building and construction sector to safely and efficiently explore conceptual options like exterior colors, window and door styles, glass types, and landmark profiles and projections.

The concepts are easily presented to customers using a virtual reality headset or video, streamlining the design process while fostering transparency, client trust, and social distancing. Building owners, interior designers, public agencies, and other stakeholders can better understand spatial and neighborhood impacts, improving engagement and approval process without the added time and expense of models and mock-ups.  

It's not just for landmark projects, either. With VR, clients will see that you don’t have to sacrifice aesthetics for energy efficiency.

Case Study: 9 Barrow Unveiled

The Hallanan is an iconic West Village building. Businessman Michael Hallanan built it in 1897 in Sheridan Square, which he petitioned city officials to name after Civil War Union General Philip Sheridan.

Located at 9 Barrow Street, the limestone and brick co-op just recently got a major overhaul by our partners at Preserv. The unique landmark building called for product from not one manufacturer, not even two, but custom windows and doors from four of our manufacturers. A custom paint color unified the different treatments.

The Hallanan’s exterior required a special eye toward fire safety, as part of the City’s Local Law 11 Façade Inspection & Safety Program. We included fire-rated double hung windows and worked closely with the Landmark Preservation Commission on aluminum cladding and casing to match the original wood details.

Our shop also replicated mahogany corbels and dental brackets for the cornices.

Historical Windows and Caoba Doors Announce Exclusive Partnership

We’re proud to announce an exclusive partnership with Caoba Doors in Antigua, Guatemala.

Steeped in the craftsmanship of Central America for more than 35 years, Caoba prides themselves on the quality of their product and their workforce—the largest and best compensated in the region.

Caoba’s windows, doors, and millwork are custom designed for each client—down to the size and shape, wood species and finish, hardware, and glass. They offer a truly bespoke product that starts in their more than a million board foot lumber storage, moves to their 180,000 square foot state of the art manufacturing plant, and ends with hand-applied finishing. Their work includes the US Treasury Building in Washington, DC and the Staten Island Borough Hall and Beekman Hotel in New York City.

Custom is their standard.

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.