249 West 29th Street

We had the opportunity to work on the rehabilitation and restoration of 249 West 29th Street, a 15-story residential loft constructed in 1927 by Henry Oser, a Russian-born engineer who designed numerous other lofts in the fur district. The building was initially utilized for fur clothing manufacturing before being transformed into residential units in 1979.

Similar to its neighboring buildings, the structure features large storefront windows on the lower levels for displaying merchandise and numerous small setbacks on the upper floors, some of which are less than one foot deep, in compliance with the City's then-new zoning resolution. The building's art deco style is characterized by geometric patterns, especially on the setback parapets and soaring terra cotta pinnacles.

It's interesting to note that the two-story portion of the building on the east side predates the 15-story tower. Originally a five-story tenement, Oser removed its upper floors and incorporated the remaining two levels into the new loft tower, ensuring a light-well for its side windows.

Our team's restoration and rehabilitation tasks for this project included the installation of new terra cotta, localized roof replacement, masonry rebuilding and cleaning, structural steel repair, and the construction of a new greenhouse on one of the rear setbacks.