Barnard College

Barnard College, New York, New York

Barnard College Historic Preservation Master Plan 1 of 10 (PDF) 1MB

Barnard College Historic Preservation Master Plan 2 of 10 (PDF) 1.5MB

Barnard College Historic Preservation Master Plan 3 of 10 (PDF) 1.3MB

Barnard College Historic Preservation Master Plan 4 of 10 (PDF) 1MB

Barnard College Historic Preservation Master Plan 5 of 10 (PDF) 1.2MB

Barnard College Historic Preservation Master Plan 6 of 10 (PDF) 6.5MB

Barnard College Historic Preservation Master Plan 7 of 10 (PDF) 4MB

Barnard College Historic Preservation Master Plan 8 of 10 (PDF) 3MB

Barnard College Historic Preservation Master Plan 9 of 10 (PDF) 4.2MB

Barnard College Historic Preservation Master Plan 10 of 10 (PDF) 5.1MB

Barnard College was established in the Morningside Heights area of New York City in 1889 as an independent liberal arts college for women. Designed by Charles Rich, the core buildings at Barnard still house many original interiors, including the library, which features a Tiffany-glass fireplace mantel. The grant will be used to create a preservation master plan to guide the future preservation and restoration of the four earliest buildings—Milbank, Barnard, Brooks, and Hewitt Halls.

Barnard College received a Getty grant in 2003 for $220,000 to support campus heritage planning.

Report Summary

Purpose: The grant will be used to create a preservation master plan to guide the future preservation and restoration of the four earliest buildings—Milbank, Barnard, Brooks, and Hewitt Halls—by inventorying and assessing the condition of those buildings and their architectural elements.

Historic Designation(s): Millbank, Brinkerhoff, Fiske, Brooks, and Hewitt Halls (National Register of Historic Places). Architects include Arnold Brunner, Charles Rich, and McKim Mead & White. Milbank Hall includes interiors by design pioneer, Elsie de Wolfe. The library in one building features a Tiffany-glass fireplace mantel.

Planning Process Used

• Campus and its buildings were surveyed, producing a campus inventory, focusing particularly on the earliest buildings and their architectural elements
• located historic documents relevant to the various buildings
• Widespread interviews conducted regarding the buildings, their use, and their maintenance
• Condition of buildings assessed, using drawings and photographs to document that condition as a baseline
• Suggested maintenance plan created for each building
• Scope of work and matching cost estimate established and prioritized according to budget restrictions
• Inventory Barnard's earliest buildings and their architectural elements
• Condition assessment of that inventory
• “organize action when it can be taken to secure the future of Barnard's earliest buildings, put them to the very best use, and make them shine.” [p. 8]

Outcomes: Products

• Annotated lists for building maintenance procedures, displaying the anticipated lifespan and recommended inspection schedule and criteria for each procedure
• Standardized maintenance checklist form, organized by building component and architectural element and assigning responsibility between the college and a contractor.
• Condition survey report for each building, by Robert Sillman Assocs.
• System condition report for Milbank Hall, by Atkinson Koven Feinberg
• Finishes Analysis for Milbank Hall, by Jablonski Berkowitz Conservation, including a paint list showing matching commercial specifications and illustrations of the surface samples used
• Tabulation of prioritized preservation issues for each building, organized by building component and architectural element, noting the type of investigation conducted along with preservation goal and treatment recommendation
• Exterior maintenance plan for each building
• Prioritized list of recommended treatments, noting the relevant estimated costs
• Individual glossaries relevant to each building
• Bibliography
• List of photography credits

Outcomes: Plans

Report implies that Brooks, Hewitt, and Barnard Halls will be nominated to the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission, matching their listing on the National Register of Historic Places.

Unique Features

Recommended pilot projects. Suggested pilot projects to best illustrate, and promote support for, the contribution of historic preservation efforts for these buildings while increasing building functionality, aesthetics, and system upgrades.

Recommendation to create a maintenance library, e.g., warranties, product information, contacts, and maintenance logs Standardized maintenance checklist form, organized by building component and architectural element and assigning responsibility between the college and a contractor.

Advisors

The contract team worked with Barnard staff Cynthia Bennett, Senior Development Strategist, Lisa Gamsu, Vice President for Administration, Jeffrey Mason, Project Manager for Facilities Services, and Donald S. Glassman, Architect.