Renovation of the Lord and Burnham Palm House on Payne Whitney’s Greentree Estate on Long Island

In 1849, a carpenter named Fredrick
A. Lord began building greenhouses
in Buffalo, NY. In 1866, he established
Lord’s Horticultural Manufacturing
Company, which was relocated to
Irvington, NY, in 1870
to be closer to his major
clients—large estate owners in
the lower Hudson Valley and
metro New York City. In 1872,
William Addison Burnham,
Lord’s son-in-law, became a partner,
and the company took the
name Lord & Burnham (L&B).
The L&B greenhouses were the
“cutting-edge” structures of their
day. They were first to make use
of curvilinear steel and pioneered
the use of iron and steel in lieu
of wood timbers. L&B also used
the extremely decay- and insectresistant
white cypress, or bald
cypress, which would allow many
of their structures to last over 100 years.
L&B greenhouse structures include the
U.S. Botanical Gardens in Washington
D.C.; New York Botanical Garden, Bronx,
NY; and Buffalo and Erie County Botanical
Gardens in Buffalo, NY; and those owned
by many of the wealthy estate owners of
the period such as Jay Gould’s Lyndhurst,
Payne Whitney’s Greentree Estate, and
many hundreds of others.
Wiss, Janney, Elstner (WJE) has had
the privilege of working on two monumental
L&B structures: the Buffalo and Erie
County Botanical Gardens and a private
estate in New York. This project profile will
be about the complete renovation of an L&B
structure thought to have been constructed
in 1914 on the private estate.
In the summer of 2010, WJE was
asked to assess the condition of the
estate’s Palm House (Figure 1). Before
an investigation could be scheduled, a
tree fell during a storm and struck the
building, causing significant damage
(Figure 2). The damage included broken
wood rafters, bent steel purlins,
broken cast iron gutters, and broken
wood trim and framing. As a result of
the storm damage, the scope of work
was changed to include the remediation
of the storm damage
Figure 2 – Storm damage
to Palm House.
Figure 1 – Palm House prior
to renovation.
J u l y 2 0 1 2 I n t e r f a c e • 1 5
and the option to restore the entire structure
to its original grandeur. Fortunately,
the owner understood the value of the
structure and decided to restore it with the
following requirements/limitations:
1. An exact replication of the materials
and techniques was not necessary.
2. The building must look very similar
to the way it did prior to the storm
damage.
3. Different materials could be used
provided they were economically feasible
and reduced the maintenance
requirements of the structure.
4. The building must be expected to
perform for at least another 75
years.
5. Expected maintenance must be simple
and common work with no specialty
or artisan work required.
With these criteria in mind, we set out
to restore the building. The first challenge
was the wood rafters. They were milled from
cypress and had two shoulders for glass
rests and two kerfs to collect condensation
from the single-pane 1/8-in.-thick glass
(Figure 3). With many rafters being damaged
by the storm and all the others having
so many coats of paint that the condensate
kerfs were partially or completely filled, it
was decided to price out
the replacement of
all rafters with a new
aluminum extrusion
(Figure 4). The extrusion
was designed to
increase the load-carrying capacity of the
rafter, as well as have a larger and more
functional condensate conveyance capacity
by using a larger half-round gutter provided
in lieu of the kerf channel in the original
wood rafter. The trouble and cost of the custom
extrusion only slightly increased the
cost when compared to replacing the damaged
rafters and stripping and repainting
the existing rafters that could be salvaged
and reused. Additionally, the significant
reduction in maintenance costs of the aluminum
over the wood,
Figure 3 – Bald cypress (white cypress)
skylight rafters with glass rests and
tracks to channel condensate. Aluminum
cap holds glass in place and sheds water
away from glass/wood interface. Figure 4 – New aluminum rafter extrusion next to original wood rafter. Note much larger
new provisions for collection and control of condensation.
Figure 6 – Urethane millwork
mock-up providing a
close resemblance, not
exact duplication of the
existing cornice.
1 6 • I n t e r f a c e J u l y 2 0 1 2
Figure 5 – Layout of interior and
exterior gutters. Notice the retrofit
drain in the interior copper gutter was
added after original construction.
which required regular painting, made the
extrusion option an attractive benefit to the
project.
The original L&B design included two
gutters at the eaves. One gutter at the
interior—made from dead, soft copper—collected
all condensation from the underside
of the glass, while the exterior gutter—
fabricated from 5/8-in.-thick cast iron—
collected rain and snow upon the greenhouse
glass. The exterior gutter was dead
level and discharged its water via a scupper
to the interior condensate gutter in the
vicinity of an interior conductor head and
leader (Figure 5). The leader ran down the
interior wall into the ground and was connected
to the estate’s storm water collection
system. The exterior gutter was cast in sections
just over 8 ft. each.
The storm had caused damage to four
sections of the cast iron gutter, and our
investigation revealed that prior remediation
efforts damaged three other cast iron
gutter sections. These sections were damaged
when it was decided to abandon the
scupper to the interior copper gutter due
to severe leakage. Rather than scuppering
water to the interior, holes were drilled in
the bottom of the cast iron gutter, and copper
leaders were connected. These leaders
were hidden behind ornamental wood column
covers and discharged at their bases.
As a result, a total of seven out of 12 gutter
sections would require replacement. Pricing
was requested for replacement-in-kind of
the damaged sections, as well as complete
replacement of all sections with stainless
steel bent plate.
During the initial phases of construction,
which included the disassembly of
much of the building, it was discovered
that severe deterioration of bolts connecting
the existing cast iron gutter to the steel
truss framing of the building made the
replacement of the entire gutter assembly
with stainless steel the easier construction
method and did not increase the overall cost
of construction.
The exterior entablature (cornice, frieze,
and soffit) was originally fabricated from
white cypress. Over the course of 100
years, various maintenance programs had
replaced much of the ornamental trim
with mahogany, and in some areas, pine.
The large frieze and soffits were still white
cypress, but much of the exterior entablature
had deteriorated or had been repaired
multiple times in different ways, leaving
the entire system in fair to poor condition.
Based upon the owner’s desire to minimize
future maintenance, it was decided to
change the exterior entablature and install
either fiberglass-reinforced polymer (FRP) or
urethane millwork (Fypon, Apex, etc.). The
urethane millwork option could not exactly
replicate the existing entablature profile
using stock pieces; however, multiple stock
pieces were assembled to provide a reasonable
replacement (Figure 6). Since all areas
of the entablature were being replaced due
to its condition and the desire to have a
uniform appearance, an exact match was
not required. Since stock pieces could be
used, their availability was good, and the
price of the urethane option was less than
if FRP were used.
One disadvantage of the urethane millwork
is that it is known to expand and contract
such that all the lap and butt joints
between the approximately nine different
pieces needed to build the entablature will
become readily visible over the approximately
75-ft. run of the entablatures.
Another drawback of the urethane millwork
is that the material requires initial painting,
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1 8 • I n t e r f a c e J u l y 2 0 1 2
as well as maintenance painting every ten
to 15 years. The FRP option would allow for
virtually an exact replication of the existing
profile. Custom-color matching of the FRP
gel coat can be done and does not require
painting for at least 40 years. Additionally,
the FRP entablature can be made in a single
piece with vertical joints occurring only at
the column lines. Drawbacks of the FRP are
that it is slightly more expensive; sealant
joints between sections will require replacement
every 15 or 20 years; they have longer
lead times; and once templates and field
measurements are taken and the pieces are
made, the material cannot be modified in
the field to accommodate for irregular substrate
conditions.
In the end, it was determined that the
additional up-front construction costs for
the FRP could be recouped within two maintenance
painting cycles due to the costs of
scraping and painting the intricate profile of
the entablature. FRP was also used to replicate
the entire gable cornicing, as well as
the interior and exterior ornamental column
covers (Figures 7 and 8).
At the interior, another very similar
Figure 7 – Exact
duplication of
entablature detail
with FRP.
Figure
8 – Exact
duplication
of gable rake
profile with
FRP.
Figure 9 – Paint
removed at interior
entablature to expose
original 1- x 14-in.
clear cypress.
Figure 10 – Interior entablature after
repainting.
2 0 • I n t e r f a c e J u l y 2 0 1 2
entablature was in extremely good shape
and was able to be stripped of its multiple
coats of paint, exposing 1- x 14-in. planks
of clear white cypress heartwood over 16 ft.
long (Figure 9). Once prepared, the interior
entablature had minor repairs and was
repainted (Figure 10).
Similarly, once the building’s wood and
glass cladding had been removed, exposing
its steel frame, all steel substrates were
stripped of all coatings and coated with an
epoxy primer and two coats of epoxy paint.
Structural enhancements to the frame in
the form of stainless steel cross bracing
were added and left unpainted.
The vertical glass gables of the building
were supported by outriggers protruding
from a wood knee wall at the level of the
interior and exterior entablatures. Over
time, the outriggers had failed and the
gables had displaced downward approximately
1½ in. (Figures 11 and 12). The
remediation of these gables included repairs
to the knee wall and installation of steel
plate outriggers on both sides of each knee
wall stud to support a wooden sill plate
upon which the new gables would rest
(Figure 13).
Figure 11 – Failed structural outriggers caused
the gable to shift downward, bringing the right
edge of glass with it.
Figure 12 – Plywood gussets
installed on both sides of broken/
failed original wood outriggers.
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J u l y 2 0 1 2 I n t e r f a c e • 2 1
The large rectangular fixed
windows below the gutters had
been replaced within the last
15 years with new mahogany
windows. The arch-top windows
above the new mahogany windows
were the original cypress,
with over 20 individual pieces
of cut glass, and were in fair
condition. It was decided that
the increase in cost to replace
these windows with new FRP
laminated to a single sheet of
safety glass would reduce future
maintenance and provide more
uniformity of color and texture
to the exterior cladding components.
At the gable end with
the entry pediment, the original
cypress rectangular windows
remained. These windows, as
well as the arch-top windows
above, were severely deteriorated
and were also replaced
with new FRP laminated to a
single sheet of safety glass.
Figure 13 – New steel outriggers supporting sill of gable.
The gable wall opposite the entry pediment was
a triple-wythe brick wall. Prior to WJE’s involvement
with the building, an adjacent potting shed and gardener’s
residence had been demolished. The basement
of this structure is where the boiler for the Palm
House is located. It was left in place and covered with
a waterproofing membrane and blacktop. This brick
wall had the remnants of white paint, asphaltic mastic,
and beam pockets from the recently demolished
building. The entire brick gable wall was repointed
and cleaned inside and out (Figures 14 and 15).
Ventilation of the structure was originally provided
by crank-operated vents on both sides of the
ridge, while the arch-top windows on the walls of
the building operated as canopy-type windows. More
than 30 years ago (at least as long as the current
head gardener has been employed at the estate),
the arch-top windows had their operating hardware
removed and were fixed in the closed position.
Since the convection ventilation between the archtop
windows and ridge vents had been lost (and it
was decided not to reestablish operational arch-top
windows due to cost), new, specialized ventilation
2 2 • I n t e r f a c e J u l y 2 0 1 2
Figure 14 – Brick condition prior to renovation. Note evidence of
prior structure’s rooflines and beam pockets.
Figure 16 – Two new specialized greenhouse
circulating fans positioned at third points
along the ridge.
Figure 15 – Completed brick, cleaned and
repointed, and with face brick replacements.
fans were installed; they artificially
create convection currents to aid in the ventilation and temperature
equalization of the entire space (Figure 16).
The last significant scope of work was lighting. In the recent
decades prior to renovation, the building was used strictly as a
working greenhouse. Present at the interior is an architectural stone
waterfall and reflecting pond with verified accounts of live caiman
residing in the pond, indicating the space was at one time used for
its aesthetic beauty. At the time the renovation began, the interior
of the building was illuminated with three 100W spotlights that
had no fixtures or shades. While it was decided not to illuminate
the building’s exterior, interior up-and-down lighting at the column
J u l y 2 0 1 2 I n t e r f a c e • 2 3
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Figure 18 – Evening exterior view of the
complete and lit building.
Figure 17 – Daytime exterior view of the
completed building.
lines was installed to allow for the utilitarian
illumination of the building, as well
as architectural illumination, should it be
decided that it will play host to social functions
in the future (Figures 17, 18, and 19).
As a postscript to the construction,
the restoration contractor, Nicholson &
Galloway, found an advertisement (Figure
20) from the June 1906 Country Life in
America publication with a photograph of
the Palm House. This advertisement proves
that the building was built prior to 1914 and
shows a grand plan of other greenhouses,
some of which were built and have since
been removed.
2 4 • I n t e r f a c e J u l y 2 0 1 2
Remo R. Capolino, an associate principal with Wiss, Janney,
Elstner & Associates, grew up in a family-owned specialty
roofing contracting business and graduated from the Univer–
sity of Connecticut with a BS in civil engineering. After more
than 15 years in contracting and leadership roles with the
Association of General Contractors (AGC), Northeast Roofing
Contractors Association (NERCA), and the National Roofing
Contractors Association (NRCA), he turned to consulting.
Capolino has lent his expertise in copper, zinc, slate, and
other specialty roofing assemblies on a number of internationally
recognized projects.
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Figure 19 – Interior evening-lit view. Figure 20 – 1906 ad
for L&B greenhouses.
The Hail Investigation Report by the
Roofing Industry Committee on Weather
Issues, Inc. (RICOWI) of the May 24, 2011,
Dallas/Fort Worth, TX, hailstorm has
been released and is available at no
charge at www.ricowi.com. The purpose
of the project was to document the effects of hail impact on a
variety of roofing products and to describe roof assembly performance
and modes of damage for substantiated hailstone sizes.
RICOWI Chairman Michael Ennis stated that this was “the
second industry-wide hail research program conducted by
RICOWI, Inc. to assess field damage from a major hailstorm in
the United States. The storm selected was based on the criteria
of having been declared an insurance catastrophe by Property
Claim Service (an insurance services company) and having
hailstones larger than 1.5 inches in diameter in a region of five
square miles or greater in a previously defined area. The Dallas/
Fort Worth metropolitan area was targeted due to its concentration
of impact-resistant steep-slope roofing products.”
RICOWI sent seven teams into the field to inspect hail damage.
Teams were composed of engineers, roofing material specialists,
researchers, and roof consultants. The teams examined
over 100 roofing systems during a four-day period to evaluate
the effects of a significant hailstorm. Data collected from the
investigations will provide unbiased detailed information on the
hail resistance of low- and steep-slope roofing systems from
credible investigative teams.
RICOWI comprises all of the major roofing associations and
includes members of academia, educational and testing facilities,
and others involved in the science of roofing.
RICOWI Releases Hail Report