Existing Conditions Survey

Formerly known as PS 160, this historic turn of the century schoolhouse located at 107 Suffolk Street on the corner of Rivington Street on Manhattan's lower east side is presently fully utilized by several community based theater groups and a multitude of active artist studios

The building is five stories high with a footprint of 14,362 square feet and a total gross floor area including the cellar of 81,193 square feet. It sits on a rectangular lot that is 200 feet long on Suffolk Street and 100 feet on Rivington. The lot also extends at the rear with a 75 foot wide projection to Norfolk Street, 100 feet deep, so that the entire lot is approximately 33,000 square feet

The building was completed in 1898 during one of the most active eras of construction of school buildings in New York. It bears all the earmarks of a building by the pre-eminent chief architect of the Board of Education, C.B.J. Snyder, who is known for his use of gothic detailing both on the exterior and interior.

The exterior features include pointed arch windows, rounded arched entries, elaborately carved limestone decorative features especially above the first floor, pointed dormers in the cock loft on the roof, stepped entries, and decorative cast iron perimeter fencing.

The exterior limestone and brick are in very good condition given the age of the building- only two areas of the peaked dormer facades appeared to require masonry restoration. A variety of other minor structural issues, such as stress cracks in the rear facade at the corners of the exposed steel lintels on the west facade must be investigated. The original terra cotta roof tiles of the cock loft on Suffolk and Rivington Streets was replaced with an impregnated fabric shingle roof material.

The original windows are double hung wood with divided lights, chain and weight type operating mechanisms. Some re-glazing is required, and more substantial work will be necessary if the building is to meet present day standards of the New York State Energy Code. Approximately 30% of the windows were replaced. All windows have to be evaluated relative to the historic character of the building, appropriate window operation and cost of replacement.

The interior of the building also includes significant historic features. First there is the open foyer with its massive cast iron gate and gray stone faux columns and missing decorative plaster ceiling. Adjacent to this space is the grand staircase with its cast iron decorative railings, glazed white tile walls and slate treads in near perfect condition. The first floor was used for large gathering spaces and dining, and is fairly devoid of historic detailing, except for the perimeter walls.

There is more special detailing on the upper floors. Two lecture podiums remain - one on the second floor, one on the fourth. These gothic styled built-in floor to ceiling elements were originally used as stages for significant lectures. In some of the schools of this era, the walls of the classrooms folded back and the seats would be moved to orient the students toward the lectern. In most typical classrooms such as the third floor, there are clerestory windows facing the corridor, so that classroom light is shared with these spacious hallways.

The existing emergency egress scheme and general circulation of the building (i.e. the actual stair dimension and location, not the enclosure of these stairs, which in most cases is not code worthy) is more than ample for the present usage excluding the second floor theaters, since the density of occupants is certainly less than when it was used as a school. There are two major fire stairs at the center of the building at the north end and the south. These align with the main North/South corridor on the typical classroom floor and at present empty out into the two theaters on the first floor. This is not only a conflict of use, but also a code violation and a fire hazard. `Other than the grand central stair, there are several other stairs which may be deemed to be unnecessary after an evaluation of a zoning and egress study is completed for the entire building and its programmed uses. The second floor theaters must be studied to determine if the adjacent stairs are sufficient for fire egress. If they are not, then it is possible that an additional stair existing to the rear courtyard may be required for these spaces, especially because one of the theaters will be considered a "place of assembly" by the Buildings Department. Any improvement to the circulation ought to include elevator access to all floors, which simultaneously solves two issues: the first is to satisfy the law requiring accessibility for all people (ADA) and the second is to vastly improve the use of the upper floors by artists who need to transport oversized and perhaps weighty objects.

The building structure consists of an exterior masonry bearing wall, interior steel columns and girders and infill beams supporting terra cotta arches. The subfloor is concrete and the finished floor is wood except on the first floor. Interior walls separating the original classrooms, some stairway walls and the many ventilation shafts for the schools fresh air system (from a huge fan unit in the cellar) are made of terra cotta. Some more recent changes are constructed of gypsum wallboard on steel or wood stud framework.

Overall, the building is in extremely good structural condition and can last at least another century, barring a major catastrophe.

The mechanical systems are more in need of remedial work than any other aspect of the building. School buildings of this era usually had boys and girls privies in the rear yard, and no toilet facilities in the building. The interior toilet facilities were added at a later date and are not sufficient or up to code. This is especially the case on the first two floors where the theaters are located.

The Corner of Suffolk and Rivington St. in the previous era

Building facade detail

Some of the buildings many gates

Fire alarm and fire suppression systems will be a code requirement throughout the building, especially because of the theater use and to maintain the proper rating for the egress corridors on the upper floors. This will be an entirely new service to the building.

Proper ventilation for all public spaces is a requirement, and air conditioning ought to be a priority if these facilities are to serve the community year round. The artist spaces can provide for their own air conditioning needs with individual window-types units.

Emergency lighting and proper lighted egress signs is an essential code requirement. A detailed analysis of the entire electrical distribution is also appropriate at this time, and will very likely lead to some significant suggestions for improvement throughout the building. This will certainly be needed to the extent that the air conditioning of all public spaces and a new elevator are considered.

We are advised that the heating system was improved with the recent addition of a new burner. It is our opinion that a detailed life cycle cost analysis of the entire heating system ought to be performed at this time to ensure that planning for an extended use of the building and its programs can be achieved. This study may require sample pipe cuttings to determine the effective area of distribution through the heating risers and returns. We are cautioning that this is one area where a 100 year old building may not be as sound as the original structure.

During the above discussion we have referred to several areas where 107 Suffolk St. with its presently diverse usage is in violation of one or another of the regulations of the New York City Building Code.

Through the present managers of the building, who are on a month to month arrangement, a variety of code violations have been allowed to continue without remedy.
There is no existing Certificate of Occupancy (C of O) that relates to the present usage, and until certain improvements are undertaken, the Building Department will not issue one.
Legalizing the building in its present diverse and creative program of uses is a highest priority.