A meticulous restoration led by Tishman Interiors Corp. has given new life — and a new face — to Verizon's 140 West Street Building in New York City. On a much larger scale than a typical home or low-rise commercial building, the effort has demonstrated the quality and performance architects and their clients have come to appreciate when combining clay brick and concrete masonry for wall.

After the building sustained severe structural and mechanical damage caused by debris from the collapse of the Twin Towers and the adjacent 7 World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, Tishman's New York City office was charged with overseeing emergency recovery operations. Later, TIC supervised a comprehensive restoration effort to return the structure to its former glory.

Tishman Interiors personnel had begun previously planned restoration work at 140 West Street prior to September 11. After escaping an office in the building following the attacks, the Tishman team returned to “Ground Zero” before daybreak on September 12 to find that a 38-ft. steel beam from the Twin Towers had pierced the sidewalk and building foundation. It penetrated the cable vault that coordinated communications for much of lower Manhattan including Wall Street and the New York Stock Exchange. Accordingly, Tishman quickly assembled a core team of specialists to restore telecommunications service, and a pumping operation was immediately launched to evacuate over 20 million gallons of water from the building's basement. By September 14, telecom systems were back online.

Concurrently, extensive repairs to the façade and shoring up of damaged structural components were undertaken. Making logistics especially challenging for the project was limited space outside the building. One perimeter street was buried under 7 World Trade Center rubble as high as five stories in some areas, while another served as the main artery for around-the-clock rescue and recovery efforts at Ground Zero.

Emergency recovery was followed by the long and arduous task of recreating an architectural masterpiece: building a modern office building inside a landmarked 1927 shell was the goal. To this end, reconstruction of over 600,000 square feet of office and technology space was required. In addition to three new switch rooms and battery plants, new electrical infrastructure, and new water and fire protection services, the rebuild included transformer vaults, network protectors, switchgear and 480-volt distribution and bus duct risers throughout the tower.

Restoration work was conducted under the guidance of lead architect William F. Collins AIA Architects, LLP. The lobby of 140 West Street, designated an interior landmark in 1991, was damaged by burst water mains and firefighting efforts following the attacks. A team of 30 conservators, technicians, and artists dedicated over two years to restoring a 210-ft.-long vaulted ceiling to its original detail and luster. Embellished with murals depicting the stages in the evolution of human communication, the ceiling was revived inch-by-inch as technicians using hypodermic needles injected acrylic resin and ethyl cellulose glue into crevices to reattach plaster and paint. EverGreene Painting Studios Inc., responsible for the lobby and mural restoration, also managed the painting of 509 linear feet of floral decorative panels to replace the originals.