Strong Place, Brooklyn, NY

Converting a severely water damaged abandoned Baptist church into a multilevel condominium complex presented some unique challenges for D’Huy Engineering, Inc. (DEI).  The church property fell within the Brooklyn Heights Historic district, so preservation of the exterior shell and general roof lines was mandatory. The project involved designing a new four-story condominium within the walls of the existing church, adding two new three-story additions adjacent to the existing structure to increase the square footage of the facility, excavating down eight feet within the building to create a cellar, restructuring the roof system throughout the building to increase head room at the top floors, and also altering and reinforcing the existing roof trusses to create higher cathedral ceiling areas.

Also, during the early stage of construction, DEI was engaged to design temporary bracing systems for the massive exterior brownstone masonry walls that extend around the perimeter of the structure. The bracing system, which was comprised of steel beams and tension rods, enabled demolition and removal of all existing structural components within the perimeter walls.  The bracing remained in place until the new structural components for the four story condominium alteration were sufficiently erected to provide adequate perimeter wall stability.