HQ served as historic preservation consultant to Fotografiska for the rehabilitation of the former Church Missions House, an individual New York City landmark located in Manhattan’s Gramercy Park neighborhood. HQ carried out archival research and worked closely with the project team to develop a rehabilitation program for the conversion of the 1894 Flemish-style building into Fotografiska New York, the new branch of the photography museum. The historic character of the building was preserved while undertaking significant repair work and subtly inserting contemporary ground floor infill and upgraded mechanical and egress systems into the building to serve modern needs and uses. Of particular note was the restoration and relocation of a monumental stained-glass window, previously hidden from view, and now a central feature in the museum’s second floor restaurant. The adjacent mid-19th-century Calvary Church Annex, originally built of ashlar brownstone with a polychrome-patterned slate roof, was also incorporated into the museum. During construction, extensive roof leaks and widespread roof system failures were identified. To remedy this, a full roof replacement program was conducted, including the in-kind replacement of the polychrome slate.

The six-story Church Missions House was constructed in 1894 for the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society of the Episcopal Church under plans by Robert Williams Gibson and Edward J. Neville Stent.

The interior and exterior upgrades at 281 Park Avenue South occurred in two phases. The first phase began in 2015 under the direction of building owner RFR, and involved the replacement of non-historic storefronts and entrance doors with modern glass-and-metal infill designed by MdeAS Architects. The second phase began in 2018 under the direction of Fotografiska and encompassed exterior and interior restoration byCetraRuddy Architects. This included cleaning of the limestone façade, restoration of the large wood windows, and installation of new exterior lighting to highlight the deeply recessed window openings. Additionally, the entrance on Park Avenue South and East 22^nd Street was reconfigured to provide accessible entries, and the existing bulky rooftop HVAC equipment was replaced to restore the building’s visual integrity.