The Union League Club – Lincoln Hall
Project Description
Property History
The Union League Club of New York City is one of the few private clubs in America that was founded in 1863. Its fourth and current clubhouse is located at 38 East 37th Street on the corner of Park Avenue, in the Murray Hill neighborhood of Manhattan. It was designed by Benjamin Wistar Morris and opened on February 2, 1931. The building was designated a New York City landmark on October 25, 2011. Many prominent civic, state, and national leaders have enjoyed the fellowship of the Club, including Theodore Roosevelt, J. Pierpont Morgan, John Jay, William Cullen Bryant, Chester A. Arthur, and Thomas Nast.
Project Scope
Grand Light restored numerous 1920s historic chandeliers for the Union League Club’s Lincoln Hall. The first step of this project involved Grand Light’s on-site team taking a trip into New York City to conduct a site evaluation on these beautiful historic fixtures to determine project cost projection, operation and maintenance considerations, design and construction principles, and required restoration processes.
Once the fixtures were received at our facilities, our artisans began tirelessly working to restore the fixtures’ original gold and silver finishes. The cleaning process involved a combination of industrial ultrasonic cleaning tanks with patented high performance generators followed with a delicate hand cleaning process. Multiple hand applications of a new Inca Gold finish with silver metal rub highlights were hand blended to enhance the existing finish.
Each historic chandelier includes thirty-two alternating aqua/cobalt decorative glass panels. One side of each glass panel’s surface is composed of a dual layer of reflective mercury and black paint, contributing to a unique mirrored finish. Unfortunately, the mirrored finishes had deteriorated significantly, dulling the appearance and color of the decorative glass and causing numerous visual inconsistencies. Our artisans individually hand-washed each glass panel before applying a new custom 2-layer reflective and black finish, for a renewed, consistent mirrored appearance.
Additionally, the existing reflectors, composed of cardboard and painted white, also had numerous and varying levels of deterioration resulting in surface cracks and separation. New reflective .018 Alclad aluminum reflectors were custom cut and slumped to match the existing, while a new white finish was applied to the top of each reflector, simulating the function of the existing cardboard but with an improved reflectance, durability, and longevity.
There are a total of three unique gold motifs that decorate each of the thirty-two glass panels. The vast majority of the existing gold motifs had deteriorated 40-100%, requiring Grand Light artisans to replicate each of the existing designs. Each design was hand traced before being digitally scanned and modified for print as a new vinyl stencil. The new stencils were then hand applied to each glass panel, allowing a new gold finish to be applied to the glass, faithfully restoring the original gold motif.
Each chandelier was fully rewired with UL listed electrical components and tested in accordance with UL 1598 standards.
Grand Light’s on-site team, working in conjunction with Union League personnel, carefully transported, assembled, and installed the glass diffusers and custom reflectors on the restored chandelier.
Our hope is that The Union League Club members and guests will enjoy these truly unique, beautifully restored fixtures as much we enjoyed breathing new life into them!
Services Performed
Supervision, Documentation, & Instruction
All Grand Light on-site professional personnel are OSHA certified and carry OSHA 30 cards at all times while on site. Our field technicians also conduct on-site orientations prior to removing/delivering fixtures, upholding safety to finish the job efficiently. Our team is trained to supervise on-site operations, while documenting each fixture’s existing condition, all mechanical, electrical, and finish deficiencies, as well as the proper installation or assembly process in order to provide a comprehensive guide for a smooth installation.
Lighting Design & Engineering
Our process begins with reviewing existing documentation including sketches, architectural drawings, historical photographs, and an on-site inspection to gather the full scope of the project requirements. From there, Grand Light will develop a detailed proposal. As required Grand Light conducts research to assure the historical accuracy of all historic projects.
The creation of Custom Drawings, Modeling, Simulation, and Rendering is an important part of the process when it comes to the production of custom lighting. Whether it be a replication or modification of an existing lighting fixture, the client’s design, or a creation by Grand Light’s engineering team, our designs will serve as the blue print for our production process.
Our designs and subsequent mock-ups address the smallest of detail, allowing our clients to fully visualize the fixture before it goes into production, which reduces the possibility of error, and allows Grand Light to fulfill its commitment of delivering high quality lighting fixtures on schedule.
Glass Cleaning & Fabrication
Grand Light’s Crystal, Glass, & Acrylic Studio specializes in the cleaning, repair, fitting, custom fabrication, replacement and replication of crystal, glass, and acrylic components of varying types, sizes, and color.
Our extensive cleaning solutions include hand cleaning, abrasive, micro-abrasive, and ultrasonic cleaning technology. Our artisans utilize a proprietary cleaning solution before each component is rinsed and hand polished. We have extensive experience pinning and stringing crystal components on historic and custom lighting fixtures. Utilizing time proven techniques, our artisans install pinning wire, clips, and connecting rings on crystal components in a wide variety of sizes, shapes, and designs.
Our specialists will identify and research any missing crystal or glass component on a historic lighting fixture and offer up a similar or exact grade, size, tint, color, and shape to maintain a fixtures historical integrity.
Grand Light offers a wide variety of custom, high quality architectural glass and acrylic diffusers, available in an array of styles, types, and sizes. Our high quality architectural diffusers are available by custom order and offer unique, one-of-a-kind pieces or replications of an existing design.
Cleaning Systems
Grand Light specializes in commercial luminaire cleaning services, including the utilization of state-of-the-art Ultrasonic, Micro-Abrasive, and Hydrosonic Molecular Impact System (HSMI) Cleaning Technologies. Using our engineered cleaning systems, our artisans are able to eliminate decades of accumulated debris from any lighting fixture or surface.
Grand Light’s Industrial Ultrasonic Cleaning Tanks provide high-frequency sound waves transmitted through liquid to scrub clean the surface of immersed parts. The high-frequency sound waves, typically 40 kHz, agitate the liquid solution of water or solvent, and cause the cavitation of solution molecules.
Our Micro-Abrasive process utilizes fine abrasive media to generate an accurate, precise, and controllable abrasive jet to target and remove material (on the micron level). Our system is so precise it can remove ink from a business card without damaging the card’s surface.
HSMI is Grand Light’s unique, proprietary system includes powerful continuous super high steam production up to 369 degrees Fahrenheit with an integrated wet vacuum system insuring residual moisture and debris extraction. Purified dry vapor steam and integrated vacuum system guarantees spot free crystals and fixture frames.
Finish Application & Top Coatings
As a part of the restoration process, our artisans explore the intricate details of preserving the historical integrity of lighting fixtures including color matching and sheen of the original finish. Custom lighting finishes are available in custom painted colors, sheen, and textures as well as custom patina colors on bronze, copper, and brass components.
Our artisans can match any color or finish utilizing a variety of processes involving Powder Coat, Spray, Hot or Cold Patina Custom Recipes and Color Blending an existing finish.
Grand Light exercises meticulous techniques that are unparalleled in the application of Protective Top Coatings including binders, rust, and UV resistant protective metal oils, waxes, and lacquers with various customized sheens and tints.
NRTL Testing & Listing
Utilizing only UL listed products, Grand Light’s OSHA NRTL Certified Manufacturer’s Testing and Listing Laboratory strives to ensure only the highest quality of standards go into finalizing each lighting fixture; from the rewiring of luminaires, to the installation of modern lamp technology, and the custom conversion of gas powered fixtures to electric.
Grand Light’s technicians inspect and document any electrical deficiencies on every lighting fixture prior to any electrical component replacement and rewiring. We also offer comprehensive retrofit kits for upgrading existing historic luminaire to take full advantage of modern induction lamping technology. Grand Light’s practice is to perform multiple UL tests on all electrical components and systems to ensure compliance with UL Standards for luminaires.
Featured Products
Project Updates
A “Roaring 1920s” Relic Restored
Grand Light offers a wide variety of custom architectural glass and acrylic diffusers, available in an array of styles, types, and sizes. Our glass and acrylic capabilities offer you the flexibility to customize your own design or replicate existing designs. Explore our custom glass and acrylic capabilities such as casting, blowing, cutting, slumping, staining, and more.
