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Preparing for Demolition in a Historic Brownstone Apartment

Bob enters the Brownstone apartment to find more evidence of 1940s updates in this turn-of-the-century row house. Curved ceiling shapes, a built-in bar, and chopped-up space show layers that were added during the conversion of the original building. Bob meets up with his son, Chris Vila, and reviews the preparations for demolition, which include permits, shutoffs for all the gas, water, and electricity, and removal of moldings and fixtures from walls. Bob asks if any detailing from the original Brownstone remain. Chris says there is nothing -- no moldings, mantles, or ceiling details. Chris does show Bob the hardwood floors buried beneath layers of vinyl and linoleum flooring. The goal will be to peel back the layers of this 2,000-square-foot apartment until just the original shell and structure remain.

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Chapters from this episode

Preparing for Demolition in a Historic Brownstone Apartment Now Playing

Preparing for Demolition in a Historic Brownstone Apartment

Walk-Through and Salvage Before Interior Demolition Now Playing

Walk-Through and Salvage Before Interior Demolition

A History of New York Brownstone Development and Design Now Playing

A History of New York Brownstone Development and Design

A Visit to Central Park Now Playing

A Visit to Central Park

Salvaging the Sink and Removing Asbestos Tile Now Playing

Salvaging the Sink and Removing Asbestos Tile

Reviewing the Architectural Floor Plans for the Brownstone Remodel Now Playing

Reviewing the Architectural Floor Plans for the Brownstone Remodel

Clip Transcript For:

Preparing for Demolition in a Historic Brownstone Apartment

computer-generated transcript - may not be 100% accurate

" The -- creaky but. The entrance -- really continues to tell the story of -- 1940s renovation if you look at dogs curve spaces on the top and even a little -- like this there was a bar in place here. That the previous. Family took with them but they couldn't take this it's an unusual features but anyway my centrist is working with me we're remodeling this place together it and -- Let's talk about what the demolition crew has already start I mean they're big jump the gun Logan well we've got out of we'll have ourselves as they would risk he spent an entire day doing all of the all of that the capping all the shut offs all the army's been -- for gas lines power. So is no risk of -- have been hurting themselves on the water shut off power shut off and shut evidence of this in the lights we've got -- here are all coming in from was separate separate source of harassment and anybody hurting himself in terms of all the demolition and get into tomorrow and the demolition permits in place but they're writing stuff off the wall we spent a lot of time taking off. All the surface molding you got wire molding here. Both fluorescent light fixtures some sort of an old doorbell here so I mean you've got years and years accumulation of people just. Nailing and putting things on plastering in layers that was sort of taking out all back. But are there any 1890s details worth stated nothing not even -- they're actually -- to be kitchen here but over the years it's gotten all covered -- and that's the plan there no ceiling moldings it probably dropped this ceilings yet this ceiling actually was dropped about a foot compared to the rear of the front of the unit you know door moldings and not not a thing. This looks interest right well this is the original flooring and it's the only area here we could see it because the rest of the apartments been covered over layers of vinyl tile. Layers below that so we're gonna actually trying to salvage has much of this floors possible Chris what's the square footage little under 2000 square feet."

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