Tucked away in the Upper West Side of New York City is The Hadrian. This ten-story Pre-War apartment structure, built in 1903, recently went through a long restoration to preserve its historical significance. The upgrade included adding copper ornaments to the exterior and recreating its cornice.

Photo Credit: Preserv Inc.
The building is located between Riverside park and Central Park, although the Hadrian already had a Pre-War charm and modern conveniences, it required some upgrading. The original cornice of the building was made out of galvanized sheet steel and zinc ornaments, which had been painted green to mimic the patina of copper. To keep its historic infrastructure and appearance, the galvanized cornice was replaced with over 220 linear feet of new decorative copper to match historical photographs. The copper panels were built in seven segments to ensure proper waterproofing of the structure and its fasteners but to allow the copper to expand with weather changes.
Photo Credit: Preserv Inc.
The decorative copper ornaments were custom made and include 33 lion heads, 34 swags with leaves, 34 fleur-de-lis, 17 shields and 16 anthemia. Over 6,500 pounds of copper were used to rejuvenate the cornice and bring back its original natural beauty. The building?s exterior offers a light brick face, and as the copper ages and begins to patina, it will match the rest of the infrastructure beautifully.
If you ever make your way up to 80th Street New York, give the Hadrian a wa...