May 2, 20162 min read

Landmark Preservation 18 East 68th Street

Updated: Aug 12, 2019

Façade Restoration | Roof Replacement | Sub-Cellar Pool Waterproofing

Manhattan’s Upper East Side is known for its lavish mansions commissioned by early pioneers of the Progressive Era. One businessman who prospered during this era of the late 19th and early 20th century was Henry T. Sloane, a textile and carpeting mogul, who owned a mansion in the Upper East Side. Following a divorce with his wife, Jessie A. Robbins, a NYC socialite, Sloane left her the first mansion at 9 East 72nd Street to build a new one a few blocks south. Sloane commissioned mansion designer C.P.H Gilbert to build his new home at 18 East 68th Street, which was completed in 1905. The residence was then transformed into separate apartments in 1948.

Over one hundred years later, another business mogul, Alexander Rovt, purchased the landmark Beaux Art mansion that stands at a very short distance from Central Park. The Ukrainian-born billionaire and president of IBE Trade Corporation, one of the largest exporters of fertilizer in the world, bought the property in 2011 with plans to reconvert the copper accented limestone mansion back into a single-family residence.

Skyline Restoration was commissioned by Edward Builders and is working with the architectural firm, Stephen B. Jacobs Group, to restore the 18,000 square foot property that boasts 6-stories, 30 rooms and 17-foot ceilings. The restoration is being performed on the façade, roof and sub-cellar pool. The restoration involves limestone cleaning, resetting and repointing, cast-iron railing refurbishment, and parapet replacement. Additionally, Skyline is installing a new SIKA roofing system, as well as restoring the copper roof panels and copper chenaux. Skyline is also performing sub-cellar waterproofing on the basement pool. Restoration work is slated to end mid summer of 2016.