Altus Metal, Marble and Wood

February, a time of showing appreciation, is the perfect month to offer thanks to the people who make it all possible. We are well aware that no matter how grand a vision and noble the goals, if a company doesn’t have wonderful people behind it, it will not succeed.

The Altus team is a mix of individuals who have been with us for over 20 years and young apprentices who show great potential and are eager to learn. The members of our crews and staff have made us the successful, respected company we are today. Every time I walk through my office or go to one of the job sites where Altus’ skilled tradesmen are hard at work, I am filled with pride.

The work done by our restoration specialists in ornamental metal, natural stone and natural wood, demands great artistic talent and craftsmanship as well as painstaking care, dedication and patience. It requires individuals who don’t want just to acquire a skill, but to master the process. To all our crews, we offer our deep gratitude.

To the team who runs the office with great efficiency, and always manages to keep a cool head even at moments of stress, we extend our warmest thanks for your devoted service.

It’s clear to us – great things DO happen- if you care.

Lina & Bob Gottesman

“You never get a second chance to make a first impression.”

 This truism has become a challenge for any building coping with the unrelenting elements that Mother Nature has dealt us this winter. The transitional time we’re in now is producing warmer temps but, unfortunately, huge amounts of slush and grime.

One of the first things any visitor or tenant sees upon entering a lobby is the flooring. Shiny, lustrous marble or ceramic flooring immediately attracts the eye. Yet when shoes and boots trek in sand, salt and chemicals, floors become dirty, gritty and dull.

 Building owners and managers are finding that the proper placement of runners and installed inset mats at entryways can prevent many exterior elements from damaging interior flooring. music down load sites . These absorb much of the debris from feet and preserve and protect floors with minimal maintenance.

Areas surrounding the carpeting and below it still need to be kept clean and dry to protect the flooring’s surface. Trapped moisture can cause significant damage.

Keeping all areas free of dirt and moisture and using mats and runners wisely will lower maintenance costs and help floors retain their beautiful, polished sheen year-round.

Placing inset mats and runners at building entryways helps preserve and protect flooring year-round.

The dedication of Grand Central Terminal’s main entry vestibule as the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Foyer is, in a sense, the crowning culmination of her tireless campaign to save this iconic landmark. The lawsuit launched by Mrs. Onassis and other influential New Yorkers in the 1970s, led to the U.S. Supreme Court ruling to preserve such buildings.  Following the historic step, many other landmark buildings have been saved from demolition in New York City.

The foyer now features a new plaque and two display vitrines with digital images honoring Mrs. Onassis’ life and accomplishments.

The vestibule’s marble walls and terrazzo flooring, including the bronze inscription and scroll emblazoned above the door leading passengers into Vanderbilt Hall were restored by Altus Metal, Marble, and Wood.

The restoration process of the inscription, which reads “TO ALL THOSE WHO WITH HEAD, HEART AND HAND TOILED IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF THIS MONUMENT TO THE PUBLIC SERVICE, THIS IS INSCRIBED” was complex. Altus’ expert crew of metal craftspeople used meticulous care to avoid damaging both the wall and the pins attached to the embedded letters.   The bronze letters were removed individually, catalogued, labeled, and placed in order on special sheeting to avoid any misplacement. They were then stripped, re-oxidized to the accepted sample color, and coated with multiple coats of clear protective lacquer before being reattached to the original location.

Altus’ team of marble restoration specialists lightly sanded the marble walls in a process known as diamond grinding, then poulticed the area to remove stains, honed, and polished it. The terrazzo floors were mechanically polished.

Our team at Altus, is proud to have played a part in this remarkable effort to help preserve an iconic New York City landmark, started by Mrs. Onassis over four decades ago.

To bring life to the words that pay tribute to the construction industry was especially gratifying as Altus celebrates our 25th year in business.