THE ODD SETT

Help us solve the mystery!

We were working on Greene St in Manhattan and noticed this peculiar "Cobblestone" with a smooth symmetrical notch. We began discussing this curious little stone and no-one could come up with a likely scenario for its history. We'd love to hear what you think about this stone.  Some of the questions we have:

-What was the notch cut for?

-Was the notch cut in a larger block that was later re-purposed as a cobble* (Sett Stone)

-Was the notch cut in America or another country (England, Holland?) and brought as ship ballast?

- Why was this cobble (Sett) not discarded by the Sett Mason who layed Greene St.?

*Cobblestones are small stones rounded by the flow of water and were used in the pavement of early streets. Setts are often confused with cobblestones, although setts are shaped to a regular form whereas cobblestone are from a naturally occurring form.

Example of a cobblestone surface.

Example of a sett stone surface.

Can You Name the Building?

...No? Take a close look at the second picture:

Hint: Look at the iron sign over the entry.

Answer: This is the old Singer Manufacturing Company headquarters in New York between Prince and Broadway Streets! Singer is an American manufacturer of sewing machines, and this building was resurrected in 1904 and is known as the "Little Singer Building". It was designed by architect Ernest Flagg and features an Art Nouveau Style. 

Theatre History for Broadway Lovers

Do you know the history behind The Stephen Sondheim Theatre? This New York City landmark is formerly known as Henry Miller's Theatre, built by and named for actor Henry Miller. The theatre was opened in 1918 with the play The Fountain of Youth. In 2010, it was revealed that the theatre would be renamed to The Stephen Sondheim Theatre after the American composer for his contributions to musical theatre for over 50 years. Below are some of the drawings BSC did for the theatre before its renaming including the gate, the lobby floor, lobby ceiling, and outside of the building!

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving from your friends at The Building Survey Corp.! Warm thoughts and wishes to you and your family, friends, and co-workers this Thanksgiving. We hope that you find this year to be especially bountiful!

If you plan to watch the Macy’s Day Parade, make sure to catch a glimpse of the historic building, which is also one of our past projects!

Keeping Up With Your Home Renovations

Home renovations are rising in popularity, and homeowners are opting for a more basic design with a low-maintenance feel. This year's trends include updating kitchen cabinets, quartz counter tops, pre-finished wood flooring, lighter/earthier color tones, and deep single bowl sinks. Many homeowners are remodeling their homes with the intention of "growing old" in them, and recent trends reflect this mentality. Before you begin to remodel your home or even update part of your kitchen, keep in mind the importance of obtaining updated property surveys and professionally taken photographs to have the most accurate existing conditions documents. 

The New BSC Blog

Hello from The Building Survey Corp.! We are currently updating our social media sites and happy to introduce our new blog. Make sure to follow us and keep up to date with our latest projects!