The General Society of Mechanics and Tradesmen of the City of New York is headquartered at 20 West 44th Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. The General Society acquired the four-story building—built in 1890 and designed by Lamb & Rich—in 1899 to host their free courses in building and craftsmanship trades. In 1903, through a generous donation from General Society member Andrew Carnegie, architect Ralph S. Townsend expanded the building with an additional two floors and two flanking rear wings and blended the original Italian Renaissance Revival style with Beaux-Arts Classicism. The building is listed in both the New York State and National Registers of Historic Places and has been designated as an individual New York City Landmark.

Easton Architects restored the building’s roof, seven skylights including the main library skylight. The deteriorated roof membrane was removed, the concrete deck was repaired, and the drainage system was restored. A new cold fluid-applied waterproofing membrane was installed and integrated with the new roof drains and connections to ensure that the building remains watertight. New copper flashing was installed at the brick parapet walls and the masonry was repointed. Seven new copper skylights were fabricated to match the existing deteriorated skylights over the top floor offices and the building’s central staircase. New wired glazing and clerestory windows matched the original appearance and new gutters and leaders improved their overall performance. Easton Architects oversaw all construction work and coordinated detailed reviews of all shop drawings and material submittals.

Easton Architects has undertaken numerous other projects for the General Society, including a comprehensive Historic Structure Report; survey of the central library skylight and design documents and cost estimates for future grant applications; and a recent restoration of the ornamental sheet metal balustrade.