Century Association

Founded in 1846, this landmark building is an elite social club with a membership of over two thousand authors and members of the arts. The Century Association owns a distinguished art collection, including several important works by Hudson River School painters. The Century Association has occupied its current location since 1981 and, in June 2008, EW Howell Construction Group was selected to renovate and expand its facilities.

Completed in April 2009, the Century Association project included a 5,000-square-foot rooftop addition with all new utilities, infrastructure, and custom finishes. The second phase included elevator upgrades and masonry restoration. New fifth floor additions, including the terrace, serve as spaces for dining, lectures, musical events and meetings. Elements of the new construction include a full building-wide terrace, a skylight, 3 major public rooms, a large lobby, and compatibility with the original architecture of the building designed by McKim, Mead and White in 1889.

This project posed challenges from logistical and scheduling standpoints. The design was constantly tweaked and perfected by EW Howell and the design team. Additionally, since the existing roof was penetrated to access structural walls necessary to build the new fifth floor, the team had to be careful to not prevent water infiltration into the occupied building.