St. James Condos get a much needed face-lift

The residents of this condo building on St. James Court have struggled with the entryway awnings for a long time.  They have had many contractors look at the project but every proposal they got involved restoring or duplicating these existing awnings.  The awnings were built sometime in the late 40's or early 50's and the workmanship was not the best.  They don't fit the building and really have no place here.  During my first visit to the site I noticed old paint lines on the brick that indicated they originally had a proper entablature and probably some type of bracket transferring some of the load back to the wall.  Further inspection upon demolition revealed even more clues.  A cast stone lintel, previously covered by the barrel vault, flanks the doorway.  The new surround frames the stone lintel.

The new entryway will feature a tongue and groove beaded ceiling, simplified doric entablature and brackets under the beams to visually transfer the load back to the wall.  The wrought iron remains and acts as a support for a majority of the overhang.