Housed in a former boys' school dating to 1890 on West 44th Street, the General Society of Mechanics & Tradesmen in the City of New York is a venerable institution. Established in 1785 to educate New Yorkers working in the building and construction trades, the General Society features an institute offering affordable continuing education classes to professionals, a renowned library of technical books and journals, and an extraordinary collection of locks ranging from 4000 B.C. to the twentieth century. After commissioning a Historic Structures Report to identify and prioritize repairs to its landmark building, it engaged GDPC to assist the organization in applying for a matching grant from New York State's CFA program to replace its failing skylight. As a result of GDPC's efforts, the General Society secured a $500,000 matching grant toward the work, which has enabled it to leverage other funding sources toward its capital campaign. |