Bethesda Terrace and Arcade is the architectural centerpiece at the heart of Central Park in New York City. The magnificent split-level terrace, which overlooks the park's lake and world-renowned Bethesda Fountain, has seven arches and a columned passageway with walls on either side forming an arcade adorned with trompe l'oeil paintings. The large ceiling, part of the arcade's original design, was first installed in 1867. It contained 16,000 handcrafted Minton ceramic tiles and weighed approximately 50 tons.
Over the decades, the ceiling had weakened and its tiles had deteriorated. During the initial repair of the terrace in the early 1980s, an in-depth examination of the condition of the ceiling revealed that after 120 years of useful service, the iron suspension structure had severely corroded due to water and salt infiltration. Because of this structural instability, the treasured Minton ceiling tiles were removed and were placed into storage in 1984. In 1996, the Central Park Conservancy received grants from the Getty Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts to develop a restoration plan for the tile ceiling.
For this delicate, high-profile project, Structural Preservation Systems (SPS) was chosen to remove the existing deteriorated brick from the ceiling, reinforce it with structural steel and restore the arcade ceiling to its original state. A major tourist attraction, all work was to be completed while the terrace area was open to the public.
The first step in the process was to protect the area from damage while the renovation work was in progress. The tile floor and existing pillars needed to be carefully covered in order to avoid any damage during the construction process. Next, the deteriorating brick ceiling needed to be removed. The SPS team utilized a robotic tool to slowly and carefully chip out the old ceiling. The crew needed to be extremely careful during this process, as only a small amount of vibration could be tolerated so as not to create any further damage to the structure.
After the brick was removed, the SPS team reinforced the ceiling with structural steel. The ceiling's existing steel beams were delaminated, which made welding difficult; therefore, the beams were bolted together and the old iron was drilled with a mag drill. Once the steel was in place, the entire Arcade was waterproofed to protect the ceiling from future damage. In addition, a round cast-iron skylight that closely resembles the original skylight was installed in the ceiling of the Upper Terrace Plaza.
On March 2, 2007, the Central Park Conservancy reopened Bethesda Terrace and Arcade after completing this intricate restoration. The painstaking reconstruction of the infrastructure as well as restoration and reassembly of the unique Minton tiles makes this one of the most notable preservation projects of the 21st century, and the reopening of the restored landmark brings delight to park lovers all over the world.