The Shefa School transformed a century-old office building at 17 West 60th Street into a new 12-story private Jewish community day school overlooking Columbus Circle and Central Park. The approximately 81,250-square-foot renovation and addition repurposed the existing structure to create classrooms, a large gym, second-story atrium, cafeteria, Beit Midrash, gathering spaces and an outdoor play roof.

The project required substantial structural modifications to adapt the existing building for its new use. While the original roof and 11th floor were initially removed, four levels were ultimately reconstructed as a new steel-framed structure, including the 11th floor, 11th-floor mezzanine, 12th floor and roof. The work was carefully integrated with the existing building while preserving its historic terra-cotta façade and copper cornice.

H&L Ironworks performed structural steel work for the project, including steel for the new rooftop overbuild. Installation required a major crane operation immediately adjacent to Columbus Circle, using a Liebherr LT-1450 mobile crane with a lifting capacity of 450 tons. Structural members were lifted nearly 16 stories from street level to the building’s upper floors, with the largest beam measuring approximately 50 feet long and weighing approximately 10,000 pounds. 

The lift required extensive coordination between the street-level rigging operation, crane crew and steel team positioned at the top of the existing building to receive and place each member. The operation was a critical component of constructing the new steel-framed upper levels within one of Manhattan’s most constrained and highly trafficked locations.