First opened to the public in 1929, this 40-story New York City landmark was designed by the architectural firm of Walker and Gillette and was owned and built by George Fuller, who made it the world headquarters for his construction firm, The Fuller Company. Along the Madison Avenue and 57th Street facades, the architects designed glorious art deco metal figures and decorative features in bronze and cast iron. In 2002, building owner Vornado Realty Trust hired Building Conservation Associates, Inc. (BCA), famous for their outstanding restoration experience in old buildings. It was BCA who recommended that the priceless art deco figures beneath the windows be cleaned, repainted and protected with Tnemec Premier Finishes.

Working closely with Tnemec coating consultant Phil Gonnella, BCA specified Series 90-97 Tneme-Zinc, a zinc-rich, aromatic urethane primer; Series 73 Endura-Shield, an aliphatic acrylic polyurethane for the intermediate coat; Series 1078 Fluoronar Metallic for the metallic gold coat; and, finally, Series 1076 Fluoronar Clear, a clear topcoat to extend long-term gloss and color retention.

With many options having been considered, only Fluoronar seemed to provide the long-term color retention the owner was looking for. Ricardo Viera, BCA associate director, asked if Tnemec could develop a variation of the gold from their metallic color card. The Tnemec R&D team went to work immediately, and the result was right on target – Fuller Bronze, a brand new shade with a colorful history. Viera says, “we were attracted to the availability of a metallic coating that imitated a bronze powder finish, and were very impressed with Tnemec’s ability to not only match our color demands, but provide a doubling of the life expectancy of this brilliant coating. We have had numerous compliments from tenants of the building.”