Brooklyn, NY
Exodus and Dance
Scope/Solutions
Exodus and Dance is an 80 ft cast-stone frieze by Harlem Renaissance sculptor Richmond Barthé. The artwork at Kingsborough Houses is a significant representation of Works Progress Administration-era art and one of few by an African American artist installed at a public housing complex. After decades of exposure, the frieze faced structural instability and material deterioration, requiring restoration to preserve this important piece of history. SGH provided structural engineering services for the project.
NYCHA, the Public Housing Community Fund, and a multidisciplinary team led a project to dismantle stabilize, clean, and reassemble the frieze on a new cantilevered concrete backup wall integrated into the renovated plaza. SGH collaborated with Evergreene Architectural Arts, the restoration and preservation consultant, to perform a structural evaluation of the panels following their removal and design new structural support for the frieze. Highlights of our work include:
- Documenting relevant panel geometry and condition following its removal
- Designing structural steel framing to support the panels
- Coordinating with the site wall engineer to develop details for attaching the panels to the new backup framing, accounting for varying panel lengths and widths
Project Summary
2025
Awards
Key team members
