"Over a year and a half they [Charlap Hyman & Hererro] purged slapdash additions and partitions and restored the many original picturesque elements just enough. Egyptian Revival palm-leaf medallions and other baroque plasterwork were cleaned yet left broken or cracked to evoke the idea of ruin. 'I suppose it’s a subversion—a reaction to the newness that pervades architecture and design in the U.S.,' says Alexandra."