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Millions — try 65.2 million visitors, according to 2018 tourism figures — flock to New York City each year. And when it comes to discovering this tourist destination, the options are endless — food, architecture, art, theater, to name a few. This sprawling city covers more than 302.6 square miles, but let’s make one thing clear: New York is a walking city. Sure, the transit system, including buses and subways, is robust, but a true appreciation for the city comes from strolling on foot.

When moving around New York City, the natural reaction is to look up. Why? Because of the massive skyscrapers towering overhead. But, there’s much more to this famed city than mile-high steel giants. Tours are ideal for exploring, and self-guided walking tours are even better. The good news is your wallet stays in your pocket for these tours.

Read on as we navigate a self-guided, architecture-centered pop culture walking tour of some of the city’s best offerings, with the focus on architecture around Manhattan, one of the city’s five boroughs. And we’ll avoid the typical tourist destinations like the Empire State Building, Ellis Island or the Statue of Liberty. This is a mix of the best architecture, exploring both architectural history and design, centered around music, theater and other notable historic buildings.

Can’t-Miss famous NYC music venues (Broadway) — 2.7 miles

An iconic piece of New York City is a good place to begin. Madison Square Garden, a multi-purpose venue located on West 33rd Street and Eighth Avenue, is home to sporting events — and teams like the NBA’s New York Knicks and the NHL’s New York Rangers — but its claim to fame is the music scene. From Madonna to Bruce Springsteen, Madison Square Garden hosts the most noteworthy events in the city.

When you’re done marveling at the size — MSG’s massive structure spans half of a city block — head a half-mile north to the Town Hall, a cozy music venue that is a National Historic Landmark. This is an appetizer before moving a half-mile up Sixth Avenue to another historic venue, Radio City Music Hall. This art deco style structure is known for its neon bright exterior lights. A more intimate venue compared to MSG, the 6,000-seat center has hosted a laundry list of performers like Pink Floyd and Britney Spears.

A 10-minute stroll northwest leads you to Carnegie Hall, an international standard for music since the late 1880s. The hall is unique with an exterior constructed from masonry. From there, walk past Central Park to West 62nd Street, where you’ll find the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts and David Geffin Hall. The Lincoln Center hosts a mix of performances like the New York City Opera. David Geffin Hall is the home of the New York Philharmonic.

Finally, take one more half-mile walk to the Beacon Theatre, an art deco style venue restored in 2009. If you want to extend your trip by an additional mile, feel free to start in Lower Manhattan at Irving Plaza and Webster Hall. Webster Hall may be unassuming from the exterior, but its interior is notable for terra-cotta architecture.

Relishing in famous NYC theater venues (Midtown Manhattan/Upper West Side) — .8 miles

Consider this a short but engaging tour as these venues all fall within a half-mile of one another. Start at Shubert Alley, often noted as the geographical center of Broadway theater. This narrow walkway between West 44th Street and West 45th Street is popular before and after showtimes, when theater-goers spill out into the streets. While you’re there, check out the Booth Theatre and Shubert Theatre. They share a Venetian Renaissance-style facade.

From there, head south on Seventh Avenue to West 43rd Street to the Paramount Building, a 33-story office building once home to the 3,664-seat Paramount Theatre. Travel back north a couple blocks to West 45th Street to the Lyceum Theater, Broadway’s oldest continually operating theater. This petite venue (922 seats) is designed in the Beaux Arts style of architecture. Continue on west to 46th Street to the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre. This 1,505-seat venue was a trend-setter, as it previously boasted a retractable roof for performances during the summer months. After a full gut, the theater debuted a redesign in the 1950s.

If you head west back to Seventh Avenue, you’ll pass the George M. Cohan Statue, a sculpture consisting of a granite pedestal and granite base. Cohan was a famous entertainer known for his musical comedy. He is often referred to as “The man who created Broadway.”

Next, continue north through Times Square to West 47th Street and West 48th Street, where you’ll encounter the Barrymore Theatre and the Longacre Theatre. The Barrymore, named after actress Ethel Barrymore, features an exterior modeled after public baths in Rome, with a two-story terra-cotta grillwork screen. The Longacre catches your eye with a French Neo-classical-style exterior.

A stroll back in time with notable historic NYC architecture (Lower Manhattan) — 3.7 miles

Lower Manhattan is known for Wall Street, the Financial District, Battery Park and the site of 9/11. Let’s revel in history, though, with some of the oldest buildings in the city. Start at Trinity Church on lower Broadway. This Episcopal Parish church has been a notable part of the city for more than 300 years, navigating through several rebuilds and construction efforts. Once you marvel in the Neo-Gothic architecture, move a block over to Federal Hall National Memorial, often referred to as the birthplace of American Government — George Washington took the oath of office as the first president here. The first structure, built in 1703, lasted until 1812 to make way for the current Greek Revival build.

A seven-minute stroll north takes you to St. Paul’s Chapel, the Georgian-style building that is the oldest surviving church in the city. The Woolworth Building lies ahead a block north. This skyscraper held the title of tallest building in the world from 1913 to 1930. It now is comprised mostly of residences and office space.

Across the way to the east is City Hall Park, where you’ll find New York City Hall. Built in 1812, the building features French Renaissance Revival on the exterior and Georgian Revival on the interior. A 1.5-mile walk through Chinatown leads you to the next stop, the Tenement Museum. This Lower East Side site, converted from apartments to a museum, earned a National Historic Landmark designation.

If your Fitbit/Apple Watch is feeling lonely, finish with a two-mile hike to the Flatiron District where you can’t miss the Flatiron Building. Located on East 23rd Street and Fifth Avenue, this structure is one of the more iconic skyscrapers in the city and features Renaissance Revival architecture.

Has this architecture/history lesson inspired you? Contact us at 631-482-9449 or sales@cocometalcraft.com to see how you can add some architectural style elements to your home or office. If you’re ready to get started on a project, download our product catalog or request a quote for more information. For over a century, we have focused on experience, quality and service to help you find the perfect solutions for your projects. Whether you need a linear bar grille, perforated metal grille or custom metal product, our team is ready to help.

Your company’s boardroom serves as a crucial and elevated component of your office space, providing an essential area reserved for the most important of tasks.

After all, a boardroom is the place where directors and executives deliberate while making key decisions, relay information to stakeholders, and meet with staff to ensure things are running as efficiently as possible. The interior features of a boardroom can affect the overall feel and environment within, which is why companies should devote plenty of attention to its visuals and functionality.

Installing an architectural grille is a simple and effective way to ensure your boardroom has its best possible look.

Below, we tell you three distinct ways a decorative or customized grille can take your boardroom to the next level.

Showcases attention to detail

Boardrooms are reflective of a company’s brand and a vital part of how the company functions as a whole. The decisions made within a boardroom’s walls are typically what drives the strategy and philosophy of a company — decisions that are often based on the smallest of details.

Because of this, boardrooms should have a certain reverence and aesthetic that sets the tone, conveying the importance of the discussions and meetings that occur within them. It’s true that a great deal of thought usually goes into the decor and furnishings of a boardroom, but small details like grilles tend to be overlooked in the end.

Finishing off the decor and style of a boardroom with high-quality architectural grilles sends a signal to any person who enters that every detail matters.

Provides subtle decorative touch

For most boardrooms, decor and furnishings tend to be minimal, providing more of a focus on who is in the room and what’s going on inside. This places an added emphasis on each part of the boardroom, whether it’s the furniture, wall colors, lighting, flooring, and so on.

Installing an architectural grille gives you added control over every last feature in the room. By choosing a decorative grille over a generic one, you’re providing the boardroom with a subtle style boost that only adds to its overall appeal and look.

Gives the room a fully finished appearance

There’s typically a lot of thought and effort that goes into interior design of a boardroom, but overlooking built-in aspects such as air supplies and return vents can leave the room with an unfinished look.

Swapping out a generic or low-end grille with a custom version of your choosing creates a more seamless aesthetic that either retains or even improves overall functionality as well. Furthermore, when you consider that the majority of boardroom and conference rooms tend to have multiple grilles instead of one, outfitting each vent with a cohesive and upscale grille design truly ensures a complete style.

Give your boardroom the look it needs with grilles from Coco

Coco Architectural Grilles has over 100 years of experience crafting the finest custom metal products in the industry. Our team can create the perfect grilles for any space, including all commercial properties and interiors.

Ready to outfit your boardroom with a superior architectural grille from Coco? Feel free to browse or download our product catalog for a detailed list of available products! If you’d prefer a consultation with one of our experts, or would like to order your custom grilles today, please  contact us at 631.482.9449 or sales@cocometalcraft.com.

Metalworking has certainly witnessed lots of changes over time, with plenty of advancements in technology since the early days of merely shaping metal sheets by banging them with hammers.  

Today’s metalworking and fabrication industries now rely more on technology and science instead of hard labor. Although innovations and advancements have always been a part of shaping the way metalworking is done, many of the most recent developments are taking the craft to new heights far and above where it was even a decade ago.

So, what’s next for the field of metalworking? Quite a lot, actually. Below, we’ve highlighted three major areas that are expected to drive significant changes to the industry in the coming years.

3D printing

When 3D printing first hit the scene, it was viewed more as a niche method that was still far away from being a functional choice for metalworking. Since then, 3D printing has indeed become functional within the metal fabrication industry, becoming more widespread and used for a number of different applications.

With 3D metal printing, metal components undergo a “printing” process that shapes, cuts, and molds the metal to achieve the design, size, and structure set forth by a digitally formatted design. Simply put, this allows metalworkers to upload or scan in the dimensions, setting the stage for the printer to do the rest of the work.

Although 3D printing is still considered to be in its early period, new developments and innovations are being implemented rapidly, making the technology more accessible, and more versatile for a number of different metal industries.

Industry 4.0 automated metalworking

You may not be aware, but we are currently in the midst of what experts call Industry 4.0, which refers to the current trend of automation and data exchange in manufacturing technologies. These tech products typically include a combination of cyber-physical systems, the Internet of things (IoT), cloud computing, and cognitive computing.

Automation has been present in metalworking for years, but Industry 4.0 capabilities represent a major change. This technology gives equipment a broader range of abilities that can cut down on the amount of time needed to perform their task while also providing a more comprehensive set of features that can handle an entire process from start to finish rather than using multiple machines and tools.

For example, a slotted piece of metal can be fed into an Industry 4.0-level machine, which will then calculate the needed alterations, followed by turning, shearing, rolling, and cutting the metal piece to exact specifications — all with just the push of a button.

Advanced safety features

Much of the same technology and advancements that allow for smarter and more efficient metalworking tools also help to create safer conditions. This is accomplished in several different ways.

For one, the improvement in sensors and automated machines allows for real-time communication with some of these machines, enabling them to pinpoint when certain parts are wearing down, or possibly malfunctioning — an advantage that reduces faulty machinery and resulting accidents.

Metalworking is always evolving

With over a century of experience, Coco Architectural Grilles & Metalcraft has seen plenty of change in the metalworking industry, and our expertise has only improved and persevered alongside any developments to the technology used. Today, our metalwork professionals use time-proven techniques in addition to working with the most advanced technology available. As a result, we maintain the ability to craft practically any metal product for almost any customer need.

Planning a custom metal project? We can help. Contact us at 631.482.9449 or sales@cocometalcraft.com. If you’re in need of some inspiration, feel free to take a look at our extensive Grille and Metalwork catalogue.

You’re evaluating the grille type and design you want to use from Coco Architectural Grilles & Metalcraft’s extensive line to fit the architectural style in your home or other building, but before you make the leap, you need to consider proper air flow for optimum comfort. How will your grille decision factor into the air flow equation?

What is air flow?

Air flow in the HVAC – heating, ventilation, air conditioning – world is the process of delivering conditioned air to rooms and then removing it from those rooms so it can be returned for re-conditioning. This process is accomplished through HVAC duct work. In a duct, air flows from a higher pressure to a lower pressure. A fan creates the higher pressure while the open end of the duct has a lower pressure, causing the air to flow out.

After conditioned air flows into a room, an equal amount of air must be removed. This return air is transported back to the central air system for reprocessing.  But, not all of the return air can be reused. Otherwise, the air would become stale. To avoid this, fresh air is ventilated into the system through an outside air intake.

The air flow percentage is the percent of air that the metal grille lets into (and out of) the room throughout the air flow cycle.

What you need to know when selecting air flow percentages

First, of course, you need to select the HVAC system itself. You need to make sure that the system is suited to the space to which it is supplying heating and cooling. Make sure the HVAC system ducts are free of leaks and that all the air is flowing into the proper spaces. To get the proper performance from the system, the air flow must be correct. Otherwise, the system performance and longevity will be adversely affected. When airflow is not good, it’s difficult to properly charge refrigerant or set up a gas furnace.

Comfort and safety are primary concerns of proper air flow. Air flow is what provides the proper heating or cooling to a room. When room air flow is low, it’s certain the room will be hot in the summer and cold in the winter. It also can affect the amount of humidity in a room, making it sticky in the summer and dry in the winter. The key safety concern addressed by proper air flow is the potential for carbon monoxide poisoning. Air flow imbalances can cause flue gases containing carbon monoxide to spill into rooms.

After ensuring the integrity of the HVAC system, you will want to consider positioning of your HVAC grilles. We create HVAC grilles for all heating and air conditioning systems, and we can customize to your specifications. You can rely on getting the utmost in quality, variety, aesthetics and functionality.  We provide the best priced options to engineers, woodworkers, contractors, HVAC companies and homeowners. Whether you need a curved wall matched, a mitered corner or a special finish, we can exceed your expectations while ensuring that the grille you select provides proper air flow.

As opposed to a shutter-style linear bar grille, a perforated grille is typically not adjustable. It is cut in a specific pattern and allows air to flow freely. To ensure proper air flow, you’ll want to take into account the free area not covered by the metal pattern. For perforated patterns with small vent holes, you will want more free area. This will allow more air to be pushed through the grille. The opposite applies for large vent holes. The perforation of our customized metal grilles are constructed to properly balance your HVAC system. Upon request, we can do cubic feet per minute (CFM) calculations in order to determine the best free-area percentage to use for the optimal grille size.

Are you ready to get the optimal metal grille to provide the best air flow and quality to your space? Be sure to check our product catalog for a full, detailed list of our products. For a consultation or to order your grilles, contact us at 631.482.9449 or sales@cocometalcraft.com.

When designing your home or office, it’s important to pay attention to the details. Something as simple as a metal grille can be the difference between a polished interior design and a messy, haphazard one. But what is a metal grille and why does it matter? A metal grille is a permanent fixture that can function as either an air supply or return vent. They’re typically found in ceilings or walls but can be installed in the floor if necessary. It’s common to see multiple grilles installed throughout office spaces, as opposed to one large installation – which is why it’s crucial that you have a seamless and professional design for the grilles.

Coco Architectural has been in the metal crafting industry for more than a century. We have tried and true experience to create the right metal grille for your space. Our team of metalwork professionals pairs time-proven techniques with top-of-the-line technology to create almost any product a customer could need.

Don’t let your interior design seem low-quality by using generic metal air grilles. Custom grilles will elevate your space’s aesthetic and relieve the stress of self-installation. Don’t believe us? Here are our top reasons why a custom air grille is worth the plunge.

Flexibility

Selecting an air grille seems like an easy decision, but many people don’t realize the amount of planning that goes into the selection process. First of all, have you properly measured the installation space? Do you need a flangeless (flush-mounted) or flanged linear bar grille? Will your project require access doors, welded support bars, concealed fastening or other installation hardware? If so, does the general store have these pieces in matching materials? This is just the start of the questions you’ll need to ask before selecting a metal grille for your space.

Luckily, ordering a custom grille can alleviate most of these concerns. It can be frustrating to go back and forth to the store to get a new size or find new, matching hardware. Instead of dealing with that hassle, our team can take your order, making sure to help answer all the necessary questions to get the perfect finished product – like our popular L-bead linear bar grilles.

The Coco Architectural L-bead linear bar grille is created with a custom method to ensure the best quality wall and ceiling grilles available. This includes:

• Grilles that are ready to install on delivery
• No reworks, rivets, or joining of dissimilar metals
• Ability to choose between a welded or removable core grille
• Fully-welded aluminum L-bead for maximum durability
• Pre-punched mounting holes
• Curved or mitered corner grille options
• Ability to choose an A-frame, band frame or core-only grille

Flush plaster or drywall finish

Our patent-pending L-Bead installation option creates a flush finish for plaster or drywall installations of linear or perforated grilles. Also known as “mud-in,” this option provides the highest level of plaster recess and a removable grille core while preventing plaster cracking. Essentially, the finished product looks like it is part of the wall, as opposed to grille installations with metal fasteners that sit on top of the wall’s surface.

Ability to easily create matching metal products

Why limit yourself to just metal air grilles? Our all-inclusive metal fabrication facility provides our team with the capability to create an almost unlimited scope of products – even if it’s outside of our specialties of custom laser and waterjet cutting services, stainless steel fabrication and custom metal corner guards. We have created a wide variety of products, including desks, consoles, wall panels, handles and pulls, ornamental trim, railings, cladding, louvers, precision sheet metal, signage, tree grates, column covers, retail displays, trench boxes, headers and jams, convector enclosures and more.

Instead of worrying if your generic metal grille will match the other metal hardware in your space, let our team create custom, coordinating products. We work with a variety of metals, including aluminum, brass, bronze, stainless steel and steel. In addition, we can create a beautiful finish on your product with options that include satin/brushed, mirror polished, anodized, duranodic, blackened, baked enamel colors, statuary/antiqued and oil rubbed.

If you’re ready to take the plunge and choose your custom metal air grille, our team is ready and willing to help! Peruse our product catalog for a full, detailed list of products. For a consultation or to order your custom grilles today, contact us at 631.482.9449 or sales@cocometalcraft.com.

Throughout the years, advancements in technology have changed the ways metal is created, cut and designed. Today, many products can be manufactured through computer designs and machine implementation – but this wasn’t always the case. The 1920s was a period of change for America and Western Europe with the birth of new technology, a rebellious spirit and avant-garde practices. The impact of the 1920s on metal crafting was instrumental in the creation of today’s practices.

Coco Architectural has been in the metal fabrication industry for almost a century and has adjusted to the various advancements along the way. Between 1909 and 1930, our business made many developments in machinery, techniques and the products we fabricated.

Coco Brothers Inc. was established in 1909 with a focus on brass and bronze ornamental metal products. Rosario, Joseph and Jacob Coco developed their metal fabrication skillsets, growing the business with the launch of new products in 1927. These products included votive candelabras, communion rails and sanctuary ramps for churches nationwide. The launch of the Coco Brass Shower Door saw immense success as it was adopted by exclusive residences and all upscale New York City hotels throughout the end of the 1920s and the entirety of the 1930s. Our growth and developments in product design continuously correlate with the metal trends of the time.  

1920s metal trends

The Art Deco style permeated the 1920s with its pastiche of styles, materials, shapes and influences. Focused on forward momentum and modern progress, Art Deco pulled from the “ahead of its time” traditions of the avant-garde movement and geometric shapes to create modern designs. After it was introduced to the United States in the 1922 Chicago Tribune Tower design, it became one of the most commonly used styles in American architecture in the 1920s.

Simplicity was introduced to architectural designs through the rising of the Modernist trend of the 1920s. Beginning in Europe and slowly moving to the United States, the goal of modernist architecture was to create harmony between form and function without excessive embellishments.

Metal trends followed these major architectural movements through their incorporation into the exterior, interior and functional elements of construction. Buildings, such as skyscrapers, began to pair stainless steel and aluminum with Art Deco geometry in their exterior designs to enhance prestige and draw attention skyward.

Developments in metalworking in the 1920s

The American Welding Society was formed in 1919 by the Wartime Welding Committee to promote the advancement of welding and other allied processes. Electrode technology for welding and metal fabrication developed with the introduction of the coated electrode by the A.O. Smith Corporation. The coated electrode shielded metal arc welding (SMAW) process was further developed by the Lincoln Electric Company and became regularly used by the late 1920s.

The Lincoln Electric Company mass produced coated electrodes that improved the usability through an extrusion coating procedure to protect the electrodes from the atmosphere during the coating process.

Metalwork advancements since 1929

Automatic welding machines were developed and more widely used in the 1930s for projects such as steel construction and the fabrication of building floors. Innovation in welding grew alongside transportation advancements by welding submarines, automobiles and ships.

In 1965, the first laser for metal production was launched by Western Electric. In 1967, this idea was expanded upon by Peter Houldcroft, who created a laser-cutting nozzle with a CO2 laser beam and oxygen assist gas for industrial metal cutting. CO2 laser cutting systems did not become commercially available until 1975.

Today’s laser cutting equipment uses high power optics and micro-positioning systems, among other functional features. Here at Coco Architectural, we stay on top of the metal crafting trends by pairing our century-old knowledge and experience with top-of-the-line equipment and safety features. Whether you need a linear bar grille, perforated metal grille or custom metal product, our team is ready to help you find the perfect solution for your project. Download our product catalog or request a quote for more information.