Guastavino's history

His fire-resistant construction method was a major selling point, given the great fire that had ravaged Chicago in 1871.

Guastavino wanted to emigrate to America after architectural plans he submitted to the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition earned him a medal of merit in 1876.

Immigrating to the US in 1881, Spanish master builder Rafael Guastavino quickly changed the architectural landscape in America with his “cohesive construction” technique, a refinement of a centuries-old Mediterranean architectural method for spanning spaces with tile vaults.

In 1885, he secured the first of his many patents on his vaulting system of construction.

In 1889, he founded the Guastavino Fireproof Construction Company.

By 1891 the company had offices in New York, Boston, Milwaukee, Chicago, and Providence, Rhode Island.

In 1894, Guastavino was pulled south to design part of the Biltmore Estate in Asheville.

In 1900, the firm opened a tile manufacturing factory in Woburn, Massachusetts.

In 1905, working with another renowned architect, Richard Sharp Smith, he helped design and build the St Lawrence Catholic Church, which would later be placed on the National Register Of Historic Places.

Before his death in 1908, Guastavino’s final project was a collaboration with Richard Sharp Smith on the design of the Basilica of Saint Lawrence in Asheville.

Originally called the Blackwell’s Island Bridge, the Queensboro Bridge opened to traffic on March 30, 1909.

The tilework was added in 1918, 18 years after the room was opened.

Eventually, steel and concrete building methods were deemed more practical than Catalan vaulting, and the firm went out of business in 1962.

On November 23, 1973, the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission designated the Queensboro Bridge a landmark, including the large areas below the bridge, which were described as notable.

With neighborhood opposition from local community groups who were opposed to an increase of traffic, any ideas for refurbishment were shelved. It was not until July of 1995 that all parties agreed on a design concept and The Landmarks Preservation Commission unanimously approved all revisions for the future development of Bridgemarket.

In 1997, London based Conran Holdings signed a lease for 42,000 square feet for a furniture and housewares store, The Terence Conran Shop, and 25,000 square feet for two restaurants, Guastavino’s and Club Guastavino.

On December 8, 1999 Bridgemarket introduced its first tenant, The Terence Conran Shop.

On February 14, 2000, Guastavino’s opened as a restaurant, named after Rafael Guastavino.

"Basilica of St Lawrence, Asheville, N.C., Diocese of Charlotte,"MassTransit.com,http://www.massintransit.com/nc/stlawrence1-nc/stl2.html (February 10, 2003).