Gaslight, rebuilt in LED
The Veterans Room at the Park Avenue Armory was finished in 1881 by Louis Comfort Tiffany and Stanford White. Its 2017 restoration brought back the look of gas.
The Veterans Room at the Park Avenue Armory was completed in 1881 by Louis Comfort Tiffany, Stanford White, Candace Wheeler and Samuel Colman, in a mix of styles from Greek and Celtic to Japanese and Persian1. The New York Times called it ‘undoubtedly the most magnificent apartment of its kind in this country’1.
Over time, its wood and ironwork, carvings, mosaic tile and stained glass had become shabby1. Herzog & de Meuron led the restoration, with Platt Byard Dovell White, and it was completed in 20171.
Prism glass
Fisher Marantz Stone’s answer was a careful electrical upgrade: small LED lights set below elegant prism-glass pieces replace the gaslight, refracting the light in a way that mimics the soft quality of the original gas and picks out the room’s architectural details1.
From the project
The photographs are by James Ewing of OTTO1.
The Veterans Room waited 136 years between its completion and this relighting, the longest gap in this chapter’s chart.
- Fisher Marantz StoneLighting design
- Herzog & de MeuronRestoration architect
- Platt Byard Dovell WhiteArchitect
- Louis Comfort Tiffany, Stanford White, Candace Wheeler and Samuel ColmanOriginal room, 1881
- James Ewing / OTTOPhotographer
At a glance
- Completed 1881; restored 2017.
- LEDs under prism glass imitate the original gaslight.
- Restoration by Herzog & de Meuron.
Sources
Every fact on this page comes from these public pages. Open the original to check it, or to see more of the project.
- Fisher Marantz StoneFisher Marantz Stone — Park Avenue Armory, Veterans RoomUndated page · checked 2026-09-28
Chapter 05 · After the showRead it in the issue →
