Friars Club in The Historic Martin Erdmann House

Mold Assessment and Asbestos Investigation

Founded in 1904, the Friars Club is a private social club in New York City with exclusive membership composed mostly of comedians and other celebrities. Located on East 55th Street between Park and Madison Avenues in a six-story landmark townhouse known as “the Monastery,” the 115-year-old club began as a hangout for theater press agents and grew into an institution famous for televised roasts of its members. Over a holiday weekend, flooding from a burst fourth-floor water pipe caused extensive water damage.

H2M’s Forensics and Environmental Team provided urgent moisture mapping and water damage assessment with careful documentation of the affected areas throughout the 3,317-square-foot lot. Several historic rooms throughout multiple floors of the property had been damaged by the water intrusion event and mold growth had developed within several areas.

As the expert consultant, H2M conducted an emergency contamination assessment and provided abatement recommendations for asbestos, a once common building material now recognized as toxic.

H2M’s environmental team coordinated environmental surveys focusing on impacted areas within the property including historic rooms, bathrooms, kitchens, common areas, and maintenance and storage rooms. The firm conducted a limited sampling survey, visual inspection, and prepared a summary report relative to mold and asbestos containing materials (ACM). Since no asbestos containing material was found within the materials sampled, asbestos abatement was not needed.

H2M’s environmental team diligently performed all aspects of the site survey all while donning proper personal protective equipment (PPE) in accordance with OSHA asbestos safety standards. Our team is properly certified as New York State Department of Labor (NYSDOL) mold assessors and New York City Department of Environmental Protection (NYCDEP) asbestos inspectors/investigators who comprehensively conduct surveys in accordance with New York City Title 15 regulations, NYSDOL ICR 56, and EPA NESHAP/AHERA protocols.

Mold assessment and remediation were key post-flooding to ensure a safe reopening for club patrons. Following the completion of remediation, H2M performed a clearance inspection and concluded that the mold remediation work had successfully remediated mold damages impacted by the water intrusion events.