December 2002 - January 2003 Edition

Plaza Building's New Architect  No one cares about the Plaza Building more than Joel Ives. He worked there for sixteen years as an architect. See old articles on Ives. He was in the building when the fire started. And, now, he is the architect commissioned to restore it to its former grandeur. The Ives Group was the biggest tenant in the Plaza Building, 90% of their offices were in the wing that was destroyed. With 27 people it is one of the largest architectural firms in the state. Ives told Fair Lawn News that "if this had happened ten or fifteen years ago, I would have been out of business. But with our computer backup tapes, we were back in business within two days. Everything is totally computerized now." When the fire started at 5:10 PM on October 1st, one of the firm's architects took computer tapes out with him. Ives said "we just strolled out of the building. The alarm had gone off many times before. It didn't seem like a big deal. On my way out I shut off the lights and computers." He said "It was so emotional watching the fire. It brought back memories of September 11th, when clients of ours perished in the World Trade Center. Even in the 10% of the building that the fire didn't reach, there was still considerable damage. Ives said "Superheated steam floated around the building and destroyed equipment. We have to throw out very sensitive color copy machines otherwise they will be forever plagued with problems." After the firm's offices were destroyed, the architects worked out of bedrooms, living rooms, kitchens and clients' offices until they moved to Route 208 in November. Their most important job now is to help restore the Plaza Building. The owner says that "Joel Ives is the most qualified architect for this job. He knows the building and loves the building. His heart is in Fair Lawn and the building". Photo of fire ravaged materials and unscathed architect, courtesy of the Ives Group.