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QUEENS, NY, November 1, 2023 –The efforts of national manufacturer Crystal Window & Door Systems to supply 5,192 windows and doors for a large Washington, DC-area apartment complex are successfully drawing to closure.  The multi-year window replacement project involved the five 16-story multifamily buildings of Southern Towers Apartments located at 4901 Seminary Road in Alexandria, VA, southwest of the nation’s capital.  Crystal is currently making deliveries to the last two remaining buildings in the complex. Spanning several years, the window replacement project was phased by building, with several window contractors handling each phase of work, but Crystal supplying the entire project. Crystal Window & Door Systems is nearing the completion of the multi-year window replacement project at Southern Towers Apartments in Alexandria, VA.  Crystal has supplied the five 16-story buildings with over 5,100 new energy-efficient windows and doors. “It is a testament to Crystal that the owners and managers of Southern Towers Apartments retained us as the window supplier for all five building phases,” said Steven Yu, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Crystal.  “Crystal’s quality products, great service, and reliability continue to be recognized and appreciated in markets across the country.” A variety of Crystal’s heavy-commercial aluminum windows and doors were used on the project.  By far the most prevalent window used for the Southern Towers project was the Crystal Series 5600 aluminum sliding window.  Fabricated in both 2-lite and 3-lite (with fixed center-lite) versions, the window has a 3-¼” deep frame and is rated AW-PG40 and AW-PG50, respectively.  The Crystal Series 5600 features continuous full-height sash clip lock pull rails, dual stainless steel sash rollers, and optional opening limit stops for safety, security, and ease of operation.  Some of the buildings used large, 161” wide by 59” tall 3-lite versions of the Series 5600 to span wide building openings. Crystal provided its popular Series 5100 fixed and Series 5600 sliding aluminum windows for expansive views in many openings. Other buildings used the Crystal Series 5100 aluminum fixed picture window flanked by Series 5600 sliders to span large openings.  The Series 5100 is also a 3-¼” window with an outstanding AW-PG100 rating.  A handful of Crystal’s popular aluminum Series 1450 swing terrace doors were specified for the two early phase buildings.  The Series 1450 terrace door is a 3-¼” in-swing door with an AAMA rating of AW-PG75. Also, the two buildings completed early in the project used some of the now discontinued Crystal heavy-commercial aluminum Series 6200 sliding windows. All the Crystal windows and doors for the replacement project called for 1” insulated glass units using Vitro Solarban 60 low-E glass and Argon gas filling.  To facilitate the replacement installation, all the Crystal windows were specified with face flange frames, and snap trim and clip accessories.  The latest windows for the project’s final phase were finished in a durable AAMA 2604 custom “silver shadow” powder coat paint.  Windows for earlier project phases used similar shades of light gray. The Southern Towers Apartments complex is currently owned and operated by the CIM Group based in Los Angeles.  Since the window replacement work began in 2015, three fenestration contracting firms have been awarded various phases of the work: Advanced Window, Inc. (AWI) of Frederick, MD; Caffes-Steele of Beltsville, MD; and most recently Hi-Rise Windows of Bethesda, MD. The five large buildings of Southern Towers Apartments constructed in 1960 total nearly 2 million square feet with 2,346 residential units.  The buildings include studios, 1-, 2-, and 3-bedroom predominantly market rate rental apartments and select affordable units.  The 40.5 acre site also includes landscaped grounds, swimming pools, tennis courts, playgrounds, fitness centers, indoor community spaces, and some commercial businesses.

The Thomas Chen Family/Crystal Windows Endowment for Queens College School of Art recently sponsored at a reception and art exhibit on campus for the first student scholarship awards for studies in contemporary Asian art.  Above right, left to right: Queens College President Frank Wu, Wang, and Thomas Chen.  Photos courtesy of Dominick Totino. QUEENS, NY, October 26, 2023 –Founder and Chairman of Crystal Window & Door Systems, Thomas Chen, was pleased to greet the winners of the very first scholarships awarded at Queens College under the Thomas Chen Family/Crystal Windows Endowment on October 18, 2023.  The five scholarship recipients are students at Queens College’s School of Arts and were chosen through an artwork competition of many student submissions evaluated by a panel of outside jurors.  The scholarships, totaling $21,000, were presented at a reception and student art exhibit at Klapper Hall Student Art Gallery on the Queens College main campus. Above left; Thomas Chen, on right, with the scholarship winners.  Also at the reception, internationally acclaimed author and journalist Ting Chian Wang received a Lifetime Achievement Award.  In 2021, Thomas Chen and Crystal Windows established a $1.1 million endowment for Queens College to support contemporary Asian art at the 4-year college with ongoing exhibit sponsorship, art student scholarships, and artist-in-residence programs.  Last year, the first art exhibit sponsored by the endowment was opened to great acclaim.  Plans are underway for the first artist-in-residence program and master classes for next year. “I am so proud that the Chen Family/Crystal Windows endowment is supporting the Queens College art programs,” said Thomas Chen, speaking to the scholarship winners and guests at the reception.  “Today we recognize these great endowment student scholarship winners, and it is very gratifying to be able to help them further their art education and future careers.” A total of $21,000 in scholarship awards were presented this year.  Four of the five scholarship winners are undergraduate students and received $3,500 each.  The fifth winner is a graduate student and received $7,000.  The scholarships will assist their exploration of contemporary Asian art, traditional Asian art techniques, and developing their own unique art styles. On behalf of The Chen Family/Crystal Windows Endowment, Queens College President Frank Wu also presented a Lifetime Achievement Award to internationally noted author, journalist, and professor Ting Chian Wang, whose decades-long career began in Taiwan and continued later in New York. He is the author of many best-selling books, he worked extensively in newspaper and broadcast journalism, and taught at several universities in Taipei.  Thomas Chen, who grew up in Taiwan, is an admirer of Wang’s work and was pleased to welcome the author to Queens College. Queens College is one of the premier institutions in the New York City University System (CUNY), offering nearly 80 undergraduate majors and over 100 graduate degrees and certifications.  The public college serves over 19,000 undergraduate and graduate students and is highly ranked in terms of academics and value by several national college surveys such as Princeton Review and US News and World Report.  Located at 65-30 Kissena Boulevard in the South Flushing neighborhood of Queens, the college sits on 84 landscaped acres with a park-like suburban feel.

Crystal Window & Door Systems recently provided over 1,000 new energy efficient aluminum windows and sliding doors for the new luxury apartments at Admirals Cove in Haverstraw, NY, developed and managed by Ginsburg Development. -Over 1,000 Windows and Doors Provide Great Views and Energy Efficiency- QUEENS, NY, September 6, 2023 –Situated directly on the Hudson River in Rockland County, NY, the residents of the new Admirals Cove housing development will benefit from the great views and energy efficiency afforded by Crystal Window & Door products.  The national manufacturer supplied the project with almost 1,100 double-hung windows, fixed/picture windows, and sliding glass doors.  The four six-story buildings that make up the Admirals Cove development at 1100 Admirals Cove Boulevard in Haverstraw, NY, are located on a peninsula on the west bank of the Hudson River. “This project is one of the latest projects in the Hudson River Valley from the noted Ginsburg Development team,” said Blaise Benevenga, Crystal Regional Sales Manager.  “Crystal has supplied several other important Ginsburg projects in New York, including River Tides at Greystone in Yonkers and Harbor Square in Ossining, and we were proud to be selected once again as their fenestration manufacturer of choice.” The Admirals Cove project was furnished with a total of 1,088 Crystal aluminum windows in several models and styles.  With over 500 units supplied, the Crystal aluminum Series 2000A Double-Hung was the most prevalent window.  Single units, twin units using a common master frame, and tripled mulled combinations of the Crystal double-hung windows, some up to 109” wide, provide residents with expansive views and fresh air as well as thermal efficiency.  The Series 2000A is a thermally-broken 3-¼” frame depth mainstay of the Crystal product line.  AAMA rated at CW-PG50, the window features a ⅞” glazing pocket, anti-drift head clip lock, fast-draining sloped sill, and tilt-in top and bottom sashes. The next most specified Crystal product, at just over 400 windows, was the aluminum Series 2100 Fixed/Picture window.  Most were single or common frame horizontal twin units, although some expansive openings up to 138” wide utilized three- and four-window mulled combinations.  Again, to provide magnificent views, in other instances 84” tall, virtually floor-to-ceiling Series 2100 windows were installed.  To add a porthole-like nautical flair to the waterfront buildings, Crystal custom fabricated and supplied 34 full circle 36” diameter round versions of the aluminum Series 2100 fixed/picture window.  The Series 2100 Crystal windows feature strong 3-¼” deep frames, ⅞” insulated glass units, and a CW-PG65 rating. Providing access to apartment balconies, Crystal supplied 172 two- and three-lite Series 1240 Sliding Glass Doors and 13 matching Series 1270 Sidelights.  The Series 1240 doors feature 4-9⁄16” frame depths, 1” glazing pockets, heavy-duty adjustable quad tandem ball bearing rollers, and an LC-PG45 rating.  The matching Series 1270 sidelight with the same frame depth and glazing pocket as the door has an outstanding AW-PG75 structural rating. The various Crystal windows, doors, and sidelights were factory supplied with either ⅞” or 1” double-pane insulated glass units (IGUs).  For enhanced thermal performance, the IGUs were specified with Vitro low E Solarban 60 glass and Argon gas filling.  Where required, tempered glass was used. As a decorative element, many of the windows included between-the-glass ⅝” colonial grids.  Some of the double-hung upper sashes included a single vertical grid and the round windows a crossed horizontal and vertical pattern. To facilitate installation, all the Crystal window and door products were fitted with optional snap/slide on nailing fins.  Other accessories included 3-¼” and 4-½” H-mullions for combining windows and sidelights.  All Crystal windows, doors, sidelights, and exposed accessories were finished in an environmentally sustainable and durable AAMA 2604 medium gray powder coat paint. The developer as well as the builder for the Admirals Cove project was Ginsburg Development Companies of Valhalla, NY.  The project architect was Appel Design Group of Livingston, NJ.  Ginsburg framing crews installed the Crystal window and door products. Admirals Cove is comprised of 4 buildings with waterfront-inspired architecture and 245 studio, one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments.  Premium units have balconies with river views.  The buildings each have their own lobby, fitness center, lounges, and ground floor garages.  Common amenities include an outdoor pool, sundeck, firepits, grills, playground, kayak launch, Zen garden, and waterfront promenade.  The complex is adjacent to a commuter ferry to Ossining, NY across the Hudson River, and the Metro North Railroad station with service to Grand Central Station in New York City.

Crystal Window & Door Systems supplied over 3,100 new energy-efficient replacement aluminum windows, sliding doors, and terrace doors for the renovation of the historic OMNI Shoreham Resort and Hotel in Washington, DC. The OMNI Shoreham Hotel renovation features Crystal aluminum fixed picture windows in grand openings and Crystal swing terrace doors to balconies. –Over 3,100 Windows and Doors Refurbish Historic Hotel– QUEENS, NY, August 21, 2023 –The site of 22 U.S. Presidential inaugural celebrations and much Washington, DC history, the iconic OMNI Shoreham Hotel recently was renovated with over 3,100 modern energy efficient Crystal Window & Door Systems products.  The award-winning national manufacturer supplied the project with 3,016 replacement windows and 141 sliding glass and swing terrace doors.  The OMNI Shoreham Hotel is a sprawling 8-story 92-year-old complex located just off Connecticut Avenue at 2500 Calvert Street NW, Washington, DC.  The OMNI Shoreham Hotel is a member of the Historic Hotels of America and as such, the Crystal products used for the renovation underwent an historic approval process. “Bringing modern fenestration to an historic hotel like the OMNI Shoreham is a testament to Crystal’s robust energy efficient product line,” said Steve Chen, President of Crystal Windows.  “We’ve helped restore many historic and landmark buildings around the nation, but the OMNI Shoreham is by far one of the largest and grandest.  We are quite proud to have been part of the project.” The majority of the Crystal windows used on the project were the aluminum Series 2100 fixed picture windows.  Most of these windows utilized an internal horizontal T-mullion within the window’s master frame and two insulated glass lites to replicate the appearance of the building’s original double-hung windows.  In some instances, windows were horizontally combined using mullions.  Also a small number of Crystal Series 2000A double-hung windows were installed in select locations. Mainstays of the Crystal product line, the Series 2100 and 2000A are 3-¼” frame depth windows with AAMA structural ratings of CW-PG65 and CW-PG50, respectively.  The Crystal Series 2000A has tilt-in sashes, a sloped sill, an anti-drift head clip lock for added safety and a weather-tight seal, and sash opening limit stops. In some very large and tall (up to 91”) opening locations, the more robust Crystal Series 5100 aluminum fixed picture window was specified.  This 3-¼” jamb window uses heavy-duty extrusions and achieves an AAMA AW-PG100 rating. Providing guest room and public area access to the OMNI Shoreham Hotel’s distinctive balconies and terraces, Crystal supplied 141 of its aluminum frame Series 1240 sliding glass doors and Series 1450 out-swing terrace doors.  The 2-lite Series 1240 sliding door features a 4-9∕16” jamb thermally-broken aluminum frame, 1” insulated glass units, quad tandem ball bearing rollers, and heavy-duty handles.  The door is rated LC-PG45/SGD-C40. The heavy-duty Crystal Series 1450 terrace doors were specified in both the standard version and ADA compliant versions.  Also, many of the Crystal out-swing terrace doors were outfitted with compatible Series 2100 fixed glass sidelight windows.  The aluminum Crystal Series 1450 terrace door has a 3-¼” frame, 1” glazing pocket, and an outstanding AW-PG75 structural rating.  The Series 1450 also features a multi-point locking system and an advanced polyamide insulated strut thermal-break system for greater energy efficiency. For guest rooms set aside for those with disabilities and mobility challenges, the Crystal 1450D out-swing terrace door was specified.  This door’s independently tested low ½” ADA-compliant threshold allows easy access, yet is weather-resistant and has a water-resistance rating of 10 psf.  One of the few elite swing terrace doors offering a certified laboratory water-tested ADA low sill, the door also achieves an excellent AW-PG50 structural rating. Modern insulated glass units (IGUs) provided the Crystal windows and doors used for the OMNI Shoreham Hotel renovation project with superior energy efficiency.  Depending on the specific product, either ⅞” or 1” IGUs were used, and all dual-pane IGUs were specified with Vitro Solarban 60 low-E coated glass and Argon gas filling for enhanced thermal performance.  Where appropriate, or code required, obscured or tempered glass was used. All the Crystal window and door products were finished in a durable AAMA 2604 sustainable bronze powder coat paint.  To facilitate installation, Crystal supplied a variety of H-mullions, head expanders, as well as anchor clip and snap trim accessories. The Shoreham Hotel since 1983 has been owned and operated by the high-end OMNI Hotel and Resorts Group headquartered in Dallas, TX.  The fenestration contractor for the project was Caffes-Steel of Beltsville, MD. Originally titled the Shoreham Hotel, the magnificent facility opened in the fall of 1930.  Using a combination of Renaissance Revival and Art Deco architectural design, the building has been termed DC’s “Grand Dame” hotel.  The OMNI Shoreham Hotel is situated on 11 acres of well-manicured landscaped grounds in the upscale tree-lined Woodley Park neighborhood.  Its numerous wings have 834 spacious guest rooms. In its early years, the Shoreham Hotel served as an ultra-luxurious residential hotel to both DC and international elites.  During the 1950s, it transitioned into a high-end resort and convention hotel.  The hotel has hosted every US Presidential inaugural ball since Franklin Delano Roosevelt (except for Donald Trump, whose inaugural balls were held elsewhere in Washington, DC).  President Roosevelt had a special suite with enclosed balcony there and both Presidents Truman and Kennedy were considered hotel regulars.  Spanning the decades, notable celebrities who have performed in the ballroom or stayed at the hotel include Rudy Vallée, Bob Hope, the Beatles, Aretha Franklin, and President Clinton, who played the saxophone at an event there.