15 stellar historic preservation, adaptive reuse, and renovation projects

The winners of the 2013 Reconstruction Awards showcase the best work of distinguished Building Teams, encompassing historic preservation, adaptive reuse, and renovations and additions.

Platinum Awards

Nation's first glass curtain wall exterior restored in San Francisco

The Hallidie Building's glass-and-steel skin is generally recognized as the forerunner of today’s curtain wall facilities. Read the story.

High-rise Art Deco courthouse gets a makeover in Amarillo, Texas

Recognized as one of the most significant Art Deco courthouses in Texas, the Potter County Courthouse is modernized and restored to its 1930s aesthetic. Read the story.

Toronto Maple Leafs arena converted to university recreation facility

Using steel reinforcement and massive box trusses, a Building Team methodically inserts four new floors in the landmark arena while preserving and restoring its historic exterior. Read the story.

Gold Awards

Cass Gilbert's landmark St. Louis Central Library gets a reboot

A $70 million project returns large sections of the building to their original Beaux Arts beauty, while modernizing the spaces to make them more inviting and useful for today’s patrons. Read the story.

From power plant to office: Ambler Boiler House conversion

The shell of a 19th-century industrial plant is converted into three levels of modern office space. Read the story.

SOM gets second crack at iconic modernist structure in New York

More than 50 years after SOM completed the Manufacturers Hanover Trust building, the firm is asked to restore and modernize the space. Read the story.

Statue of Liberty update brings patrons closer to the action

While past renovation and restoration work on Liberty Island received more fanfare, the latest update arguably has had a greater impact on the three million people that visit the monument each year. Read the story.

Silver Awards

Manhattan's landmark Marble Collegiate Church modernized

Marble Collegiate Church, built in 1854 on a dirt road, is now surrounded by a densely populated Manhattan neighborhood. Gaining national recognition during the 52-year tenure of Norman Vincent Peale, the Romanesque Revival landmark still serves more than 2,200 congregants. Read the story.

Everyman Theatre, Baltimore, Md.

The Baltimore structure that opened as the Empire Theatre in 1911 has seen stints as a vaudeville house, burlesque theater, cinema, bingo parlor, boxing venue, adult-movie theater, and parking garage. In 1990, the dilapidated building was abandoned. Everyman Theatre—a professional repertory company—took possession 16 years later through a $1 transfer from the Bank of America and the Harold A. Dawson Trust. Read the story. (TO COME)

Conrad B. Duberstein U.S. Bankruptcy Courthouse, Brooklyn, N.Y.

The narrative of this exterior restoration centers on the sheer scale of the project. The six-year, $61.7 million effort involved meticulously inspecting, cataloging, and restoring more than 75,000 sf of granite and terra cotta cladding. Read the story. (TO COME)

Thomas P. O’Neill Jr. Federal Building, Washington, D.C.

The District of Columbia, famed for neoclassical landmarks, also has its share of modernist behemoths. The Thomas P. O’Neill Jr. Federal Building is typical—more than half a million square feet in a nine-story structure occupying most of a city block. Built in 1965 for the FDA, the laboratory facility was recently transformed into green, Class A office space for several federal tenants, incorporating some bold interior changes and a thoughtful exterior upgrade. Read the story. (TO COME)

Paramount Theatre, Cedar Rapids, Iowa

In Stephen Sondheim’s musical “Follies,” an aging chorine sings of life’s ups and downs, punctuated by the refrain “I’m still here.” The phrase would be a fitting theme for the Paramount Theatre of Cedar Rapids, Iowa—a beloved building that has survived an entertainment revolution, economic upheavals, and a natural disaster. Read the story. (TO COME)

Bronze Awards

Oregon Department of Transportation, Salem, Ore.

Oregon’s Department of Transportation occupies one of the last state government facilities in Salem to receive an energy and seismic retrofit. The 1951 structure has been transformed with a reconstruction that significantly improved efficiency and occupant comfort. Read the story. (TO COME)

Wrigley Building, Chicago

The Wrigley Building, erected in two phases in the early 1920s, has always been a jewel of Chicago’s busy Michigan Avenue. The building’s two towers are connected by a 14th-floor bridge, but few passersby would know that the original design intent was to have an open plaza between the towers. Read the story. (TO COME)

Special Recognition

‘Daylighting’ the Saw Mill River at Larkin Plaza, Yonkers, N.Y.

A “daylighting” plan uncovered the Saw Mill River and made it the centerpiece of a new public park, restoring a long-absent feature of downtown Yonkers, N.Y. Read the story. (TO COME)

2013 Reconstruction Awards Judges

Judges for Building Design+Construction’s 30th Annual Reconstruction Awards (left to right): Bonnie McDonald, K. Nam Shiu, Rick Juneau, Daniel Doyle, Walker Johnson, Stephen Martinez, Gary Keclik. Not pictured: Martha Bell

HONORARY CHAIR

Walker C. Johnson, FAIA

Principal

Johnson Lasky Architects

Chicago, Ill.

DISTINGUISHED MEMBERS

Martha Bell, FAIA, LEED AP

Principal

Tilton, Kelly + Bell

Chicago, Ill.

Daniel L. Doyle, PE, LEED AP O+M

President

Grumman/Butkus Associates

Evanston, Ill.

Rick Juneau, LEED AP

President, Residential & Restoration

Bulley & Andrews

Chicago, Ill.

Gary B. Keclik, AIA, CSI, GGA, LEED AP

Principal Architect

Keclik Associates

Hoffman Estates, Ill.

Stephen L. Martinez, LEED AP

Senior VP, Project Management & Development Services

Transwestern

Chicago, Ill.

Bonnie McDonald

President

Landmarks Illinois

Chicago, Ill.

K. Nam Shiu, SE, PE

Senior VP, Director of Restoration Services

Walker Restoration Consultants

Chicago, Ill.

In Milan, Italy, the new U.S. Consulate General broke ground on April 6. Managed by Overseas Buildings Operations (OBO), a U.S. government agency that directs overseas builds, the 10-acre campus will feature a new Consulate building, as well as the restoration of the site’s historic Liberty Building and reconstruction of a pavilion on the 80,000-square-foot parade ground.

Designing with commercial and industrial insulated metal wall panels

Discover the characteristics, benefits and design options for commercial/industrial buildings using insulated metal panels (IMPs). Recognize the factors affecting panel spans and the relationship of these to structural supports. Gain knowledge of IMP code compliance.

Laboratories | Apr 7, 2022

North Carolina's latest play for biotech real estate development

The Tar Heel State is among a growing number of markets rolling out the welcome mat for lab spaces.

Visibility breeds traffic in healthcare facilities Edward-Elmhurst-Health-Clinic_Woodridge-MOB_Interior_MRI_People

Healthcare Facilities | Apr 7, 2022

Visibility breeds traffic in healthcare design

Ryan Companies has completed several healthcare projects that gain exposure by being near retail stores or office buildings.

Multifamily Housing | Apr 7, 2022

Ken Soble Tower becomes world’s largest residential Passive House retrofit

The project team for the 18-story high-rise for seniors slashed the building’s greenhouse gas emissions by 94 percent and its heating energy demand by 91 percent.

PERKINS EASTMAN AND KLIMENT HALSBAND ARCHITECTS merger April 7, 2022.jpg

Architects | Apr 7, 2022

Perkins Eastman, Kliment Halsband Architects to merge

Perkins Eastman and Kliment Halsband Architects have announced their merger, which will combine the formidable talents, experience, and skills of both legacy firms. With Perkins Eastman celebrating its 40th anniversary and Kliment Halsband celebrating its 50th, this merger promises to create powerful synergies.

Urban Planning | Apr 5, 2022

The art of master planning, with Mike Aziz of Cooper Robertson

Mike Aziz, AIA, LEED AP, Partner and Director of Urban Design with Cooper Robertson, discusses his firm's design for the redevelopment of a Connecticut town's riverfront.

Currently Reading

15 stellar historic preservation, adaptive reuse, and renovation projects

Platinum Awards

Gold Awards

Silver Awards

Everyman Theatre, Baltimore, Md.

Conrad B. Duberstein U.S. Bankruptcy Courthouse, Brooklyn, N.Y.

Thomas P. O’Neill Jr. Federal Building, Washington, D.C.

Paramount Theatre, Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Bronze Awards

Oregon Department of Transportation, Salem, Ore.

Wrigley Building, Chicago

Special Recognition

‘Daylighting’ the Saw Mill River at Larkin Plaza, Yonkers, N.Y.

2013 Reconstruction Awards Judges

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