restoration
After the 1871 Great Chicago Fire, many homes made of wood were destroyed. When it came time to build new homes, laws were passed to prevent a similar disaster. Fireproof materials such as brick, marble, limestone, and terracotta tile became the preferred building materials since constructing buildings with wood was banned in the downtown area. Eight years after the fire, construction of the Nickerson House on Chicago’s near northside neighborhood began. The three-story, 24,000 square foot Italianate mansion was reported to be the largest and most extravagant private residence in Chicago at the time it was completed.
Four years of overhaul—the complex’s first major renovation since 1917—resulted in a state capitol worthy of the accolades it has received. The stonework received the 2021 Grande Pinnacle Award from the Natural Stone Institute, while awards for the total project streamed in from many trade organizations: the American Public Works Association, Building Design and Construction magazine, the American Council of Engineering Companies of Colorado, the Construction Management Association of America, and Engineering-News Record Mountain States.
A former hospital complex originally built in 1894, the Old Parkland campus in Dallas, Texas, has seen its share of reclamation and renovation in the past decades. The most recent addition, Freedom Place at Old Parkland, echoes the campus’ existing Jeffersonian buildings in style and design. Designing and building a 140-foot, six-story structure that includes 8,310 pieces of limestone required massive planning and coordination — particularly because the original design plan was created for cast stone.
Julia Manglitz, AIA, LEED AP, APT RP, has worked on several building types throughout her career: county courthouses, state capitols and office buildings, university campus halls and community centers. What makes each of these public buildings unique is they’re all landmarks in their communities. Another thing each of them has in common? Almost all feature locally or regionally-sourced natural stone.
Given the significant extent of limestone spalling and deterioration of this landmark, a comprehensive rehabilitation program was prepared to restore the limestone as closely as possible to its original beauty and appearance,
The 17,400 square foot academic building features limestone cladding inside and out. It received a Pinnacle Award in the Commercial Exterior category, “an amazing transformation of a declining historic house into a vibrant modern jewel of an office building.”
Restoring your stone can bring it back to the look and luster it had when it was originally installed. Part of the beauty of natural stone is that the process can be repeated without worry so you can enjoy your investment for a lifetime.
After an exhaustive 4-year renovation of The Peninsula Paris, the century-old building took a giant leap back to reclaim its rightful place among the city’s most impressive architectural structures.
In a world of bytes and bites, the next generation of artisans is still studying with mallets and chisels and doing its part to carry over an ancient trade to another century.
Stone carvers today uses a combination of modern machinery and ancient craftsmanship to restore buildings and sculptures to their former magnificence.
A case study about award winning Minnesota State Capitol restoration project.
The restoration and expansion of a distinguishing campus landmark in Dedham, MA