and More

This three-story brick building on Milwaukee’s east side was constructed in 1864. Currently, it is home to a professional relocation company with over 40 employees. The new three-story, full basement addition would expand the capacity for office work space by adding 18 more work stations. The basement would be utilized for file storage. There were several challenges and concerns presented with this project:

• It was imperative that the three-story addition match the architectural personality of the existing structure as best possible. If this was not achieved the addition would stand out sorely among the other historical properties.There could be little to no interruption in business during the construction.
• The project manager had to accommodate, coordinate and organize many different schedules.

A two-story enclosed airing porch built in 1915 was located on the property line and had to be removed to make way for the addition. Due to the age of the building, lead and asbestos testing and abatement took place. Once that was complete, access to the main building from the airing porch was blocked off and it was disassembled by hand. Heavy equipment could not be used to complete this task due to limited job site space.An existing outside bay was demolished and the process of removing windows and doors began at the top floor. Three layers of masonry brick were removed and multiple microlams were installed to support each floor before proceeding to the next one below. Before tying in the flooring between the addition and existing building, the floors had to be straightened by jacking up the sagging areas; up to 3” in some spots. Existing floors were then secured to new microlams. Steel columns and beams were fabricated and erected for cantilevered balconies with concrete deck surfaces. Pella Smart Sash III windows were sized and positioned to achieve balance with the existing windows on the original building. This allowed for ample natural light into the addition. The windows included in-between-the-glass blinds to control light and privacy. The units were primed and two-coat finish painted to match the existing interior. A brick veneer was used to finish the exterior of the addition with matching Indiana limestone lintels and sills.Taylor stainable steel exterior doors with decorative Emtak hardware were installed on each floor. Custom aluminum brickmolding, similar to the original building’s profile, was installed as trim. The interior 15-lite doors had solid wood jambs, ball bearing hinges and matching lever handles.Parabolic lenses were used in conjunction with the fluorescent lighting. These lenses are easier on the eye and provided general and task lighting. Additional task lighting was made available within each cubicle and additional outlets throughout. Interior custom profile moldings were used throughout.Prior to construction, the site had to be prepared by removing trees, overgrown landscape and a buried water fountain. The remaining lot space was developed into an era-specific courtyard that would be used to host several special events throughout the year. The yard had to include space for seating and gathering. Significant elevation adjustments were made for a new courtyard which would include decorative retaining walls. Slight-pitch sidewalk paths, to comply with ADA requirements, lead to an elevated stamped concrete courtyard.The decorative balcony railings had ¼” tempered safety glass not only to comply with code but to also provide a panoramic view of the courtyard and lakefront. Heavy gauge, period-styled aluminum fencing and gates were to accent the courtyard, protect and secure the perimeter and offer privacy.A custom made green canvas rollout awning was installed over the third floor balcony to offer protection against the weather. The color was repeated to match the exterior doors and new shutters.The existing building was tuck pointed to match the now new courtyard and the original front steps were replaced along with the foundation. The entrance way and the balance of the front elevation were also refurbished by replacing rotted wood with Azek. Door hardware was replaced with matching the architectural era of the building. The front and courtyard exterior window trim was reconfigured for a more distinguished look and emphasized with new shutters.This 19th century east side building has plenty of distinguishing character which was carried through and into the three story addition with the use era-specific styling. The building/business owner’s wish for an architecturally accurate finished building was granted.The construction was completed with little to no interruption of business. Crews worked first and third shift not only to complete the project as quickly as possible but also to avoid distracting the staff. Not only did the project manager do an outstanding job of accommodating, coordinating and organizing dozens of people involved with this project, he also kept the communication lines between himself and the building/business owner open.

The building/business owner’s concerns and the onsite challenges we overcame were numerous, however, the reward of completing an extensive addition on a building with such historical attributes was well worth our effort. The owner was also pretty ecstatic that the project came in under his maximum budget dollar amount of $1,000,000.

Before

After

Before

After