Boston – The Boston Preservation Alliance announced its 2010 Preservation Achievement Awards. Following are short summaries of this year’s award winning projects.
—Creative Preservation of A Historic Structure
The Power Station
Owner/Developer: 540 Harrison Avenue Realty Trust
Architect: Grassi Design Group
When completed in 1892, the West End Street Railway Central Power Station was the largest privately-owned electric generation plant in the world powering the company’s electric trolley cars which ran all over the city of Boston. Brick facades were repointed and cleaned, new windows were installed to match the original glazing, and the building’s six roofs were restored using the original slates.
— Exceptional Maintenance of A Historic Property
New England Conservatory Campus
Owner/Developer: New England Conservatory Architect: Wessling Architects
The New England Conservatory Campus renovation project concentrated on the exterior
renovation of Jordan Hall, 295 Huntington Avenue, 241 St. Botolph Street, and 33 Gainsburough St. With a focus on authenticity and sustainability, exterior materials were matched as closely as possible for color, texture and appearance. New stucco, terracotta, and marble were installed and all façade masonry joints were either cut and repointed or given new sealants. Energy-efficient options included the installation of a white roofing system on Jordan Hall, as well as the replacement of failed windows with either new wood windows or insulated aluminum windows.
— Notable New Construction in Harmony with Boston’s Built Environment
Folio Boston
Owner/Developer: The Suffolk Company Architect: CBT Architects
The first residential structure built in the Financial District in the past 17 years, Folio Boston is a 172,000sf building developed by the Suffolk Company which combines upscale retail, below grade parking, and luxury condominiums, encouraging both day and night activity downtown.
— Restoration of an Iconic Boston Landmark
Old South Meeting House Tower Clock Restoration
Owner/Developer: Old South Meeting House Architect: McGinley Kalsow & Associates
Created in 1766 and installed in 1770, the Old South Meeting House Tower Clock is the oldest working tower clock in New England still in operation in its original location. The year-long restoration
process began in 2009 and consisted of the removal and renovation of the clock faces. The interior clockworks were also carefully disassembled, cleaned, and replaced when necessary.
— Significant Neighborhood Rehabilitation
ZUMIX Firehouse
Owner/Developer: ZUMIX, Inc. Architect: Utile, Inc.
Extensive renovations re-established the building as a prominent fixture in the East Boston neighborhood and created a 9,000sf facility to increase programming space for ZUMIX students including a state of the art performance center, sound studios, practice rooms, classroom space, a recording studio and administrative space.
— Significant Public Art Contributing to Boston’s Urban Fabric
Lisa Greenfield
An artist and urban planner, Lisa Greenfield has been creating public art in Boston since 2001. Each work captures the imaginations of the public and brings attention to issues facing Boston neighborhoods and specifically uses the medium of public art to call attention to Fort Point Channel as a thriving artist community.
— Significant Rehabilitation by a Public Agency
Congress Street Bridge
Owner/Developer: City of Boston
Engineer/Designer: STV, Inc.
The Congress Street Bridge is one of the few surviving Strauss over-head counterweight bascule moveable bridges in the country. Preservation efforts included replacement of weathered and weakened materials, new utilities, and replication of the original lanterns. Exposed granite was cleaned,
repaired or rebuilt to expose the aesthetics of the old piers. Traffic lanes on the bridge were reconfigured to accommodate bicycle lanes and sidewalks were replaced and modified to provide ADA-compliant accessibility.
McCormack Federal Building
Owner/Developer: United States General Services Administration Architect: Goody Clancy
The McCormack Federal Building is one of the finest examples of Art Deco architecture in Boston. The rehabilitation project encompassed 607,000sf of floor space and preserved the defining Art Deco features of the building, including the decorative plaster ceiling, terrazzo floors with marble inlay, decorative bronze fretwork and grilles, and the exterior granite and limestone facade.
— Significant Rehabilitation/Restoration
The Ames Building
Owner/Developer: Normandy Real Estate Partners Architect: Cambridge Seven AssociatesA blending of Romanesque and Byzantine architectural styles led the building to be listed on the national Register of Historic Places. Respecting the historic character of the building, the project included skillful restoration of the exterior masonry façade, window surrounds and moldings, and careful restoration of the lobby’s vaulted mosaic-tiled ceiling.
Paramount Center
Owner/Developer: Emerson College Architect: Elkus Manfredi Architects
The historic Paramount Theatre has been extensively restored by Emerson College, adapting the former cinema space of 1,700 seats into a 590-seat live performance space. Historic finishes were restored and many of the Art Deco architectural details and features from the original theater were preserved and
incorporated into the new space.
— Successful Adaptation to Accommodate Accessibility
Park Street Church
Owner/Developer: Park Street Church
Architect: Mills Whitaker Architects
Park Street Church has served the community of Boston for over 200 years. Recent renovations strove to improve deteriorated exterior conditions and an open space welcome center was created. Exterior work consisted of masonry repairs to brick and brownstone facades, replacement of deteriorated roofing
and gutters, and the removal of abandoned fire escapes.
— John Codman Award for Lifetime Achievement
Dr. Judith Selwyn
Dr. Judith Selwyn formed Preservation Technology Associates, Inc. in 1978 in order to provide architectural conservation services to architects, government agencies, non-profits and others responsible for historic properties. Specializing in masonry conservation and historic roof restoration, Dr. Selwyn has
participated in more than 1,000 projects over her distinguished career including the Boston Athenaeum, the Old State House, the Massachusetts State House and the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum.