A two-year recovery and renovation effort following the August 2011 earthquake serves as a model for how a dedicated team can transform devastation into opportunity for preservation, innovation, education, and stewardship.
The Sherman Building (built 1852-1891) is the centerpiece of the U.S. Soldiers’ and Airmen’s Home National Historic Landmark. Established as an asylum for disabled veterans, the building was constructed in 1852 with additions in 1869 and 1891. It continued to house AFRH services until the August 2011 earthquake, when the building experienced significant structural and cosmetic damage. A collaborative design-build team was led by The Christman Company, with Quinn Evans Architects and PRESERVE/scapes in a two-year recovery project to restore the building’s iconic structure.
Keast & Hood provided a post-earthquake structural assessment and recommendations for repairs. Over 500 stones (20 courses) of the tower were removed and reassembled around a new steel frame carefully designed to be invisible within the tower’s open belfry. Over 3,000 stones in parapets, chimneys, and retaining walls were accurately rebuilt, reusing 98 percent of the original pieces of marble in their original locations. A comprehensive point-cloud survey and iPads were used for in-field assessment and documentation, leading to 100 percent reconstruction accuracy. Multiple activities and programs were designed to engage with local schools, professional organizations, and the AFRH veteran residents.
The Sherman Building was honored with a 2014 Merit Award in Historic Resources in the AIA DC Design Awards, a 2014 Jurors’ Citation for Technical Excellence of Repairs in Historic Architecture in the AIA Northern Virginia Design Awards, a 2014 Historic Preservation Merit Award in the Virginia Society AIA Design Awards, a 2014 State Historic Preservation Officer Award in the DC Awards for Excellence in Historic Preservation, and a 2014 Technical Excellence in Craftsmanship Award from the Washington Building Congress. The structural design approach was presented at the ATC & SEI National Conference on Improving the Seismic Performance of Existing Buildings and Other Structures.
A two-year recovery and renovation effort following the August 2011 earthquake serves as a model for how a dedicated team can transform devastation into opportunity for preservation, innovation, education, and stewardship.
The Sherman Building (built 1852-1891) is the centerpiece of the U.S. Soldiers’ and Airmen’s Home National Historic Landmark. Established as an asylum for disabled veterans, the building was constructed in 1852 with additions in 1869 and 1891. It continued to house AFRH services until the August 2011 earthquake, when the building experienced significant structural and cosmetic damage. A collaborative design-build team was led by The Christman Company, with Quinn Evans Architects and PRESERVE/scapes in a two-year recovery project to restore the building’s iconic structure.
Keast & Hood provided a post-earthquake structural assessment and recommendations for repairs. Over 500 stones (20 courses) of the tower were removed and reassembled around a new steel frame carefully designed to be invisible within the tower’s open belfry. Over 3,000 stones in parapets, chimneys, and retaining walls were accurately rebuilt, reusing 98 percent of the original pieces of marble in their original locations. A comprehensive point-cloud survey and iPads were used for in-field assessment and documentation, leading to 100 percent reconstruction accuracy. Multiple activities and programs were designed to engage with local schools, professional organizations, and the AFRH veteran residents.
The Sherman Building was honored with a 2014 Merit Award in Historic Resources in the AIA DC Design Awards, a 2014 Jurors’ Citation for Technical Excellence of Repairs in Historic Architecture in the AIA Northern Virginia Design Awards, a 2014 Historic Preservation Merit Award in the Virginia Society AIA Design Awards, a 2014 State Historic Preservation Officer Award in the DC Awards for Excellence in Historic Preservation, and a 2014 Technical Excellence in Craftsmanship Award from the Washington Building Congress. The structural design approach was presented at the ATC & SEI National Conference on Improving the Seismic Performance of Existing Buildings and Other Structures.
CLIENT: The Christman Company | Quinn Evans Architects
LOCATION: Washington, DC
TYPE: Government, Historic, Residential, SERVICES: Condition Assessment, Damage Assessment, Emergency Stabilization, Façade Assessment, Historic Preservation, Renovation, Restoration, Seismic, Structural Intervention, MATERIALS: Masonry, Steel, SUSTAINABILITY: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Photography courtesy Armed Forces Retirement Home and PRESERVE/scapes.
