December 2012
Keast & Hood Co. Attends Sherman Building Clock Tower Ceremony
Keast & Hood Co. Principal Matthew J. Daw, PE, LEED AP; Project Manager Craig Swift, PE, SE, LEED AP; Marketing Coordinator Alexandra Hallheimer; and Structural Designer Laura Burke, EIT, attended the Sherman Building clock tower time capsule ceremony Friday, December 21. The event marked the reinstallation of the top finial stone and returned the 1892 time capsule back to its original location at the highest point of the tower. Sherman Building reconstruction is presently underway, with completion planned for 2013.
The Sherman Building, commonly known as the Old Soldiers’ Home, is the centerpiece of the Armed Forces Retirement Home (AFRH) campus in Washington, DC, a National Register of Historic Places historic district. Established as an asylum for disabled veterans, the building was constructed in 1852, and served as a watchtower during the Civil War. It housed administrative facilities for AFRH until the 5.8-magnitude August 2011 earthquake, which caused significant structural and cosmetic damage.
“We take seriously our role in returning this historic building to use,” said Daw. “The structural repairs and reconstruction carefully respond to the severity and extent of observed distresses. It is our pleasure to celebrate this project milestone as the finial is replaced.”
Under the design-build leadership of The Christman Company and in collaboration with a team of consultants including Quinn Evans Architects and PreserveScapes, Keast & Hood Co. provided a post-earthquake structural assessment and recommendations for repairs tailored to the structure’s unique configuration and historic status. The project includes masonry crack injection, cementitious anchor rod pinning, stone repair and anchorage, masonry wall anchorage, structural framing repairs, and site wall stabilization are presently underway. The tower, which sustained serious damage, required partial deconstruction and reconstruction with selected interior reinforcing and a structural steel braced frame tower that is carefully hidden from exterior view.
Pictured (l-r): Alexandra Hallheimer, Mat Daw, Laura Burke, Craig Swift