April 2013
Keast & Hood Co. Projects Earn Two Baltimore Heritage Awards
Two Keast & Hood Co. projects were recognized by Baltimore Heritage with 2013 historic preservation awards. The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary received a Restoration & Rehabilitation Award. Everyman Theatre received an Adaptive Reuse & Compatible Design Award.
Both projects were nominated by Cho Benn Holback + Associates. Keast & Hood Co. has worked on numerous projects with the firm in recent years, including both of the award winners.
“We are proud of the recognition and very flattered to have been nominated for these awards by one of our colleagues,” said Keast & Hood Co. Principal Matthew J. Daw, PE, LEED AP. “Both the rehabilitated basilica and the renovated theater will continue to play vital roles in Baltimore’s community and architectural heritage.”
The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, known as the Baltimore Basilica, was completed in 1821 by architect Benjamin Henry Latrobe. Keast & Hood Co. provided post-earthquake structural assessments in the aftermath of the August 2011 earthquake, and provided continued service to the Archdiocese of Baltimore for documentation and specifications of repairs. Repairs included masonry crack injection, cementitious anchor rod pinning, repairs to cladding materials, and related finish work including plaster and painting. The restoration was completed in April 2013.
Everyman Theatre was built in 1911 and served a theatrical purpose for nearly 90 years. After closure to the public for 18 years, the Everyman Theatre organization received the building as a donation from Bank of America and the Harold Dawson Trust. Keast & Hood Co. provided structural engineering for the renovation and reuse of the building, incorporating a 250-seat studio theater stacked beneath a 200-seat black box theater with new scene shops, costume and prop facilities, and classrooms. Aside from the complexities of archaic structural systems found within the building, the team was tasked with significant acoustical challenges presented by an operating metro train tunnel 50 feet below the building foundations. The renovated theater reopened in January 2013.
Baltimore Heritage Restoration & Rehabilitation Awards recognize excellences in the restoration or rehabilitation of historic commercial, institutional, or residential buildings while maintaining the basic historic function of the building. Adaptive Reuse & Compatible Design Awards recognize excellence in the adaptive reuse of historic structures or excellence in compatible new construction connected with the repair, restoration, or rehabilitation of the structure’s historic context.
Awards will be presented at a celebration June 30, 2013 at Mill No. 1 in Baltimore.
Founded in 1960, Baltimore Heritage, Inc. is Baltimore’s nonprofit historic and architectural preservation organization. Baltimore Heritage annually recognizes Baltimore’s best historic preservation projects and the accomplishments of local preservation leaders with its Preservation Awards and annual Awards Celebration. For additional information, visit www.baltimoreheritage.org.