Masonry Magazine December 1997 Page. 30
ATTENTION MASONRY CONTRACTORS
Project: UNION STATION Masonry Rehabilitation
Scope: Brick Replacement, Cut Stone/Terra Cotta, Tuckpoint
Schedule: Plans Available mid-November 1997, Bids mid-December 1997, Start Construction mid-March 1998
The CITY of INDIANAPOLIS is seeking interested Masonry Contractors to participate in the restoration of UNION STATION, one of the most visible Historical Landmarks in the Midwest.
If your company would like more information about this restoration project, please contact our Construction Management team.
Construction Manageric The Skinner & Broadent Construction Co. Arch 201 North Alte: Gene King Street Phone (347) 267-0734 Fas (317) 26-07 Browning Duy Mullins Dierdorf Inc 334 North Sen Indianapolis, IN 46384 Conants US Heritage Group 2511 North Av Chi, IL 60647 MASTER PLANK Engineers Arser Engineers 14500 East Str Nah, IN 46060
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Name Company Address City Telephone. State Zip.
30 MASONRY-NOVEMBER/DECEMBER, 1997 MAS
Bridging the Old with the New, Continued from page 24
the city. One would be a modernization of the 1931 structure that retained the building's historic character, and the second would be a new construction design to be built adjacent to the 1931 structure.
Eighteen foot ceilings, a bomb-shelter basement, brick masonry construction, and 17,000 square feet characterized the existing 1931 structure. As it stood, however, the building was simply not big enough to meet even half of the city's public safety needs; so Mrak and his teams used ingenuity to add square footage to the existing historic building. They raised the roof.
By raising the roof two feet, there would be room for a second floor inside the 1931 structure adding 8,000 square feet. The trick would be to retain the historic integrity of the building's exterior. Mrak's team designed a facade of four soldier courses of brick to mask the exterior view of the raised roof. On the interior, they congregated office spaces in the center of the building and offered up sunlight to those workspaces through large, skylights running the length of the building. The creation of the second floor brought forth a new design opportunity to bridge 'the old with the new' construction, thereby creating one Public Safety Building possessing some 51,000 square feet.
Although the new construction provides ample room for the fire department and other administrative offices, the value of historic nuances was not lost in its design. Mrak's team designated brick, closely matching that on the 1931 building, laid with cream-colored mortar as well as limestone for the new building's exterior. Then they duplicated the original building's common bond masonry pattern over the entire new wing. Today, this type of brick pattern serves no purpose due to steel reinforcements and the like,' Mrak says, 'but it does lend alot of historical character to the masonry, and that's why we chose to replicate it on the new construction.'
Limestone banding, simplified from the version found on the original 1931 building, was also duplicated in the new construction design. Other original architectural embellishments like Doric columns and decorative diamond brick patterns are also featured on the exterior of the new building. Some of those same patterns can be found on the building's interior as well, reflecting the designer's overall attention to historical detail. Noblesville's Public Safety Building was completed January 10, 1993, and later that same year the city won yet another Design of Downtown Public Improvement Award from Indiana Main Street.
These city and county projects contributed greatly to saving the economic future of Noblesville's town square, but the historic preservation-friendly climate created within the community during their construction has also served the city well. Today, Sharon Hunsicker of Noblesville Main Street can tout the renovation of 24 downtown facades, the rehabilitation of 24 downtown buildings, an award from Indiana Main Street for Excellence in Visual Merchandising by a local antique shop, the opening of 35 new businesses, the expansion of 13 businesses, and an exceptionally diverse retail shopping environment on the courthouse square. It seems that Noblesville, Indiana has found a very effective way of bridging 'the old with the new' and coming out on top economically.
Editors Note: Beth Douglass Silcox is a freelance writer residing with her family near Noblesville, Indiana