AC + Co | Architecture | Community | Salem Oregon

Eaton Hall – Willamette University

by Filed Under: Education, Historic, Project

Willamette University hired AC + Co to renovate Eaton Hall’s fourth floor attic into 7,500 s.f. of modern office, classroom and meeting space. The eight new offices were arranged so that the department of Rhetoric and Media Studies faculty are adjacent to the department of Anthropology faculty, creating departmental identity for the students that was otherwise lost when the offices were originally spread out amidst Smullin Hall. Within the heart of the new facility is a brand new media lab, combining the latest in technology for the students to take learning to new levels. Two classrooms are equipped with mobile laptop workstations, wireless networking and digital video projection. A meeting room was designed to accommodate small, seminar-style classes. The renovation design also allowed room for a student/faculty lounge.

Farrar Building

by Filed Under: Historic, Project

SALEM, OREGON

Home of our office and also an excellent example of our remodeling capabilities with historic buildings. Built in 1917, the 6,400 s.f. Farrar Building is the last one-story brick structure on its block and one of the few remaining in downtown Salem. An interior renovation in 1995 provided an art gallery effect and an excellent work environment, as well as space for displaying pictures of our firm’s projects. This project included upgrades of new work stations, lighting, power and HVAC systems. It was necessary to coordinate with the National Register of Historic Places in order to maintain its listing on the National Registry and to properly preserve the building.

Awards
1997 Honor Award, American Institute of Architects, Salem Chapter
Member of the National Register of Historic Places

 

 

McGilchrist Roth Buildings

by Filed Under: Commercial, Historic, Project

SALEM, OREGON

The historic adaptive reuse and rehabilitation of the McGilchrist Roth Buildings has served to revitalize Salem’s downtown core. These two 1916 structures were stripped down to the original studs and conjoined to become one building. During demolition, a program of tenant spaces and occupant needs was developed. The McGilchrist and Roth buildings underwent major structural repairs and seismic upgrades, including concrete footings, shear walls, steel beams and columns, as well as hundreds of new floor joists. Approximately 3,500 board feet of lumber were salvaged from the two buildings. The wood was kiln dried and milled into 1x trim material to be used as interior ornament.

The building now includes nine second-story apartments of various size and layout. All apartments feature exposed brick walls and highlight the historic intricacies of the building’s past use. The first floor includes five new businesses, including Gayle’s Italian Market, Archive Coffee and Bar, Ricky’s Bubbles and Sweets, Doty, Pruett, Wilson, PC, CPA firm, and Diversified Financial Benefits. Each business exhibits its own distinct look while embracing the historic nature of the building. As noted by Sheri Wahrgren, Salem’s Downtown Revitalization Manager, a significant rehabilitation like this will increase the property values of all downtown buildings and serve to reinvigorate Salem’s commercial core.

M. Lee Pelton Theater – Willamette University

by Filed Under: Education, Historic, Project

Originally built as a gymnasium in 1927, Willamette University’s historic M. Lee Pelton Theatre (previous the Kresge Theatre) was renovated to sustain and improve the building’s use for theatrical productions.  New seating, stage lighting, and support spaces were developed.  Furthermore, the project included the addition of an elevator/stair tower as well as the completion of numerous deferred maintenance issues such as seismic upgrade, window replacement, and brick veneer rehabilitation.  Numerous existing building elements were preserved and highlighted to express the historic character of the building.  Existing brick arches, corbels and wall surfaces, as well as the original gymnasium hardwood flooring were all preserved and restored to their original condition.  To facilitate theater staging, rigging and lighting, a new state-of-the-art “tension grid” was added above the performance space at the level of the original bow-string roof trusses.

Willamette University’s Department of Theare recently was lauded as OnStage’s “Best B.A. in Theatre Programs in the Country in 2015”. We are proud to have our work on the newly renovated M. Lee Pelton Theatre recognized as part of that criteria considered for the award.  Please click on the following to view the entire article:

http://onstageblog.com/2015/02/20/the-best-b-a-in-theatre-programs-in-the-country-in-2015/comment-page-1/

Waller Hall – Willamette University

by Filed Under: Education, Historic, Project

This project involved a deferred maintenance upgrade to one of the campus’ oldest buildings that houses administration and a working Chapel on the second floor. All brick has been repointed, rotted window frames and casings have been replaced, wood trims and fascia have been replaced, roofing was replaced as well as all flashings. Roof leaks were eliminated with new flashings and review of elevator penthouse penetration through the roof, as well as reworking of cupola to repair all damaged areas and repainting of all trims and cupola. Floor diaphragms were repaired as well as brick stabilization and header repair to seismically upgrade the structure.

Wild Pear

by Filed Under: Historic, Project

SALEM, OREGON

In early October 2014 the water damage resulting from a broken waterline valve in the apartment above the restaurant was so extensive it required the owners to take extra precautions in the restoration efforts because of its historic value to the city of Salem and such items as an ornate tin ceiling and brick walls on its interior. The silver lining to the restoration work was that the owners, Jessica Ritter and Cecilia Ritter James, could use the opportunity to make some improvements, including the addition of a few more booths and updating the bar and restroom.

With new black booths, a wall of new red banquette seating, a geometrically patterned floor and sleek new bar with Zinc countertops and pendant lighting, the restaurant is now open with a fresh look and charm of the past.  The ornate tin ceiling at the Wild Pear restaurant in downtown Salem is original to the 134-year-old building. Individual panels and tiles form a pattern of elegant circles, arcing diamonds and fleurs-de-lis details that become more pronounced when the space is missing its customers and furnishings. The original tin ceiling tiles luckily remained undamaged once the initial moisture levels were decreased.

Originally, a senior project manager with Rich Duncan Construction, which handled the renovations, estimated that the restaurant would reopen in late December or early January. But in late November, it became apparent there were architectural-design challenges created by the need to bring the 134-year-old building up to city code that would delay the project further. After a unanimous approval from the Historic Landmarks Commission, a second exit was allowed to be cut in the side of the building, resulting in an occupant change, and the swing of the front door was also changed. Most importantly, these adjustments will allow the restaurant to operate at full capacity.

The city, the historic preservation office and the contractor all worked very hard with our design team to make this project a success on all levels. It needed to be feasible to the client, meet current code regulations, stay within budget, and all comply with the historic guidelines.

Vernon Jewelers

by Filed Under: Historic, Project

This building has been historically renovated to house the new Vernon Jewelers. The building contains some 4,350 s.f. in two floors and a basement. The main floor is the new home for Vernon Jewelers, while the second floor houses some office space for the retail store and a studio apartment. The new bathroom area contains a refurbished original skylight to bring daylight into the core area of the apartment. A seismic upgrade was installed to brace and support the original brick wall elements. The exterior was cleaned of the 1960’s vintage plaster to reveal the existing brickwork; additional masonry was installed to infill any damaged areas, and all areas of brick were re-pointed to extend the life of the building. New cornices were added to replace the original cornices that had been removed at some point in the past. New energy efficient aluminum windows were installed to replace the old outdated and broken windows. The exterior restoration also included a new full building length canopy as per historical photographs.

Awards
2007 Honorable Mention Award, American Institute of Architects, Salem Chapter
2006 Outstanding Physical Improvement Award, Oregon Downtown Development Association

 

 

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