gsa federal building milwaukee
NEWS & AWARDS
New Millennium Construction's Crew cut through 18 layers of paint to repair windows and doors at the 108-year- old federal courthouse .
New Millennium preserved and restored while preserving the historical integrity of the 650 windows.
The windows were converted from ΒΌ inch single pane glass to 5/8 inch insulated glass units. A new copper track system along with a new rubber bulb and pile weather-stripping was designed and installed during the restoration.
The intended energy conservation goals of this project were accomplished and surpassed in many areas.
The windows went through a strict and controlled stripping process to remove the 18 layers of lead based paint. This was accomplished using only Eco-friendly methods.
After stripping both sashs and jambs were inspected and consolidated using a epoxy method to repair and stop any further deterioration caused by the elements of time.
New Millennium Construction leased a building about a mile from the Court House and set up their Turn Key Millwork factory and wood working shop, where all of the necessary equipment to reconstruct, rebuild, repair, manufacture and restore windows, doors, and trim was housed and the paint sealant area, where all of the priming and finish of the interior and the exterior of the windows would be completed.
This project had its share of issues with weather, ability to enter secure areas, material had to be Certified Honduras Mahogany, which is now on the endangered species list, finding a legal source and others.
With all of the challenges encountered NMCC , the Chicago and Milwaukee GSA team, Pat Rouch Architect from Quinn Evans Architects andSGCS Constructionstill finished the project ahead of schedule.
This was accomplished with an atmosphere of working together as a team.
history
The Federal Building in Milwaukee was constructed in 1892-1899, primarily for use as a post office, to replace its predecessor, which was constructed in 1859. The expansion of the post office in the mid nineteenth century, for which this structure was built in Milwaukee, was a result of the introduction of postage stamps, free urban delivery, and registered mail programs by the U.S. Postal Service. An act of Congress, approved in 1889, authorized the construction of this new Post Office building. In addition to serving its functional purpose, post offices at that time served as the key link between communities and the Federal Government, oftentimes housing courts and other federal offices in addition to the post office.
The Historic Structures Report (HSR), indicates that James G. Hill, supervising architect of the Treasury Department in the late nineteenth century played an influential role in the design of this structure. His tenure marked the first abandonment of the classical forms of Federal architecture, in favor of buildings with lofty clock towers similar to London's Big Ben. The Romanesque style became a model for many public facilities throughout the Midwest in the 1890's.
Willoughby J. Edbrooke, supervising architect of the Treasury Department until 1891, is listed as the architect for the building. His design of the building was inspired by H. H. Richardson's Romanesque style Allegheny County Courthouse and jail in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In addition to the exterior image, the building design included an enclosed central atrium, originally equipped with skylights over the first floor post office workroom as well as at the roof above the fifth floor. Gracious and highly detailed corridors circle the atrium on the second through fifth floors of the square floor plan.
Groundbreaking for the building took place on April 18, 1892, and the building was occupied seven years later, on April 22, 1899.
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