Projects Archive - Page 5 of 7 - Barba + Wheelock Architects

First Parish Congregational Church, U.C.C., Saco

AdditionsHistoric Preservation

A tragic fire in August 2000 completely destroyed First Parish’s historic 1860’s church. The congregation voted to rebuild on their prominent in-town site at the corner of Main and Beach Streets.

Barba+Wheelock and Donham & Sweeney Architects teamed up in a joint venture to design the new 32,000 s.f. building. The new facility includes a 550-seat sanctuary, a lobby/atrium that connects both sides of the church, commercial kitchen, classrooms, fellowship hall, administrative offices, youth activity area and a chapel.

The new church is distinctly modern, yet the design respects the character of the surrounding main street scale. The atrium and steeple mark the center of the complex with the sanctuary and fellowship hall on either side. Modern materials, such as painted metal siding and pvc battens are used on the building’s exterior to create a Gothic Revival wood board and batten appearance. Certain elements, such as the stone foundation, the steeple design, and the use of brackets, evoke the memory of the historic church. The historic clock, which had fortunately been removed from the former church for restoration prior to the fire, was reinstalled in the new tower. The architectural firms, as design collaborators, shared the production of the construction documents.

The First Parish Church is featured in the Images Publishing book, “Houses of God: Religious Architecture for a new Millennium,” by Michael J. Crosbie, 2006.

First Parish Church, U.C.C., Gorham, Maine

AdditionsHistoric Preservation

This vibrant congregation wished to create an expanded and flexible group of spaces to better serve the worship experience. The goals were to better integrate the choir without creating a distraction from the minister or diminishing the historic integrity and simplicity of the sanctuary, as well as create a flexible chancel area that can also serve as a framework for other activities, such as plays and musical/choral performances.

A small addition (650 s.f.) was added to the sanctuary level to accommodate the expanded chancel, new organ chamber and exit stair. This expansion and reconfiguration of the dais and proscenium arch provided ample space for a 30-40 member choir, elevated choir director’s platform, organ console and all the chancel furniture. The solution maintains a focus on the spoken word, so central to the congregational church tradition.

The elaborate chancel rail disassembles into five pieces, thus allowing the chancel to serve as a stage for performance. A storage space located directly off the choir area provides ample room for storing the choir pews and the chancel rail when an open space is needed.

Memorial windows, previously backlit electrically, were relocated to new outside wall space to achieve natural daylight illumination.

New lighting, interior finishes, and design integration with the organ builder combined with a minimal architectural intervention, respect the history integrity of the space and cast a revitalized spirit of worship and celebration

Broad Bay Church

Historic PreservationMaster Planning

Winslow Homer Studio

Historic PreservationHistoric Structures Report

Included in the scope of services were: examination of the history and use of the structure, cultural landscape review, examination of finishes, systems and recommendations for its future use and preservation.

A team of professionals included: architectural historians, mechanical, structural and electrical engineers who specialize in historic structures, landscape architects, and forensic finish experts. Working together to produce detailed drawings of the current structure and site, chain of title showing its evolution to present day, and scenarios for future use, this team was assembled and led by Barba + Wheelock on behalf of the Portland Museum of Art. Interviews were conducted with the Homer family and Homer scholars across the United States for their personal knowledge and expertise in piecing together verifiable and anecdotal evidence.

B+W worked with noted scholar, Architectural Historian James O’Gorman. From the on-site and historical documentation we were able to create drawings of how the studio appeared during Winslow Homer’s tenancy. The preservation treatment recommendations became a combination of restoration, reconstruction, and rehabilitation, all based on the Secretary of Interior’s Standards. B+W worked closely with a professional model maker to create a scale model of the restored studio & site, the model was on display at the Portland Museum of Art.

Hathaway Creative Center

Adaptive ReuseHistoric PreservationTax Credits

Built as a textile factory on the shores of the Kennebec River in 1887, this building is known to most Mainers as the Hathaway Shirt Factory, its use from 1957 until 2002. Barba + Wheelock led a team of design professionals to redevelop this building and the surrounding site into a mixed-use building which now serves as an anchor for downtown Waterville.

The project team included architects; mechanical, civil and electrical engineers; remediation specialists; historic preservationists; landscape architects and construction managers. Challenges included negotiating flood plain, increased traffic generation, planning board review and lengthy coordination with the National Park Service and Maine Historic Preservation Commission for Historic Preservation Tax Incentives Program. Among the services completed for this project was the successful application for listing on the National Register of Historic Places and a Historic Preservation Certification Application (Parts 1, 2 and 3).

Phase One was a fast-tracked construction project completed December 2008. The third floor was renovated to house offices for Maine General: HealthReach and the second floor for TD Bank’s insurance division. Completion of Phase Two followed in May 2009 with the construction of sixty-seven apartments on the fourth and fifth floors, exterior improvements, and core components for the business and retail occupancy of the first and second floors.

Barba + Wheelock continued to work on an array of fit-outs for offices, retail tenants and a radio station. When the third phase is completed, the 230,000 sf building, one of three in the original complex, will include: a restaurant, offices, apartments and amenity spaces for the residents, including a fitness room and business center.

Working with a team of two out-of-state developers, funding for this project came from a variety of sources:

Conventional Mortgage
Developer Equity
Federal Rehabilitation Tax Credits
State Rehabilitation Tax Credits
New Market Tax Credits
TIF Financing

Hathaway Center was awarded a Maine Preservation Honor Award in 2009.

Gerry Residence

AdditionsContextual Design

Originally constructed in 1949, Mrs. Gerry’s parents built this house for their young family as a modest, one-story, hipped roof structure with walk-out basement. The property has been a beloved place for family gatherings for over 50 years. The Gerrys wanted to adapt the house to meet the needs of a growing, multi-generational family, creating spaces that allow one to savor the dramatic water views. The challenge was to carefully apply additions that allowed the residence to fit more appropriately with varied vernacular context.

The land drops dramatically from the road to the water’s edge creating two distinctly different sides to the house. By establishing a low eave height and adding a front porch, the public roadside view retains the welcoming and quaint small-scale form of the original house. The waterside reveals all three floors and creates a memorable landmark when viewed from the Harraseeket River.

There are four additions to the first and lower levels and a full second floor was added. These additions expand the living room, reorganize and add bedrooms, move the kitchen and dining room locations, add porches and decks, and retain the hearth at the heart of the house.

Hathaway Center was awarded a Maine Preservation Honor Award in 2009.

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