Projects Archive - Page 6 of 7 - Barba + Wheelock Architects

Cumberland Club

Adaptive ReuseCondition AssessmentContextual DesignHistoric PreservationMaster Planning

Located in downtown Portland, the Cumberland Club occupies the historic, Federal-style Stephan McLellan Mansion. Built in 1802, the building has received at least six major campaigns of additions, including renovation designed by John Calvin Stevens.

B+W’s involvement with the Cumberland Club began with a master plan to study conditions, accessibility and expansion needs to all three stories for the 130-year old social club. Steeped in history, the Club was also looking to update its staid image with a new gathering space central to the operations: a bar that was traditional in style, complementary to the Maine Room and yet, innovative enough to set a tone to revitalize membership.

In the master plan, B+W established that the bar’s location would be adjacent to the Maine Room, in what once was a dining terrace with French doors. Later additions and remodeling had enclosed the space and hidden its character. The new bar transforms the once-tired interior into a comfortable, wood-lined extension of its adjacent room. A key challenge overcome in the planning was the design of the back bar, which integrated a sophisticated set of kitchen/bar equipment in a limited amount of space.

For the Cumberland Club brownstone main entry restoration, their embedded knowledge of the project details led them to serve as de facto construction managers, orchestrating a diverse group of construction specialists in achieving a unified project. They shepherded the project through the Historic Preservation Commission with unanimous approval.

– Paul Stevens, Cumberland Club, Building Committee, Club President

Two different species of wood were selected for the striped floor for their inherent characteristics to allow for a one-step process of clear finish. The granite countertop picked up the tonal quality of the room in a permanent and utilitarian surface. The German-made glass is transparent enough to allow views out from the room to a hint of the green landscape beyond, but translucent to disguise the identity of nearby diners. The leading pattern is modeled on the historic windows in the Maine Room. Daylight filters in through the glass wall illuminating the bottles; concealed specialty lighting augments the natural light and provides a sparkle. Scope also included furnishings and fabric selection.

The Bar’s name honors Maine native, former Governor, Civil War general and Club member, Joshua Chamberlain.

Barba + Wheelock undertook the design, specifications and construction management for the main entry rehabilitation. This included a study of options for the no-longer available brownstone including flipping the stones to expose the undersides, replacement in granite, precast or special stone polymer substitution material. The final finicky solution to the restoration of the original brownstone steps and cheek walls led the mason to remove the later inappropriate surfaces down to the original brownstone, infill with polymer solution (with brownstone dust and color agents to match) and finish the project with an appropriate coating.

The restoration also involved intensive, multi-layer lead paint removal and repair to the bases of the fluted wood columns. The engaged pilasters were repaired on site, while the freestanding columns were craned to a flatbed and moved offsite for steam softening of the paint for removal.

Rubber roofing, copper flashing, gutters and downspouts, lighting, and painting rounded out the project. We also engaged a cast iron craftsman to restore the stair wall balusters and provide new railings. B+W coordinated multiple specialized craftspeople in their respective trades.

Harriet Beecher Stowe House

Adaptive ReuseHistoric PreservationHistoric Structures Report

Originally constructed in 1805 for Benjamin Titcomb by noted Brunswick master builder Samuel Melcher, the house at 63 Federal Street in Brunswick was home to distinguished residents such as Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, then a student at Bowdoin College. It was listed as a National Historic Landmark in 1963. The house was purchased by Bowdoin in 2001.

Its most famous resident was Harriet Beecher Stowe, who wrote Uncle Tom’s Cabin while living here. Stowe and her family rented the house while her husband Calvin Ellis Stowe was Professor of Natural and Revealed Religion at Bowdoin (1850-1852). While attending a service at First Parish Church, Mrs. Stowe had a vision of the death of a slave named Uncle Tom. From this small spark grew the serialized story which became the influential book Uncle Tom’s Cabin.

Following the residency of the Stowe family the structure remained a private residence until 1946, when it became an inn. Bowdoin College commissioned B+W for a Historic Structure Report to determine the history and evolution of this building. A primary concern was the identification of any surviving fabric from the Stowe family’s residency.

The report is organized into two volumes. The first volume of the report includes measured drawings, documentation of existing conditions, paint and material analyses, examination of construction methods employed in original construction and later alterations, and historical research. The second volume presents preservation and maintenance recommendations, as well as two possible restoration approaches. Our approach preserves spaces that retain their historic appearance and fabric, and inserts modern necessities in already compromised spaces. All the recommendations are based on the findings of the first volume of the report and follow Secretary of the Intentions for treatment.

The rehabilitation project evolved as a construction managed project where B+W was engaged to prepare construction documents, negotiate equivalencies with the State Fire Marshal, and follow through construction administration to completion.

Bowdoin College ultimately decided to create faculty offices and dedicate one of the original parlors to the Harriet Beecher Stowe Writing Room, that is open to the public.

Foote-Pelletier Residence

New Construction

This property is situated on freshwater McCurdy Pond and includes a complex of summer cottages that date to the 1930s. Over the past thirty years, the owner developed this compound, adding a salvaged 19th century carriage barn, converting a boathouse, and enlarging the original teahouse. The main house, presented here, is the newest in the collection and allows for year-round living. The house is a tripartite design with a central block and flanking wings. The owners love of the Craik-Patton House of 1834 in Charleston, West Virginia inspired the design.

I was able, first-hand, to observe Nancy and Cynthia’s collaborative style as we worked together to turn my rough ideas into a masterpiece. They are good with deadlines, thorough with details, cooperative with client ideas and deliver award-winning results.

– The Very Rev’d Stephen W. Foote, Retired Dean of St. Luke’s Cathedral

The program includes a two-story central hall with living, dining and kitchen, and a guest loft above. Flanking this central hall are two smaller wings, each with bedroom and bath. The wings have dramatically differing character, reflecting the wishes and design philosophies of the couple; one is modern and glass filled, while the other is traditional. Each of the main architectural elements is situated upon one of the two main axes, forming a cross. The classically proportioned form of the exterior collects the distinct objectives of the two owners, celebrating them carefully at each gable end. The modern gable of the west wing is fully glazed from base through pediment; the traditional gable of the east wing presents a Palladian window and solid pediment; the gable at the south-facing kitchen has a traditional base, culminating in a fully glazed pediment; finally, the formal entrance facade is dominated by a Vitruvian-proportion colonnade with 24-inch diameter Tuscan order columns.

Maine Educational Center For The Deaf And Hard Of Hearing

Contextual DesignMaster PlanningNew Construction

Barba + Wheelock was engaged to develop a master plan for the campus, including implementing the first new building on the campus in 50 years. B+W was asked to review options for renovation of an existing building compared with new construction. In the end, the conclusion was to build new, as the existing circa 1950s buildings would require extensive and cost-prohibitive renovation to adapt the classrooms for deaf learning and visual learners.

The Maine Educational Center for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing campus was developed in the mid-1950s as a collection of brick buildings with connecting walkways surrounding Governor Baxter’s Mackworth Island summer estate. The new building serves the entire school population from K-8 and provides space for infant-pre-kindergarten programs and deaf education research professionals. The campus library was relocated to this new facility.

The project team was involved from programming and design through construction. Our team was successful in securing a $91,000 grant from the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) toward the installation of energy efficient features. From the outset, B+W committed to designing a high-performance school, and midway through the design process, the Director of BGS pushed for this project to be the first state-owned school to achieve a LEED (Silver) Certification. The new building, the first all-new structure on the campus since the 1950s, is a demonstration of the commitment to sustainable design on the campus moving forward.

The design achieved both B+W and the State’s environmental objectives, and nestled the new building into the campus, connected with the original covered walkways. Its form and materials blend well within the existing context.

Paying special attention to compensatory senses also characterizes schools for special-needs students. At Brewster Hall, a new K-8 building at the Governor Baxter School for the Deaf in Falmouth, Maine… Barba + Wheelock deftly balanced daylighting and lamp illumination. The resulting system of light shelves and roof monitors allows daylight into deep interior spaces like the library and minimizes glare in order to facilitate hearing-impaired students’ reliance on visual information.
-Architectural Record, “Schools for the 21st Century”

Silver LEED Certification

Hallowell City Hall

AdditionsHistoric PreservationMaster Planning

Constructed in 1898, Hallowell City Hall consists of offices on the first floor and basement level with an auditorium on the second level. Working with a local non-profit organization, Rowhouse, Inc., B+W prepared a phased Master Plan for the restoration of this significant landmark. Phase one included interior improvements such as sprinkler modifications, electrical upgrade, new energy efficient (yet historically appropriate) lighting, as well as new exit signs and emergency lighting. Alterations to bring City Hall into full compliance with the Americans with Disability Act (ADA) included the seamless introduction of an interior elevator and a new entranceway. The original Council Chambers were completely restored as part of this phase.

Barba + Wheelock worked with the City of Hallowell to implement the Phase Two of the Master Plan, which involved the restoration of the auditorium, a complete window rehabilitation campaign and design of a new entrance canopy. Extensive interior plaster restoration was needed in the auditorium. Paint analysis was conducted to determine historic paint colors. Additionally, the sprinkler and electrical systems were upgraded, as well as theatrical lighting for the resident theater group, Gaslight Theater.

During Phase One of the restoration process, the City assumed responsibility for managing the project and Rowhouse, Inc. undertook a separate contract for the Council Chamber restoration. B + W was instrumental in balancing the needs of both clients and maintaining their focus on project success.

The City of Hallowell and Rowhouse Inc. received a Statewide Preservation Award from Maine Preservation, the non-profit preservation organization, for their outstanding collaboration on the restoration and successful public-private partnership.

Smith Union Campus Center

Adaptive ReuseHistoric Preservation

The new design preserves all the original features that define the architectural enclosure: perimeter brick walls, regularly-spaced, paired windows, a clerestory monitor and exposed metal trusses – yet introduces new spaces for activities around a center gathering space that also serves as performance space. The central space is surrounded by a spiral ramp that engages the entire space. The Campus Center includes public gathering areas such as a café, pub, game room, mailroom, campus services and college store.

One of Maine’s leading architects, Ms. Barba has been a key player in this design from beginning to end… We knew in making this selection that she would bring to this project not only first rate architectural services, equal to those found anywhere, but also a Maine perspective on preservation, design, and building practices-which is exactly what she did.

– Mark Wethli, Chair, Department of Art, Bowdoin College, Brunswick, Maine

B+W was involved throughout the process from programming through furnishings, special signage and occupancy. B+W’s primary role was the exterior detailing for preservation and integration of new elements. We shared in the production of the construction documents as well as conducted reviews with the State Fire Marshal to achieve equivalency ratings for the historic building, successfully retaining its historic features. B+W provided the leadership role in the construction administration of this complex, multi-disciplined project.

Smith Union presented a major unifying element for the Bowdoin College Campus, drawing together previously segregated groups – banned fraternity houses, faculty and staff, and changing the social paradigm of siloed facilities to one of integration and inclusion.

Silver LEED Certification

The City of Hallowell and Rowhouse Inc. received a Statewide Preservation Award from Maine Preservation, the non-profit preservation organization, for their outstanding collaboration on the restoration and successful public-private partnership.

Award: 1996 National American Institute of Architects Honor Award for Interiors

Footer