OUR APPROACH TO HISTORIC PRESERVATION
Historic buildings are tangible links with the past that give a community a sense of identity. They’re beautiful and extraordinary. But it takes a devoted team make up of an owner, architect, and contractor to preserve an old building and give it new life. This is one of the most challenging aspects of commercial construction and one of the most satisfying. We’re good at it. We have extensive experience in historic preservation and this allows us to help you realistically assess your project, and then save as much of your historic structure as possible. We can stand behind our innovative solutions and our masterful craftsmanship.
EVALUATION
For this type of project you have to have the perfect combination of stark realism and bold imagination. Evaluating these old buildings is an art form unto itself. We can help you determine if your building is worth restoring and how best to go about it.
UNDERSTANDING
We’ll support your tax credit compliance with advice about being “consistent with the historic character of the property.” We also have a unique understanding of the construction methods of different eras and can advise you and your architect about how best to blend with current code.
CARE
We’ll help you preserve the past…literally. During construction we’ll take extraordinary measures to protect the irreplaceable historic elements of your building, and will seamlessly integrate all aspects of the new construction.
“SPOKANE PUBLIC RADIO”
HERE A FIREMAN GAVE HIS LIFE
That’s the inscription on an old plaque outside the former Fire Station #3 at the corner of Monroe and Sharp. This is more than the Spokane Public Radio station’s new home. It is on the National Register of Historic Places and is a Spokane treasure. We enjoyed the challenges the project presented. We had to preserve the unique character of the building, while at the same time creating a state of the art broadcast facility and an acoustically excellent performing arts venue.
This building has an especially compelling history. Firefighters who lived and worked in the building from the mid-1970s through ’90s told SPR what life was like in the fire station. You can listen to their stories here.
“HONORING THE PAST”
A BUILDER’S PERSPECTIVE
“It’s hard to imagine anyone doing more historical preservation work in the region than us. I think if we had one area of exclusive expertise, this would be it.
Each old building has beauty and history and it is a delicate balance to respect and revive those while re-purposing it into something functional and efficient for the next generation of occupants.We have turned mansions into law offices, libraries into offices, warehouses into schools, schools into apartments, and movie houses into concert halls ? pretty incredible transformations.
I am often proud to be able to disregard the easy answer of “tear it down,” in order to use our expertise to salvage a building others had given up on. It’s an honor and an obligation. You just need to look past the deteriorated elements and discover the promise.”
~ Ed Walker
Vice President / Project Manager
What We've Done
