Challenge

Because the building is listed on the National Historic Registry, all work that alters the appearance of the work must be approved through the U.S. Department of Interiors, National Parks Service.  The building needed an elevator to provide handicap access to all levels of the building. An exterior addition was found to be the only solution. The elevator addition needed to aesthetically complement the existing building, but the design needed to be easily identified as a modern addition.  Over the years the initial 1832 structure had been added on to several times with each addition built with floor levels lower than the previous addition. These additions were accessed by short flights of stairs or sometimes a single large step. This posed additional handicap accessibility issues.  The only restroom facilities were in the basement and did not meet current Code requirements. Finally, this stately building had been sadly neglected with water, birds and rodents all causing damage to the interior.