KCM was retained by SJG Properties to evaluate alternatives and manage the renovation and rehabilitation of an 185,000 sf historic structure.  Built in 1910 as an office building with no parking, the building had been operating for 90 years and was in a serious state of disrepair. The Owner had attempted to demolish the building years before, but had been met with significant resistance from the HPRB and preservation advocacy groups in the area.

Both the exterior of the building and the interior lobbies were designated historic by HPRB. This required careful planning and attention to construction techniques, salvage, restoration techniques and bidding requirements to ensure that the historic fabric of the building was restored and maintained.

While the building did not need to meet the current parking requirements due to its historic status, market conditions warranted finding a creative solution to provide parking. KCM provided value engineering and cost input to initial designs to develop an adaptive retrofit satisfying market conditions, sustainable design and historic preservation requirements.

The existing basement was excavated and a parking lift system installed allowing stacked parking on hydraulic lifts. Load bearing columns supporting the building structure and façade were transferred out to create drive aisles. Project is a tight, zero lot line urban site.