The Winslow Homer Studio has been selected by the Associated General Contractors of Massachusetts as a Build New England Award Winner.
The Winslow Homer Studio - A National Historic Landmark
From 1883 until his death in 1910 Winslow Homer spent his days in a studio overlooking the sea in Prouts Neck, Maine. Homer commissioned John Calvin Stephens, a friend as well as one of the most innovative and talented shingle-style architects of the period, to create a habitable home. Stephens re-sited the small building, formerly a carriage house, to an overlook about 150 yards from the open ocean and added a covered “piazza” at the second floor that commanded sweeping views of the rocky coastline and the sea beyond. While living and working in this carefully crafted home and studio during all seasons, Homer created such inspiring masterworks as “Early Morning After a Storm”, “Fox Hunt”, “The Gulf Stream”, and “Weatherbeaten”.
The Portland Museum of Art purchased the Winslow Homer Studio in 2006 after it had experienced decades of varying degrees of neglect. Mills Whitaker Architects was hired to provide design services while Marc Truant & Associates provided preconstruction and general contracting services.
Special care was taken with the historic fabric of the building, from the removal and replacement of each floorboard to the careful preservation of Winslow Homer’s “graffiti” and window etchings. Local craftsmen and vendors provided world-class preservation work, as well as custom-designed details and locally-sourced materials to recreate the Studio as it was when Homer stood at the window of his painting room, looking out at the sea. Modern electrical, plumbing, HVAC, and extensive security and communications systems had to be integrated into this iconic structure without distracting from its history. This was achieved by using a thin steel structure that mirrored the existing roof, creating an interstitial space to conceal the modern systems.
The Winslow Homer Studio restoration was completed with zero hours lost to injury and no accidents. This 100% safety record is a testament to the project team’s dedication to their common goal – restoring Winslow Homer’s presence to a National Historic Landmark and an icon for the art community, and giving visitors a chance to stand at the same window where Homer stood looking out at the power, beauty, and peril of the sea.
Marc Truant & Associates is a member of the Associated General Contractors of Massachusetts and the Associated General Contractors of America.
all photographs ©trentbellphotography
The Hayden Building receives Boston Preservation Award
The Hayden Building
The Boston Preservation Alliance has recently recognized Marc Truant & Associates, Historic Boston, Inc. and CUBE design + research with a 2013 Preservation Awards for their work in helping to preserve Boston’s historic character. The project team inventively transformed The Hayden Building, the only remaining commercial property in Boston designed by H.H. Richardson, into a vital, mixed-use building while revealing and highlighting the architectural and social history of this landmark building.
The Hayden Building was designed as a five-story commercial building by famed architect Henry Hobson Richardson and built in 1875 by Norcross Brothers, general contractors. Located in the Chinatown neighborhood of Boston, this landmark embodies the vision of its present owner, Historic Boston Inc. (HBI). HBI worked closely with CUBE design + research (architects) and Marc Truant & Associates (construction managers) to fully restore and transform the vacant structure into a mixed use building that is modern in its design while remaining true to Richardson’s aesthetics. The Hayden Building is now home to four contemporary apartments and a retail space on the first floor.
The Hayden Building was originally occupied by manufacturers and services such as dental parlors. In the 1970s, the first of several adult entertainment businesses moved into the area and the building’s tenants included a peep-show house during Boston’s “Combat Zone” era. After a fire in 1985, it was threatened several times with HBI purchased the building in 1993 saving it from demolition, stabilizing the structure which had been compromised by fire, and restoring its window openings and masonry exterior. Two decades later, HBI selected CUBE and Marc Truant & Associates (MTA) to advance the project to another level.
At the ribbon cutting on June 4 2013, Mayor Thomas M. Menino said, “After sitting empty for 30 years this building is now preserved and reactivated. Historic preservation does not inhibit economic development, it ignites it.”
To achieve CUBE’s design intent MTA carefully coordinated the mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and fire protections systems with stringent acoustical performance considerations and zero-tolerance architectural detailing including an extensive amount of cabinetry and woodwork. On the exterior of the building, historic masonry details were painstakingly preserved and new elements, such as the entrance to the residential units, were designed to complement the original architecture.
The Hayden Building achieved LEED® Platinum certification, exceeding the project team’s preliminary goal of LEED® Silver. Due to the building’s landmark status, the façade could not be altered in any way, and all of the existing windows were to be preserved; however, the building still had to pass strict air quality and environmental testing necessary to meet LEED® Platinum certification. A state-of-the-art mechanical system along with the installation of interior storm windows and detailed, air-barrier workmanship facilitated this accomplishment.
All photos © John Horner Photography