Now a city residence, this Gothic-Revival style chapel was first designed and built in 1876-1880 by architect James Peacock Sims, then expanded in 1892 according to the designs of architect Frank Furness. Set discretely amongst mid-19th century row houses, the scale and rhythm of the façade complements its neighbors and presents a subtle surprise within the traditional streetscape. The guiding principle was to preserve the distinctive architectural character while carefully transitioning to residential use. The exterior with gothic window and door openings, patterned brickwork, and dramatic slate roof were restored.
The nave, with its soaring trussed wood ceiling, naturally became the primary gathering space. The chancel was transformed into a library and secondary spaces (such as kitchen and bedrooms) were placed adjacent. Now serving a function not envisioned by the original congregations or architects, the historic chapel’s solemn grandeur endures in harmony with its new use.
KEY PARTNERS
Contractor: Cherokee Construction
Structural Engineer: Larsen & Landis
Mechanical/Electrical Engineer: Alderson Engineering
Lighting Designer: Crowell Design
Kitchen Designer: Spogue Kitchen & Bath
Photography by: Tom Crane Photography
Palm Beach
by Peter Zimmerman Architects
Allowing for abundant natural light, this new residence is made up of masses that are one room deep allowing for cross ventilation and enhanced views of the ocean and gardens. With numerous porches and loggias, the project features an English terracotta tile roof, lattice work, Chinese Chippendale railings and the use of louvered shutters, all elements found in British Colonial houses in the Caribbean and other tropical locations.
The entrance sequence is designed to heighten the arrival experience visually and auditorily as elegant gardens and fountains greet then lead to an elliptical arched entry and later a transverse hallway with round arches.
KEY PARTNERS
Interior Design: Cullman & Kravis Associates
General Contractors: Griffiths Construction, The Marker Group
Landscape Architect: Sanchez & Maddux
Lighting Designer: CBB Lighting Design
Photography by: Sargent Photography
Victorian Residence
by Kass & Associates
Completed in 1874 by the Hewitt Brothers with influences of Frank Furness, the George C. Thomas House combines a French Second Empire exterior with an interior displaying the Victorian exuberance of the late 19th century. The three-year project extensively restored the residence’s front and back of house spaces, repurposing them for entertaining and family use.
Smaller, low-ceiling rooms were combined and transformed into a Conservatory that opens into an enlarged kitchen. New windows and transoms open to views of a rear garden and terrace. A maze of small rooms were reconfigured into a dressing room and master bath suite. The home serves as a backdrop to the Owner’s extensive collection of maritime antiques.
KEY PARTNERS
Interior Designer: Oona Sperr Interior Design
General Contractor: Bryant Phillips
Kitchen Consultant: Joanne Hudson Associates
Structural Engineer: Bevan Lawson
Mechanical Engineer: Advanced Engineering
Plaster Fabrication: Felber Ornamental Plastering
Leaded Glass: Powell Stained Glass
Photography by: Halkin Mason Photography
Main Line
by Doyle Herman Design Associates
Built in 1921, this 13-acre estate in suburban Philadelphia was formerly known as “Inwood.” While a fine example of Main Line character and reputation, the estate lacked proper landscaped spaces suited to today’s lifestyle.
The design team flanked the driveway with large Ilex opaca and the courtyard was framed with an aerial hedge of clipped Tilia cordata trees and parterres of Buxus sempervirens and Carpinus betulus. In the rear, the series of formal and intimate garden spaces were reimagined. The main plateau is framed by cubed Lindens and sheared Carpinus betulus hedges. Mixed borders at the terrace walls feature late summer hot colors and old fashioned shrubs for fragrance. The swimming pool garden has mounded hedges for strong structure. Overall, the landscape design evolves from formalized and structured plantings to an open landscape that echoes the history of the site.
KEY PARTNERS
Landscaper: Terren Landscape
General Contractor: Pinemar
Interior Designer / Outdoor Furnishings: Victoria Hagan
Photography by: Neil A. Landino
Heritage Center
by Eberlein Design Consultants
Located on the ground floor, the Heritage Center of the Union League of Philadelphia is a series of rooms, each designated for use by meetings, entertainment, rotating exhibitions, research, storage or offices. Windows were re-opened and layers of insensitive renovations removed. While some of the original Victorian finishes were missing, other select features, such as the patterned metal grill in the soffit, were recreated as integral components of the new design. Historic furniture found throughout the League was restored for use in the Heritage Center.
There is now an extensive exhibition space for the display of the League’s historical collections, which include significant Abraham Lincoln documents, Civil War books, manuscripts, and objects, as well as the archives and memorabilia of this important institution.
KEY PARTNERS
Architect: Atkin Olshin Schade Architects
General Contractor: Daniel J. Keating Company
Faux Painting: Pine Street Studios
Photography by: Rick Echelmeyer Photography
Millbrook School
by Voith Mactavish Architects
Having outgrown its only dining facility, Prum Hall (c. 1934), Millbrook School chose to invest in a light-filled, larger space reflecting a commitment to high quality traditional design. The new space’s exterior works harmoniously with color-matched brickwork, quoining, and a custom brick-shape water table. Inside, the classically-proportioned 400-seat dining room comfortably accommodates the entire campus for meals—without the acoustical noise of the old design. With intricately designed millwork, custom fixtures, and ample glazing, it is an impressive space that features noise-dampening finishes, easy-to-move furniture, and flexible lighting.
It is connected to the original Prum via a north-south axial corridor. Care in design extends to the functional and welcoming servery & kitchen, which reflect the farm-to-table ethos that is a key tenet of the school’s food service operations. The kitchen also offers views of the school’s working organic farm.
KEY PARTNERS Owner: Millbrook School
Contractor: Kirchhoff-Consigli Construction Management
Structural Engineer: The DiSalvo Engineering Group
MEP: Bruce E. Brooks & Associates
Civil Engineer: LRC Group
Photography by: John Kane & Silver Sun Studios; Jeffery Totaro
Memorial Organ
by John Milner Architects
The Esther Wideman Memorial Organ is the third organ to grace Christ Church, the birthplace of the American Episcopal Church (c. 1740). In addition to hosting 250,000 tourists each year, there is an active congregation. In 1766, the first organ was built and played by founding father Francis Hopkinson. In 1836, a larger organ was built, and its distinguished case still stands majestically in the West Gallery. The existing organ (c. 1935) was built into the 1836 case and the steeple tower through a large opening. This created ongoing structural and acoustical problems.
While preserving the historic gallery and organ case, the design team replaced the organ and integrated it into the nave. Discreet modifications preserved the original footprint, raised it 30 inches and allowed for a new Chaire organ of classical design to be added on the gallery rail to complement the original casework. Altogether, the new organ offers a detailed yet intimate and vocal chorus of sounds that is historically correct.
KEY PARTNERS
Contractor: Wolfe Scott Builders & Construction Managers
Pipe Organ Designer & Builder: C. B. Fisk Company
Structural Engineer: Keast & Hood Structural Engineers
Mechanical/Electrical Engineer: Bruce E. Brooks & Associates
Owner’s Representative: Charles Moleski
Photography by: Tom Crane Photography
Lincoln Ballroom
by Eberlein Design Consultants
Designed by Horace Trumbauer in 1911, the Lincoln Ballroom served the Union League of Philadelphia for more than a century before the current renovation. The most significant endeavor included design and construction of the decorative plaster ceiling which was never built, but for which unfinished sketches were found. Advanced lighting, video conferencing technology, acoustical attenuation and ventilation were added, thereby addressing programmatic and technological needs of the 6,800 square foot space.
Thirty-foot-tall upholstered panels now frame the portraits of past League presidents and the once bare entablature contains a hand-painted frieze based on a 19th century example in the Wightwick Manor in England. Silk window treatments were designed to allow light to flood the room while masking a parking garage and apartment building. Four custom chandeliers were designed to complement the electrified 19th century French crystal gasolier.
KEY PARTNERS
Architect: BLT Architects
General Contractor: Daniel J. Keating Company
Frieze painting: Pine Street Studios
Photography by: Jeffrey Totaro; Halkin Mason Photography
Main Fountain
by Dan Lepore & Sons
Conceived, designed and constructed by Pierre S. du Pont, Longwood Gardens is the most significant fountain and garden collection in the United States. The jewel is the Main Fountain Garden, a five-acre expanse of significant water displays set within an architectural context of Italianate renaissance loggias, arcades and basins as well as an elaborate and rich horticultural display.
Focused on honoring the original design, the team’s adaptive restoration process guided thousands of design, restoration, and technology decisions both above and below ground.
This included conservation of historic stone elements, replacement and repairs to mechanical and electrical systems, addition of subterranean systems, and enhancements to the plantings, fountains, and visitor amenities.
KEY PARTNERS
General Contractor: Bancroft Construction
Architect: Beyer Blinder Belle
Fountain Design: Fluidity Design Consultants
Landscape Design: West 8 Urban Design & Landscape Architecture
Lighting Design: L’Observatorie International
Engineers: Keast & Hood Structural Engineers
Photography by: Daniel Traub; Dan Lepore & Sons Company
Buttonwood Lighting
by Heritage Metalworks
This English Tudor style home features elements by master blacksmith and metal designer Samuel Yellin. Over five years, skilled craftsmen diligently handmade all exterior and interior fixtures (ranging in size from 3×3 feet to over 6×7 feet in diameter) as part of the renovation.
The exterior fixtures were made from true wrought iron, not only for the natural forge iron appearance, but for the longevity and wax coating over steel finishes. Concept sketches, CAD drawings, 2D cut outs, printed patterns and 3D mocks ups were created to produce accurate sizing and proportions.
Notable pieces include a hanging lantern of natural forge iron with a wax finish and hand-blown glass. Three pavilion chandeliers were embellished with engraved details and cast flower medallions.
Inside, the chandeliers were forged from mild steel and feature hand chasing with decorative cutouts pulled from details in the home and decorative cast brass parts with an antique finish or embellished engraved details.
Key Partners
Director: Matthew White
Craftsmen: Ben Woods, Joel Mochnaly
Photography by: Tom Crane Photography
Luzerne Courthouse
by John Canning & Company
This neoclassical structure (c. 1906) was designed in the cruciform style by Frank J. Osterling. Replete with various materials including botticcino and white Italian marble, bronze, murals, and simulated mosaics, the decoration and gilding make it one of the most ornate county courthouses in Pennsylvania. Decades of water damage, mold, mildew, and poor repairs made preservation a high priority.
Our project focused on the rotunda dome, rotunda proper, 3rd floor corridors, and South lobby. Detailed analysis took place to determine conditions and conservation treatments of all 125 murals and to establish the original historic color palette. Deteriorated areas of flat and ornamental plaster mouldings were restored using the same original plaster materials. The historic color palette was reinstated. The marble features and flooring were carefully cleaned, conserved and repaired where joints had deteriorated. Bronze torchieres, railings, and ornamental features were conserved and cleaned.
KEY PARTNERS
Project Architect: A+E Group
Luzerne County: Engineering, Management & Operations
Photography by: Robert Benson Photography
Museum & Grounds
by Stephen Cantando
Employing classical design principles instead of contemporary, the Museum & Grounds in Chestnut Hill assumes no restrictions on building size or style, so the surrounding six acres may include a large formal garden and a reflecting pool. The topography drops slightly as visitors pass these en route to the museum entry. The first floor contains visitor services, museum shop, storage, security, and office space. Visitors are welcomed by a large central atrium and stairwell, leading to seven gallery spaces on the second floor. These galleries offer a variety of spatial configurations and light depending on the art. Effort was made to present the project with classically inspired drawings using contemporary methods. Scaled pencil sketches (6’ long) were used in tandem with 3D modeling software, Photoshop and digital sketching software.
Williamson College of the Trades
By gratuitously providing full scholarships including room and board to 100% of its students, Williamson College of the Trades is perhaps the only college in the country that guarantees its students graduate debt-free. Williamson College provides an academic, trade, technical, moral and ethical education within a highly-structured environment to those from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. Associate in Specialized Technology degrees include: Paint & Coatings Technology; Machine Toll Technology; Power Plant Technology; Carpentry; Masonry; and Horticulture, Landscaping and Turf Management.
Students study trade and technical theory, and participate on realistic work projects. Ideals include that personal integrity should drive the student to work to the best of his ability and that high expectations of achievement should never be compromised.
KEY PARTNERS
Award entered by: E.B. Mahoney Builders
Project Architect: Peter Zimmerman Architects
Interior Design: Cullman & Kravis Associates
General Contractor: Griffiths Construction
General Contractor: The Marker Group
Landscape Architect: Sanchez & Maddux
Lighting Designer: CBB Lighting Design
Photography by: Carl Vairo
Our Sponsors
Thank you to our many generous sponsors for the Second Trumbauer Awards, held on November 15, 2018.
PLATINUM: Tague Lumber / Norwood Windows & Doors GOLD: North American Window & Door; Marvin Windows & Doors; Pinemar SILVER: Archer Buchanan Architecture; Ernst Brothers Builders; Freeman’s Auctioneers & Appraisers; John Milner Architects; Rittenhouse Builders; Spire Builders
BRONZE: Griffiths Construction; John Toates Architecture and Design; Kieffer’s Appliances; Megan & Jim Plousis; Pella Window & Door; Tradewood Architectural Windows & Doors
PATRON: Cherokee Construction; John B. Ward & Co.; Johnson & Johnson; Lundy, Beldecos & Milby; Peter Zimmerman Architects
Thank you to our in-kind sponsors: Dyad Communications; Felber Ornamental; Hoffman Design Group; Active Interest Media