Chicago’s Union Station Great Hall, originally designed in 1925, needed substantial repairs due to water leakage and deterioration due to flaws in the original design. The Great Hall restoration project was the most recent in a series of Union Station restoration projects that began in 2010.
Goettsch Partners began the $22-million dollar Great Hall project over three years ago. The design team renovated the station’s 219-foot-long skylight, which experienced extensive moisture damage over the past several decades. An energy-efficient, modern skylight was designed and built five feet above the original cast-iron skylight. The new skylight comprises steel and 858 panes of clear, high-efficiency glass that protects the building while brightening the Great hall interiors with 50% more natural daylight than before.
See Also: Art-focused hotel will be the first to open in the Dallas Arts District
Other aspects of the restoration included structural improvements, new plumbing, plaster repair, restored ornamentation, and new lighting. The architectural team removed layers of paint to reveal the original coloration of the Great Hall’s ornate plasterwork and then restored the station to its original color scheme. Additionally, a new elevator was installed and 24 ceiling chandeliers and two figural sculptures were restored.
Workers used a suspended work deck with swing stages, as opposed to conventional floor-mounted scaffolding, so work could proceed without interrupting the commute of the 120,000 daily travelers.
Related Stories
| Nov 5, 2013
New IECC provision tightens historic building exemption
The International Energy Conservation Code has been revised to eliminate what has been seen as a blanket exemption for historic buildings.
| Oct 30, 2013
15 stellar historic preservation, adaptive reuse, and renovation projects
The winners of the 2013 Reconstruction Awards showcase the best work of distinguished Building Teams, encompassing historic preservation, adaptive reuse, and renovations and additions.
| Oct 25, 2013
Hoffmann Architects announces launch of U.S. Capitol Dome restoration
The Architect of the Capitol will undertake comprehensive restoration of the 150-year-old cast iron Dome, which has not undergone a complete restoration since 1959-1960.
| Oct 23, 2013
Manhattan's landmark Marble Collegiate Church modernized
Helpern Architects, Structure Tone led the Building Team in a multi-phase project.
| Oct 22, 2013
Slow-growth economy continues to boost renovations over new construction
Major renovation projects—those costing more than $100,000—climbed as a share of total nonresidential construction as the recession began and haven’t yet come down, breaking from historic patterns.
| Oct 15, 2013
Historic LA YMCA-turned apartment building wins World Architecture Festival award
A major renovation of an historic YMCA in Los Angeles to an apartment facility was named the 2013 World Architecture Festival Housing Award recipient.
| Oct 7, 2013
Nation's first glass curtain wall exterior restored in San Francisco
The Hallidie Building's glass-and-steel skin is generally recognized as the forerunner of today’s curtain wall facilities.
| Oct 7, 2013
Lenders want better data to fund more green building retrofits
The CEO of Pittsburgh’s Green Building Alliance says lenders want better data to justify loans for green building retrofits.
| Oct 1, 2013
Renovation of historic Winchester, Va., buildings uncovers Civil War cannonball, bullets
The renovation of a set of historic downtown Winchester, Va., buildings led to the discovery of several historic artifacts including a Civil War cannonball and bullets, a variety of old baseball cards, and a 1940s-era newspaper embedded in the drywall.
| Sep 24, 2013
Hersheypark Arena ceiling renovation brightens interior, improves acoustics
Hersheypark Arena in Hershey, Pa., unveiled a new look following a $500,000 ceiling renovation.
