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Historic Consulting - Cultural Resources Management - 
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2300 N. Charles Street
Baltimore, MD
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Conditions Assessments

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Atelier Giguere LLC was approached by a Baltimore area nonprofit that was engaged in a due diligence process for the purchase of 2300 N. Charles St. This building was originally constructed as Glintner Hall for Goucher College when their campus was in what is now South Charles Village, also known as the old Goucher historic district. Significant portions of this building were modified since the college ceased using it, leaving some corridors and lobbies intact. Our work consisted of a quick condition assessment to determine major areas of work required to the existing building if this nonprofit were to occupy it for their offices. We also conducted a thorough code analysis based on our condition assessment and assisted in developing recommendations to the nonprofit from this information. An interior designer created a test fit for the offices and a proposed contractor ran a cost estimate based on our information and the test fit to determine the true cost of the building for the nonprofit. While the building is fascinating and would have provided an iconic image for the nonprofit, and the location was fairly ideal, the cost analysis determined that the nonprofit would not pursue the purchase of this building.

Armed Forces Retirement Home Building 8
Washington, D.C.
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Historic Technical Consulting

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Building 8 was constructed to be an admissions building for the Armed Forces Retirement Home in Washington DC in 1871. A major renovation was done in 1991 which included a new stucco finish for the exterior of the building. Atelier Giguere, LLC was asked to survey the building to determine cause and potential repair strategies for the stucco which was detaching in several areas of the building. Our initial survey showed that one whole side of the building had substantially detached stucco, with a severe bulge, and accompanying cracking of the surface. The stucco had a pebble dashed finish, and included some type of glass fiber reinforcing in the mix. The detached areas were mapped to provide a conceptual budget and we returned to the site to remove a portion of the stucco to evaluate the condition of the brick under the surface. The brick was in good condition. However, the stucco on two rear chimneys was substantially detached and in danger of falling and causing injury. The brick under that stucco was in poor condition, with most of its pointing gone. It was determined that these two chimneys would require substantial reconstruction. Further research with historic photographs indicated that originally this building was not stuccoed and had a painted masonry finish. We recommended that the stucco be removed, and rather than reinstalling it, a new potassium silicate coating finish be installed on the cleaned and restored masonry.

Armed Forces Retirement Home Quarters 1+2
Washington, D.C.
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Conditions Assessments

Aviation Station ​
Middle River, MD
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Aviation Station (Glenn L. Martin Plant #2) is a proposed mixed-use development in a former aircraft factory in Middle River, MD, designed by Albert Kahn for Martin Aviation at the beginning of WWII. Plant #2 was transferred to the Federal Government after the war, a result of construction being funded under a War Emergency Act.  The plant features almost two million square feet of floor area, including an assembly floor measuring 200 feet by 600 feet by 28 feet high with clear spans of trusses based on bridge design. The significant and unique structure designed by one of the country’s most significant industrial architects, resulted in a positive Determination of Eligibility while the property was still owned by the Federal Government. The complex was surplused in the early 2000’s and was auctioned by GSA. A Historic Preservation Easement was placed with the Maryland Historical Trust as part of the Section 106 consultation for the surplusing and auction by the GSA. Atelier Giguere, LLC is working with the developer and their architect to navigate the Historic Tax Credit (both Federal and State of Maryland) and Easement approval processes for the proposed project and assisting the architect with treatment programs for unique portions of the structure. The process will continue well into construction. The project is currently estimated at approximately 70 million dollars. 

Bauernschmidt Brewery
(Bugle Coat, Apron, and Linen)
Baltimore, MD
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Determination of Eligibility Documentation for Mitigation

Beaver Run Elementary School
Salisbury, MD
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Beaver Run Elementary School was originally constructed in the 1950’s with an “Open School” plan. It was expanded in the 1960’s in accordance with the original design, and again in the mid-1970’s with a design that was not compatible with the original design. The school became obsolete, partly due to its inability to support 21st century technologies, but also because the Open School plan was almost impossible to make compliant with current security requirements. Under the State of Maryland’s push to fund school construction and renovation, all schools were evaluated by the Maryland Historical Trust (SHPO) for the State Section 106 process. Beaver Run was identified as requiring additional evaluation in the form of a Determination of Eligibility (DOE). Atelier Giguere, LLC was engaged by the Architects, HCM, to prepare the DOE. Research into the Open School typology was conducted, and the development of the school was documented. The conclusion, accepted by MHT, was that the mid-1970’s addition had irreversibly impacted the integrity of the original Open School plan sufficiently to render the school ineligible. The County was permitted to remove the school to construct a new one.

Benedetto Haberdashery
Baltimore, MD
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104 Park Avenue is a long vacant building at the south end of Baltimore’s historic shopping district. It was last occupied by a luncheonette. The City took ownership in 2007, and the owner of the Benedetto Haberdashery is under contract with the City to acquire the building. The Haberdashery is planned to occupy the first floor and basement of the building, with a one bedroom apartment on the second floor. Atelier Giguere, LLC was retained to compose the Historic Tax Credit Applications and serve in an advisory and project management capacity to assist SCB’s staff with the production of documents for the rehabilitation of the building. The historic elements include roman brick with butter joints and terra cotta trim. The historic storefront was replaced with a contemporary aluminum storefront at some point. The storefront is disconnected from the building inn several locations due to poor connections and must be replaced. The design intent is to develop a more historically compatible storefront for the replacement.

Bledsoe Hall, Maryland School for the Blind
Nottingham, MD
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Determination of Eligibility

Boordy Vineyards Tasting Barn
Hydes, MD
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Federal Historic Tax Credits & State Historic Tax Credits

Crook Horner Lofts
Baltimore, MD
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Federal Historic Tax Credits, State of Maryland Historic Tax Credits, CHAP Tax Credits

East Middle School
Westminster, MD
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Determination of Adverse Effect Letter, Consultation, Memorandum of Agreement with Carroll County Public Schools

Emerson Mansion
Baltimore, MD
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Tax Credits

Enoch Pratt House (MCHC)
Baltimore, MD
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Conditions Assessments

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The Enoch Pratt house is one of only 35 bay freestanding 1830s to 1840s homes left in the city of Baltimore. Since 1919, the Pratt house has been home to the Maryland Historical Society, now the Maryland Center for History and Culture (MCHC), the state’s oldest continuously operating cultural institution.

The house was built in 1847, and originally was a 2 1/2 story side gabled Greek revival style house. The architect and builder are unknown. In 1868, the Pratts hired Edmund G Lynn, architect, to enlarge and update their house. At this time the house was raised to a full three stories and added a fourth floor under a new mansard roof.

 

After the Pratts passed away the property as part of Enoch Pratt’s entire estate was passed on to the trustees of the Shepard Asylum. The trustees of the Shepard and Enoch Pratt Asylum determined they had no use for the property and that the cost of upkeep would be too much, so they put it on the market. In 1916, Mary Washington Keyser purchased the house and grounds for the Maryland Historical Society to serve as its permanent home. The gift was a memorial to her late husband, H. Irvine Keyser. He was a longtime member of the Maryland historical society. Mrs. Kaiser also had an annex constructed south along Park Avenue from the house. The annex was of fireproof construction and housed the library and a picture gallery. This building remains connected to the house nd in use by the museum.

 

Atelier Giguere LLC was engaged by the Maryland center for history and culture to conduct a conditions assessment of the Enoch Pratt House for planning purposes. MCHC is considering next uses for the house, which may include an event space and co-working facility. All Museum functions have now been moved to the newer portions of the museum facility. Our assessment included existing conditions and a code analysis for the facility to engage possible future uses and provide information to structure planning for the future of the house. Future phases may include documentation, existing condition drawings, and future plans for a new use.

Fort McHenry
Baltimore, MD
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RLS Mechanical was engaged to replace four boilers within the historic star fort at Fort McHenry. They engaged Atelier Giguere, LLC to compose the Preservation Treatment Plan required before they could begin work. The Preservation Treatment Plan provided procedures for protecting existing finishes in the spaces where the existing boilers were being removed and the new ones installed, and protection of adjacent museum spaces in some cases. Best practices for modifying and repairing historic materials were provided, along with clean-up in adjacent museum spaces at completion of work.

Guardian House
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Federal Historic Tax Credits

Margaret Bennett Home
Baltimore, MD
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Conditions Assessments

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The Margaret J. Bennett Home is located in a remodeled Greek revival rowhouse built by the Gordon family in 1867. The Bennett home was purchased in 1902 after being established by an endowment of $150,000 from the estate of Margaret J. Bennett. The purpose of the home was “to shelter and protect homeless needy and deserving female persons to furnish them with food, raiment, and lodging, to stimulate them in honest efforts to earn a livelihood, to instruct them in moral and religious truths.” When the home was established in 1902, an addition was made creating a fourth floor. Charles E. Cassell, architect, was hired to design the 1907 addition which extends to the rear of the lot at Hamilton Street (Alley). The complex rambles through the lot, creating a raised courtyard on the southwest side of the lot and a lower courtyard along the east side of the building at the rear. The Franklin Street entrance is probably the most intact portion of the 1867 house and it opens into a marble foyer with the original mahogany staircase which goes all the way to the third floor. The Women’s Housing Coalition took over the house from the Margaret Bennett Home trustees in 1999, and did a $3.3 million renovation in 2000. In early 2023 on the turnover of an apartment located on the fourth floor, the building failed a lead paint test. Renovations to address the flaking paint on the exterior front of the building will require reconstruction of the two cornices, one at the level of the 1867 house and the other at the 1902 height. It will also require the restoration of all the front windows which are historic wood windows. The coalition desires to execute additional exterior rehabilitation along with this work, since it has been 23 years since the last major renovation. Atelier Giguere, LLC has been asked by the women’s housing coalition to provide a condition assessment with the conceptual budget for grant applications and fundraising. Once the funding has been acquired, Atelier Giguere LLC will produce construction documents for the renovation work.

National Park Service
Scoping Assessments
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Historic Architect Subject Matter Expert; Existing Conditions Assessments with Reports     

 

Locations:

  • Petersburg National Battlefield - Petersburg, VA

  • Yorktown National Battlefield - Yorktown, VA

  • Antietam National Battlefield - Antietam, MD

  • Prince William Forest Park - Triangle, VA

  • Catoctin Mountain Park - Thurmont, MD

  • Thomas Edison National Historic Park, Lab & Residence - West Orange, NJ

  • Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area - NJ

  • Chado Farm & Peter’s Valley - NJ

  • First State National Historic Park - DE

  • Captain John Smith Chesapeake - MD

  • Thomas Stone National Historic Site - MD

  • Johnstown Flood National Memorial - PA

  • Sagamore Hill National Historic Site - NY

  • Women's Rights National Historic Park - NY

  • Cape Cod National Seashore - MA

  • Adams National Historic Park - MA

  • Minute Man National Historic Park - MA

  • Shenandoah National Park - VA

PS103, Henry Highland Garnet ES
Thurgood Marshall Center
Baltimore, MD
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Tax Credits

St. Ignatius R.C. Church & St. Thomas Manor
Port Tobacco, MD
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Maryland Historic Trust Easement Alterations Application Preparation & Documentation

St. Mark's Evangelical Lutheran Church
Baltimore, MD
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Conditions Assessments

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St. Mark’s Evangelical Lutheran Church is embarking upon a major master planning process to renovate and improve their facilities in the old Goucher historic district of Baltimore City. The church was designed by Joseph Evans Sperry, a major Baltimore architect, and was constructed in 1898. The church has a Romanesque style, commonly applied in the late 1800s, and known as Richardsonian Romanesque. It features very heavy stone construction with round arches. Atelier Giguere LLC was asked to provide a full condition assessment of the building and systems, including a conceptual budget, to provide a basis for fundraising activities. We conducted a full interior and exterior survey of the church including the granite walls and stone belltower. Our analysis of the survey included a high level of concern for the stone tower which requires repointing inside and out. Many interior spaces require updates to serve new functions, and some support areas require updates to meet OSHA standards for the staff’s safety. We are currently working on breakdowns for smaller project sections in order to create reasonable funding goals for the church.

St. Peter the Apostle Church
Queenstown, MD
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Conditions Assessments

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St. Peter’s is a historic Catholic community established on Maryland’s upper Eastern shore by 1765, and its original chapel was the third permanent mission established on the Eastern shore. The present church was built between 1823 in 1827 as an east-west oriented rectangular chapel with its entrance on the west gabled end. By 1877 the congregation had outgrown this small church and enlarged it into a cruciform Victorian Gothic-style architecture. The brick shell of the 1827 church remains and forms the transepts of the cruciform plan. The Victorian Gothic church architecture is represented by stick-style roof supports and cut-out vergeboards. The various generations of the church are also represented by differing brick bonds. The original church has Flemish bond brickwork on the south and west sides where it faced the road, and the east and north façades of the original section were laid in five-course American bond. The 1877 additions were laid in seven-course American bond. At the time of the addition, all the original doors and windows were removed or replaced, the roof pitch was increased, and large rose windows were incorporated into the East, North, and West Gables. The roofs are covered in slate. Most of the interior woodwork and furnishings date to the 1877 enlargement but there are a few items, notably several pews in the gallery and a tabernacle located in the sacristy, which remain from the early 19th century church. During the 1927 Centennial celebration, a wood-paneled wainscoting was added to the church which is similar to the panel of the 1877 gallery railing. The current sacristy and a meeting room were added to the church in the 1960s. This church, located directly adjacent to the westbound lanes of US Route 50, is well known and easily recognized by those who have traveled to the Eastern shore from the Western shore across the Bay Bridge.

 

St. Peter’s is intending to utilize a large donation to repair outstanding issues in the church and establish a regular maintenance routine. Atelier Giguere LLC was engaged to conduct a complete condition assessment, including conservation measures for painted surfaces and masonry and a conceptual budget, and a maintenance plan once the renovations are complete. This phase is nearly complete in the summer of 2023, and we hope to move to documentation for renovation work within the coming year.

The Castle​
Mount Savage, MD
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The Castle, a former bed & breakfast in Mount Savage, Maryland was assessed for its current condition at the request of a new owner who wishes to reopen the bed & breakfast and expand it to become a small conference center facility. The assessment was conducted with an emphasis on water damage from various sources and recommendations to address the infiltration. A code review and review of accessibility were included. Recommendations were developed for repairs and upgrades necessary for code required for code and accessibility compliance were made. A conceptual cost estimate was provided. These were consolidated into a report with an outline of the history of the house.

Photo By Touch Of Light - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=72600649
The Pentagon
Metro Entrance Façade​
Arlington, VA
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Atelier Giguere, LLC was engaged by R. McGhee Associates of Washington, DC to assist and provide expertise for the assessment of stone condition at the Pentagon. The Pentagon was built between 1941 and 1944 as WWII participation by the U.S. ramped up. The façade is generally Limestone block over a poured concrete wall structure. Ties between the concrete and stone have begun to deteriorate, causing spalling issues with the stone and requiring regular surveys to maintain the stone façade. This project was one of these surveys. The entire Façade was surveyed visually and by sounding with mallets to determine detachments which could not be seen, including survey via lifts for upper levels. Conditions were classified, utilizing standardized terminology from the ICOMOS-ISCS: “Illustrated glossary on stone deterioration patterns,” and recorded electronically to scalable elevation drawings. The technique allowed fairly accurate quantification, and analysis of the most prevalent conditions on the façade. A report was composed, to document the findings and make repair recommendations. Data was also fed to a cost estimator who prepared several budget scenarios, including for alternate sequencing strategies that were proposed. Ms. Giguere participated in the development of the survey tools, determination of recommendations, and composition of the report.

Union Station Track 22
Washington, D.C.
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​Amtrak contract to renovate the platform for Track 22, which has been out of use for some time. Skanska was required to provide a historic treatment plan for the historic cast iron columns on the platform and the single remaining capital. The existing deteriorated platform is to be removed and replaced, with a new canopy installed on the restored and re-installed cast iron columns. The treatment plan provided detailed specification of the removal of the columns, packing for protection and shipment to the restoration shop, the restoration process, the casting of new column capitals for all the columns, reinstallation process and details of re-assembly in context of the new design for the canopy. Composition of the plan required working with the restoration company and Skanska’s field crew to assure that preservation goals were met, while the processes were practical for execution. Atelier Giguere reviewed the columns after removal from the platform and packing for shipment protection to verify compliance with the plan and will review the reinstallation work when begun.

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