Bender & Associates

ARCHITECTURE LEADERS TODAY

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PRESERVING FLORIDA

Bender & Associates

Volume I Spring 2011 $24.95 USD $26.30 CAN

Specializing in historic preservation, Bert Bender and his firm have been breathing new life into some of the Florida Keys' most beautiful buildings for over 35 years.

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Rennovating the Florida Keys WITH OVER 35 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE, PRESIDENT OF BENDER & ASSOCIATES ARCHITECTS, BERT BENDER, HAS BEEN BREATHING NEW LIFE INTO SOME OF THE FLORIDA KEYS’ MOST BEAUTIFUL HISTORIC BUILDINGS.

by Marylyn Simpson

Specializing in historic preservation of public, commercial, and residential architecture, Bender & Associates has become a premiere architecture firm not only in their home-base of Key West, but throughout Florida. This is thanks to its cutting-edge, energy-efficient techniques, as well as its uncontested design philosophy, which incorporates sustainable design with historic preservation. With a small but mighty staff, company president Bert Bender and his three LEED- accredited professionals have tackled restoration as well as new architectural projects including restoration of the Key West Custom House for the Key West Art and Historical Society, and three lighthouses in South Florida: Key West, Cape Florida and Jupiter Inlet. The firm completed Phase 1 of a report for the State of Florida Division of Historical Resources entitled “Sustainable Stewardship, The Environmental Benefits of Historic Preservation in Florida” on the application of LEED Standards to historic sites. They are currently working on the restoration and adaptive re-use of the historic Gainesville Railroad Depot, which dates from 1860, currently designed to LEED Gold with a potential for Platinum Having started his career in architecture OPPOSITE PAGE: Cape Florida Lighthouse, Key Biscayne, Fla. Prior to renovations, the tower had been abandoned for 100 years. Two thirds of the tower was missing 1 wythe of brick and in many areas, 2 wythes were missing.

THIS PAGE: Fort Zachary Taylor, Key West, Fla. Listed as one of Florida’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places, Fort Zachary Taylor is a historic masonry fort constructed between 1845 and 1862. Built to defend the entrances to the Gulf of Mexico, the fort served in various capacities for the U.S. Army from the Civil War in 1861 to the Cuban Missile Crisis in the 1960’s. The fort is designated as a National Historic Landmark, and is one of only a few dozen sites in Florida accorded this level of recognition. The fort was altered in 1898 in response to the new rifled canons and the start of the Spanish American War. The three-story building was reduced to one. The south and west casemates shown here were reinforced with massive concrete batteries that could withstand the new weaponry.

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I got involved in historic preservation because I saw a tremendous asset in the character of these historic buildings.

Historic preservation was the natural expansion of my interest in conservation and sustainable or environmentally responsible design. In doing so I developed this interest and expertise. under the guidance of architectural giant Paolo Soleri, Bender was introduced to the world of responsible sustainable design through Soleri’s concept of “Archology, City in the Image of Man”. Historic preservation was the natural offshoot of this sustainable design philosophy. Combining his experience with Soleri, having aided in Soleri’s development of the prototype city, Arcosanti, located in the high desert plateaus of Central Arizona, Bender combined his Acrosanti experience with his appreciation of growing up in the inner city of Chicago, formulating his unique design philosophy.

“I got involved in historic preservation because I saw a tremendous asset in the character of these historic buildings. Historic preservation was the natural expansion of my interest in conservation and sustainable or

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environmentally responsible design. In doing so I developed this interest and expertise (in historic preservation),” Bender said.

Nearly 35 years after his first encounter with historic preservation, Bender continues to look for new ways to integrate new green techniques into his work, while preserving the aesthetics that make each building so unique. Having worked on buildings dating to the early nineteenth century through post World War II, Bender and his team continually work to develop strategies to overcome architecturally limiting challenges.

“The greatest challenges faced in Florida are environmental. The biggest problem in adapting modern facilities to historic buildings is dealing with humidity issues, so it’s more of a technical problem. Air-conditioning systems draw moisture through the walls, which leads

to mold and mildew problems. Additionally, opening walls to provide vapor barriers or insulation would destroy the very resource that needs to be protected,” Bender said.

Bender and his team have created solutions to restoration and preservation challenges, keeping true to the company’s environmentally conscious philosophy. This plays out in their BELOW: Mansion At Tuckahoe, Martin County, Fla. Rehabilitation of the Leach Mansion located at Indian RiverSide Park. Constructed in 1938 as a seasonal residence, the main building is an example of Mediterranean Revival architecture. The restoration of the exterior and two main floors of the mansion to their original configuration, characteristics, spatial relationships, proportions and details recaptures the important architectural features of the Leach Mansion. The mansion serves as a venue for various events, including weddings, conferences and socials.

Photo by Randysmithphoto.com OPPOSITE PAGE: Jupiter Lightstation, Jupiter, Fla. Bert Bender stands at the top of the Jupiter Lighthouse.

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continual quest for historically-preservedmeets-eco-friendly strategies. “From a sustainable stand point if you have salvageable materials it doesn’t make sense to tear down and start over. We analyze what strategies we can use to make a building as sustainable as possible, including geothermal systems or strategies for AC that haven’t been used before, such as incorporating reclaimed water into geothermal systems. We look at what’s most energy efficient,” Bender said.

Taking advantage of the economic down turn and the heightened awareness of reusing old material, Bender stresses the importance of sustainability and reusing materials that would otherwise be discarded. “If you choose to live in the inner city, your entire life could ABOVE: Key West Custom House, Key West, Fla. The 1891 house is one of the most significant historic buildings in Florida. The Richardsonian Romanesque edifice is one of the few examples of this significant style in the state. A 10 year effort resulted in restoration, including recovering significant brick, brownstone and terracotta detailing. Almost complete, this image shows the original post office which now serves as the main gallery of the Key West Museum of Art and History. Original details were recovered or replicated, including the cast iron column capitals and bases, decorative plaster and antique heart pine floors. Photo by Goodwin Heart Pine.

RIGHT: Historic Gato Cigar Factory, Key West, Fla. The 1926 factory represents a significant part of Key West’s history.

The Navy claimed the building for services during World War II, abandoned it in the 1970’s and conveyed it to Monroe County in 1990. The rehabilitated building was adapted for use as Monroe County and State of Florida offices.

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Living in a smaller or historic home, you use less energy and contribute to a sustainable lifestyle. It’s more about lifestyle choices rather than using the latest in what’s being marketed as the latest and greatest thing. focus within that particular area. Everything that you do in your life to sustain yourself would be in your neighborhood, reducing your reliance on the automobile for example.

When you do that you have a much stronger (positive) impact on the environment. Living in a smaller or historic home, you use less energy and contribute to a sustainable lifestyle. It’s more about lifestyle choices rather than using the latest in what’s being marketed as the latest and greatest thing,” Bender said. ALT THIS PAGE: Pigeon Key, Marathon, Fla. The 1935 Labor Day hurricane, a powerful Category 5 storm, that killed over 400 people, also destroyed the Overseas Railroad.

Pigeon Key with its location at the 7 Mile Bridge, half way between Key Largo and Key West once again became the hub of activity for construction of the Overseas Highway.

That three-year long project used the original railroad bridges and bed to lay the highway that still serves the Keys today. This building was used as the Assistant Bridge Tender’s residence. Pigeon Key is the island camp constructed at the turn of the 20th century by Henry Flagler to support construction of his overseas railroad connecting Key West with the Florida mainland. Pigeon Key is unique not only because of its historic importance, but also its ambiance and feeling of being “frozen in time.”

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