PGAL: Historic Renovation + Adaptive Re-Use

HISTORIC RENOVATION + ADAPTIVE RE-USE

FIRM INTRODUCTION

Founded in 1946, PGAL is an international design firm specializing in architecture, interiors, engineering, and planning for a diverse portfolio of public and private sector clients. Renowned for outstanding client service and attention to detail, we balance innovative, responsive design solutions with a pragmatic, cost-conscious approach. This client-centered philosophy has earned PGAL repeat business and lasting relationships for more than 77 years. We work with clients on projects large and small, developing long-term relationships based on partnership and trust. Every project decision is made to serve the client’s current and future needs.

Each assignment is led by one of our hands-on principals and embraced by a carefully selected project team of seasoned professionals. These core groups collaborate with a staff of more than 250 architects, engineers, designers, and planners across 12 regional offices to create landmark, award-winning projects that completely satisfy our clients’ goals.

A fundamental part of PGAL's design strategy is finding unique solutions to the special challenges of facility

renovations, modernizations, and historic building restorations. Our architects, engineers, and designers have substantial experience managing unique challenges of renovation work, such as maintenance of ongoing operations, and integrating new design elements with remaining building features from the existing structure.

Historic renovation and adaptive re-use projects present a unique opportunity for integrating design and technology trends as existing buildings are updated for future use and program.

Focusing on building design strategies that allow for effective inclusion of technological systems is a key part of staying on top of the ever changing technological innovations necessary to incorporate in adaptive re-use. Whether designing for discrete technology systems for historic restoration projects, or including modern systems as a visible design element, PGAL strives to provide our clients with modern facilities that meet their vision.

The Guild Hotel San Diego, CA

MINDGRUVE MINDGRUVE OFFICE

San Diego, CA

The Mindgruve Office Building was a renovation of a historically significant structure that once housed the Pacific Parachute Company during World War I and was owned and operated by one of the first minority-owned businesses on the West coast.

The existing three-story brick building was renovated to include a new rooftop deck and conference room as well as a full habitable basement. The first floor was designed and engineered to house a future retail/restaurant tenant while the second and third floors suit the office needs of the building owner and tenant, Mindgruve Branding Agency.

The design was inspired by the building’s history and highlights its story through aviation and historical references. A few key features include the rooftop deck outfitted with an executive conference room, rooftop bar, and lounge with firepits. A new custom-design stairwell that connects the rooftop deck is flooded w/ natural light from the sun-soaked roof deck. A full kitchen with dining/meeting booths as well as custom videoconference booths, located beneath the building’s original skylight, act as a central social hub for the bustling openoffice workspace on the third floor.

DIGITARIA DIGITARIA OFFICE

Minneapolis, MN

The tenant improvements for Digitaria occupy 9,000 square feet of the 3rd floor of the Historic Butler Square Building in downtown Minneapolis. The design features open office planning, conferencing space, café, and collaboration studios. Custom designed and fabricated elements were designed for the space including reception desk, community table, various feature walls and architectural builtins.

CITY OF AUSTIN AIRPORT CAREER + DEVELOPMENT CENTER

Austin, TX

Originally built as part of the Air Force base that preceded the current airport, this 16,000 square-foot one-story building was falling into disrepair while being used as spill-over space for large meetings for air-side operations. The staff at Austin Bergstrom International Airport hired PGAL to renovate the spaces to develop a new Employment Center along with offices for the HR Department, together making a new Airport and Career Development Center, “ACDC”. This is where all hiring for various entities at the airport is done to simplify security processes related to the terminal.

Program for the HR Department included 40 individual offices located towards the back of the building for security and privacy. The Employment Center, located between the two existing entrances to the building, is located at the front half. Since the majority of occupants to the ACDC are likely first-time visitors applying for jobs, emphasis was made on the additional canopy and screen, visually connecting the two entry options. To increase natural light into shared work spaces, existing load-bearing exterior masonry walls were demolished and replaced with storefront systems to match updated fenestration in the new design. A portion of the entry screen was used to block direct sunlight into the Employment Center Lobby at early hours of the morning. Continuing the convenience of having an air-side large meeting space on campus, a dividable conference room was made in the core of the building.

THE GUILD HOTEL

San Diego, CA

The building will house amenities such as the gymnasium ballroom, a banquet facility, corporate meeting rooms, Luca Courtyard restaurant, and outdoor events gardens. The guestroom design features exposed concrete ceilings and custom built-in furniture that pay homage to the YMCA’s past life. Additionally, the mechanical mezzanine at the 7th floor roof has been converted to a penthouse suite that takes in views of the San Diego bay. The exterior façade has been restored to feature its historical terra cotta and custom iron detailing. While the building is not currently a Historically Registered building, the design team has gone to great lengths to restore the building’s historical features and details.

The Guild Hotel is located in the Financial District of Downtown San Diego. Formerly the Historic YMCA, constructed in 1891, the renovation/conversion of this structure will highlight it’s rich historical character by featuring key attributes of the building’s past such as the gymnasium and the lightwell courtyard which have been transformed into unique ballroom and dining spaces.

RP SCS WSD HOTEL HOTEL REPUBLIC

San Diego, CA

The all-new Hotel Republic (an Autograph Collection hotel) took an existing, outdated W Hotel and transformed it to embody San Diego’s laid-back ethos.

The project included a full lobby, room and terrace kitchen/bar renovation. The contemporary, coastal inspired design is carried throughout the hotel from the welcoming two-story lobby, upstairs to the club lounge and outdoor terrace and then into the renovated rooms (separate scope).

Multiple dining options are available in the hotel. Guests are greeted by Trade, the 57-seat restaurant and cocktail lobby bar. Taking the stairs adjacent to the bar, patrons can experience the mild San Diego climate and drink and dine al fresco on the second-floor club lounge and outdoor courtyard terrace, complete with fireplace, lounge seating, and breathtaking views. The quick-service coffee and healthy quick dine Patio Marketplace is also an option, offering seating for up to 46 people.

QB SAN DIEGO, LLC QUEENSBOROUGH

San Diego, CA

The Queensborough Restaurant and Nightclub is in the Historic William Penn Hotel. The project is comprised of two spaces, an 1,800- square-foot street level bar that fronts ‘J’ Street and a 6,000-square-foot underground lounge that fronts Fifth Avenue in the historic Gaslamp Quarter. Queensborough’s design is inspired by a 1920’s era Architecture and the New York underground subway tunnel system. The retro-inspired aesthetic features marble, brass fixtures, inlaid subway tokens, a vintage phone booth, and tile mosaic finishes. The space also features custom-designed millwork and built-in furniture.

Uptown, the street level bar, is adjacent the to the Hotel Lobby and features a small, intimate throwback aesthetic inspired by 1920’s New York pubs. The design aesthetic highlights mosaic hex tile (authentic subway tokens are inlaid w/in the mosaic pattern for visual interest), panelized millwork, and custom-designed seating that harkens a speak-easy vibe.

Downtown, the club/lounge in the basement is inspired by New York subway imagery & iconography. The design features a custom bar w/ white marble counters, leather booths, and subway handle straps to embellish the branding of the lounge. Custom metalwork adorns the space throughout as well as vintage finds such as an authentic phone booth (shipped from New York) and a subway turnstile.

CRACK SHACK ENTERPRISES CRACK SHACK PASADENA

Pasadena, CA

One of the newest iterations of the growing Southern California fastcasual brand, the project was designed to work inside a retrofitted former recording studio where music fames such as Chaka Khan and Natalie Cole recorded.

Wood beams, exposed brick, and natural light from oversized windows, provide an industrial, rustic feel for customers in the booths, tables, communal tables, and back bar seating.

Custom murals pay homage to the building’s location as the home of the famed Rose Bowl and parade.

HARRIS COUNTY 1910 CIVIL COURTHOUSE

Houston, TX

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Harris County 1910 Courthouse is the cornerstone of Houston’s downtown judicial campus. This 162,360-square-foot, six-story Palladian-style domed courthouse is considered one of the most significant judicial buildings in Texas.

The restoration process began with painstaking research, which revealed that most of the courthouse’s historic features were removed during an early restoration in 1950. To uncover the original structure, these changes would have to be reversed. PGAL designed a significant construction program to renovate both the building and exteriors, addressing the mid-century alterations along with additional widespread contaminants.

The First and Fourteenth Court of Appeals include accurate replicas of the Public Bench and the Judges Bench, using exact wood specifications plus updated technology and infrastructure for today’s judiciary needs. In keeping with this spirit of updated authenticity, the project integrated energy efficiency and sustainable building enhancements.

CITY OF DALLAS FRETZ PARK LIBRARY RENOVATION

Dallas, TX

Originally designed in 1976 by the Pierce Lacey Partnership, the Fretz Park Library was a local institution with an aesthetic that worked well with the city’s nearby park and recreation center. The City of Dallas hired PGAL to refresh, renovate, and expand the existing facility in a way that reflects the beloved original design.

It was important to the local community to update the facility while maintaining the look and feel of the library they knew and loved. PGAL maintained 75 percent of the original building while delicately adding new spaces, materials, and finishes to enhance the structure.

The renovation includes a black box theater equipped with theater lighting, sound system, flexible stage and seating, a small dressing area, and seating for 80 patrons.

PGAL also updated to the library’s landscape, interior finishes, accessibility, HVAC, and technology, and made repairs to the exterior of the building.

CITY OF SUGAR LAND MUSEUM OF NATURAL SCIENCE

Sugar Land, TX

PGAL revitalized the 1939 Central State Farm Prison Building into the aesthetically pleasing, 43,000-square-foot Museum of Natural Science annex.

The City of Sugar Land commissioned PGAL to design this museum annex in a former prison facility that closed in 1969. The two-story portion of the building housed inmates, while the three-story portion served as the administrative wing.

The split-level layout presented a major challenge for the design team in converting the facility into an open, walkable museum. PGAL performed an extensive renovation to modify the building’s design and integrate all areas. The three-foot, brick, mortar, and steel barreinforced walls were removed, revealing an amazingly open and versatile space conducive to the creation of multiple exhibit areas.

The design team updated the building’s exterior while maintaining its historical significance. The new interior comes alive with exploration stations, interactive children’s exhibits, and a variety of living exhibits, dinosaurs, and mineral collections.

HOUSTON HOLOCAUST MUSEUM HOLOCAUST MUSEUM EXPANSION

Houston, TX

The $34 million expansion and renovation of Holocaust Museum Houston creates the nation’s fourth-largest Holocaust museum.

The facility’s original one-story east wing was replaced with a new, three-story 57,000-square-foot building that houses expanded exhibition spaces, classrooms, large library, and administrative offices. Central to the design, a new roof opening atop the original building’s cylinder lets in daylight and emits light at night, transforming the building into a light-filled beacon.

In the new space, visitors can attend performances in an expanded 200-seat theater, experience an expanded exhibit with testimony and artifacts donated by Houston-area Holocaust survivors, and walk through a railcar that once carried Jewish prisoners to concentration camps. The new Moral Choices Hall and Butterfly Loft at the heart of the building contain a commissioned artwork as a memorial to the 1.5 million children killed during the Holocaust.

The expanded facilities allow the museum to significantly broaden its community outreach and impact.

CITY OF HOUSTON BETHEL BAPTIST CHURCH

Houston, TX

Emerging from the preserved remains of an historic church, this park represents an impressive commitment by the residents and leaders of Houston to rescue an historic site before it fell into irreversible decline.

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, Bethel Baptist Church was founded by freed slaves in the 1890s. It became a central element in a thriving African American Houston neighborhood called Freedmen’s Town. The most recent sanctuary on the site, built in 1950, was devastated by fire in 2005, with only the interior concrete floor, concrete support columns, and four walls surviving.

The City of Houston purchased the property in 2009 and installed temporary bracing to stabilize the roofless structure for conversion to park use. Teamed with White Oak Studio, PGAL restored the property by retaining and reinforcing the existing exterior walls and establishing a beautiful park on the interior.

The design includes seating reminiscent of church pews, interpretive panels highlighting the church’s illustrious history, and open web trusses to reinforce the structure without obscuring light and views to the open sky. PGAL also introduced refurbished masonry and accents, window openings that allow ample daylight, decorative fencing to secure the site while welcoming visitors, and beautiful landscaping throughout.

BROWARD COUNTY BROWARD COUNTY JUDICIAL PARKING GARAGE

Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Broward County challenged PGAL to create a much-needed, 1,000-space parking garage while preserving the integrity of a historic community treasure: a two-story Coca-Cola bottling plant from 1938 located on a prominent corner of the 1.9-acre site. The solution: a six-level, 410,000-square-foot complex that embraces the county-owned Coca-Cola building on two sides. PGAL repaired and restored the plant's exterior façade, which was previously named one of the most endangered structures in the state by the Florida Trust for Historic Preservation.

The team used careful cutting techniques to minimize the loss of historic fabric. Special cleaning methods preserved the patina that symbolizes the structure’s long history. Long vacant and deteriorating interiors were cleared for future use. Non-historic additions to the plant were carefully removed using precautions to prevent collapse, spalling, cracking, or damage to exterior finishes.

The historic plant now serves as an iconic centerpiece for the complex. The project also included city transportation hub offices, 13,500 square feet of finished ground-level space for the Guardian Ad Litem program, and 1,500 square feet of unfinished shell space for retail use. The design's careful balance between old and new produced a landmark-style facility that celebrates the past while serving the present and future needs of a fast growing urban area.

HARRIS COUNTY LEONEL J. CASTILLO COMMUNITY CENTER

Houston, Texas

Built in 1919, the Robert E. Lee Elementary School was closed in 2002, vacant for 10 years, and badly damaged by Hurricane Ike in 2008. Harris County acquired it in 2011 for historic restoration and conversion to a community center.

PGAL repurposed the facility as a flexible, multipurpose community center while retaining and restoring as many of the original elements as possible, and visually integrating the building’s exteriors with the aesthetics of the contemporary neighborhood.

The original front and side clay masonry walls were deemed salvageable and were preserved and restored, while the remainder of the building was carefully demolished to prevent damage or collapse of the historic walls. PGAL designed a secondary independent steel frame structural system in the interior perimeter to brace, anchor, and stabilize the walls. Original windows and doors were damaged beyond restoration, but were historically reconstructed to match historic profiles and details.

The vibrant interior was redesigned to house a 500-person assembly room, two meeting rooms, a warming kitchen, and staffed reception lobby. A museum room celebrates the school's history, original architect Alfred C. Finn, and the center’s namesake.