CSCE Honors Holdredge Garage at 2017 ACE Awards

GNCB was honored by the CT Society of Civil Engineers (CSCE) at the 2017 Achievement in Civil Engineering (ACE) Awards Ceremony this May for the Adaptive Reuse of Holdredge Garage in Westerly, RI. The project received both the Structural Award of Merit and the Sustainability Award of Merit .

The historic Holdredge Garage (c. 1885), now Lanphear Livery, in Westerly, RI was built and enlarged in several stages in the late 19th century as a livery stable and staff housing for the Watch Hill summer hotel and cottage resort. In the early 20th century, the building was converted from a livery to automobile storage and repair. The Rhode Island Historical Preservation and Heritage Commission approved the adaptive reuse of the property as a RI Historic Tax Credit project in 2013.

GNCB’s structural engineering, geotechnical engineering, and historic preservation groups serviced this project starting with the condition assessment of the six conjoined structures, through design for the complex’s stabilization and adaptive reuse, and through construction.

The project present numerous challenges including:

1.The site’s location within a flood plain;

2.The long abandonment of the complex leading to deterioration in structural elements;

3.Stabilizing the structure for hurricane-level wind forces;

4.The change of use associated with adapting the barn-like structure for public use; and

5.Maintaining the historic integrity of a prominently-located building contributing to the Watch Hill Historic District’s historic designation

Holdredge Garage is now a significant contributor to the economic prosperity of Watch Hill. It provides 21,000 square feet of reclaimed rentable space and storage. The ground floor houses three retail units and an atrium. The upper floors provide apartment housing to be rented to Watch Hill’s hotels’ staff. The cost of construction for this project was approximately $6 million.

Architect: NewPort Architecture, LLC

Contractor: Pariseault Builders