May is National Preservation Month, a campaign encouraging people to promote historic places that demonstrate the social and economic benefits of historic preservation using #ThisPlaceMatters. To celebrate, we’ve highlighted some of our historic renovation projects and the history behind them.
Woolworth Building Historic Renovation
The 58,904 SF renovation of the historic Woolworth building, located at the northwest corner of Olive and Grand, involved preserving several of the original features, such as restoring the terrazzo flooring and grand staircase on the ground floor. Two-thirds of the space was converted into the new Big Brothers Big Sisters headquarters.
Fontbonne University Anheuser-Busch Hall Renovation
The project included 40,289 SF in renovations and additions to the existing three-story Anheuser-Busch Hall. Renovations included new lab space, classrooms, offices and two kitchens. The building also houses a library, student lounge, a glass-encased stairway with handicapped accessible elevator and state-of-the-art greenhouse topping the second floor and south end of the building.
Columbia College Historic Missouri Hall
A historic structure on the Columbia College campus, Missouri Hall was originally built in 1921 as a home economics building and residence hall. The $4 million renovation project transformed the three-story building into a modern one-stop student service center while maintaining the building’s historical presence. The project also achieved LEED Silver Certification.
Vitagraph Building
The $14 million renovation project in Kansas City, Missouri included restoring the historic Vitagraph Building and expanding it to house offices for the Kansas City Symphony and other tenants. The four-story Vitagraph building was completed in 1930 and originally was used by Warner Brothers to store and distribute films.