BUILDING DESCRIPTION

• Listed on the Philadelphia Register of Historic Places.
• Meeting Room dates back to 1775-76, with a two-bay extension added in 1811-12, plus a new addition in 1947.

CHALLENGE

• Attic floor joists of the Meeting Room pulled out of the summer beam over 3 inches and dropped, creating an unsafe condition.
• Mortise & tenon joinery failure.
• The summer beam was checked and cracked with significant material loss.
• Needed repairs to attic and roof framing to prevent another collapse and increase the capacity of the attic floor framing for storage.
• Needed repairs to the first floor riser platform and floor joists.

SOLUTION

• Designed temporary shoring & permanent repairs to replace the summer beams with multiple plies of laminated veneer lumber (LVL).
• Designed new connections for all the existing joists to the new beams.
• Designed repairs & reinforcements for the deteriorated attic, roof, and first floor framing members.
• Specified roof repairs to eliminate water infiltration.
• Responded in an expeditious manner to ensure construction was completed before upcoming winter months.