A recent renovation in the Historic District of Annapolis, MD converted the city's General Hospital building into new condominiums, while preserving the historic characteristics of the original facade. The hospital was originally constructed in two separate phases that used two very different brick types, which made the renovation project extremely challenging.
The project began with the cleaning of the façade, including three chimneys, foundation stone and limestone water table. This cleaning required a balance of strong cleaning chemicals to remove excessive staining without damaging the façade's composition. In addition to cleaning, SPS' scope of work included:
SPS also performed many unforeseen work items, including an additional 3,000 square-feet of brick pointing, caulk replacement to the window perimeters, painting steel lintels and restoring the building's metal cornice. Precise skill was required for the latter to create a seamless transition between the patch and cornice materials and to match the roofline of the neighboring buildings. Additional work outside the hospital included concrete slab repairs in the new condominium facility, epoxy injection to concrete columns and decking in the new garage and restoration of two cast iron lampposts.
All of the facade work was completed on a scaffolding system, and the crew used pulley systems to transfer materials to various elevations. The general contractor also required that each member of the crew attend one to two safety orientations on-site prior to the commencement of work. For its efforts, SPS received a safety "Subcontractor of the Month" award from the general contractor.