The Restoration
George Holback, a principal with the Baltimore architectural firm Cho Benn Holback + Associates, studied architecture in Maryland in the 1970s and would frequent the area near the American Brewery, making sketches of what he envisioned the building’s revival might one day look like. Thirty years later he got the chance when his firm, along with general contractor Struever Bros., Eccles & Rouse of Baltimore and Washington, D.C.-based project manager Gotham Development were brought in to execute the project.
Anath Ranon, a senior associate architect with Cho Benn Holback and the firm’s project manager for the American Brewery renovation, said the building “was in fairly decent shape. It’s got these 3-foot thick brick walls that were in fine condition. The big issue was that the floors and roof, which were mostly made of wood, were at least 50 percent gone. But for a building that had sat empty for 30 years, it was in remarkably good condition.”
The extent of the deteriorated wooden framing and flooring was daunting at first. Stephen Hulse, operations manager for Struever Bros., Eccles & Rouse, remembers his “initial impression walking through was, ‘Holy moly, this is a scary job, from an estimating standpoint particularly.’
“Rehab in general tends to have a lot of surprises, this one even more so,” Hulse adds. “Some sections weren’t safe to explore. So that made it a real challenge to not only to rebuild it but just to estimate it.”
Interior reframing throughout the building was necessary. New electrical, plumbing and mechanical systems were also installed. The new design preserved the interior’s open floor plan and exposed structural elements. Interior design elements were minimal so as not to obscure the perimeter brick walls, city views and natural daylight.