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Laurel Ave ♦ Exterior

Highlights

  • This project won a Preservation Award from the American Institute of Architects and the St. Paul Heritage Preservation.
  • The once windy and cold sunrooms are now snug and cozy with level floors and new tight-fitting windows.
  • The owners experienced an immediate $35,000 appreciation in the value of their condos.
  • This building became a neighborhood focal point instead of an eye sore.

"We were fortunate to have been referred to Steven Madole whose respect for the integrity of the architectural designs enabled us to preserve and accurately bring back the original look of our building.

This award winning restoration had been dilapidated because of years of neglect and wrongful remodeling which presented many structural challenges. Its completion was only possible due to the Architrave Design and Remodeling team's atttention to preservation details and its fine quality craftsmanship.

This increased the value and beauty of our 100 year old building."

-Luiz V., Hawthorne East Association

Challenges

  • The client was between a rock and a hard place: improperly installed stucco had been cracking and falling off as the front part of the building settled. Another contractor began removing stucco and discovered some of the original historic siding, then abandoned the job.
  • Stucco concealed that one corner of the building had almost rotted away.
  • No one knew what to do or what the original porches had looked like, but any new work would have to meet the Historic Preservation Guidelines.
  • The work would need to be done within the remaining budget.
  • We also needed to communicate and coordinate with 6 different homeowners in the condominium.

Solutions

  • Through historic detective work, Architrave deduced the original form of the classical, open porches and then developed a design that left the later sun rooms in place, but honored the original architect's intentions. This design brought back the original sense of the porches and met the Historic Preservation's Guidelines.
  • We uncovered the lines of the original pilasters and discovered that our analysis had been correct.
  • Restoration challenges included grinding custom knives and making custom siding and moldings to match the originals.
  • We sourced a 100-year-old Douglas fir to match the original wood species of the cornice, eave and decorative belt course.