Two ODonnell & Naccarato projects awarded Preservation Alliances top honor

Philadelphia — O’Donnell & Naccarato, a Philadelphia-headquartered consulting structural engineering firm, joined its partners on the Oxford Mills and Icon 1616 project teams in celebrating Preservation Achievement Grand Jury Awards from the Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia. Bestowed annually, the Alliance’s Preservation Achievement Awards honor “individuals, organizations, businesses and projects that exemplify outstanding achievement in the field of historic preservation throughout the region.” O’Donnell & Naccarato provided structural engineering and facade restoration services for both award-winning projects.

Oxford Mills project team included D3 Real Estate Development; Architectural Window Corporation; Barton Partners; O’Donnell & Naccarato; Powers & Company, Inc.; Reed Street Construction; Seawall Development Company; and Wm. Proud Masonry Restoration Company, Inc.

The Oxford Mills adaptive reuse project converted a 19th-century, South Kensington neighborhood textile mill into affordable “workforce housing” for teachers, especially those working in programs like Teach for America. Oxford Mills includes 114 apartment units, 90 of which are offered within the federal government’s range for affordable housing; roughly 68 of the affordable units for teachers and 22 for other low-wage earners. Oxford Mills is comprised of several historic, brick and heavy exposed timber-framed buildings on various floor levels totaling approximately 150,000 square feet.

A portion of the facility serves as low-rent office space with desk space for rent by the day. Teach for America, which partnered with the developers, relocated its regional headquarters to the complex. Amenities include printing suites on all residential floors and a public café that opens to a park with outdoor seating and a fire pit. O’Donnell & Naccarato’s structural engineering role included analysis of the existing structure to determine its ability to support the new program; repair of deteriorated members; exterior facade repairs; design services for new stairs; elevators and entries; loft floor infills; and reinforcement for new mechanical equipment.

Icon 1616 project team included Federal Capital Partners; Alterra Property Group, LLC; Bozzuto Management Co.; Cross Properties; Floss Barber, Inc.; Hunter Roberts Construction Group; JKR Partners Architects; Johnson & Griffiths Studio; O’Donnell & Naccarato; PNC Real Estate; Powers & Company, Inc.; and TPSi.

Icon 1616, a $50 million adaptive reuse project, converted the existing 25-story, 280,000-square-foot Class B office building into a mixed-use apartment tower with 220 luxury units, 160 parking spaces and 23,000 square feet of lower-level retail. The 1929 Art Deco icon was added to Philadelphia’s Register of Historic Places in 1982 and to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983. With a focus on wellness, unique amenities such as circadian lighting, air purification and Vitamin C-infused showers were incorporated. O’Donnell & Naccarato’s structural engineering role included a condition assessment of structural members during the design phase and following demolition; design for structural repairs; exterior facade repairs; and 250 square feet of infills per floor.