Preservation Award for Union Station Renovation

MACTEC was presented an Architectural Preservation Award from the Metropolitan Nashville Historical Commission at their awards banquet held Friday, May 9, 2003 for the design of architectural and structural renovations to the Union Station Hotel in Nashville, Tennessee. We have provided architectural, structural engineering and other consulting services to Wyndham at this site for over three years. Union Station opened for passengers and freight operations in 1900 by the L & N Railroad. The 150,000 square foot stone building is a Nashville landmark. As railroad service declined in the 1960’s, the building and its surroundings suffered from lack of maintenance and the accompanying deterioration. The property was taken over by the city of Nashville in 1983 and private developers renovated the building into a hotel that opened in 1986. Wyndham became the hotel operator in 1996.

New parking deck and drive, concourse walkway, restored cast-iron roof columns, cast-iron trim, roof deck, period light fixtures and restored handrails and guardrails combine to meet the requirements of matching the historical character of Union Station by the Metropolitan Nashville Historical Commission.

  

The automobile parking deck, covered entrance walkways and the covered concourse were elevated over twenty-six feet from the former train track level below. Wyndham expressed their concerns for the stability of these exterior supported structures in late 2000. We began preliminary structural assessments and site studies to increase the parking area in the spring of 2001. The project was put on hold following the WTC disaster.

Wyndham scaled back the project to include only replacement for the existing automobile parking deck, covered entrance walkways and the covered concourse structure. Design work began in March 2002. All of the existing exterior support structures were demolished. Demolition of these exterior areas required removal and restoration of the decorative cast-iron columns and cast-iron trim supporting the roof area as well as railings, stained glass windows, and a large staircase. The Nashville and Atlanta offices cooperated on the design and construction administration for the work. The $2.8M renovation work began in July 2002 and was fast-tracked by Winter Construction of Atlanta as general contractor. Substantial completion was achieved by the end of the year.

MACTEC’s services included architectural design, structural design, structural condition assessment, cast metal analysis, impact echo analysis, geotechnical exploration, environmental analysis of contaminated soil, asbestos assessment, lead-based paint assessment, concrete testing, full-time construction monitoring and construction contract administration.

Typical new structural column, beams, bracing and metal decks for concrete walk surfaces with adequately supported new electrical conduits and plumbing. Note: restored guardrails and restored cast-iron roof columns and new roof deck above>