The project was completed in the fall of 2005. The reconstructed building will meet LEED certification national standards (Leadership in Environmental and Energy Design).
June 2005
The heating and airconditioning system is installed and working. Water from ten deep "wells" is brought up by heat pumps that then do a very good job of cooling and dehumidifying the air in the building.
The concrete parking lot was poured in late June. It has been lightly stained to soften its appearance ... more of an earth tone
There were some setbacks, related to connecting the building to the city water supply.
Copper sheeting is installed around the frames of the new openable windows
Workers complete work on the additional foundation required at the base of the building wall on C Street
May 2005
The remaining windows are all installed.
The roof surface is tested to guarantee it is watertight before the vegetated roof is installed. The light scoop on the roof is covered with copper sheeting.
Additional foundation support and waterproofing is applied at the base of the historic walls on Second Street and C Street after excavation.
The hanging and inspection of dry wall continues as plumbing and electrical work is completed.
Water and sewer hookups are redesigned to connect with public systems on C Street rather than Second Street.
April 2005
Window installation begins.
The new third floor of 203 C Street is completed with gabled windows and a mansard roof above the extisting two story facade.
The facade of 201 C Street is completed and features a stone lintel above supporting columns and three windows.
The electric rail elevator is installed.
Walls and ceilings are installed as electrical wiring and plumbing are completed in each room.
The ten 350 feet deep "wells" for our geothermal heating and cooling system are hooked up.
March 2005
The new brick facade of the addition is completed and scaffolding is removed.
Plywood framing the window openings will be covered with copper facing that will acquire an attractive patina in a few years.
The C street facades are reconstructed to reflect the historic uses for these buildings - a storefront design for 201 C Street and a residence with a door and two windows for 203 C Street.
Drywall hanging begins on interior walls. Wall construction is completed after electrical wiring and plumbing are roughed in and inspected.
Roof sealed prior to planting a vegetated roof.
February 2005
All remaining exterior concrete from foundation, walls and sidewalk is removed to prepare site for landscaping .
The light scoop, which will collect and direct light down through glass flooring on the third and second story floors, is installed on the roof.
Electric scaffolding is erected to serve as a n efficient platform for the bricklayers. Bricks facade will provide one step in the "dry-in" of the building , starting with the back wall.
The gable framework for the new third story of 203 C Street is covered.
Inside floor to ceiling steel framing is put in place on all floors as preparation for future walls. Some plumbing is roughed in.
January 2005
The structural steel and concrete masonry walls of the addition are completed at the third story level. The future window openings are covered with plastic to allow for interior work on cold days.
The exterior walls of the old building are attached to the new addition and stabilized with final pointing and concrete repairs. The steel supports for the old building wall facing the U.S. Senate are removed.
The basic covering for the roof is completed.
The front facade of 201 C Street is stripped of its brick to further reveal the granite lintel and columns of the old storefront design.
December 2004
The concrete slab in the basement, encasing pipe for heating and cooling and electrical systems, is poured. The mason and bricklayers construct the walls of the new addition up to the third floor. The basement mechanical room for heating and cooling and electrical systems is walled in. The elevator shaft is completed. The joists and sub floors are installed on all three floors, stabilizing the building.
Frames for the two gables for the third floor addition to the "short" (two story) building are erected. Steel for roof support is installed and a portion of the roof is covered with plywood. Dirt is filled in around the outside of the building foundation.
November 2004
Steel framing infrastructure is erected in the rear and begins to outline the building addition. The first floor subflooring provides a working surface throughout the old and new sections. Wood and metal floor joists for the second floor are placed between the cement block inner wall and the wall facing the Senate offices. A new sign on the construction site displays a graphic of the new building design and posts the project completion date. FCNL seeks LEED registration, a designation from the Green Builders Council that the project meets the criteria for a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certificate. LEED sets a high standard for "green" architecture.
October 2004
Substantial parts of the interior wall between the buildings and the second and third story floors in each building are removed in preparation for the installation of new infrastructure. The foundation for the addition's basement is completed. Its rear portion is covered by a cement deck which will be under the rear parking area.
September 2004: Part of the existing roof is removed. Additional steel stabilizing beams are added to strengthen the wall (facing the Hart Senate Office Building) in preparation for removal of the entire roof. The elevator shaft is constructed to its full height above the existing roof line.
August 2004
The foundation wall at the rear of the first building (201 C Street) is completed. The outside of the foundation wall is waterproofed and soil at its base is compacted before backfilling to street grade. Excavation for the foundation wall at the rear of the second building (203 C Street) is followed by shoring comprised of pile driven steel columns and wood timbers before concrete retaining wall is poured. Inside the second building a partially completed elevator shaft of concrete blocks is constructed from the basement to the top of the second floor.
July 2004
After the foundation underpinning is completed under the brick walls of the second building, the bottom of the elevator shaft is constructed. In the rear of the first building the foundation and below ground walls are formed from poured cement, making the footprint of the new building visible for the first time.
June 2004
Steel beams anchored in concrete stabilize the upper stories of the wall facing the U.S. Senate in preparation for interior work to strengthen floors and walls. At the rear of this building the last of the old basement wall and foundation are removed to make way for new foundation walls. The foundation is poured for the new addition behind the 1860's buildings, making the footprint for the total building visible.
May 2004
Looking inside the building below ground level, new concrete columns are now visible below parts of the brick wall and stone layers of the old foundation. The underpinning of the foundation continues, section by section, with pouring and curing cement. Tractors with shovels, appropriately sized for the low clearance, help to excavate and clear the dirt for removal from the site.
April 2004
Work continues below ground, and largely out of sight, on underpinning the foundation under the walls of the 1860s buildings. Strengthening and supplementing parts of the old foundation requires some hand work and a great deal of care so that the walls above are never weakened. Additional weeks will be required to finish this process and then new construction will be visible.
March 2004
Construction begins after the required building permit is received from the city government. The last concrete wall and main entrance steps of the 1950s building addition are removed. The site is prepared for underpinning the foundation to secure it for new construction which will rest on it.
February 2004
The start of the construction is delayed. FCNL and our contractor wait for the District of Columbia government to issue a building permit for the construction phase.January 2004: Interior and exterior demolition is complete with only the walls and roof of the 1860s buildings remaining. The re-construction of the "new building in the shell of the old" is about to begin.
December 2003
The walls of the rear section of the FCNL building have been completely removed and the backs of the older buildings have been opened until they are later joined to the new rear construction. The non-historic foundation of the rear added on section is removed to make way for foundation approved by the historic preservation review board, which will also accommodate the heating/cooling and electrical systems under the parking lot.
November 2003
The contractor built a protective fence around the construction site and placed an office trailer and waste removal container in front of the C Street entrance. The last sections of the red brick rear of the FCNL building were removed, including the canopied main entrance. The public notice about the construction and preservation project includes a note that Funding comes from "individuals, Quaker churches and meetings and foundations - nationwide."October 2003: After the permit for exterior demolition was received, dramatic changes to the outside of the building could be seen within days. The entire rear of the buildings, including the main entrance, will be replaced with new construction.
September 2003
Interior demolition proceeded quickly once the permits were received. The summer test drilling for water for a geothermal system proved positive. Eight more wells of over 300 feet in depth will be drilled on the FCNL property to obtain a sufficient and consistent supply of water at a specified temperature.
August 2003
A bureaucratic delay of several weeks in receiving permits from the District of Columbia government held up interior demolition.
July 2003
The first site work visible from Second Street was the drilling of one 350 foot deep test well in the parking lot area. This well tested whether there was sufficient water, at the right temperature and right flow, to go forward with a geothermal system for heating and cooling. If such a system is feasible, the constant earth temperature of the water and ground will save energy when coupled with the heating and cooling system for the reconstructed building. FCNL's general contractor, Kfoury Construction Group, assumed complete control of the building site in mid-July. The 245 Second Street NE site was fenced off and interior demolition began.June 2003: The FCNL staff moved out of the Capitol Hill building on the 28th, and into temporary offices in downtown Washington. (All FCNL telephone numbers, email addresses, and its postal address will remain the same during the reconstruction period.)
Find Out More
FCNL's building
Take a virtual tour of the building
Watch a 3-minute video of the building (Windows Media Player)
Chronology of the building project
About the green architectural features of the building
Detailed photos of the construction
FCNL's office through the years
Reviewed:
10/31/2005
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