Building Evaluation and Restoration
302 East Berry Street
Fort Wayne, Indiana
The Old City Hall structure first became the home of the Fort Wayne/Allen County Historical Society in 1980. Having been vacated for a majority of the previous decade, an extensive building renovation project was required to permit the Society’s occupancy. This initial renovation effort met the basic needs of the Historical Museum and validated the reuse of the historically significant structure to the Fort Wayne community. Unfortunately, limited project funding did not allow several inherent building deficiencies to be corrected.
Building system concerns, along with continued collection growth, aging permanent displays, and ever-evolving expectations of the museum by various user groups necessitated a building evaluation. Grinsfelder Associates completed the building evaluation and determined several areas requiring attention, ranking them by urgency.
Working with Grinsfelder Associates, the Historical Society has completed several of the recommended projects, including the waterproofing of the basement, foundation stabilization, exterior sandstone restoration, and exterior window replacement.
In addition to the restoration efforts for the building, the Historical Society hopes to expand the facility with an addition that will provide a larger lobby, new museum shop, and additional archival space. Grinsfelder Associates has provided preliminary planning services for the new addition.
