Beauty was definitely in the eye of the beholder when Chase Park Plaza owners, the Kingsdell Corp., decided to renovate the old landmark. With crumbling walls and buckled floors, it was hard to imagine the grandeur the building once had and the owners hoped to restore.
To help them achieve the renewed splendor of the building, the owners, led by developer Bill Stallings and Kingsdell’s managing general partner Jim Smith, brought in HBD Contracting Inc. to serve as general contractors.
The renovation of the Chase was no cake walk, working with outdated systems and hidden challenges, but everyone who worked on the project had an obvious soft spot for the old landmark that made it all worth the effort. In fact, most are downright sentimental when they start talking about the Chase...
Here’s a peek behind the terra cotta and marble of the Chase, which officially reopend in mid-March, to see how several subcontractors did their share in restoring the Chase.
SPIRCO SERVICES INC.
The first subcontractor to go to work in the Chase was Spirco Services Inc. This environmental services company assessed the building and, not surprisingly because of the Chase’s age, found asbestos. “Before any work could be done by other trades, the asbestos had to be removed,” says Joel Spirtas, president of Spirco Services. “We only had four months to clean up the entire building, so we brought in 45 employees and often worked into the nights to get the job done and clear the way for the other trades.”
Spirtas says during the removal process, it was key to help people understand what his company was doing, so they didn’t panic. “People get scared when they see our workers in their protective gear and with the extensive equipment they bring,” he says. “But our employees are specially trained and take every safety precaution. All work areas are completely sealed off while they remove asbestos, so there is no danger to anyone around. By the time they’re done, the work area air is cleaner than the air you breathe when you walk down the street.”
He adds Spirtas Services had a Health and Safety Director on site at the Chase during all removal. “We did the job right and helped give the Chase a new birthright for the next 100 years,” Spritas says. “I’m proud of what we did for the Chase. No feeling can touch a chord of enthusiasm that involves a rebirth like this project.”
SPIRTAS WRECKING
Next rolled in the demolitionists, Spirtas Wrecking. “In demolition, once something is gone, it’s gone,” says Eric J. Spirtas, president of Spirtas Wrecking. “At the Chase, there were requirements to keep certain portions of the building intact, so we worked cautiously from the top of the building down, working around the general contractor’s very specific and clear specifications.”
He says the demolition also required great flexibility, because the plans weren’t able to address everything. “Communication came from the owner to the architect to the engineer to the general contractor to the demolition contractor,” he says. “We had our hands on and ears open particularly on this project, and we had more management on site than usual so no mistakes were made.”
It took nearly 60 employees from Spirtas Wrecking to meet the tight deadline for demolition. Dumpsters were spread across the face of the Chase to collect the debris from all floors. “The real challenge was staffing the demolition with the appropriate number of people working in tight areas during the heat of summer,” Spirtas says.
He says Spirtas Wrecking prides itself on salvaging and recycling bricks, wood and metal from buildings. “We believe in preservation where possible and salvaged nearly all the terra cotta ceiling tiles from the Chase,” he says. “To save architectural items like these is a credit to the industry and to St. Louis. We’re glad as a St. Louis grass-roots company to have participated in the renovation of the Chase. We’re excited for the owners, the contractors involved and the entire metropolitan area. The revived Chase is a wonderful addition to the community.”
Bell Electrical
Bell Electrical turned on the lights in the Chase as the subcontractors that installed and designed the entire electrical system and fire alarm system. The company also installed the wiring for a new, five-screen theater on the first floor of the Chase.
“The most difficult part was working around the existing concrete and the old plaster walls in the apartments, which were built early this century,” says Michael Wiese, project manager at Bell Electrical. “We worked closely with the architect to determine the best way to run the conduit around the walls while maintaining the integrity of the historical structure. Problem solving was a team effort.”
Wiese says HBD has been a great contractor to work with because of its ability to roll with the many changes along the way. “An older building like the Chase is always full of unknowns, but we all pulled together to figure out the best way to address these challenges.”
Wiese credits the owners for deciding to upgrade many of the light fixtures and remodel some of the original light fixtures from the 1920s to create the elegant ambiance of the Chase’s early days.
“The Chase is unique with so much history,” he says. “Everyone over age 40 probably has a special memory of it. It has been very rewarding to be part of the renovation and see this project come together.”
Charles E. Jarrell Contracting Company, Inc.
To cool things off at the Chase – and heat it up – Charles E. Jarrell Contracting Company, Inc. was hired as the HVAC subcontractor. It also played a role in the Chase’s 1988 renovation, a retrofit operation that connected old piping and ductwork with new HVAC equipment.
“The Chase was a complete rehab project that required special HVAC expertise in many phases of design and installation,” says Michael C. Jarrell, president of Jarrell Contracting. “We used our in-house design/build and value engineering services to meet those special needs.”
Since the uses of the areas in the building were being rethought, Jarrell says it became clear new HVAC systems were the best solution. “Installing an entirely new HVAC system in an existing structure has advantages over retrofitting with pre-existing HVAC materials,” Jarrell says. “New HVAC systems help eliminate future maintenance problems and improve the overall operating efficiencies of old buildings resulting in a higher return on investment.”
Jarrell Contracting assigned a full-time, on-site design engineer to the Chase project in addition to a project manager and about 25 field employees, including sheet metal workers, pipefitters and electricians.
The company also used its design/build engineering team to complete the commercial-use portions of the building including several restaurants, a theater and the Khorassan ballroom. For these areas, Jarrell installed a direct digital building management system using Trane Tracer controls. For the apartments, the company installed hydronic heat pump systems to provide comfort and energy efficiency.
Ahal Contracting Co.
Ahal Contracting Co., Inc. went to work inside and out to make the Chase rock solid–or concrete solid. Inside, the company poured the stadium-style seating slabs in each of the five new theaters. Ahal also poured the new floor in the 11th floor restaurant, and numerous steps, ramps and topping slabs throughout the building.
“Our interior pours had their own complexities,” says John Brodersen, sales & marketing manger for Ahal Contracting Co., Inc. “The most difficult part of this work was getting concrete to the point of placement. Laying long runs of pipe to pump concrete to areas deep within the building required coordination with other trades working alongside.”
A large part of Ahal’s involvement was done outside on the front driveway of the Chase. Ahal worked with the architect to create an entrance plaza with a unique Bomanite finish. Bomanite is cast-in-place concrete that includes a color hardener with an imprinted surface created with special pattern tools. The result is a durable surface with a sophisticated look.
“The Bomanite and bands were poured separately, which required extra formwork and layout time to ensure that the Bomanite pattern and bands aligned from one pour to the next. Pouring the job in the late fall and winter placed certain demands on the process, including covering each day’s pour with insulated blankets.
The result using the Bomanite finish is an impressive slate pattern with plain concrete bands throughout the 10,000-square-foot driveway. “The bands visually break up the large paving surface, providing a more pedestrian scale to the space. It was important to create a look that would complement the distinctive architecture of the Chase.”
Considering the schedule, special conditions and unknowns associated with renovation work, HBD did an excellent job of coordinating the project. “We are pleased to have been a part of the team that brought this St. Louis landmark back to life,” Brodersen says.
