Duration:
10 months

Work Performed by Brandt Construction, Inc.: 60%

Project Manager:
Jason Madden

Owner:
President Benjamin Harrison Foundation, Inc.

Project Architect:
Ratio Architects, Inc.

Structural Engineer:
Fink, Roberts, and Petrie, Inc.

References:
Phylis Geeslin
President Benjamin Harrison Foundation, Inc.
(317) 631-1898

Tom Weigel
Ratio Architects, Inc.
(317) 633-4040

In June of 2000, Brandt Construction, Inc. began work on two distictly different projects at the President Benjamin Harrison Home Museum, the reconstruction of the President's carriage house and the addition of an elevator.  Historical photos of the original carriage house were scaled and analyzed to determine many key features and an archaelogical excavation of the original brick founations was necessary to determine the building's original size and location.  Historical acuracy, a high priority, and aesthetics clashed with contemporary building materials and techniques. To allow for electricty and plumbing, Brandt Construction had to construct a building within a building.  The elevator was constructed in an inside corner of the original home to allow ADA access on all floors of the building.  The elevator shaft could not be noticeably discernible from the original structure.  Because the third floor could not be accessed without impacting the historic roofline of the home, an additional handicap lift was constructed from the second to the third floor within the existing structure.  Both projects were completed while the home was still open for business and did not cause any injury or disturbance.

Features:

• All lumber for the carriage house's 1st floor was specially milled to be rough     sawn, true dimensional kiln dried material.

• Historic looking door hardware was specially made to resemble the original simple black iron hinges and thumb latches, but function as conventional mortised hardware.

• The original dirt floor was recreated in stamped concrete, horse hoof prints and all.

• A complete one bedroom apartment was constructed on the second floor of the carriage house.