CITY HALL, Fitchburg, Mass.
RETROFIT TEAM
ARCHITECT: ICON Architecture
MEP/FP, TEL/DATA/SECURITY ENGINEER: Rist-Frost-Shumway Engineering
STRUCTURAL ENGINEER: RSE Associates
CIVIL ENGINEER: Bohler
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT: Gregory Lombardi Design
CODE CONSULTANT: Code Red Consultants
SPECIFICATIONS: Kalin Associates
COST ESTIMATING: Miyakoda Consulting
MATERIALS
The following is a sampling of materials used in the project:
ALUMINUM-CLAD WOOD WINDOWS: Pella
FIBERGLASS WINDOWS AND FIBERGLASS INFILL SPANDREL PANELS: Intus Windows
LOBBY TILE: Porcelanosa
RESTROOM TILE: Daltile
RESINOUS RESTROOM FLOORING: Dur-A-Flex
DIAMOND 10 LVT: Armstrong Flooring
MILLWORK BASE: Tarkett
ELEVATOR: KONE
MOVABLE GLASS PARTITION: Modernfold
CEILINGS: Ecophon and Armstrong World Industries
CARPET: Milliken
PLASTIC LAMINATE: Wilsonart
MILLWORK HARDWARE: Richelieu
PAINT: Sherwin-Williams
THE RETROFIT
A major renovation of Fitchburg’s historic City Hall building at 718 Main Street was recently completed. The project is part of an ongoing renaissance of Fitchburg with the artist and innovation economies at the forefront.
Built in 1853, City Hall is a local historic landmark. ICON Architecture was challenged with balancing a legacy Greek Revival building with a modern work environment that could bring the city’s departments together under one roof. By bringing City Hall back to Main Street, ICON Architecture would be creating a “City Hall for All” that was accessible and functional for all departments and residents of Fitchburg.
The 1853 exterior has been fully restored with brownstone and terra-cotta details carefully repaired or replaced. The original entry has been re-established as the building’s primary and fully accessible public entry. The interior was wholly redesigned to accommodate 14 administrative departments, including the Office of the Mayor. Straightforward wayfinding was an important design consideration.
“Our team really enjoyed restoring this historic building and modernizing the interiors to meet contemporary municipal needs and bringing it to modern standards,” says Ned Collier, principal at ICON Architecture. “One of the most interesting elements we tasked ourselves with was bringing daylight into the building. Every office has access to daylight and views.”
In addition to the City Hall building, an adjacent mid-1980s building (formerly a bank) was converted into the legislative building, housing the City Council Chambers. The coffered high-ceilinged banking hall was ideal for the chamber with sufficient space for the 15-member council table and audience seating for up to 120 people. As a standalone building, the chamber is easily accessible to the public for night meetings and flexible in its use during the day. All city departments have moved into their new respective spaces at the revitalized site.
The project received the 2021 Paul & Niki Tsongas Award from Preservation Massachusetts and 2021 Boston Society for Architecture Accessible Design Award.
PHOTOS: TRENT BELL PHOTOGRAPHY