Riser Academies

Frederick, MD

The renovation was performed to the historic Masonic Temple located in downtown Frederick, Maryland which was originally built in 1901. The construction effort consisted of a total removal of the original mechanical and electrical systems along with the demolition of interior walls and flooring on levels one and two not original to the structure. Naturally, due to the age of the structure, inspections were performed on the building to determine what abatement measures needed to be addressed and the overall structural soundness of the building. As anticipated, some abatement was necessary, and remediation work to the existing exterior fire escapes was performed. The complexity of the project grew when the mechanical system was specifically designed to be unobtrusive. Due to the design and loads of the new mechanical systems, two steel trusses spanning the width of the building were added on the first floor to help support a second-floor mechanical mezzanine. Furthermore, additional steel members were added in the basement to supplement the existing nominal size wood floor joists.