York is known as an industrial town and still has some of the largest manufacturing facilities in the county. As with typical cities at that time, industry facilities were built in or near the cities to be close to employee populations. One such facility was the York Manufacturing Company, an ice making machine manufacturer that supplied 50% of the United States’ ice making machinery business in 1899. In the 1930s, it converted to an air conditioning manufacturing complex.
Built in 1905 and vacated in the mid-1970s, the complex occupied 6.2 acres. Its 40-odd, interconnected buildings ranged in size from 5,000 to 60,000 SF. A landmark of the wrong kind, the dilapidated complex was a crowded collection of century-old brick buildings filling a long city block between West Philadelphia Street and the Pennsylvania Railroad in York, PA. Many of the buildings had suffered badly from neglect, structural deterioration, and vandalism. The area had become a regular call for the City’s police and fire departments, and its large-scale deterioration lowered the value of the surrounding neighborhood.
In the early 1990s, the troublesome complex was purchased by the York County Industrial Development Authority (YCIDA), formerly known as the York County Industrial Development Corporation. The YCIDA saw the complex’s possibilities, named it “The Industrial Plaza of York” and asked BH to assist them in transforming the complex into something new and useful. In concert with the YCIDA, BH performed the following services:
- Structural review of all the buildings on the site
- Preliminary Environmental Site Assessment: studies of this type were performed several times as general site conditions became clearer
- Feasibility study for the Industrial Plaza
- Master site development plan including structural evaluation and recommendations for 200,000 SF of renovation/restoration and new construction
- Plans for environmental remediation/removal of underground storage tanks, hazardous and/or waste materials, and lead paint and asbestos-containing materials in pipe insulation and roofing
- Negotiation with Commonwealth of Pennsylvania environmental authorities to accept encapsulation of certain hazardous materials on-site
- Demolition plans for more than 120,000 SF of structures, including boiler houses and smokestacks
Waste reduction and material reuse were incorporated into the renovations. Conventional sand blasting to remove lead paint would have generated hazardous airborne particles and damage to the 100-year-old brick. We reduced the weight of the paint waste and cost for removal and disposal by using crushed walnut shells instead of sand in the paint removal process. The antique brick was salvaged from demolished buildings and used to renovate buildings to remain.
BH signed a lease for the 56,000-SF former machine shop and erecting hall and converted it into our firm’s corporate headquarters.
By choosing to renovate this space (as opposed to constructing a new building outside of the City), we made a positive impact on the environment and the community. New buildings require stormwater management detentions areas; additional impervious surfaces for parking lots; and many times the extension of roads and utilities. BH’s headquarters office underscores the company’s commitment to the City of York and to the environment. Adaptive reuse of empty buildings helps cities change blighted sites into useful spaces, generating badly needed revenue and inner-city economic activity. BH was able to put an empty factory back to work for the City of York.
Cost-effective benefits:
- Utility infrastructure was already in place – the existing stormwater collection system within the City was adequately managing the 100% impervious area; therefore, the introduction of vegetated islands and shade trees only reduced the amount of runoff from the site.
- There is no need to manage stormwater runoff and, therefore, no mowing or other maintenance of large grass stormwater basins.
- Neither traffic studies nor road widenings were needed.
- Water and sewer hook-ups were within 20 feet of the building.
The adaptive reuse of this space has been positive for the City and the surrounding community:
- Tax revenue for the city increased.
- Adjacent property values improved.
- Additional parking for neighborhood afterhours and weekends for City events.
- Our employees walk downtown, which helps supports local businesses and keeps us from contributing to carbon emissions.
- Available large indoor venue with adequate parking for community events such as fundraisers for the local art district and public information meetings.
It has been more than 20 years since BH moved its headquarters into this sustainable building, and it continues to function very well. The interior is an ever-changing landscape to suit the needs of the company and our employees.
This project was featured in the sustainability issue of Insight Spring 2016.
Architecture
Transportation
Water Resources
