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CASE STUDY

Schmucker Hall Restoration, Gettysburg, PA The Challenge Morgan-Keller received the honor of transforming Schmucker Hall, located on the campus of the Lutheran Theological Seminary, into a modern LEED Certified museum that would depict the role that the building played during the Civil War era. Constructed in 1832, Schmucker Hall initially served as a dormitory, administration offices, and classrooms for the oldest Lutheran Seminary in the United States. The first engagement of the Battle of Gettysburg was fought on Seminary Ridge in and around Schmucker Hall, which was commandeered by both armies as a hospital that treated thousands of Civil War casualties and where a few precious artifacts were left behind. The goal of the project was to update the four-story, 20,000 SF building to meet modern accessibility standards; repair structural deficiencies; and install modern mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems, while maintaining the historic integrity of the building.

The Solution Morgan-Keller worked collaboratively with two joint venture partners - The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg and the Adams County Historical Society to make the vision of the Seminary Ridge Museum a reality. Below we have outlined the enhancements that Morgan-Keller made to the building in order to accomplish the goals of the project: A new elevator was installed to provide floor-to-floor access and two new ADA accessible restrooms were installed in the lower level. New structural openings were cut into the walls to open the floor plan for the museum and the building entrances/porches were renovated. The original windows and plaster walls were inspected. At the windows, only rotten wood was removed and replaced. New storm windows were installed on the interior of the windows to reduce air infiltration.

"Founded in 1826, the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg has had the opportunity to work with many construction companies over the span of its years, but no team has worked more effectively, carefully and smoothly than this general contractor.”

John R. Spangler Executive Assistant to the President, Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg President, Seminary Ridge Historic Preservation Foundation

© Copyright 2014 Morgan-Keller Inc.

At the walls, the plaster was inspected and repaired as necessary to maintain as much of the original finishes of the building as possible. New drywall ceilings were installed throughout the building and the existing wood floors were repaired using salvaged flooring from the demolition and painted. During the roof inspection, Morgan-Keller identified critical support beams that were failing and required replacement. As the interior of the attic remained exposed and accessible by the public, the beams had to match the original roof joists and be installed using the same methods. Morgan-Keller installed heavy timber pieces 4 ½” thick, 13” tall, and 32 to 36 feet long, weighing approximately 900 pounds each. The beams were installed using mortise and tendon connections, which is not a typical nail or bolt connection like today’s construction methods. Wood pins were driven through both wood members to hold them together. A new geothermal HVAC system was installed, which included 40 new wells drilled in the site with 18 pumps concealed within framed cabinets in the attic and new ductwork concealed above the ceilings. The existing 5’4” basement was excavated by hand in order to lower the floor to provide the required space for the new mechanical equipment. To service the new sprinkler system, a fire pump was installed underground in a vault outside of the building. The original building wiring was completely replaced with modern power, data, and lighting.

The Result This sensitive historic restoration was handled in such a way that the project was completed on time and on budget, in a tightly scheduled time frame, allowing the museum to open on schedule for the 150th Anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg on July 1, 2013. The new Gettysburg Seminary Ridge Museum depicts the moral, civic, and spiritual debates of the Civil War era; the first day of the Battle of Gettysburg fought at Seminary Ridge; and the care of the wounded and human suffering that took place within Schmucker Hall during its use as a field hospital. Barbara Franco, Founding Executive Director of the Seminary Ridge Museum, had this to say about Morgan-Keller: “Morgan-Keller’s professionalism and high quality work deserves national recognition as a model project. The thousands of visitors who have already visited the museum voice their appreciation for the building’s new life as a museum.” Below is an article about this project that was published in Construction Executive, ABC’s National Publication.

© Copyright 2014 Morgan-Keller Inc.

May 2013 Construction EXECUTIVE | 25

Historic Craftsmanship Meets Modern Efficiency In GettysburgWhen Dwight Pryor was married in the chapel of the historic Lutheran Theological Seminary in Gettysburg, Pa., in 1993, he never imagined he would return to the school 18 years later to lead an expert restoration of its oldest, most revered building.

Built in 1831 for $10,500, Schmucker Hall initially housed all of the seminary’s functions, and later served as a student dormitory. The first engagement of the Battle of Gettysburg was fought on Seminary Ridge in and around Schmucker Hall, which was commandeered by both armies as a hospital that treated thousands of Civil War casualties and where a few precious artifacts were left behind.

After 20th century safety laws prevented the four-story building from continuing to be used as a dormitory, Schmucker Hall stood vacant for years until the local historical society began renting part of it out. Although the 180-year-old landmark aged gracefully, deferred maintenance began to take its toll.

After several years of planning, the seminary lined up $5.8 mil-lion in project financing from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the Adams County Historical Society, tradable tax credits, and many corporate, individual and in-kind donations to transform the structure into a Civil War-era museum. Morgan-Keller Construction, Frederick, Md., was brought on board in 2011 to restore the federal-style hall, with Pryor appointed senior project superintendent.

Immediately, Pryor’s crew and several specialty subcontractors ran into ancient knob-and-tube wiring, unsafe flooring, a sagging stone foundation, a plethora of skewed window frames and doors, and countless areas that needed to be brought up to modern safety and accessibility codes. In addition, historic artifacts began to appear as walls were opened and ceilings were dropped to accom-modate modern ventilation. Relics included an 1832 shoe left by one of the original German carpenters following his native custom to ward off bad luck for the building; a packet of letters from a father to his hospitalized son during the Civil War; and an old wardrobe

containing the penciled-in names of young seminarians. These and a number of other artifacts will be on display when the new Semi-nary Ridge Museum opens July 1—150 years after the beginning of the three-day Battle of Gettysburg.

Surprisingly, Schmucker Hall was built so well the first time that very little corrective construction was necessary. Instead, Morgan-Keller focused on updating the building while disturbing as little of the original structure as possible. With the restoration substantially completed last October, the attic looks much like it did in the 1830s until under-eave panels are opened to reveal the heat pumps, blowers, circuit breaker boxes, valves and wireless gear that bring today’s building alive.

The building also features ventilation ducting above unobtru-sively dropped hall ceilings; modern plumbing, lighting and sewage systems; disguised sprinkler heads; a new four-story elevator that did not disturb the original floor plan; and glass storm panels cover-ing many of the windows that had slouched into parallelograms and trapezoids over nearly two centuries.

The most striking marriage of faithfully rejuvenated craftsmanship to undetectable modern efficiency is the building’s geothermal heating and cooling system, which involves dozens of 450-foot pipes buried in the yard. The system provides the 18,000-square-foot Schmucker Hall’s heat and air conditioning with minimal operating and maintenance costs.

“Morgan-Keller provided excellent workmanship, with no white-knuckle moments,” says Rev. John Spangler, who oversaw the restoration for Lutheran Theological Seminary.

Other ABC members that contributed to this project include: CB Flooring, LLC, Harrisburg, Pa.; Hayles & Howe, Inc., Baltimore; Heidler Roofing, York, Pa.; Hostetter Supply Co., Seven Valleys, Pa.; J.C. Snavely & Sons, Inc., Lancaster, Pa.; and Neal Enterprises, Manheim, Pa.

Adapted from an article by Peter H. Michael— president of Michael Strategic Analysis, Adams-town, Md.; author of Remembering John Hanson and Palace of Yawns; and a frequent contributor to newspapers, magazines and journals. For more information, visit www.mcgmcg.com.

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A state-of-the-art geothermal heating and cooling system is buried in the surrounding yard.

Schmucker Hall was originally constructed in 1832 for $10,500.