Building 57
Philadelphia Navy Yard | Philadelphia, PA
Building 57 is a historic manufacturing building at the former Philadelphia Navy Yard. The building was originally constructed by the US Navy in 1919 and is located in the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard National Historic District. The structure is over 310,000 SF with wide open spans and ceiling heights that exceed 60’ in alternate bays. After the Navy ceased its operations on site in the late 1990’s, the building fell into disrepair and suffered from water infiltration, vandalism, and neglect. Rhoads Industries purchased Building 57 in 2014 and has been incrementally renovating it for heavy industrial manufacturing and testing.
Working with Powers & Company, we developed a phased master plan that accommodates Rhoads' needs for growth and acknowledges the historic fabric of the building. The renovations include replacement of most of the exterior envelope, restoration of important historic elements, renovated office and factory spaces, increased capacity for floor and crane loads, and improvements to reduce energy usage. The renovations conform to the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Rehabilitation of Historic Structures in order to support Rhoads in securing Federal Rehabilitation Tax Credits for the project.
The South Office renovations, completed in 2023, relocated the main entry to Rhoad’s administrative space and included rebuilding a historic roof monitor. The 120’ long monitor floods the open office space and glass fronted private offices with light.
Project Team: Preservation Consultant: Powers & Company. A Bay West and South Offices: Structural Engineer: Conn Shaffer; MEP Engineer: FXB. C&D Bays: Structural and MEP Engineer: BALA Consulting; Photography: Halkin Mason