AOS Projects Honored with Preservation Alliance Preservation Achievement Awards
We are excited to share that two recently completed projects were honored for their achievements in preservation. Both the Building 57 South Office renovations and our work relocating and restoring the Historic Filling Station were honored by the Preservation Alliance with Grand Jury Awards. These two projects will receive recognition at the Awards ceremony on June 5.
Building 57, located in the former Philadelphia Navy Yard, was originally constructed by the US Navy in 1919 and is located in the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard National Historic District. After the Navy ceased its operations on site in the late 1990’s, the building fell into disrepair. 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 South Office renovations, completed in 2023, relocated the main entry to Rhoad’s administrative space and included rebuilding a historic roof monitor.
The Historic Filling Station was originally located on a lot at the corner of 20th and Arch. The 200 square foot structure, built in 1930, served as a gas station when the lot was leased to the Gulf Oil company. The full scope of this project included the relocation of the Station to its new site in Fairmount Park, the construction of a new foundation on which to sit the structure, the restoration of the original exterior including brick masonry and clay tile roof, new windows and doors, and the renovation of its interior allowing for a new flexible meeting space.
