Details - Part 1

This project will rehabilitate the vacant historic warehouse and outfit it as a visitor information center providing information about scenic byways and other tourism offerings to the customers. The project includes rehabilitation of the structure and renovation of the interior to serve the proposed new use. The construction of the building consists of load-bearing brick masonry walls with timber trusses. The entire building structure is supported by stone foundation walls. Most of the original window openings had been in-filled with brick.

Exterior work includes repairing and re-pointing the brick walls, installing 13 new windows centered between the pilasters as the original openings had been, creating a prominent main entry facing S. East Street in accordance with the City of Frederick's Carroll Creek Overlay District guidelines, and installing a new metal roof. All interior and exterior walls have cracking around existing timber headers. These headers will be replaced with new headers. Areas of the foundation that were removed for modern openings for garage doors or ductwork, or which were embedded in concrete, will be replaced or repaired.

Other structural work entails making repairs to cracks in some of the members of the original wood trusses, using lag bolts or wood structural repair epoxy. The water-damaged rafters and roof sheathing planks will be removed and new structural insulated panel roofing will be installed directly on the existing trusses. The trusses will be cleaned and refinished as they will be exposed over the display and exhibit area of the visitor center. Ceilings and attic flooring will be removed to architecturally expose and articulate the roof trusses of the building.

In addition to the exposed wood trusses, the proposed adaptive reuse of the interior calls for cleaning, repairing and exposing the interiors of the brick walls of the structure, including one that is interior where the legs of the "L" meet. This interior brick wall has existing openings, three of which will be used as doorways for the facility's restrooms and for the office area for the Tourism Council of Frederick County that will operate and market the center.