Historic Rehab Uses 1000-Plus Energy-Efficient Windows
In an example of a major green upgrade to an old multifamily structure, Community Housing Concepts and the Monroe Group, owners of the Castle Park Apartments complex in Normandy, Mo., have overseen the installation of about 1,100 new energy-efficient windows during the major rehabilitation of the structure.
The castle-like structure just outside the city of St. Louis was completed in the 1890s as a Catholic sanatorium for the mentally ill, and is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The 200,000 square-foot, four-story red brick building, with attic and basement spaces, was originally designed by architects Charles Mann and Harvey Ellis, who are best known for designing the St. Louis City Hall. Situated on a hilltop, a slate roof and numerous turrets and tall spires adorn the châteauesque-style edifice.
Following many decades as a hospital, the property was converted into apartments in 1982. Over the next 25 years, however, many of its units fell into disrepair. In 2007, a Denver-based nonprofit Community Housing Concepts stepped in and began a $27 million acquisition and redevelopment effort that, because of the difficult economic climate, was only completed this year. The major rehabilitation called for significant interior and exterior restoration, including the installation of new windows.
The property’s new windows were installed by Dalco Remodeling’s Commercial Division of Bridgeton, Mo., while the general contractor was E.M. Harris Construction Company of St. Louis. Manufacturer Crystal Window & Door Systems supplied the replacement windows which, according to the company, posed special challenges due to the historic nature of the property.
For instance, an exterior-applied grid frame had to be installed around the glass perimeter of each new window sash to replicate the look of an historic putty line glazing bead. On the new picture windows, a two-inch applied exterior horizontal muntin was used to mimic the building’s original double-hung windows.
Crystal supplied the restoration project with 966 Series 5000 aluminum double-hung windows and 176 Series 2100 aluminum picture windows. Both aluminum window models feature 3.25-inch energy-efficient frames and seventh-eighths-inch insulated glass units with Solarban 60 low-E coating and argon gas filling. The Series 2100 picture window uses double-strength glass and features a minimal sightline frame to maximize day lighting. All of the windows are finished with a durable, environmentally friendly bronze-color paint.
