Chicago, IL – Alter Construction Management (www.altergroup.com) has been selected by the DuSable Museum of African American History (www.dusablemuseum.org) as the construction manager for the $25 million, environmentally friendly renovation and expansion of the historic roundhouse stables in Washington Park on the city’s South Side.
Ronald M. Clarkson, President, Alter Construction Management, announced the project.
Designed by legendary Chicago architects Daniel Burnham and John Root of the Burnham & Root firm, the 61,000 SF Joliet limestone building will house additional galleries, curatorial, education, storage and conservation facilities. The DuSable Museum acquired the 1880 building from the Chicago Park District in 2004, and has since used it as a maintenance garage and equipment-storage facility. The museum is located at 740 East 56th Place.
The building’s exterior has been designated an historic structure by the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency. Additionally, the museum has applied to the National Park Service to designate the roundhouse a national historic site, which would make the funding of its renovation eligible for federal tax credits.
“We are very excited by this opportunity to once again be part of Chicago’s compelling history,” Clarkson said. Two years ago, Alter Construction Management served as program manager for the Chicago History Museum’s $27.5 million renovation. That award-winning project was delivered on schedule and within budget, in time to celebrate the museum’s 150th anniversary.
DuSable Museum is planning to complete construction by December 31, 2009. Partially funded by a grant from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, the project’s budget currently sets aside $15 million for the roundhouse renovation, and another $10 million for exhibition build-out.
In a significant move, the museum is committed to seeking Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) certification at the Silver or an even higher Gold level.
Established in 1961 as The Ebony Museum of Negro History and Art, the institution was formed to correct the pervasive omission of black history and culture in the general education establishment. The first museum of its kind in the United States, it was renamed in 1968 to honor Jean Baptist Pointe DuSable, the Haitian fur trader who was Chicago’s first permanent settler.
Three years later, the Chicago Park District granted the museum’s request to move into a former administration building in Washington Park. It became the city’s eighth museum to occupy Park District land. In 1993, the museum opened a new wing named for the late Mayor Harold Washington, which added needed gallery space and a 450-seat theater.
The project team includes architect 3D Design Studio LLP; mechanical and electrical contractor DYNACEPT, Inc.; and structural engineer Matrix Engineering Corporation. One of The Alter Group’s initial tasks is to hire the consulting firm that will oversee the project’s LEED-certification process.
Alter Construction Management provides design/build, construction management, interior construction and program management services for corporate and institutional clients. Midwest Construction News ranks the firm as # 13 among Illinois’ top 90 contractors and # 26 among the Midwest’s top 135 contractors.
