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Firm Cited for Work on Historic Landmark

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

The American Institute of Architects (AIA) has recognizedTrivers Associates, an architecture and design firm with offices in St. Louis, MO, and Edwardsville IL, for design work involving the historic St. Louis Old Post Office. The AIA presented Trivers with its 2008 Justice Facilities Review Award at the Justice Architecture Conference in San Francisco for the firm’s work on the Old Post Office and the Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District, in downtown St. Louis.

Trivers also was recently honored with a Merit Award in Architecture by the AIA St. Louis Chapter for excellence in design for the project.

The $35 million renovation of the Old Post Office and Missouri Court of Appeals has helped spur development of the city’s historic downtown. Built between 1872 and 1884 and designed by Alfred Mullett, the architect of the Old Executive Office Building in Washington D.C., the Post Office building was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1968 and in 2004 gained National Monument status. Though the structure was transferred from federal to state control prior to construction, the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) listed this building as the sixth most important historic property in its inventory. The developers of the project were DFC Group and DESCO Group.

Trivers directed the restoration of the structure’s historic integrity, which had been obscured by modifications over the last 120 years; upgraded the engineered building systems to current standards; and provided interior improvements to accommodate 11 new tenants, the largest being the state Court of Appeals for the Eastern District. The firm said its work sought to balance the needs for security with openness, and features restored original elements juxtaposed against modern materials and systems.

“The revitalization of this significant historic building, which at one time was in disrepair, is a major sustainable success story,” said Andrew Trivers, AIA, president of Trivers Associates. “In addition to government use, the building is now fully occupied as a multi-tenant structure with cultural, retail, and office tenants. Its full enhanced use is fostering economic renewal in the adjacent downtown city blocks.”

The Justice Facilities Review showcases 28 cases of exemplary strategies and the latest trends in the design and construction of justice facilities throughout the United States. The projects and information about their architects is a traveling exhibit that will tour the United States.

The Review offers the profession an indicator of proven strategies and the latest trends in the design and construction of justice facilities in the U.S. The jury chooses projects for publication that demonstrate quality of form, functionality, and current architectural responses to complex justice design issues. The jury consisted of representatives from the justice, architecture, and government sectors who reviewed newly designed facilities that ranged from courthouses to forensic laboratories to maximum-security prisons.