"In The Beginning ... "
[A brief look back at the condition of
selected project components,
before the beginning of construction and renovations.]
At the beginning of the project, the four-story brick
"Pennsylvania Garage #1" building was essentially an abandoned
warehouse-type structure. Each floor was a single room used for
parking as many vehicles as would fit. Vehicles were lifted to the
upper floors by a large elevator.
The building was not insulated, and only heated in the
offices on the ground floor. It was a significant engineering
challenge to convert it into a full-featured, handicapped-accessible,
energy-efficient demonstration-model school building.
