Fantastic Facelift: Using metal architecture to turn a paper mill into a local eatery
Transforming an eye sore into a popular gathering place is no easy feat, but Tom Deignan of Haverford, Pa.-based Carroll Contractors did just that. Long vacant, the historic Brandywine Paper Mill was in disrepair and long overdue for a facelift, to put it gently. In 2005 with the help of some other investors, Deign an bought the building and the 3-plus acres (1.2 hectares) it sat on with plans of giving it a new life.
Having already been a saw mill and paper mill, the nearly 200-year-old building was a low, 6,200-square-foot (576-m2) structure built of fieldstone. But that would all change. At a cost of about $3.5 million, Carroll Contractors used 3,700 square feet
(344 m2) of 24-gauge Galvalume Plus High Snap-On Panels and 2,240 square feet (208 m2) of 16-ounce, 1/2-inch (13- mm) Copper Corrugated Panels from Petersen Aluminum Corp., Elk Grove Village, Ill., to turn the old building into the contemporary Firecreek Restaurant & Bar and several condo units in the adjoining three-story building.
“Our company has a long history of real estate development with a historic twist,” said Deignan.
The contemporary design incorporates huge gears and bull-wheels from the long-dormant printing operation, as well as the original steel roof trusses. Deignan said that the choice of Galvalume was important as it closely resembles the original building materials, while at the same time providing a contemporary feel.
Deignan noted that his company has a saying that helped guide the renovation process: “Integrating historic properties with modern elements of design.”
“Architecturally speaking, this was an historic, industrial building and we were trying to invoke the industrial influence in terms of the architectural design,” he said. “The roofing was consistent to what was original. The copper materials supplied by Pac-Clad, invokes an industrial look-call it urban or edgy-but it is definitely a complement to the architectural significance to the existing structure.”
Firecreek Restaurant, Downingtown, Penn.
Completed: March 2009
Total square footage: 6,200 square feet
Architect: Carroll Design Build, Haverford, Pa., www.carrolldesign.com
General contractor: Carroll Contractors Inc., Haverford, Pa.,
Metal installer: Munn Roofing Corp., Chalfont, Pa.,
Metal roof panels: Petersen Aluminum Corp., Elk Grove Village, Ill., , www.pac-clad.com
