Worcester, MA – Erland Construction recently completed an expansion and renovation of the American Antiquarian Society (AAS) in Worcester. Partnering on the project were Samuel Anderson Architects and Pinck & Co.
On May 3, AAS held a ribbon cutting ceremony signifying the opening of the new Antiquarian Hall addition. Team members from Erland. Samuel Anderson Architects, and Pinck & Co. were in attendance for the celebration.
During its more than two centuries of collecting, AAS has accumulated some four million items and now houses the largest and most accessible collection of books, pamphlets, broadsides, newspapers, periodicals, sheet music, graphic images, and other printed materials from pre-twentieth-century America. The society is committed not only to the preservation of these materials, but also to sharing them with scholars, educators, students, and the general public.
The new three-story, 7,000sf addition to the existing building houses a state-of-the-art conservation studio, as well as a technology-enhanced learning lab where events and programming will be offered. In addition, a new climate-control system was installed to ensure the preservation of the Society’s extraordinary collections, which date back to the seventeenth century.
From a construction standpoint, the new HVAC systems were the most important component of this complex renovation and expansion project. In order to upgrade the systems while maintaining the preservation of the society’s operations and rare, historical documents, a multi-phase installation masterplan was created. Utilizing a design-assist approach, Erland collaborated with Phoenix Mechanical for this part of the project.
