D — November 8 - 21, 2013 — Pennsylvania — Mid Atlantic Real Estate Journal
www.marejournal.com
G reen B uild PA/C ompany of the M onth
By Amanda Gibney Weko Keast & Hood Co. – Celebrating 60 years of structural engineering S
ince 1953, Keast & Hood Co. has tackled struc- tural challenges large and small, from investigation of historic timber trusses to design of new high-rise build- ings. The firm has preserved historic landmarks and shaped modern architecture. By team- ing with innovative designers, talented consultants, and forward-thinking owners and institutions, Keast &Hood Co. has completed a richly reward- ing portfolio of work. Novem- ber 2013 marks the firm’s 60th anniversary in business. Today a leading Mid-Atlan- tic structural engineering firm with offices in Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., Keast & Hood Co. traces its legacy to the practice of William H. Gravell & Associates in Phila- delphia. When Gravell passed away in 1952, his associate Raymond Hood, Jr., then only 35, wanted to continue the firm but lacked a more experienced partner. He enlisted Sheldon Keast, recently retired Chief Inspector for the Philadelphia Department of Licenses & In- spections. Nicholas Gianopu- los, Thomas Leidigh, and Carl Baumert, Jr., were part of the Gravell staff that stayed on board. Daniel DiBona joined the firm as a partner shortly thereafter. The 1950s were years of growth for the young firm. Keast & Hood Co. worked with pioneering architects Robert Venturi and Louis Kahn, and many collabora- tive projects with those and other mid-century designers earned recognition in archi- tectural history books, includ- ing Venturi’s Mother’s House and Kahn’s Exeter Academy Library. The Richards Medi- cal Research Labs, designed by Kahn for the University of Pennsylvania, established a 50-plus-year working relation- ship for Keast & Hood Co. at that institution. Tragedy befell Keast &Hood Co. in 1962, when partners Hood and DiBona were killed in a plane crash on the day be- fore Thanksgiving. Gianopu- los, Leidigh, and Baumert assumed the firm’s leadership and remained principals until the 1990s. They established a pattern of longevity for employees, later serving as senior consultants until their retirements in 2009, 2007, and 2013, respectively. Keast & Hood Co. counts 11 among its
Keast & Hood Co. leadership, left to right: Frederick Baumert, Matthew Daw, Thomas Normile, and Constantine (Dean) Doukakis, 2013 (photo© Jeffrey Totaro)
in drafting the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Historic Preservation and provided input for the Ameri- can Society of Civil Engineers’ standards for structural condi- tion assessment and rehabili- tation of buildings, and for its guidelines for condition assess- ment of building envelopes. Recent new construction projects include the LeBow College of Business and Pa- padakis Integrated Sciences Center for Drexel University in Philadelphia, Allentown Art Museum West Expansion in Allentown, PA, Net Zero Energy House for the Na- tional Institute of Standards and Testing in Gaithersburg, MD, and the 2009 and 2013 Presidential Inaugural Review Stands in Washington, D.C. Exciting projects presently under construction include the new Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day SaintsTemple Complex in Philadelphia,
42 employees with tenure of 10 years or more of service. In the 1990s, principals Fred- erick Baumert, Constantine (Dean) Doukakis, and Thomas Normile took over leadership responsibilities. In 2005, prin- cipal Matthew Daw joined the firm and established an office inWashington, D.C. They bring industry leadership, profes- sionalism, and a strong sense of collaboration to the teams they lead. All four maintain hands- on involvement in projects under their direction. Throughout its history, Ke- ast & Hood Co. has earned a reputation for committed client service and high qual- ity, technically astute struc- tural engineering. In addi- tion to structural design for new buildings, the firm is a nationally recognized leader in building diagnostics and the preservation, restoration, and rehabilitation of historic structures. Staff participated
Keast & Hood Co. 1956 leadership, left to right: Daniel DiBona, Thomas Leidigh, Raymond Hood, Nicholas Gianopulos (photo© Keast & Hood Co.)
Montage Mountain Ski Re- sort Expansion in Scranton, PA, Howard Hughes Co. Rouse Building Renovation in Columbia, MD, and George School Athletic Complex in Newtown, PA. Recent renovation and his- toric preservation work in- cludes the award-winning Everyman Theatre adaptive reuse in Baltimore, MD, life- safety upgrades at the Statue of Liberty, and earthquake repairs at the National Cathe- dral in Washington, D.C. Keast & Hood Co. extends its reach throughout the Mid- Atlantic and as far away as Haiti, where the firm remains involved with earthquake re- covery efforts, and Ethiopia, where plans for a new hospital are underway. Services include
comprehensive structural de- sign for new construction, reno- vations, additions, adaptive reuse, historic preservation, stabilization, and structural intervention. Condition assess- ments and building inspections are regularly performed to help clients determine feasibility for future maintenance or design projects and to keep Philadel- phia buildings in compliance with the city’s façade inspection ordinance. Keast &Hood Co. celebrated its 60th anniversary with a relocated Philadelphia office and a party for clients and colleagues. The firm looks for- ward to many more decades of significant projects and dedi- cated service. Visit www.keast- hood.com to learn more about the firm and its work. n
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints Temple Complex, Philadelphia, PA (rendering courtesy Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
Statue of Liberty National Monument, Liberty Island, NY (photo courtesy National Park Service)
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