Featured Project: Campbell House Museum

Summary

The Campbell House, originally built in 1851, is a treasured historic landmark in St. Louis. Metropolitan Build was brought on as a design-build specialist and tasked with constructing a new addition to the structure, which needed to seamlessly integrate with the historic character of the complex.

History of the Campbell House

The lot at 20 Lucas Place was purchased by John Hall and James Donaldson in 1851. They commissioned architect partners Thomas Waryng Walsh and Joseph Edgar to build a large townhouse which combined a variety of architectural styles–a Gothic cast iron balcony and a Greek Revival-style front entryway, among others. The house was sold to Mrs. Cornelia Wilson in 1853, who in turn sold it to Robert Campbell in 1854.

After living in the house for two years, Campbell purchased the adjoining lot and built a garden, carriage house, and servant’s hall. The property was handed down to Campbell’s sons over time. When Hazlett Campbell passed away, the house was purchased by the Campbell House Foundation, a St. Louis-based preservation group. The house was listed as a St. Louis City Landmark in 1946, documented as part of the American Building Survey: 1936-1941, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977.

For more information on the rich history of the Campbell House, visit their website.

Expanding the Structure

Metropolitan Build was brought on to build additions to the property that would endorse and reflect the historic character of the structure without mimicking. The Central Addition consisted of new accommodations for the gift shop at the ground level, with a lecture hall and meeting space on the second floor.

We achieved full ADA accessibility compliance for the museum by building a West Addition, consisting of an elevator tower and 4-story egress stair. A soil analysis determined that the load bearing capacity of the soil under the West Addition was insufficient without deep piering. We placed structurally fortified beams supported by concrete and steel piers in Augured holes that extended approximately forty feet below the earth’s surface.

In addition to the two additions, we provided interior modifications to the existing Campbell House, including a new accessible kitchen and bathrooms on the basement level.

The museum remained open and in full service during the entirety of the renovation. We carefully coordinated with City of St. Louis Cultural Resources to ensure our planned modifications to a Landmark Structure were within full compliance, then brought on an expert team of engineers and designers who understood the historical and cultural significance of the building.

An archaeological excavation was completed prior to constructing the Central Addition, which was both challenging and rewarding. We encountered and overcame a variety of obstacles once construction began, including floor offsets throughout the structure that complicated ADA compliance, the COVID-19 shutdown that affected goods and services providers, and the program requirement to modify and upgrade existing fire sprinkler and HVAC systems.

When the project was complete, on time and within budget, our expansions substantially increased the Campbell House’s capacity and honored the architectural significance of the building.