Project Category: Total Building Renovation

DuPage County Forest Preserve District – Danada House

To sustain the pastoral image and continue its over 40 years history of one of Chicagoland’s most premier wedding venues, major renovation plans led by Allen + Pappa Architects are well underway to the Du Page County Forest Preserve District historic Danada House in Wheaton, Illinois.

Built as part of Dan and Ada Rice’s racehorse training estate in 1939, the 19-room country mansion will continue to serve as a special event facility set within the 800-acre Danada Forest Preserve upon is much needed renovation which is on schedule to begin in April 2024.

Schaumburg Township District Library 2nd Floor Renovation

Complete Renovation to the Second Floor of the existing library including additional and reconfigured program spaces, new architectural finishes, enhanced technology and lighting and new furniture and fixtures.

Chicago Botanic Garden, Regenstein Education Building Renovation

A complete renovation of the existing award-winning 104,000 sq.ft. Education Building, designed by Edward Barnes. The renovation facilitated a new Education Center with state-of-the-art classrooms, botany labs, design labs, lecture halls, auditoriums, art galleries, public library, plaza deck fountains, office space and a newly-constructed 12,000 sq. ft. basement installed under the existing structure.

Chicago Avenue Pump Station, Chicago Avenue Pump Station Entrance

The reconstruction of the existing north façade to make way for the new entrance to the Looking Glass Theater. The project included an extensive underground system to eliminate the structural loading on the city’s 100-year-old water mains in order to support the new stone terrace, stairs, handicapped ramp and raised planting beds.

Ball Horticultural Company Global Headquarters

Office Renovation and site and landscape improvements including conference rooms, collaboration areas, hospitality space, parking areas, a pole barn, and a Head House.

Bartlett Park District, Villa Olivia

A complete renovation of the existing facility, featuring golfing, skiing, restaurant and banquets. We provided project management services for the design and construction phase of the project, which included the complete interior renovation of the existing 17,000 sq. ft. banquet facility, a new 5,100 sq. ft. commercial kitchen to service over 500 patrons, a new 5,000 sq. ft. ski chalet and a new 380-car parking lot.

Wauconda Area Library

Wauconda Area Library enlisted Featherstone to steward forward the total reconfiguration that the library underwent in the last decade. A transformative project in 2015 consisted of an award–winning expansion of 17,000 sf to the existing 14,000 sf library. This entailed adding a second story to the existing structure and expanding the building in all four directions. In 2018, a complete interior and exterior renovation was completed which included significant site improvements and a new front entryway.   

Crystal Lake Public Library

The Crystal Lake Public Library engaged Featherstone, Inc. in 2006 after a failed referendum to complete $2,400,000 of interior renovations which was completed without interruption to on-going daily activities. Featherstone acted as trusted client advisor to the Library staff through multiple projects over the years including lighting upgrades, roof replacements, and most recently after yet another failed referendum, the renovation of the building envelope and a book drop addition in 2020. 

2006 Library Renovation 

2007 Roof Replacement 

2008 Interior Lightening Modifications 

2020 Library Renovation and Addition

Schaumburg Township District Library Renovation – Phase 1

A complete interior renovation of the AV Collection Area, AV Workrooms, AV Manager’s Office, Storage, Circulation Desk, Stacks, Welcome Area, and Multi-Purpose Rooms, while keeping the Library open.

Columbia College, 600 S. Michigan Renovation Projects

Extensive interior and exterior renovations of the original 15 story 1906 International Harvester Headquarters designed by Christian Eckstorm. The projects spanned over 10 years and valued more than $30,000,000.

Columbia College, 623 S. Wabash Renovation Projects

Extensive interior and exterior renovations of the original 10 story 1895 Studebaker Brothers Carriage Company Building designed by Solon S. Beman.  The projects spanned over 10 years and valued more than $20,000,000.

Columbia College, 624 S. Michigan Renovation Projects

Extensive interior and exterior renovations of the original 7 story 1908 Chicago Musical College designed by Christian Eckstorm with 7 additional stories added in 1922 by Alfred Alschueler. The projects spanned over 10 years and valued more than $28,000,000.

Columbia College Chicago 619 South Wabash

Built in the 1920s, the 2-story building was home to a night club in the 1920s, a restaurant in the 1930s, a textile company, in the 1940s, and the Universal Bowling Corporation from the 1960s to 2003, where it served as the company’s bowling ball salesroom.  Once acquired by Columbia College, the first project included the extensive interior and exterior renovation of the newly acquired building to house the Averill & Bernard Leviton A + D Gallery on the first floor and the College Archives & Special Collections on the second floor.

Franciscan Ministries Inc., Colony Park Apartment Complex Renovation

An extensive interior and exterior renovation project on each of the four multi-family buildings. Included extensive mechanical system upgrades, new windows, new roofs and parking lot improvements throughout the property.

Franciscan Ministries, Marian Park Apt. Complex Renovation

Extensive interior and exterior renovation project on each of the multi-family buildings. Included a six-story senior living apartment building, three-story family apartment buildings and multi-family townhome complexes. The improvements also included the restoration of the site’s wetlands, storm basins, parking lots, site lighting and playgrounds.

Brookfield Zoo, Seven Seas Amphitheater

Extensive renovation of existing amphitheater including the restoration of the building envelope, architectural building upgrades, restoration of the dolphin pools and upgrades to the mechanical systems. 

Brookfield Zoo, Bears Den Animal Containment

Improved existing animal containment areas and constructed secondary areas. The staff of Featherstone provided budget estimates from the conceptual design documents and brought the design disciplines together through an efficient RFP process. 

The Morton Arboretum Administration Building

Franciscan Ministries, Constitution House Senior Living Aprt. Complex

Extensive interior and exterior renovation project on this existing fully-occupied, seven-story, 271-unit senior living apartment complex. Included a fully-renovated community center, new roofs, balcony repairs, extensive mechanical system upgrades, elevator renovations, new fire alarm system, and parking lot and drive improvements throughout the property.

Chicago Botanic Garden, Botanic Garden Center

An interior transformation and upgrade of the existing 28,000 square foot three story education and administration building.

Crestwood Public Library

A complete interior renovation with addition to expand the Children’s Area, Circulation Area, Computer Resource Area, and a new Board Room, while maintaining service to the community during construction.

Palos Park Public Library

A complete interior renovation that has made the library feel bigger, brighter, and more comfortable for patrons with improvements to the Entry, Community Center, Adult Stacks, Circulation, and the Exterior Patio.

Lake Forest College, Patterson Lodge Administration Building Renovation

The extensive interior and exterior renovation of the oldest building on the Lake Forest College Campus.  Originally built in 1879 as the college president’s residence, the project renovation not only brought the building modern conveniences and up to current codes and ADA regulations, but it also used historical photographs as the basis for restoring the original porch.  The additions of the required new ramp and railings were sensitive to the architecture.  This project received compliments from the City’s Building Review Board during its review.  The Foundation commends the College for the care of its buildings that are so much a part of the history of Lake Forest itself.

Lake Forest College, 100 North Sheridan Building Renovation

Converting the house from a residential use to an institutional use, the project combined institutional code and use requirements with residential renovation.  The building originally was a stable built on 1860 for the Harvey Thompson House at 560 North Sheridan Road and is believed to have been converted to a home in 1905.  The Sample family undertook a significant renovation in the 1920-1930 period, creating a high-style classic home by architect Stanley Anderson that resembled a stately English country place.  The project is significant for the care with which the Brown family and the College undertook landscape preservation and the quality of the renovation. In other hands, the house might have been torn down to maximize the economic potential of the valuable land, and an essential element of the historic neighborhood would have been lost.

Clarendon Hills Public Library

A complete interior redecoration of the library and a reconfiguration of the main floor to facilitate new and improved access to the library’s most popular materials, a quieter, more private space for the public, computer users, and a more comfortable and pleasant library for all.

Chicago Botanic Garden, Garden Shop Tenant Improvement

Glacial Park, Lost Valley Visitor Center

A LEED® Gold Certified conversion and extensive renovation of an existing 28,450 sq. ft. motel into a new public visitor center. Complete with administration offices, exhibit viewing areas, environmental education classrooms, conference center and multipurpose rooms for community use. The project included the sustainable redevelopment to support a permeable paved parking lot, native plantings, bioswales and wetlands.