Special Exhibit A Visit to the Presidio Construction Site Don your hard hats. This month we’re featuring an exciting visit to the construction site of the Walt Disney Family Museum, led by Jay Turnbull, the architect in charge of construction, and the firm’s Carolyn Kiernat. Much has happened since we began our series on the construction of the Museum in August of 2007. As Carolyn, a principal at the firm of Page & Turnbull reports in the following, construction is now in full swing and is expected to continue without let up until the buildings are opened to the public, which is currently foreseen for 2009. The effort is concentrated on two structures: the actual Museum and the nearby Archives building. The Presidio Museum: A Status Report The Museum The first step in converting the old Presidio barracks into a world-class Museum included strengthening the structure so that it would be safe enough to resist earthquakes. This is now being accomplished by installing 145 concrete and steel piers underneath the building, and excavating the soil around the piers to create a basement and a sub-basement underneath the existing building. As shown on the video, thousands of cubic yards of soil are being removed from the new basement area in order to accommodate a new lecture hall and learning area. The next step will be to strengthen the most vulnerable portions of the existing brick walls with steel reinforcing bars and concrete. This treatment will ensure a strong and safe building that will resist the forces of an earthquake and protect both the building and its occupants. The soil below the building had not been disturbed since the barracks were built in 1897. For that very reason, archaeologists were on hand during the excavation to carefully monitor the removal of soil and make sure that any artifacts were retained and recorded. And it’s a good thing they did, for so far the contractors have found bottles, bullet casings, and even pajamas from the Alcatraz Laundry, as well as a San Francisco tour book for soldiers stationed in the Presidio. Every artifact that is found will remain in the care of the Presidio Trust Archaeology Department. The Next Step The next step in construction will be to cut penetrations in the existing masonry walls so that new mechanical systems and doorways can be run through the building. Each of these penetrations needs to be looked at by a structural engineer in order to determine whether or not it will impact the overall structure of the building. Extra care is being taken to avoid removal of any more historic fabric than is absolutely necessary. Doorway openings are carefully designed to keep interesting aspects of the original building intact, and to integrate future exhibits and interior finishes. The Archive and Gallery The old Post Gymnasium will house the Walt Disney Family Foundation's Archives and will support a gallery for temporary and visiting exhibits. The original character of this building is being retained, as well as historic architectural features such as transoms, wainscot and chair rails -- although the building will undergo the same level of structural strengthening as the Museum. So far, the concrete slab has been removed from the basement, all non-historic walls and finishes have been removed from the interior, and preparations are being made to reinforce the walls with steel reinforcing bar and concrete. All the structural work will be hidden when the new wall finishes are installed. The main space in this building is the new double-height gallery space. A non-historic floor is planned to separate the first and second levels, but the contractors removed the upper floor to expose a beautiful two-story space with exposed trusses and abundant natural light. A mezzanine level will be added in order to view additional artwork and preserve the openness of the space. All hazardous materials have been removed from both buildings. The next phase of construction will involve installation of new site utilities, restoration of windows, repair of exterior masonry, construction of new site features and loading dock, and reroofing of both buildings. Once the exterior of each building is repaired and sealed, finish work on the interior will begin.