Philadelphia, PA

Second Bank of the United States

Scope/Solutions

The Second Bank of the United States served as a Federal depository from 1816 until 1832, when it became a focal point of debates over national banking practices. Designed by William Strickland in the Greek Revival style, the structure served as the city’s customs house until 1930 when a new customs house was built. Today, the building is owned by the National Park Service (NPS) and houses a portrait gallery with works largely created by Charles Wilson Peale. It is designated as a National Historic Landmark and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. NPS undertook a project to rehabilitate the roof, exterior marble, and wood windows. SGH provided structural engineering services for the roof rehabilitation and consulted on the marble anchorage.

The project required review and approval by two authorities having jurisdiction: NPS and the State Historic Preservation Office. As the structural engineer for the roof restoration, SGH:

  • Assessed the condition of the existing wood-framed roof structure
  • Documented the existing configuration along with alterations implemented during previous interior renovations—including removing a ridgeline bearing wall and diagonal bracing to make the attic level more accessible, and installing collar ties
  • Obtained samples from the rafters for examination in our laboratory to determine the species and allowable stresses for the wood
  • Performed a structural analysis of the modified roof structure to evaluate its capacity to support current loads
  • Designed a new wide flange steel beam to resupport the ridgeline and bear on existing interior masonry bearing walls
  • Detailed connections for new rooftop fall-arrest anchors
  • Specified strengthening to supplement damaged or decayed rafters
  • Designed additional roof framing to support a new hatch

SGH also helped the project team develop details to re-anchor cracked marble on the facade with stainless steel all-thread rods.

Project Summary

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2023

Completion Date
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7.5M

Construction Value
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36K

Project Size
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Award

Winner
Solutions
New Construction
Services
Structures | Building Enclosures | Applied Science & Research
Markets
Culture & Entertainment | Government
Client(s)
2024 Grand Jury Award, Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia
Specialized Capabilities
Repair & Strengthening | Preservation | Materials Science

Key team members

Michael Zajac
Senior Project Manager
202.772.4898 mdzajac@sgh.com

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