This $74 million project involves the modernization of the historic U.S. Custom House in order to preserve its historic integrity while providing upgrades to meet the needs of its tenants. Occupying an entire city block within Philadelphia’s Historic District, the 565,000-SF building, which was built in 1934, features distinctive limestone and brick cladding with a tapered Art Deco tower. Due to the building’s age, a number of the existing systems had become obsolete and inefficient, failing to meet the needs of the modern workplace. Repeated water infiltration and plumbing failures had caused damage to historic features, and the structure’s air handling systems no longer met current standards. CEI provided full structural designs to renovate and upgrade the 17-story building.
