Franklin County Waterfront Park

There are several components to this project that include adding ADA access including the addition of handrails to an existing dock, providing vehicular segregation for park/recreational and museum use, as well as the renovation of the existing historical oyster processing building into an ecological Educational Center/Museum to pay homage to the previous history of the building, site, and the livelihood of the seafood harvesting industry of the area in previous generations. This Museum is the main component of the project and includes the renovation of the existing CMU building to include new windows, doors, insulation, and updating all electrical and mechanical systems to bring them up to Code as well as providing ADA access into and through the facility. A welcome/reception area greets you upon entering the building and multi-media components are peppered throughout the historic processing areas and are interspersed in several locations in order to provide educational videos and interactive opportunities to further explore the ecological history and processes of the Bay. Many components from the oyster harvesting and processing era have been included and preserved in the design to provide a physical interactive experience that encourages a greater understanding of the overall steps in this process. Original holding, shucking, and cleaning stations are preserved and restored to provide an authentic experience. The existing cooler/freezer has been adaptively redesigned into a mini-presentation/theater area that will show educational films and videos indicative of the history of the building, harvesting and processing methods, and conservation endeavors. A new pavilion area has been designed to the rear of the building in order to extend the use and education process to the outdoors and to take advantage of views and provide storytelling opportunities about the history of the site and area. Although the project was not required to adhere to the Secretary of the Interior’s standards for preservation work, we were tasked to design elements to appear original to the 1960 time period while bringing the building up to Code and enabling it to function in an educational capacity.

CONSTRUCTION COMPLETION: 2017

TOTAL GROSS SQUARE FOOTAGE: 2,487

COST OF CONSTRUCTION: $622,844.71