Featured Project - Chicago Marine Safety Station
Chicago, Illinois
Based on standard US Coast Guard station designs from the early 20th century, the Chicago Marine Safety Station looks like it belongs along Maine’s craggy Atlantic Coast rather than tucked against Chicago’s skyline at the confluence of Lake Michigan and the Chicago River. In rehabilitating the outdated facility we relied on historic archives and research to restore the architectural elements that give the building its unique appearance:
- To restore the building to its original color, the Knight team carefully peeled back 33 layers of paint to discover the original coat of blue with yellow trim.
- Based on the one banister remaining from the original structure, we were able to recreate all the railing banisters and bring them up to modern safety standards.
- Each of the historic windows was restored. Missing and broken glass was replaced and the existing glass was carefully removed so the original mullions could be repaired and the glass restored.
- Based on the original architectural drawings, new copper gutters were created to replace the original copper gutters that had been removed or destroyed over time.
- The Station’s Watchtower which had been dramatically altered was rehabilitated and topped with a copper weathervane designed to fit the period.
Restored to its original Atlantic coast character, the rehabilitated Marine Safety Station now stands guard against an imposing cliff of Chicago skyscrapers.
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