Sherman Building Reconstruction

The Sherman Building is one of the most distinctive and historically significant buildings on the 272-acre working campus of the Armed Forces Retirement Home (AFRH) in Washington, D.C. and the hardest-hit in the August 2011 earthquake. Known as the “Old Soldiers’ Home,” the AFRH is home to 600 former enlisted military. The white marble Sherman building houses the main administrative offices of the AFRH and is a visual landmark from points throughout Washington.

The reconstruction work incorporated both exterior restoration of damaged areas of the building’s parapet, chimneys, and walls as well as interior repairs. Exterior work included reconstruction of masonry structure by hoisting and placing back onto the building hundreds of stones separated from the building during the earthquake or during subsequent emergency stabilization. Some of the meticulously-inventoried stones were broken or damaged, so the work scope included repair or replication. Restoration of the building’s iconic clock tower was also part of this project, including removal and replacement of its existing stones after permanent re-stabilization of the structure. Interior work included repairs to flat and ornamental plaster walls, doors, windows and skylights. Wood rafters and floor joists supported by masonry bearing walls were also damaged, requiring repair.