John Minor Wisdom Federal Building houses the U.S. Court of Appeals and is a National Historic Landmark building, constructed in 1909. The building’s architecture style is Italian Renaissance which is reflected in its interior public spaces. As a part of our ID/IQ contract with the U.S. General Services Administration, PDG has completed various renovation projects in the building, providing accessibility, mechanical and electrical upgrades.

One of our recent projects was the build out of eight service closets in several non-resident judges chambers on the second and third floor of the building. Due to the spatial limitations of this historic building, existing storage spaces were repurposed into service closets. New floor and wall finishes were added, along with new cabinetry, sinks, and new electrical plugs. All of the finishes were selected to respect the historical character of the building.

The main challenge of the project was to find routes for the electrical conduits and raceways and plumbing piping, in this historical building with solid clay block masonry walls, and very limited space for vertical chases. Walls were notched to conceal conduits, and then refinished.