We are truly thrilled and thankful to be in our new location, and we hope that you are happy with it as well. To look around our suite, and any other part of the building, you’ll see the extraordinary amount of work and vision it took to build this structure back up from the brink of collapse. What is just as extraordinary is that in the process those visionaries were able to preserve pieces of its former glory, such as the beautiful terrazzo floors throughout the stairwells and waiting rooms.
If you’ve been in the main waiting room outside our office and have noticed the photos adorning most of the walls, you know this building has considerable history as the Cedar Street School. Photos and blueprints from the early 1900s are interspersed with collages of class photos all through the century, up to its closing in 1977 due to structural problems. The building remained closed for almost 30 years until Dr. Carla Guggenheim and Gail Shafer-Crane of ARM Physical Therapy had the initial vision to give it new life.
The building was understandably in rough shape at that point. Among other major repairs that had to take place before it could be habitable again a new roof was needed, and more insidious small issues like mold, lead paint and asbestos wrapped pipes needed to be addressed. This was no small feat by any stretch of the imagination!
Not only was the entire building restructured to accommodate the types of practitioners it would soon house, but they chose to go even further and install green elements into the space, and became LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified in the process. To name a few of the eco-friendly modifications, this building is equipped with: geothermal hvac system, rainwater collection and recycling for non-potable water, recycled content for carpet, and environmentally friendly paints and insulation materials.
Blending old and new can sometimes be a challenge, but Dr. Guggenheim, Gail, and each and every worker that lent their time and expertise to the project were able to achieve this balance and breathe new life into a beautiful old relic, further preserving it for future generations to enjoy. Where others could have seen the aging and dilapidated structure as an eyesore and may have simply torn it down to make room for something new, Dr. Guggenheim et. al took the challenging route in restoring it, and we sure are happy that they did!
