Re-View, a window restoration company, was selected to restore the windows for Todd Bolender Center for Dance and Creativity project in Kansas City. The existing wood double hung units were massive and occupied a significant amount of square feet on the building envelope. The project team was looking for proper treatment of the historic windows, but also wanted to solve the challenge of making the facility economical to heat and cool.
Re-View presented the option to restore the existing window frames and to replicate the sash with energy efficient insulated glazing. Although the frames hadn’t been painted in over 50 years, the old-growth wood was still in sound structural condition. Our craftsmen used restoration epoxies to bring the wood back to its original state and to fill cracks. We also used replicated trim to replace elements that were beyond repair.
The replicated window sash had to match the originals exactly except for the inclusion of insulated glass. Engineers at Re-View took samples of the original elements from the site to establish the design of the sash replicas. All dimensions, stiles, rails, muntins, profiles, and joinery matched the original design. We used Accoya wood because of its durability. Accoya is an acetylated wood from Europe that is more durable than teak and will last like the old-growth timbers used in the original construction.
The insulated glazing we used was specifically selected for its superior U-Values to provide exceptional thermal performance in the winter. The Low E coatings applied to the glass had a solar heat gain coefficient that supported the large expanse of glass in the building. Re-View also sourced glass that has similar visual light reflectance as single-pane glass so the reflectivity of the glass would not change from the historic look.
The Re-View crews provided all of the field restoration, installation, and finishing for a turnkey project. There are few companies that can perform all of the work from onsite labor, field window restoration, shop window restoration, and manufacturing replicas on such a large project.
History of the Todd Bolender Center for Dance and Creativity
The Todd Bolender Center for Dance and Creativity in Kansas City, Missouri is located in the old Power House that served Union Station back in 1913. This coal-powered utility house had been vacant for decades because it was going to take someone very creative to repurpose the structure. In 2011, work started to convert it into a 65,000 square foot facility that features seven studios and a 180-seat theater.
