1928 "Art Deco" Sears Building gets major renovation:

Douglas Shoop & David McKee completely redesigned this landmark building in Cambridge, MA, in 1987, while working as staff architects for the Developer / Owner, CDIA.  Shoop recalls:
"the most important thing in this redesign was to maintain the original architect, George Nimmons' Art Deco style, in the new brick and limestone details." 

The original building was completely stripped of its facade, right down to the reinforced concrete shell.  A portion of the third floor was removed due to Zoning requirements and an additional 120,000 s.f. was added to the building, bringing the total to 220,000 s.f.  The Architect of record was DiGiorgio Associates of Boston.

Plantworks Flower Shop, designed by DSA, has just been completed on the interior first floor mall space.

           
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"Spending time in the Limestone fabrication plant in Skokie, IL, makes one appreciate the craftsmanship that went into buildings of this era", says Shoop.  "I flew out there to make sure that my limestone shop drawings were accurate and buildable."   By spending countless hours on the construction site with the masonry contractor, we were able to match the Deco design intent with a 1980's modernized feel.

This massive cream brick and limestone building houses mixed uses of Retail Mall and Office space.  Notter Finegold & Alexander were the design architects on the interior mall space in cooperation with Shoop & McKee as building Owners.