Spencer Court is a two-story, 1918 unreinforced masonry building that had been damaged by fire and left vacant for years. The challenge was to bring the historic structure back to life while preserving as much of the existing building as possible—and prepare it for a much bigger future. The project had to fit within the building’s existing footprint while accommodating a seismic upgrade, future roof deck, a 90-foot self-supporting elevator tower, and a sky bridge connecting Spencer Court to the neighboring Spencer Hotel. The design also needed to create future access between Spencer Court and Washington Plaza, all within a compact and highly active downtown block.

The result is a resilient, adaptable building that serves today’s needs while creating opportunities for tomorrow. Innovative structural solutions helped preserve significant portions of the historic building, meet the owner’s budget, and increase the building’s leasable and usable space. The planned connections to Washington Plaza and the Spencer Hotel have the potential to increase the effective square footage of the property by approximately 50 percent, while the seismic upgrade protects both the public and the owner’s investment. Spencer Court has been given a new life without losing its historic character. Its storefronts maintain visual continuity with the contemporary buildings around it, while the preserved structure and exposed original wood elements retain a sense of its past.