McCarthy Building Companies, Inc. (www.mccarthy.com) was recently awarded a $62 million, design-build seismic renovation of the Robert A. Young Federal Building in downtown St. Louis by the General Services Administration (GSA). The project includes the seismic retrofit of the historic structure along with seismic bracing of non-structural components such as ceilings, partitions and mechanical, electrical, plumbing and fire protection systems. The renovation will enhance safety for tenants during and after a potential seismic event. St. Louis is approximately 166 miles north of the New Madrid fault located in southeastern Missouri. 

The Robert A. Young Federal Building is a 1,050,000-square-foot, L-shaped building with a 10-story tower completed in 1933 for the Terminal Railroad Association. Located at the corner of Spruce Street and South Tucker Boulevard, the office building is owned and managed by the U.S. General Services Administration and houses dozens of offices for various federal agencies, such as the Internal Revenue Service, State Department, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, as well as support services such as a cafeteria, daycare, fitness center and credit unions. The facility is 98% occupied. 

“The Robert A. Young Federal Building Seismic Renovation is an important and challenging project,” explained Kevin Williams, senior vice president of McCarthy. “The team is focused on delivering a safer building to the tenants and GSA while minimizing the disruption to existing occupants throughout construction. McCarthy brings extensive seismic retrofit and construction experience in high seismic zones, including Missouri and the West Coast.

Design begins this month and construction is anticipated to begin in mid-2016. McCarthy’s design-build team includes Gensler and Thornton Tomasetti as well as St. Louis firms Etegra, William Tao & Associates, Aschinger Electric, Air Masters, Gateway Mechanical Fire Protection, and Geotechnology, Inc.