Tacoma Self Storage
Merit Construction performed an extensive remodel of this historic 1926 Tacoma Cold Storage masonry building. The entire exterior of the building was shored with structural steel wide flange members acting as beams, columns and diagonal bracing. The six stories of shoring were required to remove the existing heavy timber and wood planking structure that was too badly damaged to salvage. The new steel pan deck flooring and wide flange beam ledgers were attached to the existing exterior concrete beams and columns for five of the building’s six floors. Seismic connections were installed on all floors and concrete foundations were poured to provide support for new shear walls. The brick facade was seismically tied to the building structure, cleaned and restored to give the building the appearance of its 1926 origin. The renovated building is on the Tacoma historic register, and is now the home of Tacoma Self Storage, offering 75,000 SF of heated storage space in the heart of downtown Tacoma.
“This was our second contract with Merit. We awarded them the first contract after conducting a selection process involving four contractors. We went to Merit when the second project became available without using a selection process based on our experience on the first project. Merit was integrally involved with the project from the beginning. They helped value engineer several aspects of the project and they were willing to assist us at whatever level we required to design and efficiently construct the most recent project. When we undertake our next project, we will use Merit.”
