The Cork Factory is located in the trendy Strip District neighborhood situated along the bank of the Allegheny River, near downtown Pittsburgh. The program was to convert three vacant industrial buildings into a mixed-use development that consisted of 297 loft apartments, 47,000 square feet of ground-floor retail, and a new parking garage. The mid-rise warehouses were designed by the noted Pittsburgh architect Frederick Osterling around the turn-of-the-century and are listed with the National Register of Historic Places. The loft apartments were designed to respect and retain much of the original architectural fabric. We were retained by McCaffery Interests, the developer for the project, to act as the historic preservation consultant. Working closely with the design architect, Antunovich Associates in Chicago, we were charged with restoring the building’s envelope. Specifically, we were accountable for the restoration of the masonry, the structural repair of the impressive 225-foot smoke stack, and the selection of new windows. In addition, we were responsible to insure that the restoration and alterations to the buildings complied with the Secretary of Interiors Standards for Renovation, thereby insuring the Historic Tax Credits, a critical component of the client’s Pro Forma.