Western Specialty Contractors Repairs Structural Slabs at Mississippi Terrace Apartments in Keokuk, IA
Mississippi Terrace Apartments ST. LOUIS, MO – Western Specialty Contractors – St. Louis Concrete Branch recently completed restoration work on structural slabs supporting the Keokuk Housing Authority’s Mississippi Terrace apartments in Keokuk, IA. Constructed in the 1960s, Mississippi Terrace is a five-story, 90,956-square-foot tenant building overlooking the Mississippi River. It’s one of the few structures in the country with post tension cables supporting a habitual space. Years...
Western Specialty Contractors’ Sheet Metal Division Restores Nine Aging Well Houses for Missouri American Water in Joplin
KANSAS CITY, MO – Western Specialty Contractor’s Architectural Sheet Metal Division in Kansas City is being praised by Missouri American Water for its installation of custom sheet metal panels on the facades of nine aging well house buildings in Joplin, MO. A well house or pump house is a small structure or shelter built over a water well. Its primary role is to protect the mechanical components, including the pump and pipes, from weather elements such as wind, rain, and snow, extending the l...
Video: Rebuild LA, Fireproof LA: One Home at a Time
In the aftermath of devastating wildfires, recovery extends far beyond initial cleanup. It's a continuous process of helping communities rebuild their lives through technical expertise, compassion, and resilience planning. Our team, led by Dr. Kit Miyamoto, has been working alongside homeowners in Topanga, California following recent fires. One of the most impactful aspects of our work occurs during the crucial assessment phase. Recently, while visiting a 76-year-old homeowner's property,...
Building a safer future: Rice researcher works to strengthen Haiti’s earthquake resilience
A 2010 photo taken in Port-Au-Prince, Haiti (stock photo). Over the past two decades, Haiti has endured the devastation of two catastrophic earthquakes — first in 2010 and again in 2021. Each disaster left behind widespread destruction: buildings reduced to rubble, entire communities displaced and an overwhelming loss of life. A major factor in the severity of these tragedies was the widespread structural failure of poorly designed buildings, many of which were not constructed to withstand...
Western Specialty Contractors Restores Concrete Parking Garage in Chesterfield, MO
LOUIS, MO (March 12, 2025) – Western Specialty Contractor’s St. Louis Concrete Branch recently restored the concrete parking garage at 400 Chesterfield Center in Chesterfield, MO. Constructed in 1984, the six-story Chesterfield Center offers 300 surface and 60 covered spaces in its sub-surface parking garage. Exploratory openings were made at the bottom of each PT beams by Western Specialty Contractors and evaluated by a structural engineer. Evaluation by the engineer determined the post tens...
KAI Awarded $22.3 Million Contract to Renovate The Black Academy of Arts and Letters Arts Institution in Dallas
DALLAS: KAI has been selected to provide architectural and engineering design services to expand and renovate the home of The Black Academy of Arts and Letters (TBAAL), a cultural mecca in Dallas, TX. The Dallas City Council approved a $22.3 million contract with KAI on Jan. 8, fulfilling Component 4 of the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center District (KBHCCD) Master Plan to transform Dallas into a premier global convention destination. The project leverages the unique strengths and histor...
KWK/Jenkins Peer Designing $60 Million Renovations to East Carolina University’s Aging Jones and Legacy Halls
St. Louis, MO - The KWK/Jenkins Peer Architects (JPA) design team, in collaboration with architect-of-record INTREPID Architecture, is finalizing renovation designs for a pair of aging residence halls at East Carolina University (ECU) in Greenville, NC. The buildings, Jones Hall built in 1958 and Legacy Hall built in 1960, are located adjacent to each other in the campus’ College Hill neighborhood. The overall goal of the $60 million renovation project is to provide updated, modern amenities;...
Western Specialty Contractors Restores Terrace at Mondial River West Apartments in Chicago, IL
(Chicago, IL) Western Specialty Contractors – Chicago Masonry Branch recently waterproofed and restored a terrace at Mondial River West luxury apartments in Chicago, IL. Located at 910 W Huron Street, the 15-story apartment complex was built in 2009 and has 141 units. Western was contacted by property management firm Willow Bridge Property Company to restore a private terrace shared by three units that was leaking due to failing waterproofing. In the winter, freeze and thaw cycles can caus...
FK Architecture Designs Mixed-Use St. Petersburg Community Redevelopment Project
St. Petersburg, FL: September 10, 2024, FK Architecture, a Fugleberg Koch Company, is pleased to announce its design for Whitney Village, a new development of a portion of the Jim & Heather Gills YMCA property in St. Petersburg’s Grand Central District. In collaboration with Wannemacher Jensen Architects (WJA), hired to design the YMCA redevelopment, and Place Architecture, which will oversee retail and mixed-use development, the new St. Petersburg development will feature a mixed-use, pedestria...
Matern Professional Engineering Helps Redevelop Local School to Meet Community Needs and Provide Shelter from Florida Storms
Fort Myers, FL, Matern Professional Engineering is pleased to announce its work in redeveloping a formerly segregated school site in Fort Myers. Franklin Park Elementary School, built in 1958, sits in the Dunbar Community and more than 60 years later, Matern Professional Engineering is helping modernize the school generations to come. All but one building was demolished and a new state-of-the-art facility was built. The remaining building, too young to tear down was completely renovated into a s...
Stormwater Interview with Robert Page, P.E., Vice President, HNTB
Santa Barbara County North Branch Jail Expansion
February Issue 2026
