As a public/private development endeavor and part of a downtown revitalization plan, the historically significant M&T Bank Building was renovated to house a branch office for the Department of Labor & Industry. The architect, a historical renovation specialist, developed a two-phase project to revitalize the Altoona property.

The first phase involved creating ADA access to the upper floors of the structure by adding a new elevator, lobbies and entrance onto the side of the existing building. This addition required all new mechanical/electrical systems to serve the “stand-alone” structure.

The second phase involved the renovation of 15,000 sq. ft. of office and support space including ADA toilet rooms. Although the renovation included the reuse of existing HVAC, plumbing and electrical systems as far as physically possible, in some instances, the systems required complete upgrade.