Historic Renovation

E-Corp completed a historic restoration of the 500-ton, 85-foot fireplace at the Old Faithful Inn at Yellowstone National Park. Built in 1906, the stone fireplace has a 16-foot base and is constructed of volcanic rock, with some of the boulders weighing as much as five tons!

In 1959, an earthquake damaged the chimney, causing rocks in the flue to collapse into the interior of the fireplace. Our role included reinforcing the chimney and restoring it to look like it did in the early 1900s.

To complete the historic restoration, we removed soot that had been stuck on the fireplace for 105 years. We took the metal flue out and went down from the top and cleaned all of the debris down 85 feet into the fireboxes at the bottom. We then opened up the fireboxes, rebuilt flues to the cap, and added new a stainless steel flue up. As we rebuilt the flue from the bottom up, we doweled rebar and reinforcement and grouted everything outside of the flue.

Our historic restoration also included restoring the original seven-foot diameter clock that is mounted on the fireplace, as well as restoring the chimney. (A replica of the clock can be found in our conference room.) To restore the chimney to its original condition, we matched the shingles and the logs surrounding the steel pipe coming out of the rook. We even went as far as matching the way the ends of the logs were cut in their original condition.

We also renovated the dining room. For the dining room, we replaced the wood beam support and the electrical in the ceiling. We also installed a smoke and heat fire alarm detection system, which included strobe lights. Also for the renovation, we replaced and refinished the wood finishes, and we restored and reconnected the original historical lights.

For the Kelly and Highlands Historic Cabin Renovations project, E-Corp restored historic employee housing at GTNP. The Kelly cabins were built beginning in 1916, and the Highlands cabins were built in the 1930s. E-Corp completed this historic restoration during the winter. Although working in the off season added challenges to the project, it allowed the E-Corp team to avoid disrupting Park personnel, patrons, and services. The scope of work for the historic renovations included the following: 

• Interior demolition
• Construction of new interior walls
• New plumbing
• New electrical
• New kitchens
• New HVAC
• Restoration of all interiors

Throughout this project, E-Corp worked closely with the National Park Service (NPS) to protect the historic nature of the buildings. E-Corp received verbal praises for working in harmony with the NPS and its employees.

Building 225 is Hill Air Force Base’s largest hangar and the home of the maintenance mission for the F-16 and C-130 aircraft. The hangar houses approximately 72 F-16s and 12 C-130 aircraft. The facility was built in 1940, and this was the first major overhaul that the building had received.

Due to the fast military operations tempo, Building 225 was at full capacity. This required careful planning with around-the-clock work schedules to avoid disrupting critical operations. This phase of the renovation covered more than 125,000 feet of floor space with ceiling height varying from 40 feet to 90 feet.

To complete this project, E-Corp demolished four 200-foot trolley crane systems, as well as old electrical and mechanical systems. We also installed new insulated soundboard and cable tray for the building communication system, and we constructed break rooms and storage rooms. Our team painted the entire structure, applying more than 4,000 gallons of paint to ceilings and walls. We tested the concrete floor and repaired significant structural damage and completely installed an epoxy-based flooring system.

E-Corp demonstrated efficient management and effective quality control by carefully scheduling and communicating with suppliers, subcontractors, in-house workers, building users, and the government project manager in a very short timeframe. Within a month of beginning the contract, we completed 65 percent of the contract and turned over 50 percent of the floor space to the government user. At one point, each construction trade had crews working 24/7. E-Corp also had to coordinate with the facility for the movement of F-16s. As a result, E-Corp completed the project six weeks ahead of schedule. Early completion of the project allowed the critical aircraft maintenance schedules leeway in the scheduling of maintenance space.

The 309th Maintenance Group awarded E-Corp with a group coin for our excellent work. This is the only time the 309th has every given a contractor a group coin.