Iron Block Building Wins Prestigious Driehaus Preservation Award

The National Trust for Historic Preservation awarded the Dental Associates Iron Block Building one of its four prestigious 2015 Driehaus Preservation Awards.  Iconica was the co-recipient for outstanding construction work in restoring this magnificent building at the center of Downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin.  

Jim Pientka, President, accepted the award on November 4, on behalf of Iconica, at the National Cathedral in Washington D.C., during the opening plenary ceremony of the 2015 National Preservation Conference.

Ecstatic and thankful, we tip our caps to Mark Demsky, Architect for Dental Associates, a dental care organization now headquartered in the newly preserved building. Mark’s passion, along with that of Dr. Thomas Manos, Owner of Dental Associates, and Anthony Vastardis, CEO, was the driving force behind the project.

Iconica worked closely with Mark to complete design details and construction drawings, and subsequently complete the construction of the interior renovation. It’s easy to imagine some of the challenges involved with altering a building erected before the inauguration of Abraham Lincoln. For a more thorough description, see our previous blog post

In the words of the National Trust for Historic Preservation: “The National Preservation Awards are bestowed on distinguished individuals, nonprofit organizations, public agencies and corporations whose skill and determination have given new meaning to their communities through preservation of our architectural and cultural heritage. Preservation Award nominees are judged for the success they have achieved in the preservation, rehabilitation, restoration, and interpretation of our architectural and cultural heritage. The Driehaus Preservation Awards recognize and celebrate the country’s best preservation projects—projects that highlight cutting-edge preservation approaches or technologies. These exclusive awards serve to educate and inspire and raise the visibility of the preservation movement. The Iron Block Building is Wisconsin’s last standing building with a cast iron facade. Despite its designation as a Milwaukee Landmark and its place on the National Register, the building suffered years of neglect until Dental Associates undertook a complete, meticulous, historically accurate renovation of the site, returning it to its former grandeur.”