80 Exchange

• Historic Renovation

A historic renovation restores the Jose Block at 80 Exchange St. back into a thriving, efficient, comfortable, gem of the Old Port.

The owners, 80 Exchange LLC, sought to perform a historic renovation of the Jose Block (also known as 80 Exchange) converting the class ‘C-B’ office spaces of the upper floors into class ‘A’ spaces in the heart of the Old Port. The owners wished to bring back this once handsome building and restore its place in the urban fabric as a good neighbor, and a leader in community development. Briburn led a team of design professionals in this endeavor and partnered with Warren Construction to execute the renovation.

The exterior façade of the building was renovated and the street level storefront restored. The entrance, lobby, and common spaces were renovated to create a more welcome and modern tone. A new dormer was added to the south roof allowing the fourth floor to be expanded and filled with light. The existing truss structure of the fourth floor was sanded and sealed and celebrated as a character-defining feature. The third floor was completely opened up. Partitions were removed and the 8’ ceiling was expanded to 14’ thus restoring this level to a more open and dramatic space. A mechanical mezzanine was added to house a highly sophisticated and efficient chilled beam system to provide cooling and balanced ventilation. The windows were replaced with more efficient and historically appropriate double hung windows. The building’s exterior was insulated and sealed, and the building’s structure was reinforced and the floors were leveled. New finishes were installed throughout with new energy-efficient lighting. The Trompe l’oeil mural on the wall that faced the park was deteriorating and the wall beneath was in need of restoration. The wall was restored and a commission was established to seek public submissions and a new mural was designed and installed by artist Will Sears.

The Jose Block has been transformed from a building that has been negatively modified over the past five decades, to one that has leveraged its historic character, integrated modern technologies, and has been given new life for many decades more while enhancing the urban streetscape and its community.