A restoration by McMillan Pazdan Smith at Converse College’s Pell Hall won a 2015 Honor Award by the Palmetto Trust for Historic Preservation.
McMillan Pazdan Smith completed work to the National Register building to restore the 1891 residence hall’s authenticity and recreate lost design elements, while also updating the building’s systems to better serve the needs of 21st-century students.
The design team used photographs of Pell to recreate the previous interior and exterior elements, including the window muntin patterns and the original tower entrance stained glass door and transom.
Removing sheetrock panels exposed original brick archways and original beaded wainscoting, and throughout the building the original wide-plank, heart pine flooring was repaired and refinished.
