2019
03.01
DC Vault Removals for New Museums
Security Vault Works was hired by Grunley Construction of Rockville MD to relocate several old vault doors and the contents of several vaults from the 1920s. The Vaults were located in what were once a Riggs/PNC Bank and an American Security/Bank of America Building at 15th and Pennsylvania- directly across the street from the White House. The buildings can actually be seen on the back of the ten dollar bill! Both branches are now closed and were purchased by a private buyer that will be turning the property into museums. Because they are not longer used to house valuables- the new owner wanted to repurpose the doors to show the product, quality and craftsman ship of these long-standing structures. They will be dedicated to the American Educator and the Center for the American dream.
SVW had to shore the underneath the doors and across the travel path required structural engineers to design significant systems to hold the weight of the doors as we moved across the floors. The concrete vaults that held the doors were demolished with the doors still in place. Each door was supported by bracings during demolition. Each vault door ranged in weight from 50,000-80,000 pounds and was located on the second floor of the buildings. A crane was brought in to lift the doors through the roof for relocation. The crane had a maximum capacity of 10,000 pounds so the doors had to be cut into multiple pieces for removal. Each door was 25 inches thick!
This is an ongoing job and will be completed over a three year phase. Look out for completion photos when the project wraps in 2020. You can also check out the relocated doors in the Museum of the American Educator Museum and the Center for the American Dream when they are completed and open to the public.