Historical Elements
The Berdan Building was designed by architect George Stafford Mills. This 4 story, 130,000 square foot warehouse building is located in downtown Toledo, OH. Mill’s design was based on the Richardson’s Marshall Field warehouse in Chicago, which incorporates large open arched windows underneath a grouping of three smaller arched windows. The Berdan Building was constructed in 1902 as storage space for the Berdan Grocery Store. Berdan was established in 1836 and involved wholesale groceries, coffee roasting, tea importing and cigar manufacturing. At one point they were the largest wholesale grocery business between Chicago and New York.
BBS Role/Products Used
- Traco 9700 Historic Replica Aluminum Window with custom designed exterior panning and trim assemblies.
- Custom arched windows to match the original windows exact profiles and dimensions.
- Custom designed aluminum doors recreating the original loading dock doors.
- All windows and doors are AAMA 2605 painted finish; all glass is Low-e/argon insulated glass.
Current Use
The Berdan Building has been renovated into a mixed-use building with street level retail and office space and offers 115 modern residential units on the upper floors. The residential space boasts studio units along with one and two-bedroom apartments featuring exposed brick and duct work with 14-foot ceilings. The expansive windows offer views of downtown Toledo. This was a Federal Historic Tax Credit project requiring local Historic District and National Park Service approval.