Architectural Resources Group
Encyclopedia
Architectural Resources Group (or ARG; also known as Architects, Planners & Conservators, Inc.) is a firm founded in 1980 by Bruce Judd
and Steve Farneth in San Francisco. It began by providing professional services in the fields of architecture
and urban planning
with particular expertise in the area of historic preservation
. By 2005, the firm had expanded to a full-service architecture firm with 50 employees, opened an office in Pasadena
serving Southern California, and founded a separate conservation-contracting division, ARG Conservation Services.
, preservation technology, building pathology, building materials, engineering
, real estate
, and economics
. By assembling a team of specialists across several different disciplines, ARG approaches problems from a wide perspective, enabling implementation of more creative, cost effective, and comprehensive solutions.
ARG was among the first architecture firms in the United States to include architectural conservators as staff members. This resource allows the firm to focus on the science of preserving architecture and its historic fabric. Close integration of architectural conservators, preservation architects, and architectural historians is claimed to provide clients with superior design services, providing truly sustainable solutions to built heritage. ARG has since provided a range of services for various National Historic Landmarks, buildings listed on the National Historic Register, historic district
s, and other culturally significant sites.
The firm and its projects have received over 100 awards in design excellence, conservation, and planning, including those sponsored by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the American Institute of Architects, the California Governor’s Office, and the California Preservation Foundation. In 2006, ARG received the Firm of the Year Award from the AIA California Council. The firm also retains close alliances and involvement with preservation policy and advocacy organizations, such as the National Trust for Historic Preservation
, ICOMOS, DOCOMOMO, the Association for Preservation Technology International, and the American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works. Firm members have also given numerous public lectures, discussing a wide range of topics pertaining to cultural heritage.
“Giving Old Buildings a Reason to Live: Using the latest high-tech tools, preservation architects find the right balance between celebrating a building’s treasured history and allowing it to live on into the future.” Architectural Record, March 2005
“Seismic Upgrade for Frank Lloyd Wright’s 1937 Hanna House at Stanford University: Materials research and development promise an earthquake-resistant future.” Architectural Record, Tech Briefs, November 2000
“Earthquake-Proofing Polk: Installing steel and concrete reinforcements within the walls invisibly upgrades the seismic strength of the Filoli mansion.” Architecture, December 1995
“Drinking Lessons: The Rudd Center for Wine Education in St. Helena, Calif., by ARG, is the ideal environment for a glass of wine.” Contract, August 2004.
“In Concert: A historic interior, acoustical relevance, and ARG make beautiful music together in Carmel-by-the-Sea, Calif.’s Sunset Center.” Contract, March 2004
“Reborn at Last: The revitalization of the former University High School in Oakland for the Children’s Hospital Oakland Research Institute.” Contract
“Not So Radical: In accord with a national trend toward town-gown détente, a contentious conflict on the edge of Berkeley’s campus ends with an architecturally conservative solution.” Preservation, January/February 2003.
“A New Yet Familiar Neighbor: Goldman School of Public Policy UC Berkeley
by Architectural Resources Group. A new annex becomes a hands-on experience in preservation and urban design policy.” ArchNewsNow, January 2003.
“Faith Lift: The restoration at the San Francisco Theological Seminary has given the campus its heart and revived two architectural icons to their original glory.” Facilities Design & Management, June 2002.
“A Conservatory Reborn: After falling prey to one of the most violent storms in California history, San Francisco’s Conservatory of Flowers blooms again.” World Monuments ICON, Summer 2003.
Bruce Judd
Bruce D. Judd, FAIA, is an historic preservation architect based in Seaside, Florida and San Francisco, California. He is a principal in the Bruce Judd Consulting Group in Seaside and a "Consulting Principal" at the Architectural Resources Group in San Francisco. As a founding principal of...
and Steve Farneth in San Francisco. It began by providing professional services in the fields of architecture
Architecture
Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...
and urban planning
Urban planning
Urban planning incorporates areas such as economics, design, ecology, sociology, geography, law, political science, and statistics to guide and ensure the orderly development of settlements and communities....
with particular expertise in the area of historic preservation
Historic preservation
Historic preservation is an endeavor that seeks to preserve, conserve and protect buildings, objects, landscapes or other artifacts of historical significance...
. By 2005, the firm had expanded to a full-service architecture firm with 50 employees, opened an office in Pasadena
Pasadena, California
Pasadena is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Although famous for hosting the annual Rose Bowl football game and Tournament of Roses Parade, Pasadena is the home to many scientific and cultural institutions, including the California Institute of Technology , the Jet...
serving Southern California, and founded a separate conservation-contracting division, ARG Conservation Services.
About the firm
Because of the complex range of issues common to preservation projects, the firm associates with consultants in diverse fields such as architectural historyArchitectural History
Architectural History is the main journal of the Society of Architectural Historians of Great Britain .The journal is published each autumn. The architecture of the British Isles is a major theme of the journal, although it includes more general papers on the history of architecture. Member of...
, preservation technology, building pathology, building materials, engineering
Engineering
Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...
, real estate
Real estate
In general use, esp. North American, 'real estate' is taken to mean "Property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals, or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this; an item of real property; buildings or...
, and economics
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
. By assembling a team of specialists across several different disciplines, ARG approaches problems from a wide perspective, enabling implementation of more creative, cost effective, and comprehensive solutions.
ARG was among the first architecture firms in the United States to include architectural conservators as staff members. This resource allows the firm to focus on the science of preserving architecture and its historic fabric. Close integration of architectural conservators, preservation architects, and architectural historians is claimed to provide clients with superior design services, providing truly sustainable solutions to built heritage. ARG has since provided a range of services for various National Historic Landmarks, buildings listed on the National Historic Register, historic district
Historic district
A historic district or heritage district is a section of a city which contains older buildings considered valuable for historical or architectural reasons. In some countries, historic districts receive legal protection from development....
s, and other culturally significant sites.
The firm and its projects have received over 100 awards in design excellence, conservation, and planning, including those sponsored by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the American Institute of Architects, the California Governor’s Office, and the California Preservation Foundation. In 2006, ARG received the Firm of the Year Award from the AIA California Council. The firm also retains close alliances and involvement with preservation policy and advocacy organizations, such as the National Trust for Historic Preservation
National Trust for Historic Preservation
The National Trust for Historic Preservation is an American member-supported organization that was founded in 1949 by congressional charter to support preservation of historic buildings and neighborhoods through a range of programs and activities, including the publication of Preservation...
, ICOMOS, DOCOMOMO, the Association for Preservation Technology International, and the American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works. Firm members have also given numerous public lectures, discussing a wide range of topics pertaining to cultural heritage.
Architecture & Cultural Resource Preservation
- A.K. Smiley Library, Renovation & Expansion, Redlands, California
- Berenger Vineyards Master Plan and New Building, St. Helena, California
- Calvary Presbyterian Church, Seismic Upgrade, San Francisco, California
- Children’s Hospital of Oakland Research Institute, Adaptive Reuse, Oakland, California
- Chuck Williams Flavor Discovery Center & Rudd Center for Professional Wine Studies, Rehabilitation & Adaptive Reuse, Culinary
- Institute of America at Greystone, St. Helena, California
- Conservatory of FlowersConservatory of FlowersThe Conservatory of Flowers is a greenhouse and botanical garden that houses a collection of rare and exotic plants in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, California. With construction completed in 1878, it remains the oldest building in the park, and the oldest municipal wooden conservatory remaining...
, Restoration & Repair, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, California - Curry Village New Employee Housing, Yosemite National Park, California
- Filoli Estate, New Visitor Center & Café Addition, Woodside, California
- Presidio Fire DepartmentPresidio Fire DepartmentEstablished in 1917, the Presidio Fire Department provided primary emergency response to the Presidio of San Francisco.During the 1940s, '50s and '60s the Presidio's Firehouse served as the headquarters station to a much larger department consisting of many Stations located at the various forts...
, Fire Station Addition and Upgrade, Presidio of San Francisco, California - Goldman School of Public PolicyGoldman School of Public PolicyThe Richard and Rhoda Goldman School of Public Policy is a public policy school and one of 14 schools and colleges at the University of California, Berkeley. Originally named the Graduate School of Public Policy, it was founded in 1969 as one of the first public policy institutions in the United...
, New Building & Rehabilitation of Historic Building, University of California at Berkeley, California - Jefferson County Courthouse Clock Tower Rehabilitation, Port Townsend, Washington
- Napa Valley Opera House Rehabilitation & New Addition, Napa, California
- New Visitor Center, Lava Beds National Park, California
- Pasadena City HallPasadena City HallPasadena City Hall, completed in 1927, serves as the central location for city government in the City of Pasadena and it is a significant example of the City Beautiful movement of the 1920s.-History:...
, Seismic Retrofit, Rehabilitation & Repairs, Pasadena, California - The Retreat at Fort BakerFort BakerFort Baker is one of the components of California's Golden Gate National Recreation Area. The Fort, which borders the City of Sausalito in Marin County and is connected to San Francisco by the Golden Gate Bridge, served as an Army post until the mid-1990s, when the headquarters of the 91st Division...
, Adaptive Reuse, Marin County, California - San Francisco Theological Seminary, Restoration & Seismic Upgrade, San Anselmo, California
- Sunset Center, Rehabilitation & New Addition, Carmel-by-the-Sea, California
Conservation
- 450 Sutter Street, Window Stabilization, Rehabilitation & Replacement, San Francisco, California
- The 5th Avenue Theatre, Seattle, Washington Aleutian World War II National Historic Area, Unalaska/Dutch Harbor, Alaska
- Angel Island Immigration StationAngel Island, CaliforniaAngel Island is an island in San Francisco Bay that offers expansive views of the San Francisco skyline, the Marin County Headlands and Mount Tamalpais. The entire island is included within Angel Island State Park, and is administered by California State Parks. It has been used for a variety of...
, Poetry Conservation, Angel Island State Park, California - Angel of Grief, Conservation & Stabilization, Stanford University, California
- Fountain of the Tortoises, Huntington Park, Restoration & Seismic Stabilization, San Francisco, California
- Mark Hopkins HotelInterContinental Mark Hopkins San FranciscoThe InterContinental Mark Hopkins San Francisco is a luxury hotel located at the top of Nob Hill in San Francisco, California. The hotel is owned by the InterContinental Hotels Group...
, Design Services, San Francisco, California - Maritime Museum Exterior Restoration, Aquatic Park Historic District, San Francisco Maritime National Historic Park, California
- Masonic Temple, Mosaic Window Assessment & Restoration, San Francisco, California
- Old St. Mary’s Cathedral Restoration & Seismic Strengthening, San Francisco, California
- Watts Towers State Historic ParkWatts TowersThe Watts Towers or Towers of Simon Rodia in the Watts district of Los Angeles, California, is a collection of 17 interconnected structures, two of which reach heights of over 99 feet . The Towers were built by Italian immigrant construction worker Sabato Rodia in his spare time over a period of...
, Los Angeles, California
Historic Structure Reports
- Angel Island Immigration StationAngel Island, CaliforniaAngel Island is an island in San Francisco Bay that offers expansive views of the San Francisco skyline, the Marin County Headlands and Mount Tamalpais. The entire island is included within Angel Island State Park, and is administered by California State Parks. It has been used for a variety of...
, Three Buildings, San Francisco Bay, California - Bok Kai TempleBok Kai TempleThe Bok Kai Temple is a traditional Chinese temple located at the corner of D and First Streets in the city of Marysville, California, and served as the center of what was a bustling Chinatown .-History:Five years after the first contingent of Chinese arrived in California to work the...
, Marysville, California - Channel Islands National Park, Three Ranch Houses, Ventura, California
- Conservatory of FlowersConservatory of FlowersThe Conservatory of Flowers is a greenhouse and botanical garden that houses a collection of rare and exotic plants in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, California. With construction completed in 1878, it remains the oldest building in the park, and the oldest municipal wooden conservatory remaining...
, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, California - First Church of Christ, Scientist, Berkeley, California
- Frank Lloyd Wright-Designed Hanna House, Stanford University, California
- Grand Canyon National Park, Five Buildings, Grand Canyon, Arizona
- John Marsh House, Contra Costa County, California
- John Muir House, John Muir National Historic SiteJohn Muir National Historic SiteThe John Muir National Historic Site is located in the San Francisco Bay Area, in Martinez, Contra Costa County, California. It preserves the 14-room Italianate Victorian mansion where the naturalist and writer John Muir lived, as well as a nearby tract of native oak woodlands and grasslands...
, Martinez, California - Locke Boarding House, Locke, California
- Old United States Mint BuildingSan Francisco MintThe San Francisco Mint is a branch of the United States Mint, and was opened in 1854 to serve the gold mines of the California Gold Rush. It quickly outgrew its first building and moved into a new one in 1874. This building, the Old United States Mint, also known affectionately as The Granite Lady,...
, San Francisco, California - Pasadena City HallPasadena City HallPasadena City Hall, completed in 1927, serves as the central location for city government in the City of Pasadena and it is a significant example of the City Beautiful movement of the 1920s.-History:...
, Pasadena, California - Rancho Los Alamitos, Long Beach, California
- Village Green [aka Baldwin Hills Village], Los Angeles, California
Design Guidelines & Historic Resource Surveys
- City of Anaheim, Historic Resource Survey, Anaheim, California
- City of Davis, Downtown Historic Resource Survey, Davis, California
- City of FresnoFresnoFresno is the fifth largest city in California.Fresno may also refer to:-Places:Colombia* Fresno, TolimaSpain* Fresno, a ghost village in Nidáliga, Valle de Sedano, Burgos* Aldea del Fresno, Madrid* Fresno de la Vega, Ribera del Esla, León...
, Broadway Row Historical Resource Survey, Fresno, California - City of Monterey, Cannery Row Historic Resource Survey, Monterey, California
- City of Palm Springs, City Wide Historic Resources Survey, Palm Springs, California
- City of Stockton, Downtown Historic Resource Survey, Stockton, California
- Glendale Design Guidelines for Residential Buildings, Glendale, California
- Hawaii Volcanoes National ParkHawaii Volcanoes National ParkHawaii Volcanoes National Park, established in 1916, is a United States National Park located in the U.S. State of Hawaii on the island of Hawaii. It encompasses two active volcanoes: Kīlauea, one of the world's most active volcanoes, and Mauna Loa, the world's most massive volcano...
, Crater Rim Drive Historic Road Inventory, Hawaii County, Hawaii - Historic Downtown Los Angeles Design Guidelines, Los Angeles, California
- Oregon Parks & Recreation Department, Context Statement & Inventory, Oregon
- Presidio Design Guidelines, Presidio of San FranciscoPresidio of San FranciscoThe Presidio of San Francisco is a park on the northern tip of the San Francisco Peninsula in San Francisco, California, within the Golden Gate National Recreation Area...
, California - Shenandoah Historic District Design Guidelines, Moffett Field, California
- Tomales Design Guidelines, Tomales, California
Publications
“Flowers for San Francisco: Conserving San Francisco’s Conservatory of Flowers was no easy task. Architectural Resources Group of San Francisco led the $25 million, eight-year rehabilitation.” Traditional Building, October 2005“Giving Old Buildings a Reason to Live: Using the latest high-tech tools, preservation architects find the right balance between celebrating a building’s treasured history and allowing it to live on into the future.” Architectural Record, March 2005
“Seismic Upgrade for Frank Lloyd Wright’s 1937 Hanna House at Stanford University: Materials research and development promise an earthquake-resistant future.” Architectural Record, Tech Briefs, November 2000
“Earthquake-Proofing Polk: Installing steel and concrete reinforcements within the walls invisibly upgrades the seismic strength of the Filoli mansion.” Architecture, December 1995
“Drinking Lessons: The Rudd Center for Wine Education in St. Helena, Calif., by ARG, is the ideal environment for a glass of wine.” Contract, August 2004.
“In Concert: A historic interior, acoustical relevance, and ARG make beautiful music together in Carmel-by-the-Sea, Calif.’s Sunset Center.” Contract, March 2004
“Reborn at Last: The revitalization of the former University High School in Oakland for the Children’s Hospital Oakland Research Institute.” Contract
“Not So Radical: In accord with a national trend toward town-gown détente, a contentious conflict on the edge of Berkeley’s campus ends with an architecturally conservative solution.” Preservation, January/February 2003.
“A New Yet Familiar Neighbor: Goldman School of Public Policy UC Berkeley
by Architectural Resources Group. A new annex becomes a hands-on experience in preservation and urban design policy.” ArchNewsNow, January 2003.
“Faith Lift: The restoration at the San Francisco Theological Seminary has given the campus its heart and revived two architectural icons to their original glory.” Facilities Design & Management, June 2002.
“A Conservatory Reborn: After falling prey to one of the most violent storms in California history, San Francisco’s Conservatory of Flowers blooms again.” World Monuments ICON, Summer 2003.