Pitzer College President’s House

Pitzer College President’s house was a residential rehabilitation, expansion and seismic strengthening of a two-story wood-framed home in Claremont built around 1917. The original front portion of the house was brought into compliance with the California Historic Building Code, and the two-story rear expansion was designed to meet the current California Building Code requirements. The original stone and mortar perimeter foundation and cellar walls presented special challenges for meeting modern code requirements, so the design team devised a reinforced concrete strengthening scheme from the interior of the crawlspace that provided necessary foundation strength while leaving the original foundation outwardly intact. New plywood sheathing was installed on interior walls, to provide seismic resistance without visibly impacting finish quality. The structural strengthening was thoughtfully planned to maintain, restore and enhance the original character of the home as it was built 100 years ago, and to ensure the home is a seismically and structurally sound landmark for Pitzer College well into the future. The project team worked to receive LEED Certification for this building.