Have you seen pictures mounted in family albums using small black triangles at the corners? What about cherished stories affixed in scrapbooks using the stick-on triangle mounts? Those keepsake mounts were created in Reading, Massachusetts, by Ace Art Company. The once-bustling manufacturing plant now has a whole new life as a mixed-use complex thanks to an ambitious restoration project featuring a low-maintenance composite slate roof.
The Art Deco-styled property is on Reading’s Historical & Architectural Inventory. In addition, it’s on the National Register of Historic Places. To help preserve the history of the valued landmark, co-developers Civico and Traggorth Companies worked with several groups to retain the architectural and cultural significance of the Ace Art Co. building. At the same time, they worked to provide the community with affordable housing units and retail operations.
Specifying the Roof Systems
To assist with the redesign of the manufacturing plant into four stories of workable and livable space called Ace Flats, Civico brought in Olinger Architects. When it came time to the roofing design, the architectural firm specified DaVinci Single-Width Slate in a Brownstone color for the mansard roof.
“We frequently specify DaVinci composite roofing for projects in our area,” says Jeffrey Olinger, AIA, NCARB, LEED AP, owner/architect with Olinger Architects out of Cambridge, Massachusetts. “There’s a mansard application on this project. We selected DaVinci roofing because the system convincingly simulates a natural slate roof. The color range and texture of the DaVinci products are very realistic, especially when observed from the sidewalk level. Additionally, it’s very important that the DaVinci roofing tiles are a low-maintenance product. That is essential for a project like this.”
The low-slope roof sections were topped with a TPO roof system from Firestone Building products. “The flat roof was specified for performance and value,” notes Olinger, “The building is designed with sloped roof trusses to create the drainage slope for the flat roof portion of the building.”
Both the mansard and low-slope roof systems were installed by TCT Roofing, headquartered in Framingham, Massachusetts.
Enhancing Communities
Completed in 2021, Ace Flats includes 55 new residential units and ground-floor retail operations. The project perfectly blends with the mission of developer Civico.
“Our company wishes to design and construct high-quality buildings, streetscapes, and neighborhoods,” says Andrew Consigli, AIA, LEED AP, managing member of Civico. “We want these to significantly enhance the social livability and environmental sustainability of our communities. Our work includes projects of all scales. We strive to incorporate design and civic spirit into all of our projects.”
For Ace Flats, while the existing building was not able to be preserved, the history of the site was. “We’ve included an informational plaque for public display honoring the building’s unique history,” says Consigli. “If you take a picture of this beautiful structure today, it would be quite appropriate to use NuAce picture corners to frame it in an album!”
TEAM
Co-Developers: Civico, Hopedale, Massachusetts, civicodevelopment.com; and Traggorth Companies, Boston, Massachusetts, traggorthcompanies.com
Construction Manager: Delphi Construction Inc., Waltham, Massachusetts, delphiconstruction.com
Architect: Olinger Architects, Cambridge, Massachusetts, olinger.io
Roofing Contractor: TCT Roofing, Framingham, Massachusetts, tctroofing.com
MATERIALS
Synthetic Slate: Single-Width Slate, DaVinci Roofscapes, davinciroofscapes.com
Low-Slope Roof: TPO, Firestone Building Products, firestonebpco.com
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