Factory 52

Stay up to date on all the latest developments on Factory 52—the large-scale renovation and redevelopment of the former US Playing Card Factory.

December 2020  |  January 2021  |  June 2021  |  August 2021  |  September 2021  | October 2021  |  December 2021  |  January 2022

February 2022: Roofs, Foundations, and Clock Towers

The project is accelerating, with more than 650 yards of concrete poured in one day.

• The concrete pours included the Kenilworth Garage and the Kenilworth Residence.
• Framing on the Central Green Apartments reached the third floor.
• Roof repairs continue on the Food Hub.
• Amenity Building is moving on with footers and foundations.
• The Clock Tower restoration is moving forward with brick repair.

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January 2022: Raise the Roof

This aerial image captures the abundance of progress occurring on site.

• In the bottom right corner, the Kenilworth Garage can be seen coming out of the ground. This was the first elevated slab casting using a post-tension slab.
• Directly to the left of that are the footers and foundations to the Kenilworth Apartment building. The bubble-like structure in the middle is the elevator shaft being constructed. The tent around it allows the concrete block to be laid in heat—necessary when construction continues through the winter.
• The first floor of framing of the Central Green apartment building is complete. Second floor walls are starting to be set.
• In the upper left quadrant of the image, you can see restoration work on the clock tower. Brickwork and concrete footer repairs are all being completed by another Huseman Group company.
• In the upper center you can see the one-story food market all. The roofing and its hazardous materials have been removed. Next, crews will rebuild the roof structure with timber framing. This work is being completed by HGC’s self-perform team.

Additional work during this time included pouring the elevator shaft foundation at the Factory 52 Amenity Building. This building will house the PLK Leasing Office, as well as the much-anticipated High Line Brewery. The brewery will have a  rooftop deck. Not pictured is the installation of the third underground detention facility under what will become the Central Green park and event area.

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December 2021: A Long Pour

From late November through December, crews poured extensive amounts of concrete. Concrete pours are long days. They require extensive preparation leading up to the day, and then precise, efficient work on the day. It is common to begin as early as 5:00 a.m., and some days the crews even began work at 1:30 a.m. Some days the crew would stay as late as 9:00 p.m. The final result included the first half of the central green and the Kenilworth Garage slab.

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October 2021: Prepare for Liftoff

After several months of grading and utility work, the work is still ongoing. However, teams are preparing to build vertically. Compare the progress in just one week with these two aerial drone shots taken from similar angles.

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September 2021: What Lies Beneath

HGC oversaw the installation of two storm structures that are 2-1/2 stories tall and weigh 30 tons each. These are self-cleaning storm structures to filter out debris before entering the underground detention system. These storm structures will be under the two-story Kenilworth Garage. This month also involved installing electrical distribution vaults. under the streets and in all those manholes you see. This is one of many electrical distribution vault being installed.

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August 2021: Sights Set on Sites

To the untrained eye, a construction project of this size can look like nothing more than moving dirt for months. However, this site work is critical for preparing the project for success. Work includes excavation to prepare for the Kenilworth Garage, as well as installation of new site utilities.

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June 2021: The Groundbreaking

Members of the project team as well as Norwood city leaders celebrated the groundbreaking for Factory 52. HGC is the Construction Manager for this $80MM+ redevelopment of the former US Playing Card Factory. The project will be an game-changing project for everyone involved, especially the City of Norwood.

Check out video of the June 28th 2021 event:

The project team includes PLK Communities, MSA Design, THP Limited, KLH Engineers, and JCA.

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January 2021: And We’re Walking

Complex projects like these require extensive pre-work. The teams spend countless hours touring the site, meeting with PLK Communities, MSA Design, MKSK, Cline Design Associates and J.S. Held LLC. When performing a historic restoration, accurate assessments of existing conditions is vital. Photos help document the conditions of the site prior to work beginning, and help to inform the project team as the finalize designs and plans.

Check out a recent award-winning historic renovation by HGC.

Before the project was awarded, PLK Communities determined that many of the historic structures across the campus could not be redeveloped. Demolition of all unsalvageable structures ended in the fall of 2020. It was important, however, to maintain a few key buildings to capture the location’s history. The existing structures that will be preserved include the historic clock tower, smokestack, and two former factory buildings. The structure that was previously the factory’s cafeteria is going to become a Food Innovation Hub. The other large historic structure will become a parking garage.

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December 2020: The Game-Changing Win

PLK Communities recently announced that HGC had been awarded Factory 52, the long-awaited redevelopment of the historic U.S. Playing Card site in Norwood.

Read the announcement in The Business Courier. 

“In recent years, HGC has staffed up accordingly to handle a project of this size,” HGC President Adam Kuehne told the Courier. “This is a game-changer type project for HGC. We’ve worked long and hard to win a project like this and all that hard work is paying off.”

Check out HGC’s historic preservation portfolio

The project’s size and location in Norwood positions it to change the neighborhood in positive ways. HGC’s experience with the tight-knit community of Avondale prepared them well for this work.

Learn more about Avondale Town Center

Our firm has unparalleled knowledge of the U.S. Playing Card site. HGC worked on this project in an informal capacity for more than ten years. Our estimators dedicated months of preconstruction time to running the numbers and determining the cost of renovating all original structures. Their expert knowledge helped to shape PLK’s vision and the program as it exists in its current iteration: a balance of the preservation of key structures with modern new constructions. HGC personnel have a profound understanding of the building’s history and current conditions.

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Want to join a team that that changes the game? Check out our job opportunities and build the backdrop where memories are made and beginnings are born. Join HGC and Build Every Day