Several members of our Dallas team recently attended the American General Contractors – Texas Building Branch (AGC-TBB) Outstanding Construction Awards Presentation and Dinner in Georgetown, Texas. We were thrilled to accept an Outstanding Construction Award in the General Contractor – Educational Facilities 2 ($10 million - $30 million) division for the Baylor University, Tidwell Bible Building Renovation project. AGC-TBB awarded this project based on its difficulty in construction, the unusual construction techniques our team employed, the building’s final appearance and quality, and the project’s timely completion.
Constructed in 1954, this seven-story 53,200 SF building is historically significant to the City of Waco. The building serves as a memorial to Rev. Josiah Blake Tidwell and a reminder that faith is at the forefront of all Baylor education. On this project, Vaughn performed critical infrastructure renovations to preserve the Tidwell Bible Building’s beauty and improve its effectiveness. Our team navigated many challenges to make this goal a reality, including accommodating the needs of two adjacent occupied buildings and maintaining the project schedule amid global supply chain disruptions. But, our biggest concern was integrating our additions into the building’s existing elements.
Because of its significance to Baylor and to the community, we could not drastically change the exterior of the building unless alterations were necessary to bring the building up to code. Buildings of this age are difficult to modify to meet today’s comprehensive code requirements, and our team faced the added challenge of ensuring all new work blended seamlessly into the existing building. “The Tidwell Building held a lot of memories for former Baylor students and teachers, as it served as a place of learning, worship, and celebration since its opening in 1954. We were challenged with completing a historical renovation to a modern, functioning building while maintaining the building’s character and history as it was updated to a new teaching facility,” one Vaughn project manager explained.
“We restored the entire exterior that has carved murals depicting Biblical stories. As part of the new design, we also restored the stained glass windows and art deco plaster columns and arches from the original Miller Chapel, in which we then added a second floor and new office and meeting spaces,” he continued. “My favorite part [of the project] was restoring the large artwork from the basement to the new location on the first floor. The craftsmen from Southwest Plaster did an amazing job restoring this artwork as well as the ornate plaster ceilings, Quatrefoils, columns, and arches. We enjoyed the difficult challenge of saving this historical building and preparing it for the next 70 years of new memories for the next generation.”
To prepare Tidwell for the next 70 years, we delivered everything from dramatically expanded and modernized classrooms, to updated MEP systems and utilities, to like-new decorative finishes. When asked about his experience working to preserve this historic building, another Vaughn project manager shared, “The Tidwell project was a very humbling experience. As the project progressed, alumni would describe to us their fond memories, not just of attending class but of their family and friends’ weddings. Seeing how impactful the building had been to so many people gave me a new sense of pride in restoring such a historic building.”
Today, Tidwell enjoys all the best aspects of a new building alongside countless reminders of its history. We are grateful to AGC-TBB for presenting the Tidwell Bible Building Renovation project an Outstanding Construction Award, and we hope our work will serve Baylor University and the City of Waco for years to come.